Conference 2023 speakers

Mariam Adejokun

Governor, education advocate and founder of ReachOut2All CIC.

Marian Adejokun is an education professional with experience in various roles and settings, including nurseries and primary schools. She has worked as a SENCo, learning support assistant (LSA), and early years educator. She has an MA in Early Years education from UCL and a BA Hons in Early Childhood Studies from Roehampton University.

As well as blogging about early childhood education, Marian is a published author, teacher, school governor, entrepreneur, and founder of 'ReachOut2All', which provides young people with mentoring and training opportunities.

Marian shared her insights on Wednesday, 27th September 2023 in the session ‘School readiness: A guide for governors’.

Reena Anand

Governor, Speaker and Trainer on Neurodiversity and Race

Reena is a lawyer and former ombudsman who specialised in cases concerning the Equality Act. She founded her consultancy after receiving her son's autism diagnosis. Her consultancy centres on identifying cultural biases impacting global majority autistic individuals and supporting organisations to create inclusive cultures where all thrive. She is currently engaged in various roles including: co-production board member at Aubilities, Trustee on the Management Committee at the Race Equality Foundation, Project Member on an autism assessment digitisation project with the Institute for Child Health at Great Ormond Street, Inclusion Governor and Chair of Governors at her local primary school.

Reena shared her insights at the 'Board diversity' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Sam Bailey

Deputy Head of Widening Participation at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Sam has been a governor at Woodhouse College in North London since November 2021. With experience working in partnership with schools and colleges in London, Essex and Hampshire, Sam is passionate about the role of data and evaluation to close gaps in education and access to university. Having completed a degree in zoology, Sam spends his spare time as a volunteer zookeeper.

Sam spoke at the 'What the sector needs to ensure boards are fit for purpose' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Steve Barker

Head of Governance Services at Better Governor

Steve is Head of Governance Services at Better Governor and an experienced and regular speaker at national and regional governor conferences. He has had articles published in national titles and been interviewed as a governance expert on the Radio 4 Today Programme on several occasions. Steve has contributed to many national governance initiatives, including being part of the team commissioned by the National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) to develop External Reviews of Governance.

Steve spoke at the 'Good Governance in 2023' session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Jess Bates

UK&E STEM Governors for Schools Programme Lead at Atkins

Jess is the award-winning thought leader for the Atkins Governors for Schools Skills Programme, metamorphosizing the transformative role of STEM School Governors, backed by industry, in providing sustained educational outreach and equal access to job opportunities in the schools and communities that need it the most. Jess is leading the charge for change by collaborating with organisations like the Careers and Enterprise Company, STEM Learning and BEIS, as well as major clients across the STEM sector. Jess looks forward to supercharging this legacy of learning across the country to widen the gaze of under-represented young people, who do not always recognise how the circumstances of their birth shape the rest of their lives.

Jess gave her insight at the 'What the sector needs to ensure boards are fit for purpose' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Dr Alex Brabbs

Strategic Lead for Technical Partnerships at the Institute of Physics

Dr Alex Brabbs is the Strategic Lead for Technical Partnerships at the Institute of Physics (IOP). In her current role, Alex works with IOP teams and external partners and collaborators to break down the stereotypes and misconceptions about physics and the jobs it can lead to. Alex has been a school governor and chair in schools in the York and Wakefield local authorities for over 25 years. She is currently Co-Chair of a primary school and is the governor lead for safeguarding and STEM.

Dr Alex spoke at our 'STEM – Where now' roundtable session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Beth Bramley

Strategic Lead for Inclusion at Institute of Physics

Beth Bramley oversees works at the IOP to improve diversity and inclusion in physics in schools. She has led projects and collaborations in the education sector including teacher CPD programmes, whole-school inclusion work and large-scale research programmes. At IOP she oversees the Limit Less campaign’s work in education. Before joining IOP Beth led accounts in an education communication agency developing partnerships between industry, teachers, and the charity sector to bring meaningful social impact programmes to young people in schools on topics such as employability and sustainability.

Beth shared her insight on Tuesday, 26th September 2023 in the session 'The case for inclusion'.

Sir Jon Coles

Chief Executive of United Learning

Sir Jon Coles spent 15 years at the Department for Education and its predecessors, the last four on its Board as Director General for Schools and for Education Standards. He was previously Director of 14-19, leading work to increase participation and attainment in education and training post-16; and Director of London Challenge, developing and implementing the much-copied strategy to improve schools in London. Jon is Honorary President of Challenge Partners, a charity he co-founded and whose Board he chaired for 10 years.

