On Sunday 8 September, Sir Nicholas Coleridge was Installed as Provost of Eton College.
The letter of appointment from His Majesty The King was read out to the Fellows and the Installation was attended by a royal representative. Sir Nicholas is the 43rd Provost since Eton was established. His predecessor, The Lord Waldegrave of North Hill, retired this summer having been in post since 2009.
Reflecting on what drove him to apply for the role of Provost, Sir Nicholas said, “The idea struck me as exciting and optimistic – to become part of the micro-culture of esteemed teachers, support staff and boys, their parents, House Masters and Dames, donors and philanthropists, chaplains, curators and groundsmen, not to mention the 18,000 alumni. And to work at a school on the cutting edge of education, which manages to be simultaneously progressive and traditional, set in a heritage hamlet of considerable beauty.
“Georgia and I have met so many friendly and engaging people in our first few days here – Eton seems to be a magnet for them.”
Sir Nicholas began his career as a journalist. He enjoyed a distinguished career in the media and publishing and was for 30 years successively Editorial Director, Managing Director, President and Chair of Condé Nast International, the magazine company.
He also has a close connection to Eton College, explaining: “I was here as a boy, as were my two brothers, three sons, two nephews, father, uncle and so forth, but my entire career was spent in the entirely different worlds of publishing, magazines, museums and public events. If you had told the 15-year-old me that I would one day return to Eton as Provost I would have been entirely disbelieving and might even have considered it rather a weird idea. But having returned, I feel fired up and inspired by the journey and challenges ahead. Georgia and I feel very privileged to be here.”
Sir Nicholas has been Chair of the British Fashion Council and Chair of the Professional Publishers Association. Among a wider portfolio of appointments, he has also been Chair of the Victoria and Albert Museum as well as a member of the Council of the Royal College of Art, a member of the Trading Board of The Prince’s Trust, Chair of the Prince of Wales’s Campaign for the Wool Industry and Co-Chair of the Platinum Jubilee Pageant for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
Sir Nicholas added, “It is often said of Eton that there is something here for everyone – societies covering every interest, multiple sports of course, art, music and culture – and that surely remains the case today, perhaps more than ever. Certainly, many of the things that became important to me in my own life – journalism and events, popular culture and traditional culture, literature and the theatre – all of these enthusiasms took hold in the Eton Chronicle Room, in Upper School for the Debating Society, in the Farrer Theatre. And many of my most enduring friendships were forged doing those same activities at school. Eton has a reputation for being, for the most part, a fun school, which it always should be, as well as a purposeful one.”
Looking ahead, Sir Nicholas commented that, “This is a challenging time for the school, as it is for all independent schools. But there is a huge amount too to look forward to – an extraordinary menu of visiting speakers, plays, sporting fixtures, and so many more people to meet. Based on what I’ve experienced so far, I’m in no doubt that Eton’s best centuries still lie ahead.”
