Trustees

Andrew Coppel

Chair of Trustees

Andrew Coppel, a law graduate, started his career as a chartered accountant with PwC in 1973, then joined Morgan Grenfell as an investment banker where he worked in M&A and corporate banking. He moved on to a variety of cross sector board positions with Ratners Group (CFO), Sale Tilney (Chair/CEO), Queens Moat Houses (CEO), Jockey Club Racecourses (CEO) and De Vere Group (Chair/CEO). At De Vere, he led the five year task to build and crystallize value, in the process repaying virtually all of Lloyds Bank’s £1.1bn of debt.

He played a pivotal role at Tourism Ireland, acting as chairman for the cross-border body for seven years from its formation in 2000 under the Good Friday Agreement, and for which he was awarded a CBE. He was also non-exec chair of London Irish, a non-exec director of Crest Nicholson, a member of Lloyds Bank’s advisory board on Ireland and a non-exec director of The Bannatyne Group.

He is currently chairman of Dolphin Capital Investors, an AIM listed developer of real estate in Greece, Cyprus, Croatia and Turkey. Additionally, he is a director of St George’s Hill GC and sits on the House Committee at The Hurlingham Club in Fulham.

He is married with two adult children (corporate M&A lawyer at Allen & Overy and hospital doctor) and enjoys golf, tennis and rugby. His wife is a former banking supervisor at the Bank of England, Asthma UK charity trustee and a fundraiser for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

Andrew joined the Board of Trustees in 2019.

Simon Barker

Trustee

Simon Barker trained as a Chemical Engineer at Cambridge University, but for the last 25 years has pursued a career in software. He has founded a successful start-up and run established highly successful software businesses. He is currently Chief Executive Officer of Aquila Heywood – the leading provider of pensions administration software.

Simon’s son, Charlie, was born with a complex undiagnosed metabolic disorder. Charlie and his family were regular users of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices and Charlie passed away peacefully at Christopher’s when he 16 years old. Having experienced the care provided by Shooting Star Children’s Hospices first hand, Simon joined the board to help ensure the charity maintains sustainability long-term.

Simon lives with his wife Karen in Herne Hill, south London. He has two grown up step-children. He is a keen water-skier, snowboarder and cyclist as well as an avid theatre goer.

Simon joined the Board of Trustees in 2019.

Paul Boughton

Treasurer

Paul Boughton, a chartered accountant, has worked on international acquisitions and business development for more than 30 years. Currently he is Non Executive Chairman of Quartix , a vehicle tracking and driver analytics business, and Business Development Director of Aventics, a German industrial pneumatics manufacturer.

He served as Corporate Development Director of industrial companies including IMI, Spectris, Consort Medical and Brammer. Paul has also been a Non Executive Director of other technology companies.

Paul lives in Esher, and is married with two adult children. He is a keen squash player, rugby supporter and sailor, being a member of Harlequins Rugby and Sandown Sports Clubs.

He is also Trustee and Treasurer of Missing People, the charity that helps and supports people who have gone missing and their families.

Paul joined the Board of Trustees in 2012.

Andrew Cosslett

Trustee

Andy Cosslett is an Operating Partner with private equity firm, Advent International. His role is to support and guide the company’s activities focused on the leisure, hospitality and consumer brand sectors. He is also non executive Director of the Rugby Football Union.

Andy was Chairman of the organising committee of the 2015 Rugby World Cup held in England. During the same period he was Chief Executive and then Chairman of the Fitness First group, a leading operator of health clubs around the world. He left the company in December 2015.

Andy was born and educated in Manchester. He has a BA (Hons) degree in Economics and a Masters degree in European Politics from the University of Manchester.

He was made a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in 2008.

Andy has two children, Rob and Georgie who are now in their mid twenties and a step child, Ben who is 7 years old from Vietnam. Andy lives in Richmond with his partner, Ann and Ben. He is a keen sportsman, loves music and tries to play the guitar.

Andy joined the Board of Trustees in 2016.

Jon Craig

Trustee

Jon Craig studied medicine at Manchester University medical school and trained as a GP in the 1990s. He has worked in the military, the NHS and the private sector and has held positions in the UK and internationally. In more recent years he has held senior medical leadership positions.

