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Our Trustees

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Trustee, Executive Committee Chair

David Cobb

David works in finance and has been a trustee of International Students Club since 1995.

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Trustee, Management Committee Chair

Christopher Schiele

Christopher was a resident in William Temple House for over four years, during which time he made many good friends and helped adopt resident cat Schweiny. He became a trustee in 2018, and is keen to ensure the house continues to run smoothly and provide safe and high-quality accommodation.

 

Christopher works as a Chartered Town Planner for a private town planning consultancy and advises on major regeneration projects nationwide. He enjoys travelling, playing and watching sports, and ordering books on architecture.

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Trustee, Treasurer

Susan Dignum

Susan is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years of operational and financial management experience working in various roles in Financial Services.

 

She was appointed in July 2023 following her introduction to the Charity by a fellow trustee and is a member of both the Executive and Management Committees.

 

She has one child currently at university and one who has recently graduated. She enjoys watching football, reading, trips to the cinema and theatre, and travelling.

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Trustee

Edward Woods

Edward is a partner in a global alternative asset management firm based in London.

 

He has been a trustee since 2004 and became involved as a result of family connections with the founding of the House, as well as through a commitment to its charitable aims and its Christian ethos.

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Trustee

Calin Andrei

Calin holds a BMus degree from the Royal College of Music in London where he studied with Yuri Zhislin and a LRSM Teaching Diploma awarded by the ABRSM. He is currently a music teacher at Falkner House School.

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As a former resident of William Temple House, Calin is very excited to have been appointed a trustee and bring his contribution to the House. He is a member of both Executive and Management Committees, and the lead of Student Welfare Subcommittee.

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Residents also have Calin to thank for spearheading the campaign to keep Schweiny the cat.

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Trustee

Elisa Surini

Elisa is a self-employed accountant with over 30 years of experience.
In the last few years she reviewed her work life balance and decided to devote more time to charitable causes, and so she got involved with William Temple House to help the Treasurer and Charity with accounting and finance issues. 


Elisa also volunteers as reading helper in some Wandsworth schools, and in 2021 she was an NHS Stewart and Volunteer in various vaccination-hubs, working 50+ shifts.


In her spare time she loves cooking and entertaining (she helps once a week in her local soup kitchen) reading, watching movies, going to the theatre, and travelling. 

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Trustee

Baskar Sundaram

Baskar is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Manager, with qualifications in electrical engineering, accounting, coaching, finance, law, proposal and project management.

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Baskar arrived at William Temple House in 2003 as a student, and staying on as Sub Warden. The WTH bursary scheme and accommodation enabled him to stay in the UK, and he credits his success to his warden as well as the trustees, who he joined in 2015. 

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Fun fact: Baskar met his wife Junko at the House, and eleven friends from WTH attended (and performed at) their wedding in Kyoto, Japan.  

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Trustee

Lawrence Chau

Lawrence is a solicitor working in London and originally from Hong Kong.

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Trustee

Rev'd Father Paul Bagott

Father Paul is the parish priest of St. Cuthbert's Church at Earls Court.

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Father Paul has been also greatly supporting our music students, by providing the church's hall for rehearsals and practices. 

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Trustee

Crawford Edlington

Crawford works in the city on commercial real estate matters and is a former resident of William Temple House.

 

Crawford has wonderful memories of a fun, friendly and safe place to live and is still good friends with several of the previous residents all these years later. Crawford is passionate about the House and has been a trustee for almost 20 years.

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Trustee

Ishan Abeysekera

Ishan lived in the House as one of the former residents and shared that he had a fantastic experience staying at WTH.

 

He remembers the community as a warm and welcoming place to live where he made many friends whilst focusing on his degree.

 

This is what inspired him to become one of the Trustees of the charity. 

Copyright © 2026 William Temple House - Under the management of International Students Club (Church of England) Limited. Registered in London Number 846155. Registered Charity 243606 Established by the Board of Mission and Unity of the General Synod of the Church of England

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