Jon spoke at the 'What the sector needs to ensure boards are fit for purpose' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Neil Collins

Co-Founder of GovernorHub

Neil Collins co-founded GovernorHub in 2013 and is now in charge of the governance business unit at The Key group. Neil was a Chair of Trustees at a Norfolk MAT for many years and is currently a trustee at a special school in Norwich.

Neil spoke about his experience on Tuesday, 26th September 2023 in the session 'The case for inclusion'.

Lowri Davies

Manager of the Sabbatical Scheme at the School of Welsh at Cardiff University

The Sabbatical Scheme, funded by the Welsh Government, offers a program of language training courses for education practitioners in the Welsh and English medium sector. Cardiff University is one of three locations responsible for providing the Sabbatical Scheme training courses. The aim of the courses is to develop practitioners' language skills, provide language pedagogy training to enable practitioners to use and teach Welsh in their schools, together with developing knowledge about Welsh culture. Lowri is interested in language acquisition research and language pedagogy, and through her role, she has trained many teachers in the South and Southeast region. She contributed to the production of the language Competence Framework for teaching practitioners and is Moderator of the Competence Framework on behalf of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

Lowri gave her insight at the 'Wales setting a vision and ethos' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Alison David

Consumer Insight Director at Farshore

Alison is Consumer Insight Director at Farshore, an award-winning children’s publisher on a mission to make every child a proud reader. Alison’s research programme at Farshore includes investigating what it takes to inspire children to read. Her ground-breaking studies include Print Matters, Print Matters More, The Reading Magic Project, Stories and Choices, The Lockdown Reading Club, and Dads Reading. She is the author of Help Your Child Love Reading, which draws on both her research and her experience as a mother.

Alison discussed research findings from Farshore, which showed that reading for pleasure has a vital place in the school day. She spoke on Wednesday, 27th September 2023 at the session 'The case of reading for pleasure in Primary School'.

Pepe Di’Iasio

ASCL President 2021-2022 and Headteacher at Wales High School

Pepe Di'lasio is Headteacher at Wales High School, a 11-19 High school in Rotherham. Pepe began his teaching career in Doncaster before moving as Deputy Headteacher to an 11-19 teaching school in Sheffield. Pepe has also worked as an Executive Headteacher of two high schools and more recently has been Assistant Director of Education for Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. Pepe was formerly Chair of ASCL Equality, Inclusion & Ethics Committee.

Pepe spoke at the 'Teacher retention in schools' session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Will Durham

Head of Impact and Corporate Partnerships at Governors for Schools

Will is Head of Impact and Corporate Partnerships at Governors for Schools and currently oversees our impact reporting and training provision, as well as leading on our corporate partnerships. He has been involved in governance roles since 2016 and is currently a Trustee within a primary SAT in West Sussex, where he is Vice-Chair, chairs the School Improvement Committee, and acts as link governor for SEND and Inclusion.

Will presented the session 'Why your company needs a school governors' network' on the 26th September 2023. He also hosted the session 'Parent and pupil voice' on 27th September 2023.

Adam Otterway Friel

Head of Education Law at Geldards

Adam's interest in education law was sparked as a consequence of his own learning difficulties (dyslexia) and the issues he faced both at school and university. During his career he has developed a modern approach to his practice and prides himself in achieving clients’ results as swiftly as possible, with a straightforward, jargon-free style. He is very passionate about education rights and has been involved in a number of pro bono projects, including free charity monthly advice clinics.

Adam spoke at the 'EHCP's and ILP's' session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Angela Gamble

Information, Advice and Guidance Manager at Pacey

Angela is the Information, Advice and Guidance Manager at the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY). Angela’s career in the sector started when she became a childminder and now has over 15 years of experience in early years. After gaining a BA Hons degree in Childhood and Youth Studies, she had various roles in children centres supporting parents and families for eight years. At PACEY Angela leads on the development of training, CPD and content. She also manages the practice advice service and curates and delivers a programme of live webinars. Angela is also the Executive Editor of the award-winning member magazine Childcare Professional.

Angela spoke at the ‘School readiness - A guide for governors’ session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Pam Garrington

Chair of a governing board at a Primary School in Birmingham

Pam has a background in Secondary education. She has an MA in Educational Leadership and Innovation and was a member of the Senior Leadership team before moving to a Local Authority School Improvement Service. Pam has been a governor since 1995 and has chaired several governing boards as well as supporting many governing boards in Birmingham and beyond. She was delighted to become a National Leader of Governance in March 2012, in the very first cohort.

