Exhibition Speeches 2026

Edmund Craston

Edmund was educated at Ampleforth (O82) and The Queen’s College, Oxford (Classics). After a 20-year investment banking career, advising company boards on mergers and acquisitions and raising capital, from 2009 he was Managing Partner of a real estate investment management firm investing in property throughout Europe on behalf of major global institutions. Since 2021, he has been an independent consultant acting as Senior Advisor or Non-Executive Director in a variety of property businesses.  Amongst his appointments, he is also the Director of the Trustee company of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster. 

Martha Byrne Hill

Martha was educated at Mayfield School before reading law at Downing College, Cambridge.  Her years in practice as a solicitor began in London and she lived in both India and Hong Kong doing a variety of contentious and non-contentious work across a number of jurisdictions. 

She was a Governor of Orwell Park School in Suffolk for ten years, latterly as the Safeguarding Governor. She is currently a Trustee of and Chair of the Nominations Committee for the Ryedale Festival in North Yorkshire, an annual two-week music and performing arts festival. She was also involved in fundraising work for a national charity, Turn2Us. Martha was for many years involved in preparing children and young people for First Holy Communion and Confirmation before moving with her family to North Yorkshire in 2014. 

Jon Mutton

Jon Mutton became Headmaster in January 2025.  He holds an undergraduate degree in Classics and English from the University of Leeds, as well as a Masters in Classics. He also has a Masters in Educational Leadership. He knows Ampleforth extremely well, having held key leadership positions in academic, pastoral and co-curricular aspects of the college over his 14 years here since he joined from the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle.

Jon has a wealth of experience in students’ mental health and wellbeing, online safety, child protection, student relationships, and has a student-centred approach in everything he undertakes. A marathon runner who enjoys sports coaching, he is also a former England junior chess champion and ran the chess club for many years.