Trustees
The Society’s Board of Trustees is composed of 12 members plus the three Officers of the Society (Chair, Vice-Chair and Treasurer). At the Annual General Meeting on 12 December 2009 (see further here) Dr Aidan Dodson, Ms Lucia Gahlin, Dr Robert Morkot and Dr Joanne Rowland retired from the Board. Mr George Hart, Mr John Johnston, Mr Robert Lee, Mr Bob Partridge and Ms Judi Sykes were elected to serve for three year terms.
Chair
Dr Ian Shaw is Senior Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at the School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool. He has previously excavated and surveyed at the cities of Amarna and Memphis, and the quarrying settlements at Hatnub, Wadi el-Hudi, Sikait Zubara and Gebel el-Asr, and he is currently undertaking a survey of the harim palace town at Gurob in the Fayum. His publications include Egyptian Warfare and Weapons (Shire Publications, 1991), The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (OUP, 2000), Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology (with Paul Nicholson, CUP, 2000) and Ancient Egypt: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2004).
Vice-Chair
Dr Paul T Nicholson is Reader in Archaeology at the Cardiff School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff University. He has worked on EES and other excavations in Egypt since 1983 and has directed work on behalf of the Society at Amarna, Memphis and Saqqara. His main interests are in ancient Egyptian technology.His publications include The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt (with Ian Shaw, British Musuem Press, 2008/1995) Brilliant Things for Akhenaten (Egypt Exploration Society, 2007), Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology (with Ian Shaw, CUP, 2000) and Ancient Egyptian Faience and Glass (Shire, 1993).
Treasurer
Mr Paul Cove is relatively new to formal study of Egyptology and Archaeology, but has had a lifelong interest in both and is fascinated by the relationship between the evidence available to the Egyptologist and the conclusions one can draw. Currently, he works for Deutsche Bank where he leads complex projects, focusing on process improvement and change management within the Finance function. He is keen to apply his professional skills to charity work and looks forward to harnessing his interest in Egyptology and leveraging his professional background for such a good cause as a Trustee and Treasurer of the EES.
Other Trustees
Ms Janine Bourriau is a Senior Fellow, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, Cambridge University and former Keeper of Antiquities at the Fitzwilliam Museum. She has served regularly on the EES Committee and for the past ten years has been working full time on the Society’s excavations and preparing publications of them. Her previous post at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, in charge of the Egyptian collection, gave her experience of the kind of teaching and communications roles that are essential to the Society’s success. She knows Egypt well and in early 2009 taught at a Field School run by the SCA at Giza.
Ms Susan Daniels has a degree in Ancient History & Archaeology, and spent several years working on a multi-period site in Yorkshire before joining English Heritage. Her first job was as Office Manager; she then moved on to become Casework Manager and is currently Business Manager for the Yorkshire and Humber Region. With over twenty years experience working with architects, archaeologists, building inspectors and administrators to help and advise the public, government offices and departments, and local authorities on all matters relating to statutory consents and grant applications, her multi-disciplinary background will help support the work and objectives of the EES.
Dr Karen Exell is Curator, Egypt and the Sudan, The Manchester Museum, University of Manchester, and has also worked in university museums, the interface between public and academic Egyptology. She has experience in project management, particularly of exhibitions and gallery development, and IT projects focusing on Egyptian material culture. She has been involved in grant applications and profile development, and also has first-hand experience of the EES having worked in the London office for eight months in 2007. She believes her skills and experience will help the Society develop as a dynamic institution into the 21st century.
Mr George Hart worked at the British Museum (between 1973 and 2004) in the Education Department, primarily lecturing on the Ancient Egyptians but also on Bronze-Age civilisations of the Mediterranean World. George has been, since its inception in 1991, a member of the Editorial Board of Egyptian Archaeology, was also one of the founder members of the Friends of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (Chairman for its first twelve years) and is currently a Committee member of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society.
