Meet our speakers
Take a sneak peek at some of our headline speakers! As the programme continues to unfold, you will have the opportunity to see the complete list of speakers who will be presenting at ISBL National Conference 2025.
Motivational & Inspirational Speakers
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From experiencing homelessness at fifteen to becoming one of the UK’s most senior female firefighters, Dr Sabrina Cohen-Hatton has forged an extraordinary path marked by resilience, determination and leadership.
Now a Research Fellow at Cardiff University and International Lead for the National Fire Chiefs Council, Sabrina combines frontline experience with cutting-edge behavioural neuroscience research. Her work explores high-pressure decision-making, leadership under adversity and the power of challenging systemic barriers — lessons that extend far beyond the fireground.
A bestselling author of The Heat of the Moment and The Gender Bias, Sabrina continues to inspire audiences by sharing her journey and insights on courage, equality and transformative leadership.
Don’t miss the chance to hear Sabrina’s story — a powerful reminder of what’s possible when courage meets purpose.
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Dr Alison Edgar MBE is an expert in improving performance inside organisations. Throughout Alison’s years advising entrepreneurial businesses, she has discovered important factors that make them successful.
Alison takes these lessons on enhancing motivation, communication, and agility and shares them with enterprising businesses, helping them to break down silos, embrace change and enhance autonomy.
Keynote Speakers & Panel Members
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With over 30 years’ experience in audit and finance, Benedicte Guesdon brings a wealth of expertise and strategic insight to the education sector.
She began her career with KPMG in Paris and London before serving as Director of International Affairs for the French Asset Management Association. In 2010, she helped establish a multi-lingual free school near Oxford and later joined the River Learning Trust in 2019, where she now serves as Chief Financial Officer overseeing a 31-school Multi Academy Trust.
Benedicte’s leadership has been widely recognised — she was named CFO of the Year at the 2023 MAT Excellence Awards and received the School Resource Management Award for the River Learning Trust at the 2024 National Schools Awards.
A passionate advocate for financial innovation in education, she is currently leading work to explore reforms to the high needs funding system, collaborating with experts across the UK and internationally to identify effective and sustainable practices.
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Laura has over 13 years’ experience in education, with the past 7 years at the Advance Learning Partnership (ALP), initially as Head of Data before becoming Director of Operations in 2021.
As Director of Operations, she plays a significant role in delivering the Trust’s vision of enhancing both educational outcomes and organisational performance through the implementation of scalable systems and processes whilst empowering staff to drive improvements and deliver sustained impact. With her background in data Laura uses insights and intelligence to drive operational excellence, inform strategic planning and support continuous improvement.
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Following a successful military career leading complex operations, Mark has spent over two decades in management consultancy, building a global reputation for developing high-performing senior leadership teams. As a former Managing Director, he has led the design, delivery and embedding of some of the most successful, and effective, operations leadership development programmes commercially available.
Mark works with senior executives across sectors to build the internal capability to solve organisational challenges and embed sustainable, cultural change. Known for his pragmatic style and human-centred approach, he continues to support leaders worldwide. Mark is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership.
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Mark O’Brien, Chief Operating Officer at Marjory Kinnon School, has been recognised as the 2024 School Business Leader of the Year by the National Schools Awards. The accolade honours his outstanding leadership at one of the UK’s largest SEND schools and his wider influence across the education sector.
With over 25 years dedicated to supporting children and vulnerable adults, Mark has held senior roles spanning governance, strategy, and financial management. As a Fellow of ISBL and an accredited School Resource Management Adviser (SRMA), he has driven national discussions on operational excellence and school funding reform through his role in the government’s Schools and Academies Funding Group.
His award-winning leadership and commitment to social mobility exemplify how effective school business management can transform outcomes for pupils, staff, and communities.
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Vicki is currently making a significant impact as an Executive School Business Manager at Esteem Multi-Academy Trust. Her role focuses on driving operational excellence and strategic financial management across multiple schools, building on a career trajectory that began in 2005 and includes securing funding and implementing widespread school improvements. Earlier this year Vicki accredited in Associate Lead Practitioner in ISBL’s Op-Ex for Education.