Pam shared her insight at the 'Taking the Chair' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Kheron K Gilpin

Education Consultant and Public Speaker

Kheron is an elite-level boxer recognised for winning the national championships of both England and Jamaica (2019/2020). As a motivational speaker, engagement specialist and event host, he's worked with local governments, schools, community groups and leadership teams to offer engaging speeches, workshops, and training. He works with these organisations to facilitate collaboration, engagement, and communication with young people and diverse communities. Kheron assists businesses and customers in bridging gaps and strengthening relationships, for example, between brands and consumers, educators and students, and other service providers and users.

Kheron shared his lived experience at the 'Alternative Provision and PRUs. What are they and why do they matter to governors?' session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Emma Gregory

Trustee at Governors for Schools

Emma currently works for The Prince’s Trust with a focus on Government Strategy and Partnerships, engaging across a number of government departments and related partners to support young people, including those most disadvantaged, across the country to engage with education, employment and enterprise. Prior to this, Emma led Academy Ambassadors which was funded by the Department for Education. This national programme provided transformational governance solutions to the boards of academy trusts throughout England by matching, then supporting, senior business directors from business and the professions to pro bono non-executive director/trustee board roles.

Emma shared her insights on Wednesday, 27th September 2023 in the session ‘Setting a budget during difficult times’.

Stephanie Hamilton

Director of The Engagement Platform (TEP) at ImpactEd

Steph is the Director of The Engagement Platform (TEP) for schools and teachers. The new platform supports schools to collect, understand and analyse robust staff engagement data. Over the last decade, Steph's career has focused on closing the gap between the least and most advantaged young people, first as a Science Teacher in the North East, and then at The Brilliant Club, as the Director of School Partnerships. Ensuring Teachers are set up for success is crucial in supporting pupil outcomes and she looks forward to working with leaders across the sector to utilise TEP to create great working environments for teachers.

Stephanie spoke at the 'Teacher retention in schools' session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Charlotte Harding

Director of Professional Development at NGA

Currently head of the NLG programme, Charlotte will be taking up the post as Director of Professional Development at NGA on 1 September and will be responsible for delivering NGAs training and consultancy and eLearning offers. Charlotte has worked closely with the Department for Education to ensure effective roll-out of the NLG support programme as well as managing a number of other contracts and training programmes. Charlotte is a trustee of a secondary MAT, and a member of a primary multi academy trust and until recently, Chair of Governors at a primary maintained school.

Charlotte shared her insight at the 'Setting a budget during difficult times' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Emma Harris

Head of Governor Recruitment

Emma joined Governors for Schools in 2018 and is currently Head of Governor Recruitment. Her role focuses on making sure we meet the needs of schools by filling their governor vacancies with talented and committed volunteers. Emma also develops our wider partnerships to encourage more people to consider the governor role. She is a governor at a primary school in Stockport, where she is the inclusion link governor.

Emma hosted the session 'Taking the Chair' on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Olivia Hinds

Brand and Digital Marketing Manager at Governors for Schools

For over 10 years, Olivia has been a successful and sought-after private virtual tutor and coach, championing the student voice in all of her endeavours. Olivia is active in the digital, social media and education governance space through her various roles as the creator and co-host of The Governors’ Podcast, website designer, diversity of age trainer, and network manager for Education Governance Solutions and its brands (incl. the National Association of School and College Clerks and the National Black Governors Network). She is also the Committee Chair at a selective secondary school in a medium-sized MAT in Birmingham.

Olivia hosted several sessions as part of Governors for Schools Conference 2023.

Laura Hoang

Human Factors Engineering at ERM

Laura is a Managing Consultant in Human Factors Engineering at ERM and outside of work, she is part of an organisation called SheCanEngineer, and hosts their podcast. She is an award-winning Chartered Engineer, and has had a very varied career - from designing cockpits to developing safety systems for the sustainable operations. Laura is a STEM Ambassador. She is also a Trustee of a charity called Epistemic, whose goal is to make STEM careers advice more accessible.