After a number of years of globe-trotting, latterly as Medical Director for International SOS in China, Jon returned to the UK in 2014 as Regional Medical Director for Care UK’s NHS GP Out of Hours services across the southeast. In 2016 he became Deputy Medical Director of Greenbrook Healthcare, managing NHS urgent care services across London. He continues to work clinically as an urgent care GP one day each week to keep in touch with patients.

Jon lives in Guildford with his partner who is a primary school teacher and has two teenage children.

He is passionate about quality of care and is delighted to join the Board – he hopes that his experience will assist in maintaining and developing Shooting Star Children’s Hospices’s high standards for its children and families.

Jon joined the Board of Trustees in 2017.

Andrew Edge

Trustee

Andrew Edge is a solicitor and a partner at City law firm Stephenson Harwood, where he led the Corporate department between 2014 and 2020.  Andrew specialises in mergers and acquisitions and notable transactions on which he has advised include the acquisition of the Priory Clinics in 2016.

Andrew grew up in the north-west and studied law at the University of Birmingham.  He has lived and worked as a lawyer in Hong Kong and Frankfurt and he has travelled extensively with his work, with Moscow and Mumbai being the most visited cities.

Andrew lives in Teddington and is married with one teenage son.  He is a keen runner, occasional cyclist and a proud fan of the Welsh rugby team.

Andrew joined the Board of Trustees in 2020.

Mark Garraway

Trustee

Mark Garraway has worked in corporate and financial communications for the majority of his working life. He was a founding partner of College Hill, a leading financial public relations firm, which since inception in 1987 has grown into an international strategic business communications consultancy, now called Instinctif Partners, where Mark is Managing Partner.

Over the last three decades, Mark has advised a diverse range of corporates and individuals around the world including many household names and gained extensive experience in strategic consultancy and reputation management.

Mark is married to Sandra and they live in East Sussex.  They also have three grown-up children. Sandra works with Citizens Advice, primarily assisting people with mental health issues in dealing with financial, debt and benefit-related problems. As well as being a big rugby fan (England and Wasps), Mark is also a keen cyclist, rower and bee-keeper.

Mark joined the Board of Trustees in 2020.

Jayne Price

Trustee

Professor Jayne Price is professor of Children’s Nursing at Kingston University and St George’s University London.  She is both an adult and children’s nurse. Having undertaken her general nursing in her native Belfast during the years of the ‘troubles’, Jayne followed her great desire to become a children’s nurse which she did after a programme of study in Leeds. During that programme Jayne developed an interest in children’s oncology nursing and children’s palliative care.

That interest evolved and over the past 20 years she has continuously strove to improve care for children with cancer and palliative care needs through practice, education and research. She has published widely and presented both nationally and internationally within this sphere of practice. Jayne completed a competitively funded PhD in 2010 where she examined the needs of parents living through the loss of a child. She has won awards for teaching, practice and educational development.

Jayne has worked in collaboration with Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice since its inception, whilst working as Children’s Macmillan Nurse and later a Senior Lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast. She became Associate Professor and Professional Lead for Children’s Nursing at Kingston/St George’s University London early 2014 and became involved in the work of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices at that time.

Jayne joined the Board of Trustees in 2015.

Catherine van’t Riet

Trustee

Catherine van’t Riet is a Physiotherapist who has worked in healthcare leadership positions in England and in Australia where she lived for 11 years. She now works in South London as a clinical leader in a community health service. She enjoys getting involved in sport, theatre and local events.

Catherine is married to Richard and they have had two daughters. Their youngest daughter Anouk had a brain tumour, she died at the age of five having lived life to the full. It is Anouk’s life, her family’s experience and the support of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices that inspired Catherine to join the board.

Catherine joined the Board of Trustees in 2016.

Katherine Theobald

Trustee

Katherine Theobald is a Principal Director with Brand Learning, part of Accenture. After graduating in International Management and Modern Languages from the University of Bath, Katherine worked in marketing roles at a number of Consumer Goods companies for 20 years. In 2013, she moved into marketing consultancy and is currently supporting a wide range of organisations and people to build their marketing capabilities.

Katherine was a school chair of governors for many years and a trustee of her local Scout group.  She lives in Richmond with her husband and three teenage daughters. Life is full of sport, activities and exams.  When she’s not watching her daughters row or play netball, she will be joining friends on very long walks. She loves France and the mountains and spends as much time there as possible.

Katherine joined the Board of Trustees in 2020.