Vicki is further enhancing her expertise by undertaking a Senior Leader Apprenticeship/Master's in Educational Leadership with NITE/Coventry University. Passionate about developing the School Business Leader role, she is committed to ensuring high-quality education for all children
Vicki is an active committee member of BASBM - Birmingham Association of School Business Managers and have been since 2022 after being a member since 2013.
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Rachel Younger has worked in schools for more than 20 years and is currently the Business Manager at St Nicholas C of E Primary School in Blackpool. She is a fellow of the Institute of School Business Leadership and a governor at a local all-through special school for pupils with autism.
Rachel has been an active member of NAHT since 2012, becoming branch secretary for Blackpool in 2015. She was NAHT regional president for the North West in 2018, the first School Business Leader to be elected to that office in any region. Rachel has been a member of NAHT’s national executive committee since 2017. She is the first school business leader to be elected to the role of president in the union’s 125-year history.
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Shenara Pennycooke is Head of the School Business Capability Policy Unit (which includes School Business Professional Policy), in Regions Group at the Department for Education. She has worked in the Department for Education for nearly 20 years in a range of roles including Head of the University Technical Colleges Team and Head of the North East Region in the Schools Financial Support and Oversight Directorate. Shenara previously worked in a number of private offices both in the Department and for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector for Ofsted.
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Jack is a driving force behind Education Mutual’s member engagement, serving as a passionate Membership Advocate. He partners with schools and trusts across the UK to help them make confident, informed decisions about staff absence protection. A Mathematics graduate, Jack brings analytical depth to our annual research project—the School Business Leader Wellbeing Index—transforming statistics into meaningful insights that spark sector-wide change. His role goes beyond guidance: he’s a trusted voice at national events, delivering powerful presentations and connecting with school leaders. Jack’s warmth, insight, and genuine passion for wellbeing make his work resonate across the education community.
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Maggie leads a team of HR professionals at Edwin People and has over 20 years of experience in a range of complex, multi-site organisations within the public and education sector. Providing high level support for policy and organisational development, talent management, employee relations, change management and special projects. Maggie is experienced in developing and implementing bespoke HR strategy aligned to Trust vision and culture.
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Harry leads a team of experienced specialists and engineers dedicated to helping schools reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions through innovative mechanical and electrical engineering design, compliance strategies and energy efficiency solutions.
With seven years of experience as an energy consultant, a degree in renewable energy engineering, and an Executive MBA in progress, he combines technical expertise with a passion for sustainability.
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Nick is a sustainability leader with 20+ years’ international experience across construction, retail, and government. His interest in sustainability began during a Geography degree followed by a Climate Change MSc. This background led to senior roles shaping strategy and delivery at Carillion, SGN, HS2, and Selfridges. Most recently, he was Sustainability Lead at Crown Commercial Service.
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Sam Henson is the Deputy Chief Executive of the National Governance Association, leading its policy, research, advocacy, and guidance work. With over 15 years of experience in the education sector, Sam drives national influence on governance, accountability, and workforce policy.
A recognised expert on Ofsted and school accountability, he has authored key NGA publications including Governing a Multi Academy Trust and Moving MATs Forward. Sam regularly represents NGA in national media and government forums, contributing evidence to parliamentary inquiries and serving on Department for Education and Ofsted stakeholder groups.
Before joining NGA, Sam held senior roles in a large multi-academy trust, local authority, and the financial services sector.
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As the Chief Executive of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL), I have dedicated the last 10 years of my career, in a national role, to unleashing the potential and promoting the professionalisation of a disparate community of school leaders. In collaboration with the Department for Education (DfE), ISBL has supported over 10,000 practitioners in gaining formal qualifications. As part of my vision for a professionalised workforce of school business leaders, in 2015, I instigated the development of professional standards that are now nationally recognised and feature in the Academy Trust Handbook.
