The trustees at Berkshire Community Foundation
Our Board of Trustees is made up of dedicated volunteers who provide strategic leadership and governance for the Trust.
We are fortunate to work with individuals who bring a diverse range of skills and experience from business, the charitable sector, and our local communities. Together, they guide our work and help ensure we achieve the greatest possible impact.
Mr Andrew Try, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire,
President of Berkshire Community Foundation
Mr Andrew Try, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of the Royal County of Berkshire,
President of Berkshire Community Foundation
Andrew Try is the founder and Managing Director of ComXo, which provides virtual personal assistance and other workplace services to large enterprise clients in the City of London; his company employs 110 people in Datchet. A sixth-generation Windsorian, his voluntary work has focused on serving the locality, including as Trustee of the Windsor Festival, the Windsor Learning Partnership Multi-Academy Trust and the Prince Philip Trust Fund; member of the board of the Friends of St George’s Chapel; chair of the Royal Windsor Rose and Horticultural Society; and governor of Clewer Green Primary School and Papplewick School, Ascot.
He has two children and an adult stepson and lives in Windsor with their mother, Vicky.
He was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant in 2019 and took on the role of Lord-Lieutenant on 23 October 2023.
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Mr James Puxley CVO
Life President
Mr James Puxley CVO
Life President
James Puxley was born in 1948. He was educated in Berkshire before attending the University of Bristol where he obtained a BA degree in history. Following a year working as an apprentice in the Englefield Estate Office near Reading he attended the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester where he obtained a diploma in rural estate management. This was followed by two years practical work which enabled him to become qualified as a chartered surveyor in the rural division of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He worked in this field for a number of years for a national firm of land agents in Huntingdon, Marlborough and London. In the 1980s he started to manage the Welford Estate, near Newbury on behalf of his mother and then on his own behalf when she transferred ownership to him. He continues in this role to-day.
Mr Puxley was High Sheriff of the Royal County of Berkshire from 2000 to 2001. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant in 2005, became Vice Lord Lieutenant in 2010 and became Lord Lieutenant in 2015-2023.
Mr Puxley is a farmer and former President of the Royal Berkshire Show, he has given good service to a range of charities and voluntary organisations in Berkshire and beyond, including the Community Foundation, the Police Rehabilitation Trust , the Watermill Theatre, the Country Land and Business Association and his local Young Farmers Club. He is a former Chairman of the Anglo-American Community Relations Committee for West Berkshire and is an Honorary Commander of RAF Welford, a small American base located near his home in the west of the county. He has been vice chairman of his local Parish Council and sits on his local Parochial Church Council.
At various times throughout his life he has indulged his passion for travel, embarking on several long distance expeditions, and has travelled widely on all continents of the globe apart from the two at the poles. Travel has taken him to counties that are difficult to visit as a tourist at the present time such as Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. He continues to take a great interest in foreign affairs.
Mr Puxley was honoured with the award of Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in the New Years’ Honours list in 2023.
Mr Puxley lives at Welford Park near Newbury with his wife, Deborah. They have two children, a son and a daughter and one grandchild.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Stephen Howard
Chair of Trustees
Stephen Howard
Chair of Trustees
Stephen has over 30 years of corporate finance experience in the City.
Initially he qualified as a solicitor with Freshfields before moving to Kleinwort Benson in 1988 to work as a corporate financier. He headed the global financial institutions division of Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, where he advised on numerous multi-billion takeovers in the insurance and banking sectors. He joined Keefe Bruyette and Woods in 2004 to found their UK operations specialising in the financial institutions sector. He was the Managing Director, Head of Investment banking and Head of Financial Services sector at Panmure Gordon, a long-established niche UK Investment bank until he retired at the end of 2025.
Stephen is a solicitor of the Supreme Court and has an MA in Law and LLB from Cambridge University. Stephen served as a member of the Helpline board for the NSPCC for 10years which helped to raise significant sums of money for the NSPCC.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Lindsey Beard JP DL
Chair of Philanthropy Committee
Lindsey Beard JP DL
Chair of Philanthropy Committee
Lindsey was elected as a Trustee of BCF in November 2023 and chairs its Philanthropy Committee.
She was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the Royal County in 2021.
