Trustees

In Charity law, the Trustees carry full financial and legal responsibility for everything the RNLI does. The Trustees are a body of volunteers and bring a wide range of knowledge, experience and expertise to the table. The Trustees approve the RNLI Strategic and Business Plans, Annual Budget and the Annual Report. They must ensure that everything done by the RNLI is genuinely and solely in pursuit of its objects: ‘first, to save lives, promote safety and provide relief from disaster at sea and, secondly, to save lives, promote safety and provide relief from disaster on inland waters’. Twelve Trustees were appointed from within and by the RNLI Council in July 2007, and they are featured here.

Chairman, Admiral Sir Jock Slater GCB LVO DL

Sir Jock served in the Royal Navy from 1956-1998, retiring as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff.  During his career, he commanded HM Ships Soberton, Jupiter, Kent and Illustrious and the School of Maritime Operations at HMS Dryad.  He was Equerry to HM The Queen from 1968 to 1971.  He is an Elder Brother of Trinity House and a Freeman of the City of London and, since his retirement, his appointments have included Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire, Director of the VT Group and Chairman of the Imperial War Museum.  Sir Jock was Chairman of the RNLI Operations Committee from 2002-2004. He has served as a member of the RNLI’s Council since 1999 and has been Chairman of the Institution since 2004.  Sir Jock and his wife Annie live in Hampshire and have two adult sons.

Deputy Chairman, Terence Johnson

Terence Johnson has served as a member of the RNLI’s Council since 1989.  He is currently a member of the Operations Committee, Chairman of the Audit Committee, Chairman of the Irish Members of Council, and formerly served for ten years on the Fundraising Committee.  Terry is Vice Chairman of the family business and a Commissioner of Irish Lights.  He is a keen yachtsman and lives near Dublin.

Deputy Chairman, Alison Saunders MBE

Alison Saunders has had a lifelong interest in the voluntary sector and in the past has helped the Red Cross, several cancer charities, and the Cotswold Care hospice for five years as a Trustee and Deputy Chairman. She is currently Chairman and Trustee of The Sheriffs’ and Recorder’s Fund, based at The Old Bailey. This charity assists the families of serving prisoners and individuals on probation as well as contributing to education projects in the London prisons. Alison, the first woman to be appointed to the Trustee Committee, has served as a member of the RNLI’s Council since 1985. She has also served on various RNLI committees, including nine years as Chairman of the Fundraising Committee and three years as Chairman of the Central London Committee. Alison and her husband Richard live in Gloucestershire.

Deputy Chairman, Ronald Neil CBE

Ronald Neil, a retired Chief Executive of BBC Production and former Director of BBC News and Current Affairs, was the Editor of That’s Life, a weekly consumer affairs programme and Newsnight during the time of the Falklands War. He also set up and edited Europe’s first breakfast television programme Breakfast Time. It was as a BBC trainee television journalist in the North of Scotland that he was sent to cover the Longhope lifeboat disaster and he has been involved with the RNLI ever since. Ron has recently been giving support to the RNLI’s Annual Presentation of Awards event at the Barbican by providing the voiceover for the Review of the Year. He has served as a member of the RNLI’s Council since 1990 and has been Chairman of the Fundraising and Communications Committee since 2003. Ron and his wife Isobel live in Surrey.

Vice Chairman, Admiral the Lord Boyce GCB OBE DL

Lord Boyce joined the Royal Navy in 1961.  He commanded three submarines and the Submarine Sea Training Squadron and was also an Anti Submarine Warfare specialist.  He commanded the frigate HMS BRILLIANT, was Director of the Naval Staff and Senior Naval Officer Middle East.  He was promoted to the Flag List in 1991 and was subsequently Flag Officer Sea Training, Flag Officer Surface Flotilla, Commander in Chief Naval Home Command and Second Sea Lord and Commander in Chief Fleet.  During this period he was knighted and also held a variety of senior NATO Commands.  He became First Sea Lord in 1998, Chief of Defence Staff at the beginning of 2001 and retired in May 2003.  He was elevated to the peerage in June 2003, and appointed Lord Warden and Admiral of the Cinque Port, and Constable of Dover Castle, in 2004.  Lord Boyce is a keen sportsman, a Freeman of the City of London, an Elder Brother of Trinity House,  and a Knight of St John and is involved in a number of charities, organisations and associations, which includes being President of St John Ambulance (London District), Trustee of National Maritime Museum, and Colonel Commandant of the Special Boat Service.