In 2017, I led the complex transition of the National Association of School Business Management to institute status. The process involved making a robust case to Companies House, securing Secretary of State approval and ensuring unwavering support from key sector stakeholders.
Since I took up the reigns of the organisation nearly 10 years ago, ISBL has trained thousands of school leaders in the areas of financial assurance and effective resource management. We have secured numerous government contracts including a developing programme for clerks, better access to financial expertise for primary schools, the school resource management adviser (SRMA) initiative, and, more recently, the trust CFO mentoring pilot.
I strongly believe that school business professionals and indeed their leadership and governance colleagues are better equipped, more sophisticated and technically stronger as a result of ISBL’s work over the last decade. As a standing member of the DfE’s Financial Reporting Programme Board, I am privy to data that supports this assertion.
In a non-executive capacity, as an Academy Ambassador, I have discharged my governance responsibilities with oversight of school improvement strategies, ensuring appropriate support for children with additional needs and providing Ofsted with confidence in our work.
This experience and influence has afforded me unique insights into both policy and practice. I have a very strong understanding of policy levers and the role of key actors in the ongoing evolution of our mixed economy education system.
As well as leading transformational change at ISBL, I have supported trust leaders across the country with a range of strategic priorities, including the importance of a clear organisational culture and values, organisational design, preparing for growth, developing central teams, striking the balance of autonomy over funding, and how to attract and retain talented staff by becoming an authentic employer of choice. In addition, I work with numerous think tanks and sector bodies, addressing some of the main issues confronting society.
I initiated and continue to chair a sector leaders’ equity, inclusion and diversity focus group.
In my current capacity as CEO, I believe I have fostered a culture of continuous improvement, where we embrace new thinking and individual contributions are recognised and valued.
It is my belief that the success of any education system cannot exceed the quality of its workforce. Highly motivated and valued teachers are central to any high-performing education system. The mix of ingredients including strong culture, robust structures and effective talent management is essential to any successful trust and, most importantly, the outcomes for the children it serves. Any people strategy must successfully attract and retain committed and highly motivated teachers if we are to ensure optimum pupil attainment. Supporting the personal and professional ambition of the staff, both pedagogical and non-pedagogical, should be a priority for any school.
I have been a long-standing advocate of joined-up leadership, and I have spent my career promoting the importance of a strong leadership triangle where pedagogy, business and governance operate seamlessly and inclusively together. To that end, in 2021, I published a paper entitled “Barriers to joined-up leadership in the English education system”.
I understand the heavy scrutiny on trusts and the effort required to adhere to a very demanding regulatory framework. I have a deep understanding of these requirements, and I have been close to many of the policy developments related to trust accountability. I have a background in strategic finance and understand the importance of rigorous evidence-based planning, optimal resource management and robust controls.
As a sector leader, I am not afraid to challenge orthodoxy, and I will always encourage innovation and creative thinking. My leadership approach is underpinned by the Boyatzis self-directed learning model characterised by a continuous improvement loop of plan, do, review and reflect.
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With 26 years in education, Liz has worked across secondary and primary schools, the local authority, and a special school. Having held most support roles, she progressed through the ranks while achieving the CSBM, DSBM, Level 6 Leadership & Management, and an MBA. A School Business Manager for 16 years, she specialises in finance. She is an active member of SYSBL (South Yorkshire Business Leaders) and the Sheffield Support Staff Review Body (SRRP), and she leads a network of around 40 Sheffield Business Managers. Committed to networking and CPD, she actively stays ahead, shares best practice, and supports others widely.
Seminar Speakers
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Emma Gray is an experienced School Business Leader, Consultant and SRMA, specialising in operational excellence and risk management in schools. With a strong background in education, Emma helps school leaders enhance internal communication, manage teams effectively, and drive innovation. She is passionate about empowering leaders to navigate challenges, mitigate risks, and streamline operations to improve school performance. In her session on Effective Internal Communication and Managing Teams, Emma will share practical strategies to enhance communication, foster collaboration, and create high-performing teams that support continuous improvement and student success.