Lindsey is a serving magistrate in Berkshire and is a member of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee, overseeing the recruitment of magistrates in the South East region.
She chairs the Berkshire based charity The Inside Out Trust (formerly known as the Berkshire Care Trust), which helps to rehabilitate offenders in the Royal County.
Lindsey also works as a volunteer at Berkshire NHS Trust, sitting as an independent lay panel member, ensuring that the right criteria is met for people being held under the Mental Health Act.
A former BBC broadcaster and journalist Lindsey takes a keen interest in current affairs and the Arts and is a voting member of BAFTA.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Margaret Haines MVO
Chair of Grants Committee
Margaret Haines MVO
Chair of Grants Committee
Margaret has been a Trustee of BCF since 2017 and became Chair of the Grants Committee in 2020.
She served as Berkshire's Lieutenancy Officer for fourteen years, supporting Lord-Lieutenants in their roles. During that time, she worked with many official, business and charitable organisations, both public and privates, across the county as well as liaising closely with royal households to facilitate the visits of the Royal family to the county.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Nick Burrows
Vice Chair and Chair of Finance Committee
Nick Burrows
Vice Chair and Chair of Finance Committee
Nick Burrows is chairman of Blandy & Blandy, a leading firm of solicitors with offices in Reading and Henley-on-Thames.
Nick is a partner in the firm’s Corporate & Commercial department and head of the Charities & Education team.
He is highly experienced in advising national and local charities, leading independent schools and third sector organisations on a broad range of charity law and commercial matters, whilst also acting for large businesses and professional practices.
Nick has been recommended in both Chambers UK and The Legal 500. He is a member of the Charity Law Association and a trustee of several local charities, including the Berkshire Community Foundation.
Having attended Reading School and the University of Reading, Nick has lived and worked in Berkshire throughout his career.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Paul Norris
Chair of Governance Committee
Paul Norris
Chair of Governance Committee
Paul has extensive knowledge and experience of leading, managing and growing high value businesses in the legal services market. He has additional board level experience in risk Management of UK and International based organisations operating in different regulatory environments.
Paul is a non-practising solicitor having recently retired as Managing Director of a leading volume remortgage and residential property business transacting tens of thousands of transactions each year.
In previous years Paul was a Director and Chairman of Slough Business Community Partnership, a Director and Chairman of LawNet Limited which is a nationwide network of independent legal firms in the UK, and President of Eurojuris International which is a network of over 600 International Law Firms throughout the EU.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Dr Raj Arora
Trustee
Dr Raj Arora
Trustee
Dr Raj Arora is one of the most prominent and well respected experts within the UK medical landscape. She is one of the UK’s leading medical educators, a highly respected NHS GP, a media doctor and the founder of The Facebible Clinic.
She is an active Philanthropist and has helped to raise millions of pounds for various charitable causes, including The Royal Marsden, Macmillan Cancer, Thames Hospice, British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK. She is a medical ambassador for The Endometriosis Foundation, The Good Grief Trust and a trustee for the Berkshire Community Foundation. She is passionate about making a difference to people’s lives both locally and nationally.
Dr Arora studied at Barts and Royal London Medical School where she graduated with an MBBS and a BSc in Medical Education. She has used her studies to broaden her interest in public health and thus works with the World Health Organisation “Fides” project to fight misinformation and raise evidence based health content. She believes that patients should have access to knowledge and resources to allow them to make informed choices about their own health. Thus, using her own social media platforms to raise awareness on various health topics. Her clinic is based in the Fairmont Windsor Park Hotel and provides private health services as well as ethical aesthetic treatments. She focusses on holistic health and has been covered extensively by media outlets such as The Times, Harpers Bazaar and Hello magazine for her distinct 360 approach to patient care.
As a woman of colour, Dr Arora is keen to dismantle health inequalities facing many women from ethnic minority, socially disadvantaged and LGBTQ backgrounds. She understands the cultural and social barriers to health access that can present in these groups. Dr Arora believes that individuals should have equal access to health care services regardless of their background or the language that they speak. Her most recent focus is in this area, working on allowing open communication and access to optimal Health education for those who need it most. Outside of work, Dr Arora is a mother to her two young children and she enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Shirley Bradbeer
Trustee
Shirley Bradbeer
Trustee
Shirley is a retired non-practicing solicitor. For over 40 years she worked as a solicitor specialising in public children’s law and has extensive knowledge and experience of all matters relating to child protection issues, permanency planning for children and the impact of mental health and domestic abuse on children and families.
