Meet the Board

Norman Plastow is a lifelong Wimbledon resident, as well as a renowned architect. He's also a model maker and furniture designer, with a comprehensive knowledge of many other trades in his spare time. It was he and a friend who spotted that the Windmill was falling into a state of disrepair, brought it back to life and converted it into a museum.

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Almost everything you see in the Museum was sourced, gathered or built by Norman. He is still very active with the Museum Board – he pops in regularly at weekends, and if you're lucky enough to see him there, he will regale you with stories of the fun and hard work he put into this restoration.

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Norman is also a former Chairman and President of The Wimbledon Society. He designed the Village Hall Trust Gallery on Lingfield Road, which opened in 2012 to provide more exhibition space for Wimbledon artists. He's also an author, and you will find his book Safe as Houses in the Museum shop, providing a detailed account of World War II with a wealth of contemporary photographs and a detailed map showing where the bombs fell.

Rhys has based his family home on the edge of Wimbledon Common for over 35 years, though a passion for travel and international development has also taken him to many parts of the world. With a degree in Modern History and Economics from Pembroke College, Oxford he is naturally drawn to stories of social evolution, of which the Wimbledon Windmill is a perfect example. In the same vein, he also curates the local sports heritage offered by Wimbledon in Sporting History.

Before trying to retire several years ago, he ran several international broadcasting operations, most recently for 10 years in sub-Saharan Africa. It is therefore no surprise that he is also a trustee of three other charities focused on youth development and basic sanitation in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. This all keeps him very busy, plus continuing to improve his fluency in Dutch then spending time with his son and family in Singapore. One unfortunate claim to fame is that he once arrived at the presidential palace in Dar es
Salaam for a breakfast meeting at 7am with President Jakaya Kikwete – only to find that he was 6 hours early since the invitation was for lunch as the Swahili clock is used for such
events in Tanzania!​

Andrew is a museum professional with over 10 years' experience. This includes enhancing interpretation and wayfinding at several high-profile archaeological sites – including Çatalhöyük in Turkey and Memphis in Egypt. He also previously led marketing and communications for the annual Heritage Open Days festival.

 

Currently, Andrew is the Head of Public Impact at the Museum of London Archaeology - leading a team of community engagement and communications specialists. He has a particular interest in pioneering new ways of engaging audiences with the past, and using collections to unlock more profound public impacts linked to sense of belonging and community, personal well-being, and skills and employment.

 

Andrew supports the collections management aspect of the windmill, as well as working on plans to further develop the mill's displays and visitor experience.

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After over thirty years teaching - in both the maintained and independent sectors Anne decided to undertake voluntary work.  
She has been a Trustee at The Wimbledon Windmill Museum since 2021. She is the first point of contact for groups e.g. schools, walking groups, WI, U3A, etc, wishing to visit and have a guided tour of the Museum.  Anne liaises with parties to ensure a successful experience. I also offer to undertake presentations in the community.   

In addition, she is part of a sub-committee within the Trustee body to recruit and work with volunteers who are an invaluable museum resource.  This allows her to be involved in arranging community social events.  During British Summer Time when the Museum is open to the public she also volunteers at the weekend. 

Outside of her volunteering role Anne enjoys going to a health club, participating in exercise classes – anything from dancing to martial arts!  She also enjoys going to the Theatre and visiting exhibitions.  

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A resident of Wimbledon for over 25 years, Reena has been a member of the Windmill’s Board of Trustees since 2018. She pairs a 20-year career in management consultancy with a deep-rooted passion for the charity sector, helping to ensure our local landmark thrives for future generations.

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When she isn’t helping steer the Museum, you’ll likely find her at home with her husband, Steve, or busy with her latest knitting project. If you see Reena out on the Common, please do come and say hello—although you might have to wait a moment for her to finish judging the local talent in her own personal "Dog of the Day" competition!

Tom Sainsbury is a digital and commercial leader with over 20 years’ experience driving growth and transformation across financial services, media, education and travel. He is currently a senior leader at HSBC, where he focuses on delivering large-scale change, improving performance frameworks, and embedding agile ways of working across global teams.

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Before HSBC, Tom held senior roles at MetFilm, Teletext Holidays and Blinkbox (part of Tesco), leading marketing, digital and commercial strategy. He has also worked as a consultant, advising businesses on growth, customer acquisition and digital transformation. Across these roles, he has built and led substantial teams, managed significant budgets, and delivered sustainable business growth. 

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Alongside his professional career, Tom serves as a Trustee of Putney Arts Theatre, and Treasurer of Wimbledon Windmill Museum, where he brings financial oversight, strategic thinking and a practical, collaborative approach to supporting the museum’s long-term sustainability.

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From a childhood in the Middle East to a gap year spanning Switzerland and Israel, followed by stints in Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Australia (twice), New York, and Ohio — she eventually found her way back to London, where she appears, for now, to have stayed.

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Vanessa has built a career at the intersection of people and technology, leading digital transformation across some of the world's best-known brands.  She currently leads product operations at a London Legal-tech scale-up.

 

She joined the Windmill as a Trustee in 2020 and looks after everything digital - the website, social media, and the museum's Bloomberg Connects app - as well as lending her eye to the visitor shop. She is the Trustee most likely to have photographed a windmill on five continents with her passion for her Fuji camera.

Wojtek has been a guide and a trustee of Wimbledon Windmill Museum for over 5 years. He really enjoys these roles, particularly showing visitors round the museum and answering their (sometimes tricky) questions.  He's also our go-to person for fixing up the museum - his tool kit is legendary. 

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He is a civil engineer and has worked on many large scale and memorable projects in the UK, the Middle East and Greece.  As such he has an eclectic set of hobbies - he likes reading, classical music, classical guitar, blues, jazz, French chanson, art, cinema, architecture, and bridge.