Members & Trustees

Board of Members

Governance, Strategy & Direction

Our board of members is made up of very experienced individuals who are responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the organisation, and hold a legal liability. The board is responsible for the high-level strategy, oversight, and accountability of the organisation.

Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees

John Roche Kelly

Specialism in governance and education, built up by being a Headteacher and after retiring being Chair of Eaton Hall Academy governing body. He first became a school governor back in the late 1980’s! He believes that Members should work closely with the Trustees to understand the challenges the Board faces and to be able to hold the Trustees to
account without interfering.

Still involved professionally in education as Chief Flying Instructor at Norfolk Gliding Club. Takes as much pleasure sending pilots for their first solo flight as he does flying his own glider over East Anglia and Scotland.

Tech Lead

Andrew Berry

Specialism in strategic, education, operational management and governance and believes in promoting good relationships, inclusion, spirituality, and enjoyment, and each pupil using their individual gifts to the full.

HR experience at Director level and currently has non-executive roles in the education and charity sectors.

Steve Bennett

Specialism in performance improvement, leadership development, governance, HR, education, strategic & project management, growth (organic and M&A), and culture change programmes, both domestically and internationally, across a variety of industry sectors and business environments. In 2016 he established his own HR and change consultancy and believes that every young person deserves the opportunity to develop their potential to the full, and those with special needs in particular should properly be supported in this regard.

A Trustee for many years before stepping down and becoming a Member

Stuart Riseborough

Stuart’s 35 years' working in finance and banking within the private sector have given him a wealth of experience across a range of businesses supporting them to effectively manage their finances. Stuart has a track record of delivering organisational improvement at senior management level and stakeholder management.

Members no longer serving

Michael Garratt (resigned 31/08/2023)

Trustees and CEO

Chris Snudden - Chair of Trustees & Whistleblowing Trustee

Retired

A leading figure in the region's education system and was previously the director of learning at Norfolk County Council. Chris’s retirement comes after four decades of public service and 26 years of working in education in Norfolk.

Gareth Hand - Vice Chair of Trustees

Regional Operations Manager for Deba UK, a national Water Treatment company.

Don Evans - Trustee

CEO & Accounting Officer

Experience in organisational leadership, Communication, Performance Management, Leading and Managing Change, Project Management, Leadership/Executive level roles within highly regulated organisations in the not for profit sector, service re-design and improvement.

Member of Association for Project Management.

Neil Bloomfield - Trustee

Commercial Manager in the technology department of a major financial services organisation

Neil’s specialisms include procurement, operations, general management, and governance, which have been built up within major industry leading organisations across both the private and public sectors. He has a track record of developing strategic partnerships with stakeholders, customers and suppliers, while leading and developing teams of effective people to enhance service delivery at senior management and executive level. Neil holds an MBA from the University of East Anglia, and is a Chartered Manager and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

Peter Harwood - Safeguarding Trustee

Retired

Peter’s career started as an Electronics Design Engineer with considerable experience in the private sector and then supporting research at UEA. His engagement in education started when he was a young dad appointed in 1984 as one of UK’s first elected Parent Governors. Peter is currently a Board Member of the Norfolk Governance Network and has previously held elected leadership roles at District and County Council where he was his Party’s Children’s Services leader. He has also held substantial chairing roles including Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet Scrutiny Committee and professionally as one of Norfolk’s three Independent Foster Panel Chairs. Within his various appointments he has gained significant change management and HR experience at the highest levels.

Stevie Bramble - Trustee

Director of Education and Programmes

Stevie is employed by Norwich City Community Sports Foundation as their Director of Education and Programmes, offering a wide range of experience within primary, secondary and further education settings.

John Dye - Trustee

Retired Headteacher

A retired headteacher. John has worked within Norfolk for most of his career. He has experience across all phases of education from three to eighteen years of age. Further experience in working with families was gained as the Coordinator of the Great Yarmouth Family Centre. John also worked as a school governor and as a consultant headteacher supporting colleagues across the county.

Rachel Cowdry - Trustee

Bio to follow

Tim Smith - Trustee

Tim is an FCCA (Fellow Chartered and Certified Accountant) and is currently an Associate Director of Finance Business Partnering at the University of East Anglia.

He began his career at PwC, working across a broad range of advisory and high-profile and multi-jurisdictional insolvencies before moving to the mid-market to focus on SMEs. Over a decade of working in restructuring and insolvency has given him a broad and commercial expertise, as well as a deep knowledge of a range of industries and sectors including education, healthcare, leisure, manufacturing and digital marketing.
He made the switch to the Higher Education Sector in 2020 and this role has given him detailed insight and understanding of the education sector.
He is passionate about using his professional experience and technical knowledge to help find practical solutions to real world issues faced by education providers.

Trustees no longer serving

Sue Stavers (resigned 09/03/2024)

Anne Gibson (resigned 04/02/2024)

Paul Tacon (resigned 09/11/2023)

Peter Lamble (resigned 16/07/2023)

Gary Leverett (resigned 21/07/2023)

Samantha Bron (resigned 01/07/2023)