As Rector of St Botolph without Aldgate, the Reverend Laura Jørgensen is an ex-officio trustee of The Portal Trust (formerly Sir John Cass’s Foundation). Since ordination in 2000, Laura has been involved with early years, primary and secondary schools, independent schools and higher education both in and out of London. Laura is a Governor of The Aldgate School (formerly Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School). Her particular interest is in access to education for kids from the poorest backgrounds.

John joined the Trust in 2015. He holds Institution of Occupational Safety and Health certificates in safety and building management and NVQs in customer care, property maintenance and cleaning. He has a long association with the trust as he managed the Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School (Now the Aldgate School) site for fourteen years.

John is the Assistant District Commissioner for Norfolk Scouts; Group Scout leader for the 1st Dickleburgh Sea Scout Group. He is also on the council of the London Children’s Flower Society and has been Treasurer for a local community gardening group in the City of London. His hobbies include beekeeping, military re-enactment, reading, gardening, as well as being a certified Horticulturist & Arboriculturist.

John was installed as a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners by the Master of the Company, Margaret Holland Prior JP on the 5th July 2018. He is also a Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Educators.

Jane is one of the longest serving members of staff at The Portal Trust. Jane is the Grants and Events Officer and also supports and helps out with organising events which we have each year, including our annual Lecture. Jane also assists in the processing and the administration of our grants. In 2013 she achieved NVQ Level 4 in Business and Administration.

Jenny Moseley was Assistant Vice President of the National Geographic Society with responsibility for marketing the Society’s products, including National Geographic Magazine, across Europe. She is also an experienced fundraiser, working for a number of national charities as a direct marketing consultant. She has been Chairman of the Direct Marketing Association UK and a Vice President of the Federation of European Direct and Digital Marketing. Jenny’s current career is as Director of permission marketing data protection consultancy, Opt-4.

Fedinia is the Finance Officer and has worked at the Trust since 2004. She is currently studying towards the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification after which she intends to qualify as a chartered accountant. Fedinia is a mother to 4 sons, and in her spare time she enjoys reading, taking part in quizzes and listening to music.

Fancy joined the Board in February 2022 having initially been a Trust Ambassador

Fancy has spent her entire professional career (and personal life) in service to social, economic, environmental, and racial justice/equity. She has done this as a fundraiser, business development leader, grant-maker, action researcher, director/executive, and activist/campaigner for various organisations including The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP), The Young Foundation, CityYear UK, and ippr’s Migration Equalities and Citizenship team. Fancy also proudly served on the board of Praxis Community Projects and Enterprises and is a member of IMPACT100.

Over the past two years, as a Strategic Advisor to TSIP, and through her start-up social impact advisory business (The Dot & The Line) Fancy has been on a mission to support individuals and organisations to mobilize resources (human, financial, etc) and rigorous learning for positive social impact. In this capacity, she has worked with The Black Global Trust, WorldSkills UK, British Science Association, The Wellcome Trust, Guys & St Thomas’ Charity (GSTC), London Community Foundation/Met Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), Black Thrive, Pilotlight, The Ubele Initiative, and Migration Exchange (housed at Global Dialogue), to name a few.

Fancy is acutely passionate about issues affecting underserved communities especially children, young people, refugees, asylum seekers and migrants.

The Board appointed Fancy as the Portal Trust’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Champion in February 2023.

Ratidzo Starkey is a Member of the Secretariat for the Financial Stability Board. She leads on the FSB’s communications and public relations and is based in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to moving to Switzerland, Ratidzo was Head of Outreach and Education at the Bank of England, responsible for driving the Bank of England’s public engagement activities, the development of the Bank’s education programme and the Bank’s Museum. Ratidzo also worked on the Covid Corporate Financing Facility, leading the Bank of England’s support for businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.

Ratidzo was born and attended school in East London. She began her career at the Bank of England before moving to the private sector where she worked as an Economist in a number of risk functions at Barclays Capital and Lloyds Banking Group. She has a BSc (Hons) in Economics and Finance from the University of York and an MSc in Finance, Economics and Econometrics from Cass Business School.

As a previous recipient of a Sir John Cass’s Foundation Scholarship, Ratidzo is a strong proponent of educational equity and social mobility. She was co-chair of the Bank of England’s Ethnic Minority Network and is also a school governor

Sarwar is a solicitor and currently Group General Counsel & UK Company Secretary of a global company. Motivated by a desire to give back, he is passionate about the power of education to transform lives. Sarwar previously served as a Global Fellow of the Prime Minister, as well as a Governor at the London School of Economics, where he read Law as an undergraduate. Sarwar holds an MBA from BPP Business School.