Trustees
Chairman: Professor Michael Davies CEng FICE FGS FEngNZ FRSE FLSW
Michael Davies is an emeritus professor at the University of Sussex having previously served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and, from 2013-2015, as Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University. He was previously the Dean of Engineering at the University of Auckland, New Zealand and Deputy Principal, Dean of Engineering and Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Dundee. He is a Chartered Engineer with a specialism in geotechnical engineering and is a past Chairman of the British Geotechnical Association and First Vice-President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering. He was also formerly Chair of the Board of Directors for the Sussex Innovation Centre and a member of the Greater Brighton Economic Board. He is active in engineering research which he combines with being a trustee of a number of educational and professional charities.
Sir Alan Moses
Sir Alan Moses graduated from University College, Oxford, and was called to the bar in 1968, taking silk in 1990. In 1996 he was appointed a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench division. In 2005 he was appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal, and served until his retirement in 2014. He then became chairman of the Independent Press Standards Organisation, serving two terms until 2018.
Crispin P Freeman FCA, TEP
SCrispin Freeman has extensive experience in business and accountancy matters, after a career as a partner in professional practice as a chartered accountant. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. He is a non-executive director of Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne, Plc, a company quoted on the Aquis Stock Exchange. He is a trustee of several charities.
Rodney Castleden
Has a degree in Geography and a research degree in Geomorphology; his major research project was on patterns of river flooding in the Midlands. For many years he was Head of Humanities at Roedean School and is and now a full-time writer, author of over 50 books. ‘On Blatchington Beach’, ‘The Sussex Coast; and ‘Forlorn and Widowed: Seaford in the Napoleonic Wars’ explore the complex relationship between people and coastal processes. He has served as a member of the Cuckmere Estuary Group, contributing two alternative schemes that would achieve a managed return to nature in the lower Cuckmere valley.
Charles Peck
Practiced law in Maine before employment as Legislative Assistant in US Senate. Worked for President Carter in Department of State developing refugee policy. Assistant Attorney General in Massachusetts trying utility rate cases. Secretary to Potato Marketing Board in London regulating supply and quality of potatoes in Great Britain. After moving to East Sussex was elected twice to Wealden District Council and appointed to the South Downs National Park Authority, of which elected Deputy Chairman, retiring from both in 2015. Justice of the Peace serving as Magistrate for eleven years. Now retired, is a volunteer ranger for the Forestry Commission in Friston Forest.
Dan De Belder
Dan qualified as a chartered accountant at PwC in London in 2000. After a short stint in corporate broking at Credit Suisse, he then decided to change careers and has spent the last 20 years working in financial communications. He is highly experienced in capital markets, having advised on several IPOs and M&A situations. Dan works across a broad range of companies and sectors – from FTSE 100s to small-mid caps – but has a particularly keen interest in growth companies and working in dynamic industries such as media, technology, consumer industries and healthcare.