Since 1998, following the abolition of Berkshire County Council, Shirley worked in the Joint Legal Team, which provided legal services to the six social services departments in Berkshire in both Children and Adult legal matters. Latterly she managed the Joint Legal Team and has experience of leading a highly pressured team working in sensitive areas.
In previous years Shirley sat as an immigration adjudicator hearing appeals from the Home Office in asylum and immigration matters.
Shirley was appointed as a Trustee of Berkshire Community Foundation in November 2024.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Julie Elliott
Treasurer
Julie Elliott
Treasurer
Julie Elliott is Finance Director for Panasonic UK and AMP Air Conditioning and has worked for Panasonic now for over 6 years. At the foundation of Panasonic is the Basic Business Philosophy of the Japanese founder from 100 years ago, which includes ‘Contribution to Society’ which is key to Panasonics continued support for Berkshire Community Foundation. Julie feels strongly about the company philosophy in and outside of work and was therefore keen to help in the local community and the opportunity with BCF.
Prior to Panasonic Julie has worked for Siemens for 18 years accounting for the offshore wind business.
Julie is originally from Nottingham but has lived in Sandhurst for the last 15 years where she has brought up her 2 Children. She enjoys running and likes to take part in ultra-marathons such as the Brecon Ultra. Since lockdown she has taken up cycling and is looking forward to her first Bike event. All events give the opportunity to help various charities.
- Phone:01189450253
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Jackie Henshaw
Trustee
Jackie Henshaw
Trustee
With 30 years’ experience in the energy industry, Jackie’s career started as an analyst with BP, and progressed to commercial, planning, energy trading, risk and general management positions with BG Group. She served on Board risk committees and led initiatives to progress the role of women in the energy industry.
After a brief spell in consulting, Jackie joined the charity sector as Head of Operations for Eikon, a charity helping young people in Surrey which proved to be a very fulfilling time. She has held positions as a school governor, as Deputy Chair, and as treasurer for voluntary organisations.
She retired in 2019 and lives with husband, Tony, in Ascot and has 3 grown-up children and a beagle called Barney.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Sir Philip May
Trustee
Sir Philip May
Trustee
Born 1957 in Norwich and educated at Calday Grange Grammar School, Wirral, followed by studying Modern History at University of Oxford.
Philip worked in financial services for 45 years, retiring in 2023. His primary responsibilities were for managing investments and working with clients such as pension funds and charities. Philip spent 17 years working at Prudential and subsequently 18 years at Capital Group, a leading global asset management company.
In 2023, he joined the BCF Finance and Investment Committee as a co-opted member before becoming a trustee in November 2024. Philip is married to Theresa who was UK Prime Minister 2016-2019.
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Christian Martin
Trustee
Christian Martin
Trustee
Having founded and sold multiple businesses, Christian now uses his entrepreneurial skills to enhance the connections between BCF and their partner charities. He initially joined the Grants Committee as a co-opted member in 2023 before becoming a trustee in November 2024. Regularly engaging with the community, he assesses the needs and challenges faced by charitable organizations across the county. Christian is particularly passionate about addressing homelessness in Berkshire and is committed to guiding BCF's efforts in this crucial area.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
Simon Muir DL
Trustee
Simon Muir DL
Trustee
Simon initially trained as an engineer, his career has taken him from working within heavy Engineering companies; a stint in City Finance and then to the Telecoms sector, working for a business supplying communications for the Emergency Services.
Simon lives in Berkshire with his wife Sarah Jane and has three sons. Simon runs a small farm, consisting arable and commercial operations. Simon is a trained mediator and has overseen settlements on various commercial negotiations; he sits on the Thames Valley Police Rural crime group and served as Chairman of the Berkshire Branch of the Countryside Land and Business Association.
Simon was High Sheriff of Berkshire for the year 2023/2024.
- Phone:01189303021
- Email:info@berkshirecf.org
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By thinking and giving local, together we can change lives in Berkshire.