The Prince's Trust Council

The Prince’s Trust Council is accountable in law for the work of The Trust. It sets the strategy and agrees The Trust’s business plan and budget and has authority to take all decisions and to set all policy.

Chairman: Sir Charles Dunstone

Sir Charles joined The Council in 2000 and became Chairman of Prince's Trust in June 2009. At age 25, he set up The Carphone Warehouse with an investment of £6,000 and has since built it into Europe's largest independent retailer of mobile communications.

He has been key to the development of many fundraising activities and events including Fashion Rocks and The Prince's Trust’s 30th Birthday concert at the Tower of London in 2006. Sir Charles is also Chairman of The Prince's Trust Enterprise Fellowship.

Michael Marks CBE

Michael is founding partner of NewSmith Capital Partners LLP. He joined the Council in early 2004 after retiring as Chairman of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. Michael started his career with Smith Bros in 1958 and was appointed a director there in 1975. He became Chief Executive of Smith New Court in 1987 and Executive Chairman 1995.

Lloyd Dorfman CBE

Lloyd is the Founder and Chairman of the Travelex Group, the world’s largest foreign exchange and business payments specialist.

In 2001 Lloyd Dorfman was the winner of the Consumer Business Category in the UK “Entrepreneur of the Year” awards sponsored by Ernst & Young, Citibank and The Times. In 2002 he received the British American Chamber of Commerce’s UK Entrepreneurial Award, and the Institute of Economic Affairs’ Free Enterprise Award. He is a Non-Executive Director of M & C Saatchi plc, Deputy Chairman of Quest Ltd, a Governor of St Paul’s School, London, Chairman of The Roundhouse, a Director of the Royal National Theatre, and an Honorary Fellow of St Peter’s College, Oxford.

William Eccles

William has spent most of his career with Graphite Capital, a UK private equity firm, where he was a senior partner. He worked part time for Fairbridge from 2005, joining the board in 2006 and becoming Chairman in 2009.

William is Chairman of two companies in the Graphite portfolio: U-POL, a manufacturer of automotive refinish products, and TMP, a recruitment communications company. He has established a charitable trust which focuses on the conservation of highly threatened tropical rainforest habitats and on supporting young people in the UK.

Wendy Becker

Wendy Becker is Chief Operating Officer of Jack Wills. She is a Non-Executive Director of Whitbread plc, where she is a member of the Audit and Remuneration Committees. Wendy spent most of her previous career as a Partner at McKinsey & Company, a management consultancy, as the Managing Director of TalkTalk and as the Global Chief Marketing Officer at Vodafone. Wendy is also a Trustee of Cancer Research UK, where she sits on the Audit Committee, and is on the Board of English National Ballet. She holds a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

Damon Buffini

Damon Buffini is a founding partner of Permira and was Chairman and Managing Partner from 1997-2010. Under his leadership Permira’s funds under management grew from €1.9 billion to over €20 billion and the firm’s number of offices has risen from four to twelve. Over the same period Permira helped to grow and build numerous successful businesses across Europe including: Travelodge, global aviation services group Jet Aviation, Inmarsat, and Homebase. Damon currently represents Permira Funds on the board of Hugo Boss.

Damon is co founder of Social Business Trust, a Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company and a Governor of the Wellcome Trust. Damon was educated at the Gateway Grammar School, St John’s College, Cambridge, where he read Law and at Harvard Business School, where gained an MBA.