James Dahl has been appointed as the 15th Master of Wellington College, succeeding Julian Thomas.

James, who will formally take up his post on 1st September 2019, is currently Second Master Elect as well as Deputy Head Pastoral at Wellington, having served previously as Director of Admissions & Marketing. Educated at The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle and Haileybury, and having read Classics at Cambridge, James started his career under Anthony Seldon at Brighton College, becoming Head of Classics at the age of 23 and then Head of Sixth Form. He left Brighton in 2006 to become a Housemaster at Repton, before joining Wellington in September 2013. James is also a Grade 8 flautist, pianist and percussionist, and represented Cambridge at second team level in both cricket and rugby.

Peter Mallinson, Vice-President and Chair of Governors, commented, “Wellington is thriving today with strong demand for places, excellent academic results, an extraordinary extracurricular offering and a culture of independent learning and inclusivity. That James emerged as the unanimous choice of the Governors, after a rigorous and far-reaching search, demonstrates clearly both the quality of his candidacy and the compelling clarity of his vision for the future of the College”.

Julian Thomas said, “I am absolutely delighted that James Dahl has been appointed as 15^th Master of Wellington College. He is a hugely talented and committed educationalist and the future looks very bright indeed”.

In a letter to members of the Wellington Community, James described feeling “deeply humbled and hugely excited” about the appointment, adding, “It is a tremendous honour and privilege to have been chosen to lead and serve this wonderful community of pupils, staff and parents, and I cannot wait to start writing the next chapter in the College’s illustrious history”.