Laura spoke about the importance of STEM education in the 'STEM – Where now' roundtable session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Dr Hillary Jones MBE

Spokesperson for The School and Nursery Milk Alliance

Dr Hilary Jones MBE, is a GP, author, and medical broadcaster best known for his work as ITV's Health Editor on Daybreak, Good Morning Britain, and the Lorraine Kelly Show. He also appears regularly on Steve Wright's Radio 2 show and contributes to a range of popular newspapers and magazines. He was awarded an MBE in October 2020 for services to public health, medical broadcasting, and charity work. He is spokesperson for The School and Nursery Milk Alliance. More information about the alliance can be found at: https://www.snma.org.uk/

Dr Jones discussed the importance of nutrition, specifically milk for our youngest members of school communities at the ‘School readiness - A guide for governors’ session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Siân Lewis

Head of Parent Participation at Parentkind

Siân Lewis is Head of Parent Participation at Parentkind - the network of PTA fundraisers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, representing parent voice and championing the role of parents in education, working with schools, parents and policy makers to support every child to thrive and reach their potential. Siân's focus is to support schools to embed effective parental participation and parents to be involved and engaged in education and school life.

Siân shared her insights on Wednesday, 27th September 2023 in the session ‘Parent and Pupil voice - Roundtable’.

Jeff Marshall

Academy Conversion and MAT Support Specialist

Jeff has been a school governor for 29 years and a chair for 23 at one of the first primary schools in the country to become an academy. For over a decade, he has been an academy trust member and Chair of Trustees. He is also a trust member of a successful multi-academy trust. Jeff is MD of J & G Marshall Ltd, which has supported over 280 school to academy conversions around the country. He is also MD of Marshall Professional Development Ltd, a CPD, training and coaching company. Jeff was a National Leader of Governance and Reviewer of Governing Bodies for 8 years. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

Jeff spoke at our 'Effective challenge' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Sinéad Mc Brearty

CEO at Education Support

Sinéad is CEO at Education Support, the mental health and wellbeing charity for the education workforce across the UK. She advocates for a systemic approach to wellbeing for the education workforce, attending to the individual, the workplace, and the wider policy environment.

Sinéad began her career at KPMG before moving to leadership roles in the not-for-profit sector. She has worked as an organisational development consultant and a lecturer and has been a trustee at a number of charities, including Kaleidoscope Trust and Groundswell. She is a currently a governor of a south London primary school.

Sinéad shared her insight of a report from 'Education Supports' on teacher retention at the 'Teacher retention in schools' session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Dominic McGonigal

Chair of Trustees at Governors for Schools

Dominic McGonigal is a director, entrepreneur, and composer, with 35 years of experience in the creative industries, as a board director, executive, founder, and creative. He is Chair of C8 Associates (consultancy specialising in creative and digital businesses), JiveBird (digital greetings and gifts), CICI (high-level political roundtables), DashboardFX (Forex training platform), and Chair of Governors of two schools, as well as being a trustee director of Governors for Schools.

Dominic hosted the 'What the sector needs to ensure boards are fit for purpose' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Adrian McLean

Trustee/host

Adrian McLean is a trustee at Governors for Schools, a former headteacher, and an experienced senior leader. Currently, he is a Multi Academy Trust lead for Character Education and Personal Development, working with staff, students and parents to understand the importance of developing character traits, and how these influence success, both in and out of the classroom.

Adrian was motivated to become a governor when his own children started school, initially taking a parent governor role. He has been instrumental in advocating the recruitment of a diverse governing body. Now as Vice-Chair of Governors, he works closely with school leaders and community members to ensure that the school provision provides the right level of support and challenge for young people, so that they develop a lifelong love of learning and the ability to flourish in life.

Adrian hosted the 'Board Diversity' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Asif Mussa

Strategic Threat Intelligence Analyst

Asif Mussa is a Strategic Threat Intelligence Analyst who holds a BA (hons) in Management and Leadership. Asif worked for Barclays for 19 years and has been a governor at Edgar Wood High School for one year. He has expertise in technology development, coding, cyber security, management, and leadership.

Jon spoke at the 'What the sector needs to ensure boards are fit for purpose' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Setul Metha

Board Trustee at The Pegasus Partnership Trust and Associate Trustee for GLF Schools

Setul has 20 years' worth of financial services experience, helping individuals and businesses in the UK obtain high-quality insurance, mortgage, savings, investments, and retirement advice.

Setul is a board trustee at The Pegasus Partnership Trust and Associate Trustee for GLF Schools. His governance journey started in 2019 and he believes governance plays a vital role in creating a better world for us all.

Setul shared his experiences of governance on Tuesday, 26th September 2023 in the 'Becoming a governor with Governors for Schools' session.

