City Bridge Foundation Board

Paul works in the food sector at Smithfield Market, where he started over 50 years ago checking invoices for his father, for which pay was a fish and chip supper and entry to watch Millwall Football Club play at The Den.

He worked throughout his time at university, where he studied classics, and after a short period working for the Botswana government, returned to Smithfield to start his current business – PJM Ltd.

He holds a wide range of positions in the City of London, including serving as treasurer of the Smithfield Market Tenants Association, liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Butchers and an elected member of the City of London Corporation since 2013.

Paul says: ​“If you ask why I wanted to join the City Bridge Foundation board, I can answer in one word – London. It’s about improving what we can change, replacing what we can’t with something better and working to ensure all Londoners can say that someone is on their side.”

Giles was educated at St Paul’s School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he read modern languages and experimental psychology.

He tutored psychology undergraduates while reading for a doctorate in cognitive neuroscience and, after two years of further study at City University and the Inns of Court School of Law, was called to the bar by the Middle Temple.

He practised as a barrister until 2005, leaving the law to develop his business interests. After six years managing a market-leading international design consultancy in London and three years as a principal executive officer at the Honourable Artillery Company, he now maintains a portfolio of chief executive, director and board-level appointments across the charity and private sectors.

A liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers, he sits on various bodies of the City of London Corporation, including the Port Health & Environmental Services Committee.

Henry graduated in law from Cambridge University, worked for 15 years as an insurance broker in various classes and then switched to underwriting. 

After 20 years of senior roles in insurance firms based in London, Stockholm and Singapore he took on a number of non-executive roles.

Currently he is chairman of Lime Syndicate Management and a director of three other insurance firms – R&Q Capital No 1, Livery Companies Mutual and City RE.

He is the chairman of Mossbourne Federation of Schools in Hackney, and trustee of Wiltshire Bobby Van trust, which works to protect elderly and vulnerable people in that county.

Henry says: ​“I wanted to ensure that the foundation is supported by a governance framework appropriate for its responsibilities, size and ambition to be a catalyst for change in London.

“We have started to put in place an investment strategy and asset allocation which meets the needs of the long-term aims of the charity, both as a bridge owner and a funder.”

Simon is an investment fund and AIM company director based in the City of London and has worked in the Square Mile for over twenty years.

A Cambridge University graduate, he became an elected member of the City of London Corporation in 2000 representing the Ward of Bishopsgate, and has served on a number of key local authority committees, primarily involved with policy, finance and investment.

Emma is a Barrister, Master of the Bench and Distinguished Barrister of the Honourable Society of Gray’s Inn, practising from No5 Chambers, with over 30 years’ experience in fields including geopolitics, state immunity, cyber and commerce.

She was the first woman to take the helm as Chairman of the Turkish British Chamber of Commerce and Industry, working closely with the British Embassy and Consulate, along with assisting in setting up other international trade bodies.

An elected Alderman on the City of London Corporation, she also contributes to academia through various universities including through her role as Professor in Practice for Economics and Finance at Durham University.

Alison Gowman is a consultant at DLA Piper – one of the City of London’s largest international law firms – having been the company’s first female partner and a senior practitioner in commercial real estate and property.

A former chair of the City Bridge Trust Committee – the forerunner to the present board – she is an elected Alderman of the City of London Corporation and a member of Chapter and Lay Canon at St Paul’s Cathedral, and has been a trustee of organisations including the London Museum, Trust for London and the London Road Safety Council.

Alison says: ​“I got involved with City Bridge Foundation because I wanted to engage with a wider community of people across Greater London, to ensure there was a fuller understanding of the needs of Londoners and that funding was appropriately distributed.

“The work of the board is now a lot broader than when I started and I’m excited by the chance to reshape the charity to be relevant and practical to address the challenges we face today, particularly the threats posed to our assets and our partners as a result of climate change.”

John is a founder and director of Rocket Science UK Ltd – a niche, public policy consulting firm with a strong social purpose. He was previously the founding director of London Civic Forum and has held roles at the former London Enterprise Agency and London Docklands Development Corporation.

An elected member of the City of London Corporation – the governing body of the Square Mile – John is also a trustee of the Partnership for Young London, Dr Johnson’s House and the City of London Academy Trust.

John says: ​“I am fascinated by the historic role of the City of London as a force for good and by City Bridge Foundation’s potential to effect lasting social change.

“I hope to help the foundation find ways to increase its capacity to be the social conscience of the City Corporation, using the combined assets and influence of the City to complement the foundation’s grant making and social investments.”

Deborah’s profession is corporate communications, improving influence and impact for national bodies. 

Her background is in sectors including legal services, health, regulation and government. She has leadership experience, having previously held the rank of Colonel in the Army Reserves, and serves on the City Reserve Forces and Cadets Association Committee.

Deborah was elected to the City of London Corporation in 2022 and chairs its Crime and Disorder Scrutiny Committee. She is a Past Master of the Company of Communicators.

Nighat is a reinsurance professional with more than 20 years in the industry, working as operations manager in the reinsurance casualty treaty team at Sompo International.

She has previously worked as an analyst for PricewaterhouseCoopers, as a consultant in energy, health and chemical industries for Accenture and held various roles with reinsurance company GenRe, including five years in Mumbai, India, as Property & Casualty Country Head.

An elected City of London Corporation member, she is also chairperson of the largest Scout group in Surrey, and a representative of the City of London Reserve Forces and Cadets Association.

Nighat says: ​“Volunteering at the local refugee and asylum sector during Covid, I saw at first hand the impact organisations in the sector had, which motivated me to join the foundation’s board. I hope to use my corporate experience to support the work that goes into maintaining our five bridges.”

James is non-executive chairman and former chief executive of MJ Gleeson plc, the listed house builder focused on building 2,000 quality low-cost homes for first time buyers across the Midlands and north of England.

A trained chartered accountant, previous roles have included 10 years in investment banking with Deutsche Bank and HSBC, his work with the latter including three years in South Africa advising the ANC-led Government of National Unity.

An elected member of the City of London Corporation, James is deputy chair and former chair of the Square Mile governing body’s Police Authority Board, and served for 12 years as a special constable with City of London Police.

James says: ​“My experience covers construction, infrastructure, philanthropy, suicide prevention and education – encompassing many of the aspects of the work of the foundation, so being on the board brings together many of my interests. The City Police also plays a significant role supporting the charity on the physical security of bridges and the people that use them.”

Profile to follow

Sue is the Bridge Clerk (Chief Executive) of the Rochester Bridge Trust, a charity founded in 1399. She is a Chartered Civil Engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Engineers.

She is one of two elected Bridgemasters of London and the first woman to hold that position, Chair of the Institution of Civil Engineers Archives Panel and trustee of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme Charitable Foundation, which works to improve the private rented housing sector for tenants and landlords.

Sue says: ​“There are many parallels between the Rochester Bridge Trust and City Bridge Foundation in terms of its charitable objectives and funding models.

“Having spent nearly 20 years leading this similar charity, I hope to use my experience in managing and maintaining bridges and administering grant funding programmes to help ensure the foundation achieves its ambition to be a world class bridge owner which delivers the very best service to beneficiaries of the charity.”