Trustees

Formerly Vice President and Director, Global Journal Content Management, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

I have retired from academic publishing after 40 years in the industry. I was previously responsible for the operational management of approximately 1600 learned journals across all the major academic disciplines. As a Trustee, I contribute my knowledge of the corporate business environment and experience of running large, global teams. In my spare time, I also make handmade books which have been exhibited widely and are held in collections in the UK, US, Pakistan and Germany. I am a member of the Letter Exchange.

I was born in London in 1932 and educated at Sherborne school for Girls and Somerville College, Oxford, where I read Classics. In 1955 I married Neil Wates, and we went on to have five children (of whom Edward is the eldest). I've worked in several voluntary organisations, and as a Juvenile Court magistrate in inner London, setting up projects such as a Family Day Care programme in Brixton. As a result of this work I became concerned about the powerlessness and waste of talent of ‘ordinary’ people, and Neil and I were also convinced that the exploitation of natural resources, unfair world trade and the materialism of our culture would lead to an environmental disaster unless our whole attitude changed. This led to the setting up of Commonwork at Bore Place and we also became Quakers. After Neil died, I acted as director of Commonwork for a short period, and also took a second degree, in Public Policy Studies at Bristol University. I have been a Trustee since 1978 and have taken on the role of Trustee Emeritus since February 2017.

Former Director of Environment and Waste, Kent County Council (retired 2012)

My early career was lecturing and teaching biology and ecology in higher education, returning to rural Norfolk where I was brought up. Moving to Kent in the late seventies, I then found a role at Commonwork bringing organisational skills as well as technical expertise to the farmed landscape. Anxious to bring my passion for the natural environment to bear on local decision making, I soon made the move into local government in Kent starting as County Ecologist. My career there spanned 23 years, with 10 years as Director of Environment and Waste, a role requiring strong influencing skills and diplomacy, strategic leadership and corporate nous, financial as well as political and people management. The lessons I have learned and my environmental background are relevant to the Board. I have life-long passions for hockey (now a junior coach), wildlife and landscape, walking, and at last can indulge in mixed media art classes…and have several other voluntary roles.

I became a Trustee for Commonwork in 2016. I am a qualified accountant with over 25 years experience.  I have worked at Kent County Council, since 1989, where I have carried out a wide range of roles mainly in the finance field but also in business intelligence and transformation.  Currently I am acting as interim Finance Director for Kent County Council’s new property company GEN².  I have been honorary treasurer for a number of years of the Kent Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs - a Kent based charity helping young people set up their own businesses – although I have now given up this role in order to free up some time to support Bore Place.  

I look forward to using my financial knowledge to help the Commonwork Trust continue with the fantastic work it carries out.