Deputy Lieutenants

Paul was born and brought up in Kent. He is Chairman of the family-owned motor retail business which has been established over 120 years. Paul served as High Sheriff of Kent from 2019-2020. He is a Freeman of the City of Canterbury and an Ambassador of the Kent Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Charity. Paul is Deputy Chair of the Kent Ambassadors a member of the Kent & Medway Business Advisory Board and is involved with HMP Swaleside’s Employment Advisory Board. Paul is a Patron of Porchlight, Kent’s largest charity for homeless and vulnerable people.

Jane trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London and retired after a forty year career in the NHS. Commanded a national medical unit in the Army Reserves. Appointed the Territorial Army’s Queen’s Honorary Nurse in 2012. Active member of the RBL (Canterbury) and the South East RFCA. Jane is a Trustee to St John’s and St Nicholas’ Almshouses, Canterbury. Jane is a Liveryman in the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries and Upper Warden in The Worshipful Company of Nurses, due to become Master in 2024.

Brigadier Minter has been a Deputy Lieutenant since 2002. He was appointed Vice Lord-Lieutenant in November 2020 and served a four year term in this role. As Vice Lord-Lieutenant, he chaired the Lord-Lieutenant’s honours and awards committee. 

His first career was in the Army which culminated in him being a Brigadier and the regional military commander of the southeast counties and Deputy Constable of Dover Castle. He was Colonel of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 2007 -12 and commanded its 1st Battalion in Bosnia in 1995-6 for which he was awarded the OBE.

He then worked for 6 years as the Kent Partnership Director working for Kent County Council. This involved responsibility for supporting the Kent Strategic Partnership, bringing together public service providers, business leaders and representatives of the community and voluntary sectors.

From 2008 to 2023 he worked personally for Sir Roger De Haan co-ordinating a wide ranging charitable and business portfolio focused on the regeneration of their home-town of Folkestone. He had a lead executive role for the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust and supported the Folkestone Harbour and Seafront Development Company including several directorships. He chaired The Sports Trust, Three Hills Sports Park and Academy FM Folkestone charities. He was a trustee/director of Creative Folkestone and Friends of the Folkestone Academy Trust.

On retiring from full time employment in August 2023 he became a trustee of the Kent Community Foundation.

With his wife Liz, he shares the hobbies of history and trying to walk all the footpaths of Kent. They have a daughter and three grandchildren.

As Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rama Thirunamachandran is the academic lead and chief executive of Canterbury Christ Church University. He joined the University in October 2013 and has led the institution forward in a number of areas including the establishment of the School of Engineering, Technology and Design and the joint Kent and Medway Medical School. Rama was Chair of the Higher Education Academy between 2015 and 2018 and was also a Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) Board member between 2010 and 2013. Rama has been a member of the Universities UK Board since 2017. He has also recently served as a Non-Executive Director of the Medway NHS Foundation Trust, and as Chair of MillionPlus, the Association for Modern Universities.

Vicar of Holy Trinity, Dartford since 1993 and an exponent of the mystical wisdom tradition found in all faiths. Previously Chair of Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Primary Care Trust.  Martin has also led on various community initiatives, including the restoration of Gravesend Old Town Hall, the Partition of India with the BBC, and is currently collaborating with a course to help people safely understand how power works.

Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus and CEO of the KECC (Kent Equality Cohesion Council). With over 20 years’ experience in the sector, he works extensively across Kent in partnership with both voluntary and statutory sectors to promote community cohesion, engagement with diverse communities, eliminate discrimination and tackle inequalities.   Cohesion Plus was formed in 2008 to compliment the work he was already doing around equality and diversity.  He has a long record of working with key public sector partners from local district councils, to parish councils to county councils, Kent Police, schools, universities and health service providers around diversity and community engagement.  He is passionate about diversity and inclusion within the arts sector and champions increased visibility for ethnic minority artists and organisations.  He is also a Kent Ambassador as well as a Non-Executive of the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board.

Lord Northbourne runs the family farming businesses. He is a Knight of the Order of Malta. School finance governor at the Sandwich Technology College. Previous director of the Canterbury Festival and member of the Kent Committee of the Country Landowners’ Association.

Has been working in television for over 40 years. In 2002, he formed Dovedale Associates Ltd a consortium of local businessmen who now own and operate the Vinters Business Park and Maidstone Television Studios. He is Chairman of Kent Music and Chairman of the Kent Ambassadors.

Served in the Grenadier Guards. Past Mayor of Hythe, President of East Kent Branch Grenadier Guards Association. President and Director of Hythe Festival Company, involved in a wide range of Military charities.

Served for 35 years in education, including as Headteacher of two local secondary schools.  Currently Member, Trustee and local Governor of a number of local schools.

