Our
People

A strategic marketing communications and creative director, Richard brings over 20 years of experience across national and global media, marketing and creative agencies, including the Financial Times, Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal’s WSJ.Custom Studios. He was founding creative director of Newsweek’s Media Lab agency and creative director at marketing agency, Wilkins & Rock. More recently he worked as a consultant on a range of major brand and third sector engagement projects, including event promotion and lockdown engagement strategy for Exeter Cathedral. Richard has served a broad range of brands and sectors worldwide, including marketing campaigns for National Trust, HSBC, Mercedes-Benz, Longines and Zurich Insurance.

Timothy Noon received his early music education as a chorister at Hereford Cathedral, later learning the organ with Dr Roy Massey. At the age of seventeen he was appointed Organ Scholar of Canterbury Cathedral, and the following year became Organ Scholar at Christ Church, Oxford where he also read for a degree in music. In 1993 he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, winning six prizes in the examination, including the coveted Limpus prize. On graduating with First Class Honours, Timothy was appointed sub-organist of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. He returned to Canterbury Cathedral as Assistant Organist in January 1997, subsequently becoming Organist and Master of the Choristers of St Davids Cathedral (Wales), then Director of Music at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool.

He has appeared many times on television and radio and has made numerous commercial recordings to date as soloist, accompanist and conductor. As an organist, he is a frequent solo performer, giving concerts in many prestigious venues across Europe and New Zealand.

To be with his Kiwi wife, Elizabeth, Timothy moved to New Zealand in 2011, accepting the position of Director of Music at Auckland Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Immersing himself in the country’s musical scene, he worked not only on a daily basis with the cathedral’s three choirs, but by serving as a council member of Australia and New Zealand College of Organists, on the governing body of the New Zealand Choral Federation, and participating as organist in projects with Auckland’s main orchestras.

In January 2016 Timothy returned to the UK (with Elizabeth!), to take up the post of Director of Music at Exeter Cathedral.

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Born and brought up in Cornwall, Luke came to Exeter to read for a Master’s Degree in History and began working at the Cathedral part time whilst completing his studies, initially on the Welcome Desk. Following a period as Events and Diary Co-ordinator, Luke was delighted to be offered the post of Custos in August 2018. In his role as Custos, Luke is responsible for the Virgers, Cleaners and Seamstress and works with these teams, and colleagues across the Cathedral, to ensure the smooth running of all the Cathedral’s daily activities.

Chris came to Exeter from Salisbury Cathedral in 2013 where he was Head Mason and Acting Clerk of Works.

He has responsibility for the ongoing conservation and restoration of Exeter Cathedral and its precincts. He was made a Master Mason of the Worshipful Company of Masons in 2015.

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A former City of London Police Officer, Simon relocated to Devon with his family in 2015 and was appointed Health, Safety & Security Manager at Exeter Cathedral in 2016.

Julie manages volunteer recruitment and training, co-ordinates tours and develops the visitor experience at Exeter Cathedral.

With a background in archaeology and history, Julie has experience in customer service and heritage engagement from a range of historic sites, including the Royal Collection Trust, Historic Royal Palaces and British Tours. She worked as a tour guide at Buckingham Palace and other royal sites during her time in London, and organised bespoke private tours of the UK and France. With a deep interest in new cultures, heritage and languages, Julie has also travelled extensively, and lived and worked in China in 2013.

Before joining Exeter Cathedral, James Anderson-Besant was Organ Scholar, then Assistant Organist, at St John’s College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 2020 with a starred first degree in Music. In his role with St John’s Choir he accompanied the daily round of services, regular broadcasts, recordings, and tours under the direction of Andrew Nethsingha (former chorister of Exeter Cathedral), and also assisted in the training of choristers.

James enjoys conducting, and has organised and directed performances of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and St John Passion. He has also directed the St John’s Sinfonia in a Bach Cantata evensong. He has given organ recitals at King’s, Queens’ and St John’s Colleges as well as Truro and St Albans Cathedrals. James won second prize at the 2019 Northern Ireland International Organ Competition, and was also Organ Scholar for the Charles Wood Summer School and Festival in Armagh, giving him the opportunity to work under David Hill and Philip Scriven. He has held Organ Scholarship positions with the Cathedral Singers of Christ Church, Oxford, and at Gloucester Cathedral, where he helped train the first ever set of girl choristers in the cathedral’s history.