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Phil brings over 20 years of dedicated experience in supporting the education sector. He currently leads our national education proposition, overseeing a team of 14 specialist Education Relationship Managers who work with 8 out of 10 academy trusts across the UK. Phil is committed to delivering value to our clients through cutting-edge digital innovations—driving efficiency, reducing risk, enhancing oversight, and strengthening financial control
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Simon London is CEO of Empower Learning Academy Trust. Prior to this, he was Headteacher of Hall Mead School for 15 years and a National Leader of Education. He has worked in education for over 30 years, starting out as a teacher of English, drama and media studies and occupying various leadership positions.
Empower Learning Academy Trust educates over 4000 pupils and over 640 staff, in the London Borough of Havering and comprises of 6 schools, all of which are currently rated as Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. It has a high number of SEND pupils and 3 specially resourced SEND provisions. It was shortlisted for the Times Educational Supplement 2024 Trust Team of the Year and the 2025 MAT Excellence Awards.
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Louise is CEO of the Institute of Development Professionals in Education (IDPE), which supports schools to develop successful fundraising and engagement programmes, through providing training, guidance, support, benchmarking and partnership work across the schools’ sector.
Lou has over 20 years’ experience of working across fundraising disciplines, and has previously held senior fundraising roles at The Stroke Association and Shelter Cymru. Lou has also volunteered for a number of organisations, from being Chair of Trustees for Cardiff Women’s Aid to being a Board member for the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and more recently, supporting the PTA at her children’s primary school.
Lou is passionate about fundraising, and as such has found herself hiking across Iceland, running a marathon and cycling from Cardiff to Dublin, to raise money for good causes.
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Miriam is an experienced barrister in our Regulatory Risk and Resolution team, specialising in education law, human rights and equality. She has a vast range of experience in advising educational providers, local authorities and families in education law disputes, from early years to higher education. Miriam provides advice and representation on admissions, exclusions, SEND, discrimination, school complaints, OFSTED and OIA matters.
Miriam acts for a full range of clients in this field and past and present clients include schools (maintained, independent and academies), parents, students, local authorities, universities and FE colleges. She appears regularly in SENDIST appeals including highly complex multi-day extended appeals and disability discrimination claims both in the First-Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal.
Miriam has a strong practice in judicial review claims in the field of education and equality acting for claimants, defendants and interested parties, having practiced public law throughout her practice. She has particular expertise in discrimination law and claims under the Equality Act 2010.
Throughout her career, Miriam has been actively involved in human rights and human rights claims regularly arise in most of her areas of practice. She has considerable experience of advising both individuals and public authorities on their rights and duties. Her experience ranges from litigation before the European Court of Human Rights, lecturing and training lawyers and judges to work with grass roots organisations and advisory and advocacy work at the Bar.
Miriam is a qualified mediator in disputes within her areas of practice.
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Matt Isherwood is an Associate Partner at Barker following 14 years at Brooke Weston Trust as Director of Estates. He has been a long-standing and strong advocate for best practice on Good Estates Management, Energy, Sustainability, and use of data-driven decision making. Matt has enormous knowledge and experience of estates management from the client side and is now working with Barker to promote this knowledge to the wider education sector.
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With over nine years in banking, Jack specializes in cash management, including liquidity, treasury, and payment solutions. He partners closely with schools and trusts, delivering tailored strategies to optimize cash flow and streamline payments.
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Jon Jones is a Director at MAC responsible for the education sector and working with 500+ schools and academies nationally. He is a Chartered Construction Manager with a background in management consultancy and a former Head of Estates for a Multi Academy Trust.
Jon leads MAC’s multi-disciplinary teams providing estates and construction management services to schools, academies, and the FE and HE sectors, from seven regional offices. This expertise supports MAC’s clients to manage their estate according to the DfE’s ‘Good Estates Management’ principles and includes advice on Condition and Compliance Surveys; Capital Funding Support; Design and Project Management; and Decarbonisation.