Mr John J Johnston works for the London Borough of Southwark as Divisional Quality and Performance Manager within the Culture, Libraries, Learning, and Leisure Division. Having studied Egyptology at Liverpool University, John obtained his degree in Classics through Open University, prior to receiving an Egyptian Archaeology MA from the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, where he continues to study, part-time, as a Research Graduate. As a member of the EES Oral History Project, John has, to date, interviewed Kenneth Kitchen and Eric Uphill.
Mr Robert Lee is a solicitor and has been a partner in the International Law Firm, Davies Arnold Cooper since 1989. He is currently Head of Real Estate as well as having a position on the firm’s executive management board. Robert is also involved in public speaking and has appeared on both the BBC ‘Working Lunch’ programme and BBC Radio 4’s ‘Financial World Tonight’. As a Partner in a major law firm Robert has access to corporate and other commercial legal expertise which he hopes would be useful to the Society and provide a skill set that the Board of Trustees does not currently have.
Mr Bob Partridge has been an active member of the EES since 1968 and is on the EES Northern Branch Committee. A retired Banker by profession, Bob is Chairman of the ‘Manchester Ancient Egypt Society’ and experienced in organising and running events. He lectures on a wide range of Egyptological subjects around the country and abroad. He is the editor of “Ancient Egypt” magazine, published in the UK and author of a number books on Egypt, with a broad knowledge of Egyptology within the UK and beyond. Bob has not previously served on the EES Committee/Board of Trustees.
Mr Ben Rayner holds a BA in Ancient History from the University of Birmingham, where he specialised in Egyptian language, history, art and architecture. He subsequently completed an MPhil on late New Kingdom tomb robbery and started a PhD on temple desecration before beginning a career in financial services. He is now a strategic change manager with an investment bank, responsible for running global change programmes: defining a vision, setting measurable objectives ensuring delivery of results, tracking benefits and managing budgets. Ben is very keen to continue his involvement with the ancient world by using his industry experience to assist the Society as a Trustee.
Professor Dominic Rathbone was a lecturer at Aberdeen University from 1981 to 84 and since then has taught at King’s College London, where he is now Professor of Ancient History. His main research interest is Egypt under Roman rule. He has directed fieldwork in the Fayum and co-edited Egypt from Alexander to the Copts: an Archaeological and Historical Guide (London, 2004). He has served previously on the EES Committee, and has been Chair of its Oxyrhynchus Papyrus Management Committee from its beginning in 2005. He has wide administrative experience in the academic world, including a record of successful grant-raising for research projects and experience of financial management.
Dr Margaret Serpico is Egyptology Consultant at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery and has served on the EES Committee since 1995. She has considerable experience in the museum sector, particularly in the development of resources (largely through funding by the government Museums, Libraries and Archives Council) to promote and disseminate information about collections relating to past British excavations in Egypt, including those of the EES. She has a long association with the EES in various capacities, which, she would hope, has demonstrated a high level of commitment to the Society.
Ms Judi Sykes is Assistant Director, Working Capital Advisory Services at Ernst & Young in London, having previously worked in managerial and finance roles at Unilever, First Direct Bank and Yorkshire Water. Judi has a First Class Honours degree in Maths from Oxford University and is ACMA (Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) qualified. During the 16 years she has worked in industry, Judi has developed a broad business understanding and general management skill set which complements her finance credentials, and she has a positive, pragmatic approach to resolving problems and breaking down barriers which she feels would be of value to the Society’s Board of Trustees.
Dr Joyce Tyldesley is Lecturer in Egyptology, KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, Manchester University and Fellow of the Manchester Museum, with responsibility for administering and teaching the Certificate Course in Egyptology (distance learning) and for aspects of outreach at the Museum. Her working life has been divided between the worlds of business and Egyptology. As a Manager in a firm of Chartered Accountants (until 2007) she acquired a sound understanding of the importance of financial planning and budgeting in the success of any venture. She is happy to offer her particular combination of skills to help the Society develop strategies to achieve its aims.