College Head, Leon Grové recently announced in a letter to the Kingswood community that Richard Gaybba (OK 2001) will take over as Chair of Council from May 2025

In a letter to the Kingswood Community, Kingswood College Head, Mr Leon Grové announced that Mr Richard Gaybba (OK 2001) has been appointed as the new Chair of Council replacing Mrs Kesentri Govender. Mrs Govender served as Chair of Council for the past three years and under her leadership the College has flourished and grown. Her tireless and selfless leadership have been a true blessing for Kingswood and we are pleased that although she will no longer chair Council she will remain a valued member of the Council. We take this opportunity to thank Mrs Govender for her leadership and wisdom as Chair of Council.

Richard has served on Council since 2019 and currently also serves as the Active Vice-President of the Old Kingswoodian Club. After matriculating from Kingswood College, Richard completed his tertiary education at the Cape Technikon, where he obtained a National Diploma in Hospitality Management. Since then, he has acquired various additional qualifications in the financial services sector. Richard is a registered property practitioner and runs his own consulting firm, providing advisory services to clients in the banking and legal sectors. He also serves on the boards of several NGOs and entities, with a focus on education, nutrition, civic rights, and business development. Richard is married to Julia, and they have a daughter, Charlotte. We look forward to Mr Gaybba leading our school to new heights in the coming years.

Mr Gaybba’s appointment as Chairman of Council has been strengthened by the appointment of Mrs Lyn Hobson as his Vice-Chair. Mrs Hobson has served on the Kingswood Council since 2018 and has headed up our Human Resources, Boarding and Remuneration Sub-Committees during her tenure. Lyn attended Kingswood from Standard 1 to Standard 8 and is the proud parent of two Kingswood Alumni. She currently works as a Talent and Development Manager at a leading agricultural company in South Africa’s pork and dairy industry. We are thrilled that she has accepted the nomination to become the Vice-Chair and look forward to her invaluable contributions going forward.

We thank all members of council for helping make Kingswood the exceptional school that it is.