CCSS Trustees
We are a charity
CCSS achieved charitable status in Spring 2001.
The College is overseen by a board of trustees who are sympathetic to our values and who combine an unusual depth and range of experience in education, finance, business and the community. Their wisdom is invaluable in guiding CCSS through its third decade and beyond.
Charity status brings important transparency. Parents know that their fees pay solely for education rather than building private profit. We aim to raise funds to increase the financial awards we already provide, making the opportunities and benefits traditionally associated with private education more widely available. The College’s bursary fund is growing steadily.
Peter Cowley
Peter studied Engineering and Computing at Cambridge University. After working in the computer industry in London and Bavaria, he formed his first company in 1983. He has set up several companies and is currently the owner of three companies in technology and construction. He has spent 11 years being a trustee of various Citizens Advice Bureau including being chair of East Anglia.
He is chair of Focus12, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation charity. He has another six commercial and voluntary charitable board positions and is an active angel investor in IT and biotech companies. Peter has two children in their 20s and lives just outside Cambridge. He is a keen racket sport player, skier, fell walker and bridge player.
Alan Dunckley
Alan trained originally as an engineer, studying for BSc and PhD at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. After a brief period in the aerospace industry he moved into the computer services industry in the mid-seventies.
In 1981 he joined a small consultancy based in Cambridge, where he moved into line and then business management. In 1990, this consultancy was acquired by Origin, a global IT provider. In 1995 he became head of Origin’s UK IT Services division helping to restructure the division so that it became a major contributor to Origin’s UK profits. In January 1997 he transferred to Dallas and was asked subsequently to take over as leader of Origin’s entire US IT practice. Early in 1998, he became leader of Origin’s IT division in Brazil before returning to the UK as head of Origin’s UK FM group, followed by a further three years in a global marketing role based in the Netherlands.
Alan retired in 2001 after spending 20 years working for an organisation that employed 20 people when he joined and 50,000 when he left!
Alan was a founding trustee at CCSS and a Chairman of Trustees before he retired as a trustee for personal reasons. He rejoined the trustee board in November 2008.
Alan has two grown-up children and enjoys a variety of hobbies and activities including golf, walking, cycling, sailing, skiing, motorcycle touring, DIY and gardening.
Margaret Goddin
Margaret Goddin is a history graduate and has been a freelance tour guide in Cambridge for the past 11 years. Prior to moving to Cambridge she lived and worked in the banking sector in the city of London for many years.
Margaret joined the Board of Trustees in 2008 and is currently responsible for overseeing the Boarding and Welfare aspects of CCSS.
Robin Laidlaw
Biography to follow.
Steve Smith
Steve was born in Cambridge. Educated locally until the completion of his A-levels, he then went on to study at Oxford, Southampton and the Open University. He qualified as a teacher in 1979 and initially taught part time whilst working in the pub/restaurant trade.
Steve joined CCSS in 1981 and was Head of Mathematics and Senior Tutor between 1982 and 2002. He is now working as a self-employed Personal Advisor and running a small gardening business.
Steve's interests include antiques, cycling, education, gardening, golf, mathematics and music.
Peter Vince
Peter grew up in Scotland, and came to Cambridge to study at CCSS in 1984. He then read engineering at Cambridge University and joined a management consulting firm. Since then he has worked with over sixty clients on three continents.
Peter specialises in organisational development and change management, and has been freelance since 2000. Recent work has included guiding change projects and providing operational management, group facilitation and individual mentoring.
Peter has two sons and lives in Cambridge. He likes mountains and has a keen interest in the environment and sustainability. He serves on the main Board of Trustees and on the Marketing and Development subcommittee.