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Tracey Field is an estates consultant and author of 'Leading & Managing an Education Estate'. With a career spanning local authority, private estates, and international projects, she has managed diverse portfolios including schools, heritage sites, and complex public sector estates. Tracey now runs Tracey Field Consulting Ltd, supporting schools and trusts to strengthen estate strategy, compliance, and project delivery. Tracey is a trustee for Ascent Multi Academy Trust and a thought leader for School Business Managers UK. Her work combines hands-on experience with clear, practical guidance for education leaders.
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Chris brings 18 years of experience delivering bespoke cash management solutions to clients across the corporate, education, and wider public sectors. Having worked across several leading banks, he offers deep subject matter expertise in transactional banking.
Chris and his team are committed to helping clients achieve their business objectives while navigating and capitalising on industry developments. In addition to his professional role, Chris also serves as a school governor, reflecting his ongoing commitment to supporting the education sector both professionally and personally.
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Founder of the inspirational initiative 101 Things To Do When You Survive, created after surviving cancer twice and battling PTSD.
In 2013, despite serious health challenges, including one kidney, scoliosis, and deep vein thrombosis, Greig set off on a global journey to promote hope and positivity for those facing illness. What began as a personal mission grew into a worldwide movement inspiring thousands.
Driven by the transformative power of kindness and mindset, Greig now helps children and adults improve their mental and physical wellbeing through engaging talks and culture changing workshops. His School of Kindness reaches over 250,000 children annually, showing them how small choices can make a big difference. Greig has received a Prime Minister’s Point of Light award and was named in the Independent on Sunday’s Happy List for making life better for others.
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Paul is a Legal Director in the Education Team at HCR Law. Paul handles a full range of complex and challenging issues that clients face, from parental complaints to exclusions, and from safeguarding to compliance. Data protection is also a key issue on which Paul advises schools, charities and other businesses. He advises both strategically and practically when clients face regulatory scrutiny on matters such as subject access requests, personal data breaches and freedom of information requests, owing to his considerable experience dealing with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). governance. Her expertise also lies in supporting NGA’s broader membership base and scoping potential projects with new and existing partners.
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Simon is a former British Army officer and senior leader in UK education, where he held executive roles in top schools. He later founded CyBur, a cybersecurity company,bringing real-world experience in cyber risk, threat intelligence, and safeguarding. His background spans compliance, governance, risk, and leadership - shaped by service, sharpened in schools, and now applied to AI-driven safer
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Jessica Shepherd is the founder of Sparrowhawk Communications, a strategic PR, communications and marketing consultancy for the education sector. She has extensive experience working with MATs, individual schools, universities, education charities, and education suppliers.
She was The Guardian’s Education Correspondent and News Editor for nine years and has held senior communications roles at an agency of the Home Office, University College London and a national youth charity. Jessica combines outstanding national and education media contacts with proven expertise in reputation management, strategic communications and stakeholder engagement. She brings school leaders the insight and skills to raise profile, protect reputation and communicate successfully.
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Jo brings over 20 years of experience to her role leading Howden’s education, student, and not-for-profit division.
She has extensive knowledge of the unique challenges facing the education, wellbeing, and public and third sectors, and is passionate about supporting young people with their mental health and wellbeing.
A qualified Mental Health First Aider, Jo is committed to leading a business that delivers positive outcomes for young people and the wider education community. She plays a key role in bringing together Howden’s specialist expertise from across the organisation to provide education clients with a comprehensive suite of tailored solutions.
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Martin has worked in the environmental field for over twenty five years, the majority in countryside management, managing sites in the Midlands, North West and Wales. He has led education and community programmes for the Wildlife Trust and Soil Association and has led the National Education Nature Park in the West Midlands since March 2023.
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A retired British Army Brigadier with extensive operational experience. His final job was Director of Technology at the Defence Academy. He joined ReEnergise in 2015 and leads on the early liaison with schools and MATs to assess the scope for saving them money and carbon in their energy usage, buying and on-site generation.
