Governance
As a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, we are governed by our constitution which was approved by the Charity Commission. Our trustees hold the legal responsibility for the club, and they delegate the day-to-day running to our elected committee who are listed below.
The club holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM) around September each year, where the committee and trustees report on the club’s operations, finances and plans, and a new committee and squad captains are elected.
Committee officers 2024–25
Chair:
Alex Jones (he/him)
chair@londonotters.org
Secretary:
Yoan Graignic (he/him)
secretary@londonotters.org
Treasurer and Vice-Chair:
Swarnima Sircar (she/her)
treasurer@londonotters.org
Captain:
Michael Whitcher (they/them)
captain@londonotters.org
Safety Officer:
Dawid Hubert (he/him)
safety@londonotters.org
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer:
Chris McGuigan (he/him)
inclusion@londonotters.org
Social Secretaries:
Jess McManus (she/her),
Zendell Addai (he/him)
socialsec@londonotters.org
Public Relations Officer:
Daniel Bregman (he/him)
pr@londonotters.org
Fundraising and Sponsorship Officer:
Robbie Bond (he/him)
fundraising@londonotters.org
Equipment and Maintenance Officer:
Jamie Johnstone (he/him)
equipment@londonotters.org
Squad captains 2024–25
Novice Squad Captain:
Ghada ‘Fox’ Shawki (they/them)
Intermediate Squad Captain:
Sean Hammond (he/him)
Senior Squad Captains:
Edward Robertson (he/him),
Lisa D Richardson (she/her)
Social Squad Captains:
Toby Constantine-Cort (he/him),
Emmet Cassidy (he/him)
Cox Squad Captain:
Kieran Adams (he/him)
Trustees
Grant ‘Ralphie’ Ralph (he/him)
Trustee 2024–27
Ralphie co-founded London Otters Rowing Club back in 2014 and has been an integral part of the organisation since its inception. He has been rowing since 1997 and was Master in Charge of Rowing and Head Coach for various secondary schools in South Africa between 2002 and 2007. After arriving in London, Ralphie's love of rowing led him and a friend to connect with other likeminded LGBTQ+ individuals who shared an interest in rowing. The group quickly gained a following and the rest, as they say, is history.
Outside of the club Ralphie is UK Head of Digital at Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Bank focused on B2B Digital Transformation. He also co-owns a Property Investment firm in South Africa. He sits on the Advisory Board for 'Here for Sport' and also serves as a British Rowing National Umpire.
Matt Davey (he/him)
Trustee 2024–27
Matt was a key member of the Otters for over five years, with two years as Club Captain and three as Chair, before becoming a trustee on its incorporation as a CIO. He led and oversaw a period of considerable growth of the club’s infrastructure and membership. It was whilst studying at the University of Cambridge that Matt discovered his love for rowing, and he joined the Otters after a period away from the sport, having previously been a member of clubs in London and Paris. His insight into different clubs and the rowing world more broadly, as well as his approach to risk, governance and growth learned in his work, have both been invaluable for the Otters as the club grows and develops.
Outside of the Otters Matt is European General Counsel for an energy consultancy and has worked as a lawyer in the shipping, energy and commodities industries for the last 15 years.
Lisa D. Richardson (she/her)
Trustee 2025–28
Lisa joined the Otters in 2023 and served as Senior Squad captain in 2024–25. She brings extensive rowing experience – having rowed since 2004, coached juniors for five seasons at the Horace Mann School, coached and rowed with Harlem River Community Rowing, and served as co-captain of the Yale Grad Crew – and a strong professional background in governance and non-profit management.
Beyond rowing, Lisa has served on the board of a New York theatre company, the Leadership Advisory Board for the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, and holds an MFA in Theatre Management from Yale School of Drama. Her career has included senior roles in fundraising, development and board management at leading US arts organisations, including the Public Theater in New York and Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.
Alex Jones (he/him)
Trustee ex officio
Alex has been part of the Otters for over eight years, having first learned to row through the club’s Otterpups Learn to Row course. He served on the committee in a number of roles before being elected Chair in 2024. In addition to leading the committee, Alex is driving the project to establish a permanent clubroom at the Royal Albert Dock, a major step in securing the club’s long-term future.
Outside of rowing, Alex is Co-CEO of Red Planet Pictures, an independent drama production company responsible for some of the UK’s most successful recent TV dramas, including Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise (BBC One) and Our House and Sanditon (ITV). He is also Vice Chair of PACT, the trade body representing the UK’s 800+ independent producers, and sits on the board of ScreenSkills’ High-End TV Skills Fund.