Meet our board

Matthew Burton (Chair) originally qualified as a Chartered Surveyor but is now the Managing Partner of a national firm of Chartered Accountants. His interest in MAF dates back to his boyhood and was inspired by his grandfather who was a missionary in northern Nigeria. Prior to becoming closely involved in MAF he was Chairman of the Trustees of a small Christian charity operating in Zimbabwe and he retains a close interest in that country. He also holds a private pilot’s licence. He is married to Ali and has three daughters. Together they worship at a church near their home in Essex and they co-lead a home group.

Ann has worked in People Management for a variety of organisations including engineering and manufacturing, The London Stock Exchange, a start-up consultancy and an International Development Company.  She is currently the Director for People at Wycliffe Bible Translators and is a fellow of the CIPD. Ann has supported MAF since learning about the mission whilst at Church in Canterbury.  She has served over the last 20 years on the MAF UK board, followed by the MAF International board and now returning to the MAF UK board. Ann is married to Tim, a church minister and has three adult daughters.

Gordon May studied Mechanical Engineering but has spent his career in IT. He is currently the Head of Global IT at Tearfund with whom he has travelled to various countries in Asia and Africa.
He is married to Annica, and together they have four children. Gordon is an active member of St Paul’s, Ealing where he helps to lead a home group and a youth group. Gordon also serves as a Trustee of an organisation supporting Churches in Eastern Europe. Previously, Gordon was a Trustee of an organisation working in a Maasai community in Kenya, where he first flew with MAF having been a supporter over many years.

Gordon loves the outdoors and, in the warmer months, can be found biking, paddleboarding or wild swimming.

Bill Lowe has recently retired from his most recent role as Director of Philanthropy at the international human rights organization CSW. Before joining CSW in 2012 Bill worked for over 30 years in the UK banking sector where he was involved in providing finance for aircraft and other large assets such as trains and ships. Bill is married to Gill (a nurse), and they have two daughters. Now living in Claygate, Bill worships at Holy Trinity where he has in the past served in various roles including church warden.

Carl Knightly is the Director of Church Networks at London City Mission, a Christian charity focused on evangelism and mission to the marginalised. Prior to this Carl was the CEO of Faith in Later Life, a national Christian charity focused on older people. Before this Carl was the Director of Engagement for a national Christian care home provider, and held a wide-ranging portfolio including marketing, communications, and supporter engagement. These roles followed a 14-year career in the Civil Service, where Carl worked in a variety of senior strategy, communications, and operational roles. Carl and his wife Suzy (an Intensive Care nurse) live in Sanderstead on the London/Surrey border and Carl is a Governor at his children’s primary school.

Clare Tunbridge has a background in engineering, then strategy & planning, She first came across MAF as a student and spent a year as a volunteer in the hangar in Dodoma, Tanzania. She then worked in the UK civil service for 16 years but finally followed her heart to become a humanitarian. For 12 years she held senior field leadership roles with Medair and Tearfund, serving in Sudan/Darfur, Mali, DR Congo and the Middle East. She is currently Chief Executive of Mokoro Ltd, a non-profit business providing consultancy services in the international development sector. Clare lives in Oxford and is an active member of Kidlington Baptist Church.

Steve Osei-Mensah has 30 years of business experience in Europe, Asia, Africa & North America. He has been a partner with both PwC & EY in consulting, and a director /in senior management in the financial services industry (Barclays, L&G, & Cap Gemini). Steve is a Chartered Director (IoD) & a Non-executive Director/ Trustee to 3 charitable enterprises: MAF (UK), Langham Partnership UK, and A Rocha international. Steve is married to Emma (Speech and Language Therapist), and they have 2 daughters. Steve is passionate about aviation & is a qualified private pilot in UK, US, & Kenya.

Max Gove joined MAF in October 1971 as a pilot, along with his wife, Susan. They served for 12 years in Ethiopia and Kenya before returning to the UK with their 4 daughters. For the next 30+ years, Max filled various senior leadership and management roles for MAF before retiring from full-time work in April 2015. Max was involved in opening new flight programmes in Madagascar, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Uganda, Namibia, Timor Leste and Liberia and re-opened operations in Ethiopia and South Sudan. Max also researched opportunities in Cambodia, Chad, Comoro Islands, Nepal and South Africa. Max and Sue live in Canterbury and are heavily involved in Barton Church where Max also serves as one of the youth leaders.

Andrew Maclay is a forensic accountant. Andrew worked for 25 years as an expert witness in international arbitrations and as an anti-corruption consultant. Between 1991 and 1994 he worked as a mission partner with the Anglican Church in a rural theological college in Burundi, Africa. He was previously a trustee of All Nations Christian College and Five Talents UK.

Andrew is married to Felicity and lives in Amersham. He is a member of Kings Church Amersham, where he leads a house group with Felicity, and assists with the Furniture project.

Stuart Matheson has carried a heart for MAF since he was a teenager, originally planning to train as a pilot to fly with MAF after college. Twenty years later he now serves as a trustee of MAF UK. He has been on staff with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) since 2016 primarily working to provide youth in the UK and beyond with short-term mission trip opportunities & missions training. Prior to this, he spent several years living in Canada, serving homeless youth, and as an entrepreneur established and sold a mortgage brokerage before moving back to the UK. More recently he has been supporting and helping establish The Send UK & Ireland.

Married to Amy, they have three very loud & wonderful boys, Aiden, Ryan & Evan. Together they co-lead the Youth Missions ministry for YWAM Harpenden and serve as International Elders for the Mission Adventures ministry in the global YWAM network.