Trustees
Who are the Trustees?
The Trustees are the Directors of the Multi Academy Trust, and also the Charity Trustees. They have ultimate responsibility for all schools within the Trust and for its operation.
Marcus Agius CBE
Chairman of the Trust Board
Appointed on: 30/11/2016 (Reappointed on: 30/11/2020 & 30/11/2024)
Term to: 30/11/2028
Appointed By: GB/Board
Marcus has significant corporate governance experience in the private and public sectors. He was previously Chairman of PA Consulting, Barclays, BAA and Lazards in London. He was the first Senior Independent Director on the Executive Board of The BBC and was the Chairman of the British Bankers Association. He was also Chairman of the Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Marcus is the Chairman of Reach South Academy Trust, and also the Chairman of Exbury Gardens. He is a member of the Science Museum Advisory Board. He is also a trustee of The Wallace Collection.
Jairaj Thakkar
Vice Chairman
Appointed on: 01/06/2022
Term to: 01/06/2026
Appointed By: Academy Members
Jairaj (JJ) Thakkar is General Manager and Head of HR for the UK & Ireland at Wipro, a global technology and consulting firm. He brings senior executive experience across GE, Rolls-Royce plc, Equinor, Merrill Lynch/Bank of America, and Aon, spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Earlier in his career he served as a diplomat and founded an IT consulting firm specialising in online training.
JJ specialises in partnering with leadership teams at the intersection of strategy, talent, and culture, with particular expertise in large-scale transformation, executive talent development, and building organisational resilience.
He currently serves on the Board of Durham University and is a Member of the Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration Review Body (DDRB), the independent body that advises the UK Government on NHS medical pay. He previously served on the Board of Rolls-Royce Japan KK. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
Dr Chris Gentle
Chair of Finance Committee
Appointed on: 01/10/2016 (Reappointed on 01/10/2020 & 01/10/2024)
Term to: 01/10/2028
Appointed By: Academy Members
Chris has a 30 year career working for major professional services firms Deloitte, KPMG and WPP in over 35 countries around the world. He has also worked for the European Commission. He has advised several major companies, governments and multi-national governmental organisations such as the UN and the WTO.
Today he runs his own successful consulting company and is on the advisory board of two leading edge technology companies and teaches at London Business School. He was an independent NED of a major national organisation at age 30. He was educated at a state comprehensive and attended at Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle, Moscow and Oxford Universities. He supports the charity Speakers for Schools with talks to state schools and colleges.
Heather Tomlinson
Chair of the Education Committee
Appointed on: 01/02/2021 (Reappointed on 01/02/2025)
Term to: 01/02/2029
Appointed by: GB/Board
Heather is an exceptionally experienced educationalist that has operated at the highest levels of the education system. She has experience as Director of Education and Children’s Services in four local authorities - Nottingham, Bristol, Derby (interim) and Brighton & Hove (interim) - and interim strategic leader for educational inclusion in Birmingham, Merton, Southend-on-Sea, Newham and Surrey.
A former Director of the South West Grid for Learning and Learning Partnership West, Heather has also led international educational leadership programmes commissioned by DfE.
Alan Newton
Appointed on: 25/07/2017 (Reappointed on 25/07/2021 and 29/01/2025)
Term to: 29/01/2029
Appointed By: Academy Members
Alan Newton is a Governor and the Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee of the University for the Creative Arts, a Senior Adviser in the Resolution Directorate of the Bank of England and a Non-executive director of Belmont Green Finance Limited, a private-equity backed specialist mortgage lender.
He was a partner in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP for over twenty five years until his retirement in April 2015 during which time he held a number of senior leadership positions in the firm, serving at various times as an elected member of its principal supervisory and strategic body, the Partnership Council, the Global Head of its Finance Practice, a member of its executive management committee, the Practice Committee, the Managing Partner of the London Finance Department and the Head of its Structured Finance Practice.
Based in London for most of his career, he has also lived and worked in Italy and New York.