Loren Nadin

Senior Partnerships Manager - South team

Loren is Governors for Schools' Senior Partnerships Manager for the South Team. She has worked in various roles within the education sector domestically and internationally, including teaching overseas, managing education intervention programmes for a UK charity, and working as a curriculum development consultant on an international project. She has a first-class degree in International History and Politics and an MA in Modern History.

Loren hosted the 'Wales setting a vision and ethos' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Abolade Odunsi

Member at National Black Governors Network

Abolade is a procurement professional working within the manufacturing industry. She holds a degree in Business and Enterprise Management, complemented by a diploma from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply. Beyond her career in procurement, she is on the boards of two local primary schools in Watford. She holds the position of Chair of Governors at one of these schools. Additionally, Abolade is a member of the National Black Governors Network.

Abolade spoke at the 'Board Diversity' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Callum Perry

Lecturer of Inclusive Learning at City College Norwich

Callum is a governor at two local Norfolk secondary schools and oversees link responsibilities for Safeguarding, Careers, SEND, and also chairs a standard and learning committee. Callum began volunteering as a school governor at the age of 22 and is a member of the Norfolk Governance Network, providing support and guidance to Norfolk governors. Currently, Callum is a Lecturer of Inclusive Learning at City College Norwich, teaching young people with SEND and supporting the leadership of the course curriculum.

Callum shared his insight at the 'Board Diversity' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Carole Phillips

Head of Services at Kidscape

Carole is Head of Services for Kidscape where she has worked for 5 years and prior to that, she worked for 24 years in education as a Child Protection and Safeguarding lead. She has covered various roles in schools relating to the well-being of children and engaged and worked with Welsh Government, LA’s and external organisations. Kidscape were commissioned by Welsh Government to deliver training to Governors to support the implementation of the statutory anti-bullying policy, Rights, Respect, Equality which Carole jointly delivered with the previous CEO of Kidscape

Carole spoke on Wednesday, 27th September 2023 in the session ‘Parent and Pupil voice - Roundtable’.

Jimmy Pickering

Director of Communities at The Brilliant Club

Jimmy Pickering is the Director of Communities at The Brilliant Club, a charity which supports less-advantaged young people into university. His team lead on our work with parents and carers, establishing 10 Parent Power chapters across the UK over the past two years. Utilising community organising, they collaborate with over 40 schools and 12 universities to work with parents and carers to break down local educational barriers. Jimmy is also a trustee of Citizens UK, and a former governor at Heald Place Primary School in Manchester.

Jimmy shared his insight on Wednesday, 27th September 2023 in the session ‘Parent and Pupil voice - Roundtable’.

Jamie Rogers

Director at DiverseApply

Jamie is a former Primary School Headteacher, completing school turnaround work when he took up the role aged 27. After successfully leading the school through academisation and subsequent improvements, Jamie took up the role as Head of Recruitment & Community at education charity, The Difference - working to recruit and mentor new senior leaders in Alternative Provision. Jamie is also an experienced school governor through his role as member of the management committee at EdDiversity in Blackpool.

Jamie spoke at the 'Alternative Provision and PRUs. What are they and why do they matter to governors?' session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Dan Rouse

Senior Leader at Townley Grammar school

Dan has served as a staff governor for Odyssey Trust for Education, during his employment followed by Chair of Local Governing Body, Chair of Trustees as well as Chairing Finance, Audit and Risk Committee and Pay Committee. Dan's interest in education includes Primary education as since 2021 he has served as a Trustee and later Chair of Education and Standards Committee and link Safeguarding Trustee for New Generation Schools Trust. Dan was chair of a trust and chair of education at age 27 and is passionate about maximising opportunities for all young people and social action.

Dan spoke at our 'Board Diversity' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Paul Sapple

Ogden Trust Programme Manager for school partnerships

Paul is responsible for the delivery of The Ogden Trust’s School Partnership Programme across the north of England. Paul is a physicist by training, interested in the role that science plays in our society. He is also passionate about empowerment through education and challenging educational inequity.” He has been a school governor at a high school on Merseyside since 2015, and is currently link for personal development.

Paul spoke at our 'STEM – Where now' roundtable session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Clare Skinsley

Partnerships Manager at Governors for Schools

Clare is Governors for Schools' Partnerships Manager for South & West London. Before joining the organisation, Clare worked at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, where she provided administrative support to the Governance and Engagement department. Prior to this, Clare spent three years as an administrator to a surveying consultancy wherein she undertook an apprenticeship in Business Administration. Growing up in the borough of Barking and Dagenham, Clare relates and empathises with children of disadvantaged backgrounds and believes every child has the right to a good education.