Susie Warran-Smith CBE DL founded the Breakthrough Funding company which she sold to Ernst & Young in 2020. She is currently a Non-Executive Main Board Director at HM Revenue & Customs.

A retired GP who has worked in Gravesend for over 25 years. Retired Fellow of The Royal Society of Medicine and a former CEO of the Walk in Centre in Northfleet. Retired Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and one of the  Founder Members of their Pre-Hospital Care Faculty. He has had a parallel career in volunteering over the years, serving as a medical advisor to the Kent Air Ambulance for 15 years, Gravesend RNLI station for 9 years, trustee of Ellenor Hospice for over 5 years and continues since the Pandemic as the Medical Advisor to Elliott Holmes Memorial Fund involved in suicide prevention and direct access to counselling for 13-18 year olds in Gravesham. He is also serving as one of the trustees of Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust supporting Kent Communities.

After 15 years with the Diplomatic Service, Victoria was the Chief Executive of Leeds Castle and the Director General of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  She now consults on heritage and cultural developments, and is a Lay Chapter member and Trustee of Rochester Cathedral and Trust.

A leading landscape architect and environmentalist specialising in Regenerative landscape design and author of bestseller ‘Sustainable Garden’. Previously a management consultant, lecturer at Greenwich University, Trustee of the Blackthorn Trust and Director of the British Association of Landscape Industries, Marian is a Fellow of the Landscape Institute and regularly appears in the press and social media speaking about Sustainable Design and Kindness.

Having joined the Territorial Army in 1976 and served in the Regular Army during the 1980s, Peter has lived in Medway since 1990 and combined being a GP in Rochester with parallel careers in the Army Reserve and later the RAF Reserve. He served in Germany, Iraq, the Falkland Islands (twice) and in Afghanistan, where he commanded the UK Hospital in Camp Bastion in 2009. He was Deputy Commander of 2 South East Brigade and became Deputy Director of Army Medical Services in which role he was also a Queen’s Honorary Physician. He retired from active military service in 2023. He was appointed a Kent Deputy Lieutenant in 2010. He is Honorary Colonel of Kent Army Cadet Force and Chairman of the South East Reserves Forces and Cadets Association (SERFCA). He is Kent County President of the Royal British Legion, and the Royal Army Medical Corps Association, and holds positions in several charities including the Hospital of Sir John Hawkins in Chatham and the Army Benevolent Fund. Peter runs regularly to stay fit and, (being originally from South Wales), enjoys watching rugby and sings in two choirs.

Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Canterbury Christ Church University, a trustee of Leeds Castle, an Honorary Lay Canon and Chair of the Audit committee of Rochester Cathedral and a trustee of the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence. Her earlier career was mainly in the public sector including nine years as Chief Executive of Medway Council and three as Managing Director of Ashford’s Future. Her final role before retirement was Chief Executive of Local Partnerships LLP, a joint venture between HM Treasury and the Local Government Association. She is a Reader with her local parish, and enjoys orienteering and singing.

Chris is an Operations Manager for a nonferrous metal refinery and has held prominent positions within Kent Army Cadet Force. He also spends time as a Co-opted Governor at a large community primary school.

Musician, broadcaster and world touring Big Band leader, he hosts BBC 2’s music programme Later with Jools Holland and Annual Hootenanny. Appointed OBE in 2004 for his services to music. Keen on the preservation and prosperity of Kent.

Anan is an Emeritus Professor of Orthopaedics and Stem Cell Research at the Canterbury Christ Church University. Prior to this he was a consultant in knee and Limb Reconstruction Surgery at the King’s College hospital, London, where he led some of the world class research and innovation in fracture treatment. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (FRCS Eng), Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, London (FRSM). Since his arrival in UK from India in 1985, he has lived most of life in the Medway towns and was instrumental in delivering the frontline orthopaedic and trauma care.

Andrew was born and raised in Kent.  His career has been primarily in the defence sector, beginning as an apprentice engineer at Marconi Avionics.  He has served over 40 years in the Regular and Reserve Forces, initially as a Bomb Disposal Operator, seeing active service in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, and concluding as the Deputy Director of the Land Warfare Centre. He is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Ripple Pond – a charity supporting adult family members of physically or psychologically injured Armed Forces personnel and veterans.  He is also Chair of the Kent committee of the South East Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association. He is a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies (rcds), a Fellow of the Institution of Royal Engineers (FInstRE) and a freeman of the City of London.

Robert Sackville-West spent most of his career in publishing, creating illustrated books for an international market. He is executive chairman of Knole Estates, the property and investment company which – in parallel with the National Trust – cares for Knole, the house and park in Kent that are open to the public. He also chairs the Kent Community Foundation, which distributes around £4 million a year to some 800 community-based charities. Robert has been involved with education in both the private and state sector, as a governor at Sevenoaks School and Knole Academy, and as a former UK board director of the International Baccalaureate. He has written several critically acclaimed books on aspects of English history, including Inheritance: the Story of Knole and the Sackvilles(2010); and The Searchers: The Quest for the Lost of the First World War (September 2021), which tackles the enduring impact on British society of the First World War. Robert has recently been appointed as a Commissioner of Historic England, the public body which looks after the country’s historic environment.

