THA Committee

Secretary

Lizzie Iron (1977)

Lizzie is forever in debt to her brother-in-law for introducing her to Trinity Hall, when she vaguely thought she would apply to Clare. Among the first in-take of undergraduate women, she joined a gentlemen’s club and left a thriving co-ed community, the essence of which was lifelong friendship. She comes back often, and walking under the crescent at the lodge gate still feels like coming home.

English and drama at Cambridge were fizzing in the late seventies: tutorials with Peter Holland often felt like intellectual vertigo as he mined the layers of Shakespeare’s language, while Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson – and Andrew Marr – were all cutting their teeth. At the time, some were more obviously destined for fame than others. A couple of terms of fair-weather coxing also gave Lizzie the unique experience of The Bumps, and she can still just about propel a punt if there’s enough champagne in the picnic hamper.

After college – and a memorable wedding ceremony in the Chapel – Lizzie was catapulted into 30 years of mobile life with the British Army, finally landing in the charity sector for her first proper job, running the Army Families Federation, which represents the interests of army families. Various roles in the Third Sector have given Lizzie insights into different government departments, and she has been lucky to be involved at critical periods in each area of work. As legal processes are modernised and reformed after legal aid was slashed in 2013, it’s a fascinating time to be working in a charity that helps people trying to represent themselves through the civil and family courts.

Cambridge and Trinity Hall were Lizzie’s foundations as an adult: she relished the sense of quality, developed a taste for history, and has valued the important thread of continuity since she first climbed the steps to the top of N staircase.

Having been a rather ineffectual year-rep for rather a long time, Lizzie will be pleased to try and contribute more actively as a member of the THA committee!

Treasurer

Brian Healy (1998)

Brian studied at Trinity Hall for an MPhil in science and is now based in London. He is grad rep for 1998.

Brian is an expert in mathematical finance and artificial intelligence. He has founded a number of businesses and invested in many others. Currently the CEO of Decision Science, he advises clients in many industries on issues relating to forecasting, risk and valuation. Using his expertise in mathematical and statistical modelling he has been Chief Scientific Officer for several start-ups focusing on artificial intelligence, anomaly detection and predictive modelling, and advises various tech incubators including Europe’s largest fintech hub.

He is an Adjunct Professor at UCL and holds a research position at Stanford in addition to teaching at NYU and UCD, all in quantitative and computational finance with an emphasis on machine learning and algorithmic trading.

Brian previously had a highly successful fifteen-year career in trading, where he was a quantitative analyst and option trader at various leading investment banks. He has founded a hedge fund and works with a wide variety of clients such as other hedge funds, and in banks, private equity, venture capital and asset-backed finance.

Brian has an MA in Mathematics from Trinity College Dublin, an MPhil in Mathematical Statistics from Trinity Hall, and a PhD from University College Dublin. He is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and a member of several mathematical, statistical and finance societies and organisations.

Committee members

Dr David Billett (1968)

David studied Chemistry as an undergraduate and postgraduate at Bristol (BSc, MSc, PhD) before matriculating at Trinity Hall in 1968 as the University’s Oliver Gatty Student. Here he pursued post-doctoral research in Biophysical Chemistry with the late Dennis Haydon (Fellow 1965-1988) for three years.

Leaving Cambridge, David worked as a research and development chemist, then information officer, in the chemical industry on Teesside (ICI). After 10 years he decided to focus on secondary teaching, completed a PGCE at Durham (St John’s College), and taught chemistry at Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire for 20 years. Since retiring in 2003 David has maintained some professional activity in chemistry as an examiner and moderator, writer and occasional tutor. David and his wife Sue still live in Pickering. He remains involved in the Cambridge Society of North & West Yorkshire, in administration (past Chair), organising events, including Freshers’ Events in York, and networking with our neighbouring Cambridge Societies.

In Cambridge, David has close links with CUDAR and was shortlisted for the Alumni Board in 2017. David remembers enjoying his time at Trinity Hall, having particular interests in music and the Chapel. He tries to attend at least two or three events each year, which helps with meeting alumni from a wide range of matriculation years. David assisted in the organisation of the College’s regional dinner at Harewood House, Yorkshire in October 2010.

Lee Evans (2010)

My association with Trinity Hall began in 2010 when I matriculated and began three years of studying Politics, Psychology & Sociology. After three happy years at the College – including twice participating in the College’s annual telephone campaign with the Development Office – I graduated in 2013.

Since then, I briefly worked in politics before beginning a career in business. For three years I led an organisation involved in creating innovative, tech-led approaches to assessment in apprenticeships, with a special focus on the needs of the health and social care sector. In July 2021 I decided to leave that business to work on a new venture, supporting employers in developing their leaders and managers, especially those who are least likely to undergo formal training.