Penny Marland
Appointed on: 25/07/2017 (Reappointed on: 25/07/2021 and 29/01/2025)
Term to: 29/01/2029
Appointed By: Academy Members
Penny Marland was a Probation Officer for 20 years, retiring from the NPS (February 2022). She is a Trustee of The Amber Foundation and the Chalke Valley History Trust and is a former High Sheriff of Wiltshire, 2017-2018.
Penny is President of South West Mencap. Previously she has been a governor of three schools between 1997 and 2016.
Professor Fary Cachelin
Appointed on: 12/06/2024
Term To: 12/06/2028
Appointed By: Academy Members
Professor Fary Cachelin has over 20 years of academic leadership experience in higher education, having served in various roles in the UK and USA. She is currently Provost and Deputy Vice Chancellor at Regent’s University London. Before joining Regent’s, Fary was the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, and a Professor of Psychology and Wellbeing at the Open University. Before then, she was Pro Vice-Chancellor of Community and Civic Engagement and Dean of the College of Applied Health and Communities at the University of East London. Prior to moving to the UK, Fary was Professor and Head of the Department of Psychological Science at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, and Professor and Chair of Psychology at California State University, Los Angeles.
Fary has extensive experience in curriculum development, innovative teaching, interdisciplinary learning, new course development, widening participation, and accessibility inclusivity of teaching and learning. Throughout her career, she has put students at the centre of her work - improving engagement, wellbeing, retention, progression, and employability.
Fary received her BA in Psychology from Stanford University, and her MA and PhD in Psychology from Harvard University. She has served on several educational and charitable Boards, most recently as Board member for Open University Worldwide. She also is a member of the Governance Strategic Advisory Group of Advance HE.
Ben Story
Appointed On: 26/06/2024
Term To: 26/06/2028
Appointed By: Academy Members
Ben is a Non-Executive Director of Vertical Aerospace, a Bristol-based technology company pioneering electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and a Senior Adviser to Sustainable Development Capital, an investor in industrial energy efficiency solutions.
Prior to joining Vertical Aerospace, Ben was a member of the Board of Transport for London and a member of the Senior Executive Team of Rolls-Royce. Before moving into industry, Ben was an investment banker for over 25 years, working all around the world. His last role in banking was as the Head of UK Investment Banking for Citi.
Ben was instrumental in the establishment of the WMG Academies for Young Engineers, academies created in a partnership with the University of Warwick and with the support of national, regional and local businesses, such as Jaguar Land Rover, National Grid, and Rolls-Royce.
Natalie Broad
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Appointed On: 27/03/2025
Term To: 27/03/2029
Appointed By: GB/Board
Natalie started her career in Oxfordshire in 2002 and over the years has taught in a variety of primary schools in inner London and across the South East. She has taught across all ages within the primary phase, but her passion has always been working with children who have SEND or come from disadvantaged backgrounds. As a result of this passion, she is a NASENCO and has successfully led the provision for SENCO/Inclusion across a number of schools and led a specialist resourced provision for children with SEMH needs.
Whilst working in schools, Natalie held numerous senior leadership positions before joining the central school improvement team at GLF Schools. She is now one of three Regional Education Directors and oversees the quality of education across several primary and secondary schools.
She is currently training to be an Ofsted inspector and always actively engages in professional development. She has completed the NPQH and is also a Specialist Leaders of Education in SEND. Natalie is a dedicated mum to two boys and two stepchildren who are all in secondary school and in her spare time, she loves keeping fit and running with her dog Nala.
Jerry Collins
Appointed On: 27/03/2025
Term To: 27/03/2029
Appointed By: GB/Board
Jerry was educated in Ireland but has spent all of his career in the education sector in the UK. He was Principal of Pimlico Academy from 2008 to 2013 and of Ark John Keats from 2013 to 2018. He became a regional director with Ark Schools in 2018 and Director of Secondary Education in May 2021
Heather McStay
Appointed On: 27/03/2025
Term To: 27/03/2029
Appointed By: GB/Board
Heather is an experienced commercial leader and non-executive director with a strong focus on strategy, people, and delivering positive change in complex environments. Passionate about supporting education, she brings expertise in governance, strategic oversight, and stakeholder engagement to drive long-term success.
