Our Trustees

Our Trustees are all descendants of the Foundation’s founder, Willard Garfield Weston. The Weston family are committed to supporting organisations doing vital work across the UK.

Our Trustees are highly engaged in the work of the Foundation and give large amounts of their time and expertise to review applications and meet charities of all types and sizes. They have philanthropic interests and charity Trustee roles outside of the Foundation and apply their knowledge and experience of charities and businesses to their grant-making.

Photo of Sir Guy Weston, Chair

Sir Guy Weston

Chair

A grandson of Garfield Weston and son of the late Garry Weston, Guy studied at Oxford University and INSEAD. Guy is married to Ina Sarikhani and his career began in investment banking before he moved to Associated British Foods plc where he became Managing Director of Jacksons of Piccadilly and The Ryvita Co. Guy has been Chairman of Wittington Investments and the Garfield Weston Foundation since 2000 and has led significant growth in donations.

Photo of Sophia Weston, Deputy Chair

Sophia Weston

Deputy Chair

Educated at Durham University, Sophia has worked in publishing and journalism in addition to over 25 years’ experience in transformational grant making. Sophia managed The Garfield Weston Foundation during the latter years of her father Garry Weston’s chairmanship before she became a Trustee in 1994. Sophia is also a Trustee of the Mary Rose Trust and is a member of the Development Board for the National Portrait Gallery.

Photo of Geordie Dalglish

Geordie Dalglish

A grandson of Garfield Weston, Geordie graduated from Dalhouise University in Canada before starting his career in property development with Loblaw Companies Ltd. He is currently the president of a private real estate investment firm based in Toronto and chairs the committee for philanthropy in Canada’s Arctic and North at the Weston Family Foundation in Canada. He is an avid outdoorsman, bush pilot and environmentalist.

Photo of Kate Hobhouse

Kate Hobhouse

A granddaughter of the founder, Kate graduated from Bristol University and worked across all departments in the luxury food and retailing business Fortnum & Mason. Kate became a Director of the business in 1998, a non-executive Director in 2005 and subsequently Chairman in 2008, succeeding her sister Jana Khayat. Kate is married with five children and lives in Hertfordshire.

Photo of Jana Khayat

Jana Khayat

Jana studied History at Oxford before joining Fortnum & Mason. She succeeded her father, Garry Weston, as Chair of Fortnum’s in 2000, a position she held for eight years. Jana became a Trustee of the Foundation in 1994. Jana lives in Devon and is married with three children. She is a granddaughter of the founder.

Photo of Eliza Mitchell

Eliza Mitchell

Eliza is a granddaughter of the Founder and studied History at the University of William and Mary in Virginia. She has had a broad ranging career including law and teaching and she has travelled extensively. Eliza has lived in the UK and currently lives in British Columbia where she farms; she is also involved in the separate family foundation in Canada.

Photo of Melissa Murdoch

Melissa Murdoch

Melissa has a background in international development including human rights and public health projects in Cambodia and microcredit programmes in Peru. Melissa joined the Board of the Garfield Weston Foundation in 2008 and is also a Board member of a number of other charitable and philanthropic organisations. Melissa lives in Kent and is a granddaughter of the founder.

Photo of George Weston

George Weston

George studied at Oxford and has an MBA from Harvard. He has been Chief Executive of Associated British Foods (ABF) since 2005 and has been a member of the ABF Board since 1999. George’s previous roles have included Managing Director of Westmill Foods, Allied Bakeries and George Weston Foods Ltd (Australia). George is a grandson of Garfield Weston.

Photo of Alannah Weston

Alannah Weston

Alannah Weston is granddaughter of the founder and her career in luxury retail spans two decades; firstly as Creative Director of Selfridges department store and more recently as Chairman of Selfridges Group. She is Chair of the Galen & Hilary Weston Foundation in the UK which funds medical research into the neurological diseases of aging. In addition to running her own family office which has a focus on sustainability, she is an active non-executive director on several family foundations and Boards in Canada and the UK.

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