He is a regular speaker on climate change mitigation and energy decarbonisation at conferences and seminars for schools and colleges nationally, and has also contributed numerous articles to education sector journals to promote wider awareness of the issues and encourage action. He is a keen advocate of forthright advice for schools on energy decarbonisation and optimisation technologies and opportunities, including the good, the bad and the ugly: no green-tinted specs here.
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James is a Senior Associate in Stone King’s Employment Team, specialising in the education sector. He advises a wide range of educational establishments across the full range of employment issues, including disciplinary matters, grievances, absence management, performance management, whistleblowing, safeguarding, discrimination and industrial relations. An experienced Employment Tribunal advocate, James has substantial experience representing clients in both multi-day and contested preliminary hearings, and in supporting clients through complex projects, such as academy conversions, difficult TUPE matters or industrial relations issues.
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Myles is founder and CEO of Bremner & Co, which was established in 2016. He and the team work closely with national and local governments, NGOs and civil society organisations, academia, and the corporate sector to make the food system better and fairer.
Myles is the former Director of the government’s School Food Plan, spearheading the transformation of food culture in schools. Myles has been an advisor to the Jamie Oliver Group, and was Chief Executive of Garden Organic, a leading UK educational horticultural charity, for six years. He is a former member of the London Food Board and has held Trustee positions at Sustain, the Alliance for Better Food and Farming, and at the Royal Academy of Culinary Art’s Adopt a School Programme.
Myles cares deeply about children’s nutrition and health and his works spans the full 0-8,000 days of a child’s development. Myles is currently helping to co-ordinate the work of England’s School Food Review, campaigning for national free school meals auto-enrolment, and working with the international school meals coalition.
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Austin leads techUK’s Education and EdTech programme, shaping strategies that support the digital transformation of schools, colleges, and universities. His work focuses on strengthening the UK’s education technology ecosystem, enhancing core technology foundations, and advancing the adoption of emerging technologies to improve educational outcomes.
Austin also chairs the EdTech Advisory Panel for AI in Education, contributing to national discussions on the future of EdTech, AI, and the UK's Education system.
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Rachel Younger has worked in schools for more than 20 years and is currently the Business Manager at St Nicholas C of E Primary School in Blackpool. She is a fellow of the Institute of School Business Leadership and a governor at a local all-through special school for pupils with autism.
Rachel has been an active member of NAHT since 2012, becoming branch secretary for Blackpool in 2015. She was NAHT regional president for the North West in 2018, the first School Business Leader to be elected to that office in any region. Rachel has been a member of NAHT’s national executive committee since 2017. She is the first school business leader to be elected to the role of president in the union’s 125-year history. Ruth leads Forbes’ nationally recognised Public Sector Employment team, specialising in employment law for over 22 years with particular expertise in education, housing, and local authority sectors. She has guided the team since 2018 contributing to its growth by offering strategic advice rooted in deep sector understanding. Ruth is highly regarded by education and public sector clients for her direct, pragmatic communication style and approachability. She excels at complex matters involving team management, trade union relations, and reputational risk, while maintaining keen awareness of public sector value principles and responsible use of public funds.
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Craig is Head of HR Consultancy Services at Stone King, as well as Head of Team for Employment, HR Consultancy, and Immigration. He advises clients across all sectors, with particular expertise in education, and plays a key role in business development, regularly speaking at regional and national events. A people-focused HR professional, Craig specialises in recruitment, talent management, people strategy and workforce design. He also provides advice on complex HR issues including TUPE, absence management, disciplinary, capability, grievance, TUPE, restructure and redundancy.
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Alex has over 12 years of banking experience, including 4 focused on corporate card solutions. He works closely with schools and trusts to improve payment processes, offering practical solutions that save time and deliver real value .
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Dr Dominique Thompson is a multi-award-winning former GP, young people's mental health expert, TEDx speaker, author and educator, with over two decades of NHS clinical experience.