Future Proofing Strong and Resilient Trusts
LOCATION Womble Bond Dickinson Office, 4 More London Place, London, SE1 2AU
RECOMMENDED FOR Trust leaders
Meet your host and expert panel
-
Your Host
As a former Regional Schools Commissioner for the North of England for five years, along with roles as a CEO and Headteacher, Jan has 40 years of experience in senior and Executive school leadership. She has contributed to major improvement projects, advising Academy Trust Boards on their readiness for growth, reviewing governance and accountability, and aiding strategic planning. Alongside supporting academy trust mergers, growth and strategic partnerships, she also provides Executive Headteacher mentoring and is an external advisor for CEO Performance Management.
-
Your Host
Rachel is the National Leader of Governance with the NGA and has over 25 years of public sector educational experience. Having worked for the Department for Education and within a Northeast local authority, she has extensive knowledge in a range of areas spanning policy development, school place planning, capital asset management, and education development issues. She has led the conversion process of over 100 schools, supported the development of multi-academy trusts, and been part of the project board for establishing two free schools. While she continues to lead school development and growth, she is committed to supporting school leaders to achieve the very best for their establishments.
-
Your Host
Since completing his PGCE in 2004, James has held several senior positions within schools, including Head of Humanities and Head of College. He became Chief Operating Officer of the White Hills Park Trust in 2020, bringing his experiences from both business and teaching to the role, allowing him to see the picture ‘from both sides’. The Trust has grown from two secondary schools to a mixed Trust of the founding secondaries, three primaries and a special school - with four academy converter applications currently under consideration by the RSD to join the Trust.
James is a Board Member at AFC Wimbledon and chairs Nottinghamshire’s Young People and Schools Forum. -
Your Host
Simon is an Associate (Barrister) for Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD), specialising in contentious data protection and cyber security matters. He has extensive experience providing advice and support to clients who suffer personal data breaches and acting in relation to related regulatory investigations and enforcement action. Before joining WBD, Simon acted in notable matters, providing incident response advice and regulatory investigations surrounding a ransomware attack on a global business, as well as advice and representation in relation to an ICO investigation concerning an organisation's data processing activities and GDPR compliance.
-
Your Host
As Director of IT, Data and Systems at Ark, a multi-academy trust, Derek is enthusiastic about education and its impact on social mobility and breaking the cycle of disadvantage and poverty. With a broad set of skills in education, including understanding Education data and data practices, he has worked in the sector since 2009. Before Ark, Derek was the Head of Data and Management Information Systems at the Harris Federation and the Director of Data Strategy and Performance at the David Ross Education Trust.
-
Your Host
Having worked in the education sector since 1995, Alex provides strategic leadership to our HR advisory, consultancy and contracts administration teams. She manages relationships with some of our largest MAT clients, supporting CEOs and academy leaders with HR solutions including complex staffing issues, TUPE transfers, harmonisation, and complex case management through to employment tribunal preparation. Alex also has significant experience supporting trusts with negotiating changes to terms and conditions.