With 20 years of experience in commercial roles across the public sector, Heather has a proven track record in budgeting, strategic planning, and procurement across a wide range of categories and supply chains ensuring cost-effective and innovative solutions. Skilled in change management and service transitions, she has led major projects that enhance operational efficiency and sustainability.
Heather offers strong governance, risk management, and decision-making capabilities, ensuring compliance and strategic alignment with commercial objectives. Committed to fostering collaboration between leadership, staff, and stakeholders, she strives to create environments where organisations can thrive.
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Dr Hester Riviere
Appointed On: 30/05/2025
Term To: 30/05/2029
Appointed By: GB/Board
Hester is a Senior Specialist Educational Psychologist working in Children’s Social Care in Oxfordshire. Her primary role is within a multi-disciplinary therapeutic team that supports care-experienced children and their families. In this specialist role her professional interests are in attachment and developmental trauma, how these impact on children’s experiences in education, and how school staff can best be supported to work with children with complex emotional needs. Hester is also part of a multidisciplinary team within Adopt Thames Valley, providing specialist support around family finding and adoption matching for children with complex needs. Hester is an associate tutor on the UCL Institute of Education Doctorate in Professional Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychology, enjoying both teaching and supervising doctoral research.
Nick Buckland OBE
Appointed On: 01/09/2025
Term To: 01/09/2029
Appointed By: GB/Board
Eur Ing Nick Buckland OBE has extensive experience of Governance and was Chair of Governors for a number of the MATs schools in Plymouth and is currently the Chair of the Local Governing Body for Thomas Hall School and for the High Street and Marlborough Joint Local Governing Body. Originally a mathematician, he spent many years in the IT industry working on high performance computers, the early years of virtual reality and the internet. From the mid 1990’s he has had a portfolio career as a Chair and Director of organisations in the private, public and voluntary sectors. Nick has been a strong advocate of STEM and its importance for the UK economy and is passionate about ensuring young people are given the opportunities to gain a good education that will ensure they can take up exciting, well paid jobs and careers. He was appointed OBE for services to Innovation and Technology in the 2009 New Year Honours List and is a Chartered Engineer, Information Technology Practitioner and Manager. He is also a Fellow of a number of professional bodies.
Trustees of the previous 12 months
Gabby Beaver
Chair of Risk & Audit Committee
Appointed on: 27/11/2017 (Reappointed on 27/11/21)
Term to: 27/11/2025 (Retired 30.09.25)
Appointed By: GB/Board
Gabby is a senior Executive with more than 30 years of experience across a multitude of disciplines including Governance, Risk and Control, Strategic Transformation, Programme Delivery, Compliance, Technology & Operations. Gabby is at Citigroup Inc. where she is the Chief Auditor for Artificial Intelligence and was previously the Chief Auditor for Risk regulatory validation. Gabby’s prior roles at Barclays Bank PLC have included Chief Administrative Officer to the Group Chief Operating Officer, Chief of Staff to the Global Head of Technology and Operations, Chief Internal Auditor and Deputy Chief Internal Auditor.
Gabby has also held numerous positions at JP Morgan Chase & Co including Global Audit Manager Asset Management.
Mark Papworth
Appointed on: 27/04/2016 (Reappointed on: 27/04/2020 & 27/04/2024)
Term to: 27/04/2025 (Retired 30.09.25)
Appointed By: Academy Members
Mark is currently a Non-Executive Director of Reliance Precision Limited and Director of CCP Limited. He is an experienced Executive who has worked as a CEO on both PLC and Private Boards operating in the Energy Infrastructure, Oil & Gas, Aerospace and Defence markets.
During his career he has worked for a number of companies including Rolls-Royce, Wood Group, Alstom and Chemring.
