Our Trustees
The Lord Kirkham CVO
Chair of Trustees
Graham founded DFS Furniture Company in 1969. He sold it in 2010. Honoured with a knighthood in 1995 and elevated to the peerage in 1999. He received the CVO in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2001. Other than The Duke of Edinburgh's Award he is involved with The Outward Bound Trust, The Animal Health Trust, and The Blue Cross.
HRH The Earl of Wessex KG, GCVO, ADC
The Earl plays an active role in The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, attending events and presenting Awards. He is himself a Gold Award holder and has been a Trustee of the Charity and of the International Award Association since 1988.
Find out more about the Earl on the official monarchy website.
Ruth Anderson
Ruth has been involved with the Charity for many years and has been an enthusiastic member of the DofE’s Women in Business Group since its foundation in 2003. She joined KPMG in 1976 and was the first female board member of a Big Four firm. She retired from KPMG in 2010, having been Vice Chairman from 2007.
David Hempleman-Adams LVO, OBE
In 1998 David became the first man to reach the Geographic and Magnetic North and South Poles as well as climb the highest peaks on all seven continents. In 2000 David became the only pilot to fly a balloon to the North Pole and has set numerous ballooning records since.
David is a Gold Award holder.
Andrew Smith
Andrew is a chartered accountant and a former partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers where he worked for 35 years until retiring in 2009. He had a particular focus on the scope of solar power as a source of renewable energy. He is Trustee to a number of charities including The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and International Award Association.
Professor Howard Williamson CBE
Dr Howard Williamson is Professor of European Youth Policy in the School of Humanities, Law and Social Sciences at the University of Glamorgan, Wales. He previously worked at universities of Oxford, Cardiff, and Copenhagen, as well as being a practicing youth worker for over 20 years and a member of the Youth Justice Board.
Malcolm Offord
Malcolm is a senior Adviser of the London-based, European private equity firm Charterhouse. He is a Bronze, Silver and Gold Award holder from his Scottish schoolboy days. He is a Trustee of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Columba 1400 and the Badenoch Trust. Malcolm also serves as a Director of London Scottish Rugby.
Tanni, Baroness Grey-Thompson
Since retiring from competitive sport, she has continued her hard work off the track as a board member for both the London Marathon and the London Legacy Development Corporation. She was appointed a member of Transport for London in 2008 and, since 2010, has served as a non-party political crossbench peer. www.tanni.co.uk
Ashok J Rabheru CVO DL
Recently retired as a DofE Trustee, he chairs the Committee co-ordinating fundraising efforts between the DofE in the UK and the International Award Foundation which is also based in the UK.