New Chair of Governors

The Abingdon Foundation is delighted to announce the appointment of James Sporle as its new Chair of Governors for an initial term of four years from August 2025.

Mr Sporle will succeed Professor Mike Stevens who has served as Chair of Governors over the past seven years and will step down at the end of the academic year.

An Abingdon alumnus, Mr Sporle read Law at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and qualified as a solicitor at Linklaters, where he spent several years advising corporate clients. Following successful tenures as General Counsel at online takeaway company Just Eat plc and AI cyber security firm Darktrace plc, James will shortly be taking on the role of General Counsel at MUBI, the global streaming service, production company and film distributor.

He comments: “I am very much looking forward to my new role as Chair of Governors at the Abingdon Foundation. In recent visits to Abingdon School and Abingdon Prep, I have been extremely impressed by the fine educational provision, the many opportunities available to students and the inspirational and dedicated staff who facilitate it. This is an exciting chapter in the history of Abingdon and I am looking forward to supporting both schools as they navigate their way to full co-education through the changing macro-economic landscape affecting the independent schools sector.”

Mike Windsor, Head of the Abingdon Foundation, adds: “I would like to thank Mike Stevens for his unwavering support and dedication to the Abingdon Foundation over the past seven years. I believe that in James Sporle, we have found a worthy successor. I am confident that his commercial acumen, alongside his intellect, emotional intelligence and commitment to his former school, will place him in the best possible position for his new role. I look forward to working closely with him in the years ahead.”