Clare hosted a session for delegates to learn more about volunteering as a governor through Governors for Schools on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Fee Stagg

Founder member of the National Association of School and College Clerks (NASCC)

Fee has been a governor since 2004 and was designated as a National Leader of Governance in 2015. Currently, Fee is the Vice-Chair of Trustees in a 7 school academy trust (primary and secondary) in East Staffordshire as well as being chair at a two-form entry CoE primary in Stoke on Trent. Fee takes an active approach to her own CPD and encourages her governance colleagues to do the same. She is a FRSA, a member of Belmas, The Chartered Governance Institute, and the Trust Governance Insight programme amongst other networks.

Fee gave her insight at the 'Taking the Chair' session on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Hannah Stolton

CEO at Governors for Schools

Hannah has been CEO of Governors for Schools since January 2020, having joined the organisation in 2017 to manage the development of operations. After starting her career as a primary teacher, Hannah moved into the recruitment field, managing the UK operations of an in-house agency. She brings 20 years’ experience in this area to Governors for Schools, where she focuses on expanding our reach across England and Wales. Hannah is currently Chair of governors at a primary school in Essex.

Hannah spoke on Tuesday, 26th September 2023 in the session 'The case for inclusion' and also hosted several sessions during the conference including 'School readiness - A guide for governors' on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.

Scarlett Timlett-Sheehan

Member of Fair Education Alliance's Youth Steering Group

Scarlett Timlett-Sheehan is a member of the Fair Education Alliance's Youth Steering Group. She is passionate about tackling inequality in education. Over her two years in the group she has chaired a panel on how services can better support vulnerable families, assisted in consulting with Ofsted and represented the group at the Power of Youth Royal Reception. Scarlett also has experience with her school's student council and leadership team and wants to promote youth voice in decision making.

Scarlett participated in the 'Parent and pupil voice' session on 27th September 2023.

Rama Venchard MBE

Chair of Governors at Gesher School

Following 20 years undertaking IT Service Management and Business Change Management roles in the retail and hospitality sectors, Rama has been a management consultant in the education sector since 2005. He is currently a Trustee on 3 multi academy trusts (across the mainstream and special school sectors), a Member of two others and the Chair of Governors of an independent special school. Rama was awarded an MBE for services to education in the 2023 New Years Honours list.

Rama spoke at the 'EHCP's and ILP's' session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Linda Waghorn

Strategic Governance Lead at Better Governor

Linda is a nationally respected governance expert with experience in school governance and clerking across a variety of settings. Formerly Head of Governance Services in Kent, she is now an integral part of the Better Governor team. Linda is currently Chair of a local governing body within a multi-academy trust in Sussex.

Linda was a speaker at the 'Good Governance in 2023' session on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Sharon Warmington

Director, Education Governance Solutions

Sharon is founder of the National Black Governors Network, Board Member for the Diocese of Birmingham, and a member of the DfE's Advisory Group on Governance. Sharon has extensive experience of governance in the private, public, and third sectors, recently completing 12-months cover for maternity leave as the Interim Head of Governance and Company Secretary for Ormiston Academies Trust. She is highly experienced in staff training and leadership coaching at both operational and strategic levels, with key clients including the NHS in Birmingham, Suffolk County Council and Northumberland County Council.

Sharon shared her insights on Wednesday, 27th September 2023 in the session 'Effective challenge'.

Charlie Western

Senior Partnerships Manager - North team

Charlie is Governors for Schools' Senior Partnerships Manager for the North Team. Having previously worked in volunteer management, community engagement, and trustee recruitment in the education and charity sectors, he is passionate about ensuring positive social impact and tackling educational inequalities. Charlie holds an MSc in International Development from The University of Manchester and is a Trustee of a Rwandan NGO that uses localisation strategies to deliver sustainable access to education.

Charlie hosted 'Alternative Provision and PRUs. What are they and why do they matter to governors?' on Tuesday, 26th September 2023.

Elizabeth Youard

Company Secretary at Parkinson’s UK and school governor.

Elizabeth is interested in diversity and inclusion from a number of angles including within governance. Ensuring we gain from listening to different viewpoints and including people from all walks of life in every level of decision making is a high priority for the governance and leadership of every type of organisation, and of crucial importance for schools. In her day job as a governance professional, building on her prior role as author of a public-private partnership equality scheme, Elizabeth mentors with an university diversity programme. She is commencing her second primary school governor role in diverse West London.

Elizabeth spoke at the session 'Board diversity ' on Wednesday, 27th September 2023.