Outside of my professional life, I am involved in local politics – including as Chairman of a constituency association – and I am the Chair of Governors at an SEN school in the town where I grew up. I am also a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

The Revd Cortland Fransella (1967)

Cortland read Modern and Mediaeval Languages (principally mediaeval French and Provençal, with Spanish) from 1967 to 1970. He rowed minimally and lived in College all three years. Cortland has loved the Hall ever since for the opportunities which it gave him and for the supportive environment which it offered then and continues to offer to all its students, not least by virtue of its small intake. After Cambridge, Cortland worked for the Diplomatic Service for 40 years and added Cantonese, Italian and a smattering of Bahasa Melayu to his languages. Drawn back into the ambit of the Hall at a 25th anniversary dinner in London, Cortland has never really left it since. Frequent visits for several years to Edinburgh, where his wife had studied, brought them back into contact with Cortland’s tutor and Director of Studies Jim Laidlaw, with whom he remains in regular touch. For the past 20 years Cortland has been a Church of England priest and was delighted a couple of years ago to be able to arrange a successful THA event at Lambeth Palace. He values the maintenance of ties between Hall alumni and alumnae not only for nostalgia but also in the hope that help can be provided for students of today and tomorrow who face harsh financial demands. Cortland’s work since 2011 with the charity IntoUniversity constantly reminds him that, whilst intellect, aptitude and academic potential may be evenly distributed amongst the population, educational opportunity is not. Cortland strongly supports the idea of the THA nurturing today’s students with bursaries or in other ways which prevent financial worries hampering their progress.

Raman Singh (2010)

Raman came up to Trinity Hall in 2010 as an undergraduate student. He now works as a professional economist in the public sector, and regularly returns to Cambridge for short teaching assignments.

Emily Bosley (2012)

I am currently working in the NHS, jointly in financial governance and in the Covid-19 vaccination programme. Prior to this I worked as an auditor at KPMG, where I qualified as an accountant. I matriculated at Trinity Hall in 2012, reading Natural Sciences; my final year focussed on cell and developmental biology. While at college I participated in a range of extra-curriculars, including coxing at THBC, treasurer of the JCR, and tech for Ents. I was also involved in the college musical put on in my final year (Cabaret).

Graham Read KC (1977)

I was born and raised in Hampshire and went to local state schools in Basingstoke. I went up to Trinity Hall to read law in 1977, the first year the College admitted women undergraduates – one of whom I subsequently married. Our elder daughter also went to Trinity Hall, reading classics. I rowed a little, captained the hockey club in my final year and was in the football team that won the first division championship.

After university, I trained for the Bar, obtaining a tenancy in London in 1982. Initially, I practised in crime, personal injury, family, landlord and tenant and commercial law. Significant cases included the Sellafield leukaemias case and the South African asbestos workers’ case.

I joined Devereux Chambers in 1997 and specialised in commercial work. I took Silk in 2003 and became heavily involved with large telecoms companies. I have been listed in both the Chambers and Legal 500 directories for over twenty years and been a top listed silk in telecommunications for well over a decade, winning various legal awards in that area. I have sat as an arbitrator and a mediator in commercial matters.

At Devereux Chambers I have taken on administrative roles including chair of the marketing committee and head of the management committee, and have also been involved informally with various charities. After 42 years in practice, I am now winding down my legal work and have more time to spend on voluntary roles.

Rajan Jain (1997)

Rajan came up to Trinity Hall in 1997, reading law and graduating on the college’s 650th anniversary in 2000.

On graduation and the advice of the late John Collier, Rajan went into the City law firm of Linklaters where he qualified as both a solicitor (England & Wales) and US Attorney (New York). During his time at Linklaters, Rajan had the privilege of spending a short period of time in the firm’s Hong Kong office. After practising law for 8 years, Rajan decided to switch careers and become an investment banker. He is currently a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, where he runs the Strategic Solutions team in the Equities business. Prior to joining Goldman, Rajan was in the Global Markets business at Credit Suisse.

Outside of his professional life, Rajan is a Trustee of the Rattan Lal Jain Foundation, which supports and funds colleges for girls, schools and medical facilities in rural and underprivileged parts of India.

He remains astounded by the strength of the college community across generations and looks forward to playing his own small part in continuing to both foster this legacy and to facilitate the college’s contribution to the broader community.

Catriona McGill (2010)

I joined Trinity Hall in 2010 as an engineering undergraduate, with a bedroom on Q staircase above the Jerwood library. I graduated 4 years later with an MEng in Manufacturing Engineering. I remember my time at Trinity Hall very fondly and still treasure some close friendships that were formed during those years.

Whilst at Trinity Hall, I was awarded a THA Award to travel to Quito, to work with an NGO providing transitional housing to families. I had a fabulous time during my summer in Ecuador and I would be delighted to work now on the other side of the process, distributing THA Awards to students with exciting projects.

After leaving university, I worked briefly as a strategy consultant and then worked for nearly a decade as a project manager in several climate-tech start-ups, developing novel “green” technologies. I currently work in the Innovation team at Boskalis, selecting and supporting innovation projects within the marine engineering sector. Additionally, I volunteer as a STEM ambassador.

I live with my partner, Olof, in Rotterdam and spend my spare time working on our ‘doer-upper’ house.