Egypt Exploration Society

Mr John J Johnston. Although working full-time in the public sector, John is studying part-time for his PhD at University College London, from where he obtained his MA in Egyptian Archaeology. John’s thesis is concerned with identifying evidence of identity and self-presentation as represented in mortuary material of the Ptolemaic Period from Akhmim. As such, John has a particular interest in studying those Ptolemaic objects, many of which have lain, largely forgotten, in museums and collections throughout Europe. However, John’s research interests are varied and he also lectures throughout the UK on a number of topics from ancient sexualities to the reception of ancient Egypt in the modern world, specifically cinematic reception. John is an active Committee member of the Friends of the Petrie Museum and is committed to the importance of public engagement in academia. He is a regular contributor to both BA and MA courses at UCL, teaching classes on Egyptian mortuary archaeology and the history of Egyptology. As a writer and editor, John is a frequent user of the EES Library and Archive and is presently engaged in the production of a number of publications. The first of these projects, for which he is joint-editor, is Narratives of Egypt and the Ancient Near East: Literary and Linguistic Approaches, which is currently in press with Peeters. John joined the EES Board of Trustees in 2009 and is glad to be in a position to merge his legal and administrative experience, gained over many years in both public and private sectors, with his passion for Egyptology in order to advance the vital work of the Egypt Exploration Society at this time of change and challenge. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of Egyptian Archaeology.

Treasurer

Ms Susan Royce is a chartered accountant who specialises in working with clients across the cultural sector to develop and implement ambitious programmes for change. After reading History at Cambridge, Susan trained with the public sector practice of Deloitte, Haskins & Sells and qualified in 1991. From 1991 to 2000 she specialised in corporate recovery work with PricewaterhouseCoopers. In 2000 she left the City in search of a balanced life rather than just a great job and established her own cultural consulting practice. Her main areas of professional interest and activity are: change management and organisational development, strategic planning and risk management, governance, mentoring senior and finance staff. She is the Chair of Axis (www.axisweb.org), a trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee of Creative & Cultural Skills (http://www.ccskills.org.uk), a trustee of Clean Break (http://www.cleanbreak.org.uk/) and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She is a keen amateur archaeologist, lives in the Barbican and enjoys London’s amazing cultural life to the full. Susan joined the EES in 2005 and was previously Treasurer from 2007 to 2008.

Other Trustees

Dr Maria Cannata obtained her first degree, in Egyptian Archaeology, from University College London in 2001; she completed an MPhil in Egyptology in 2003, and subsequently a DPhil in 2008, both at Oxford University. Prior to her appointment at Swansea University in 2008, she was Temporary Lecturer at Oxford University, and Randall-MacIver Junior Research Fellow at Queen’s College (Oxford). Maria has given presentations at a number of Egyptology conferences, and a number of invited lectures at the Birkbeck College (University of London) and for various Egyptological societies around the country. Maria’s main research interests are: Egyptian social history; mortuary culture and practices; sacred and mortuary landscapes; material culture as a social construct and as embodiment of social groups’ identity. She is currently editor of Discussions in Egyptology. Maria has not served previously as an EES Trustee.

Mr Paul Cove is relatively new to formal study of Egyptology and Archaeology, but has had a lifelong interest in both and is fascinated by the relationship between the evidence available to the Egyptologist and the conclusions one can draw. Currently, he works for Deutsche Bank where he leads complex projects, focusing on process improvement and change management within the Finance function. He is keen to apply his professional skills to charity work and looks forward to harnessing his interest in Egyptology and leveraging his professional background for such a good cause as a Trustee and Treasurer of the EES.

Ms Susan Daniels has a degree in Ancient History & Archaeology, and spent several years working on a multi-period site in Yorkshire before joining English Heritage. Her first job was as Office Manager; she then moved on to become Casework Manager and is currently Business Manager for the Yorkshire and Humber Region. With over twenty years experience working with architects, archaeologists, building inspectors and administrators to help and advise the public, government offices and departments, and local authorities on all matters relating to statutory consents and grant applications, her multi-disciplinary background will help support the work and objectives of the EES.

Dr Karen Exell is a Lecturer in Museum Studies at University College London - Qatar and a former Curator, Egypt and the Sudan at The Manchester Museum, University of Manchester. She trained as an Egyptologist at the Universities of Oxford and Durham, and has curated University collections at University College London and Durham. She lectures regularly to local societies and on tours in Egypt, and teaches for the Bloomsbury Summer School. Karen worked in the London office of the Society for eight months in 2007, giving her first hand experience of the day to day working of the organisation. She has been a Trustee since 2008, and has been deeply involved in the development of the current research and operational strategy of the Society, at a time of necessary change in response to the broader economic climate and increased funding restrictions. She has a full understanding of the role of the Board in governing the Society, a deep appreciation of the work of the Society’s staff, and believes that the Society, with the support of its Members, can develop as a dynamic institution into the 21st century.

Mr George Hart worked at the British Museum (between 1973 and 2004) in the Education Department, primarily lecturing on the Ancient Egyptians but also on Bronze-Age civilisations of the Mediterranean World. George has been, since its inception in 1991, a member of the Editorial Board of Egyptian Archaeology, was also one of the founder members of the Friends of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology (Chairman for its first twelve years) and is currently a Committee member of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society.