Treasurer, Robert Colvill

Robert Colvill joined Morgan Grenfell when he left school and spent the next 27 years in fund management and related areas of the City working with Morgan Grenfell, Samuel Montagu and Chemical Bank. In 1985 he joined Marks and Spencer as Managing Director of their new financial services company, which launched the M&S Chargecard. Robert became finance director of Marks and Spencer in 1990 and subsequently retired in 2002. He is a non-executive director of Witan Investment Trust and was, until recently, Chairman of the Money Advice Trust. He is also a keen sailor. Robert has served as a member of the RNLI’s Council since 2000 and was Chairman of the RNLI Pension Fund Trustees from 2001-2006. Robert and his wife Tricia divide their time between London and a house in South West France.

Dr Andrew Cubie CBE FRSE

Dr Andrew Cubie is a Consultant to the law firm, Fyfe Ireland WS. He has been Chairman and senior partner of that firm having specialised in Corporate law. Engaged in education issues throughout his professional career, he has been Chairman of Governance of George Watson’s College and is currently Chairman of the Court of Napier University and of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework. He has held, and still holds, numerous non-executive positions. As former Chairman of the Confederation of British Industry in Scotland, he was a member of the McIntosh Commission, which made recommendations for the reform of local government and working arrangements of the Scottish Parliament. He was Convenor of the Independent Committee of the Inquiry into Student Finance which brought about the abolition of tuition fees in Scotland. He is a Trustee of British Council, VSO and the Calyx. Andrew has been a member of the RNLI’s Council since 1989 and was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Fundraising and Communications Committee in 1994. He was appointed Vice Convenor of the Scottish Lifeboat Council in 1996 and Chairman in 2003. Andrew enjoys theatre, reading and sailing. He and his wife Heather live in Edinburgh and have three children.

Mr Charles Hunter-Pease

Charles Hunter-Pease, a businessman in the motor industry, spent most of his early years in Greenock. He started his career as an accountant but a management trainee position led him to AVIS Rent-a-Car. After a spell with Continental Oil, he joined Volvo in 1973 as a Business Consultant to the Scottish dealers. He became a Regional Manager in the North and subsequently the Midlands, followed by Field Operations Manager, Dealer Operations Director and then three years as Sales and Marketing Director. He was appointed Deputy Chief Executive on 1 April 1990 and UK Managing Director two years later. He became a Senior Vice President of Volvo Car Corporation in Gothenburg in 1993 and since 1999 has acted as the Senior Adviser to the Management Team of Volvo Car Corporation. Charles has served on the Fundraising Committee, has been a non-Executive Director of RNLI Sales and a member of the RNLI Council since 1996. He has been Chairman of the Resources Committee for the past seven years. Charles and his wife Susan have two children and live in Oxfordshire.

Rear Admiral John Tolhurst CB FRAeS

Now a consultant in defence and maritime security, John joined the Royal Navy from school in 1961. After early appointments as a watch-keeping Seaman Officer, largely in the Far East, and a spell as a fixed-wing pilot, he qualified and practised at sea as a warfare specialist. He then commanded a Frigate, a Destroyer and an Aircraft Carrier. Shore appointments included heading a training faculty, working in the Naval Staff and command of a major support establishment. As an Admiral he served as Flag Officer Sea Training and as Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland. Subsequently he was the senior military officer in the MoD’s Defence Export Services Organisation for five years. He is a Younger Brother of Trinity House and represented the First Sea Lord as an ex-officio member at RNLI Council meetings from 1992-97. John has served as a member of the RNLI’s Council in his own right since 1998 and has been Chairman of the Operations Committee for the past two years.

Mr Roger Vickers FRCS

Roger Vickers was educated at Winchester College, Magdalen College Oxford and St Thomas’ Hospital. He has been Orthopaedic Surgeon to HM The Queen since 1992, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, St George’s Hospital since 1980 and King Edward VII Hospital for Officers since 1992 and Civilian Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon to the Army since 1992.  He joined the Medical and Survival sub-Committee in 1992 and was Deputy Chairman from 1999 until 2006 when he was appointed Chairman. He is a member of the Hurlingham Club, Seacourt; Hayling Island Sailing Club and Royal Yacht Squadron. Roger is married to Joanna and has two sons and two daughters.

Mr Malcolm Vincent BSc (Hons) MSc CEng FIMarEST

Malcolm Vincent is a Chartered Marine Engineer and former Managing Director of P&O Three Quays Marine Services Ltd.  Recently retired from British Telecommunications plc Global Services, he was responsible for the development of integrated financing solutions for major customers.
He is Vice President, Member of the Council and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology and Trustee of the Institute's Pension Fund.  He is a Freeman of the City of London and an Assistant of the Court of the Worshipful Company of Engineers.  Malcolm was elected as a member of the RNLI Council in 2005.  He has served on the Technical Committee since 1999 and has recently been appointed as its Chairman.  He and his wife Linda live in London and have two adult sons.