Lennox is an internationally recognised specialist in antique furniture and works of art, known for his work on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. After moving to Kent in 1997, he became heavily involved in the local community becoming a Town Councillor and Chairman of the local Sports Association. Set up Edenbridge Cares, a networking platform for local charities, churches, schools and Town Councillors. He is a Kent Ambassador.

David practised as a barrister from 1975 until 2007, specialising in employment, industrial relations and, latterly, sport. After taking silk in 2000 he served as Chair of the ICC Drugs Appeal Tribunal and the LTA Appeals Committee and as an ACAS arbitrator. In 2007 he became a full time Circuit Judge, sitting at Maidstone where he served as the Resident Judge and Honorary Recorder from 2018 until he retired in 2022. He also sat as a Judicial member of the Parole Board and a part time member of the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division.) He continues to sit occasionally as a judge of the First Tier Tribunal (Mental Health.) He retains a particular interest in the rehabilitation of offenders.

Chartered Accountant; joined Citizens Advice in1999 as volunteer adviser, before becoming Manager of three local CABx; now CEO of Citizens Advice in North & West Kent, covering Dartford, Gravesham, Sevenoaks & Swanley, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells. Governor and Chair of the Audit Committee of Canterbury Christ Church University.

Founder and Chairman of Checkmate Group, a safety and engineering company based in Kent. He has served as Trustee and then Chair of Demelza House, a children’s hospice based in Kent, Sussex and South East London for 6 years. On retiring he was elected honorary Vice President. He is a trustee of The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Children’s Fund based in Portsmouth and also serves on the development group raising funds for the restoration of Canterbury Cathedral.

Hilary is Head of Campaigns and Philanthropy at the University of Kent and leads an ambitious fundraising campaign for the new joint Kent and Medway Medical School.  She has lived in Kent for 30+ years.  Her earlier career was in advertising and the NHS and subsequently held a range of roles in the University sector.   She is currently Chair of Porchlight, Kent’s Homeless Charity.

Practised as a barrister at Lincoln’s Inn from 1985-97. Formerly Chairman, Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority.Voluntary and charitable work includes being a Trustee of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and a Governor of Tonbridge School.

Chairman, Committed Capital Limited, a venture capital business investing in UK technology companies.

Frank is currently Director Locomotive Storage Ltd. – creating the 1:1 Collection  Railway Museum in Margate. Trustee Royal British Legion Industries.  A Kent Charity Mentor. Board Member Thanet Regeneration Partnership Board.

He was formerly Chief Executive of Hornby Plc, Deputy Chair Dover Harbour Board, Chairman of Governors and Pro Chancellor – Canterbury Christ Church University.

A Chartered Accountant. Clive’s interests encompass the Arts and creative sector, education, business leadership and philately.

He is Chairman at The Frameworks – a creative, digital and branding agency. A Governor and Deputy Pro-Chancellor at Canterbury Christ Church University, chairing the University’s Finance and Resources Committee. He is a Kent Ambassador. A freeman of the Chartered Accountants Livery Company.

He was formerly a trustee and Chair at Turner Contemporary and a director at Locate in Kent. He was also the Managing Partner and Chairman at Kreston Reeves Chartered Accountants until 2018 when he retired from the firm.

Magistrate for over 30 years and former member of the Criminal Procedure Rules Committee and a former Bench Chairman, currently Chair of the South East Regional Conduct Advisory Committee for magistrates.  Qualified as Chartered Accountant and Barrister after reading Portuguese at Oxford University.  Distinction in MSc in Voluntary Sector Management, ICAEW diploma in Charity Accounting. Chair of Trustees of Citizens Advice in North and West Kent.  Charity mentor for Kent and Medway Charity Mentors. 

Chairman of National Care Association, Vice Chairman of Skills for Care and Vice President of the Kent Care Homes Association. For her services to social care she was made CBE in the 2023 New Year Honours.

High Sheriff of Kent 2011-12. Trustee of Kent Community Foundation, Trustee of Rochester Cathedral Trust, Kent Ambassador and Patron of Hadlow College.

Tim chairs the Kent Community Foundation and runs The Brook Trust. Formerly a director of the Saga Group, he now focuses on philanthropy and impact investing.

Nicholas was brought up in Kent and has lived in the County for over 40 years. He is a practising solicitor and has spent most of his career in private practice in the City of London. He chairs the Colyer-Fergusson Charitable Trust, a significant grant making charity that has supported Kent’s communities since 1969.