Dr David Jeffreys is currently Senior Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at UCL Institute of Archaeology and is Field Director of the EES Survey of Memphis, a project with which he has been involved since 1981. He studied at UCL, gaining a BA in Hebrew and Egyptian in 1975 and his PhD thesis on archive sources for Memphis was passed in 2000 at the University of London. This study has recently been published by the EES (EM 95) The Hekekyan Papers and other sources for the Survey of Memphis. David has worked extensively on archaeological sites in the UK (Caernarfon, Lincoln, London, Llwchwr), Syria (Tell Brak, Tell Nebi Mend, Tell Sweyhat), Jordan (Tuleilat Ghassul, Pella), Israel (Tell Sharia) and Egypt (Saqqara, Balat/Dakhla Oasis, Memphis). David served five three-year terms on the EES Committee between 1984 and 2006 and is a member of the Editorial Board of Egyptian Archaeology.

Mr Robert Lee is a solicitor and has been a partner in the International Law Firm, Davies Arnold Cooper since 1989. He is currently Head of Real Estate as well as having a position on the firm’s executive management board. Robert is also involved in public speaking and has appeared on both the BBC ‘Working Lunch’ programme and BBC Radio 4’s ‘Financial World Tonight’. As a Partner in a major law firm Robert has access to corporate and other commercial legal expertise which he hopes would be useful to the Society and provide a skill set that the Board of Trustees does not currently have.

Dr Martina Minas-Nerpel is Reader in Egyptology at Swansea University. She studied at Trier (Germany) and Oxford Universities and before moving to Wales, she was a lecturer/assistant professor at Trier University, an Alexander von Humboldt-scholar at Oxford University (2002) and a visiting professor at Ain Shams University, Cairo (2005). Her PhD on the ruler cult in Ptolemaic Egypt was published in 2000, and her Habilitation (Dr. habil.) on the god Khepri appeared as a monograph in 2006. In 2009, she co-authored a book on the trilingual stela of Gaius Cornelius Gallus, the first Roman prefect of Egypt, reflecting her current research focused on the political and religious history of Roman Egypt. She is also the principal investigator of the joint Swansea-KU Leuven (Belgium) project ‘The textual and iconographic programme of Shanhur temple and its cult topography’, including epigraphic field work at the Egyptian temple of Isis at Shanhur, which dates from the reign of Augustus to that of Trajanus. Martina has not previously served as an EES Trustee.

Ms Margaret Mountford is studying at UCL for a PhD in Papyrology, working on documentary papyri from the Oxyrhynchus archive. She was born and brought up in Northern Ireland and studied French, German and Law at Cambridge.  She has always been interested in the classical world, particularly in visiting Greek and Roman sites, and after 25 years at a major City law firm, including 16 as a partner specialising in corporate, commercial and corporate finance work, she “retired” and went back to university to study Classics at UCL. Since leaving legal practice she has been a non-executive director of a number of publicly-quoted companies and appeared on five series of “The Apprentice” BBC TV programme.  She is currently on the board of two charities, CORDA and The Bright Ideas Trust, and the Council of the Hellenic Society, and is Chairman of Governors of an Inner London comprehensive school. Margaret is a member of the Society’s Development and Outreach Committee but has not previously served as a Trustee.

Mr Ben Rayner holds a BA in Ancient History from the University of Birmingham, where he specialised in Egyptian language, history, art and architecture. He subsequently completed an MPhil on late New Kingdom tomb robbery and started a PhD on temple desecration before beginning a career in financial services. He is now a strategic change manager with an investment bank, responsible for running global change programmes: defining a vision, setting measurable objectives ensuring delivery of results, tracking benefits and managing budgets. Ben is very keen to continue his involvement with the ancient world by using his industry experience to assist the Society as a Trustee.
 

Dr Alice Stevenson is Researcher in World Archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford and Junior Research Fellow at St. Cross College. She specializes in Predynastic Egyptian archaeology and has held previous teaching and research positions at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL. She is also familiar with the organization of the EES having worked in the London office for eight months in 2007-08. Alice has experience of promoting Egyptology to the general public from teaching introductory-level adult education courses for the University of Cambridge and City University, London. Her professional activities in the last few years have focused upon researching and promoting the archaeological resources of museums, through project management, grant applications, presentations and publications, knowledge of which she can bring to the promotion of the EES’s activities. Alice is a member of the Egyptian Archaeology Editorial Board.
 

Ms Judi Sykes is a Programme Director for business change initiatives at Unilever, having previously worked as in managerial and finance roles also at Unilever, First Direct and Yorkshire Water and as a management consultant at Ernst & Young. Judi has a First Class Honours degree in Maths from Oxford University and is ACMA (Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) qualified. During the 16 years she has worked in industry, Judi has developed a broad business understanding and general management skill set which complements her finance credentials, and she has a positive, pragmatic approach to resolving problems and breaking down barriers which she feels would be of value to the Society’s Board of Trustees.