Board of Members
Governance, Strategy & Direction
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
John Roche Kelly (resigned 31/08/2024)
Trustees and CEO
Owen Jenkins - CEO, Accounting Officer and Trustee
Owen is an experienced senior leader with a proven track record of driving continuous improvement in complex organisations, particularly within the education sector. As a chartered accountant, he brings a strong financial background alongside a decade of experience in shaping and delivering strategic outcomes at an executive level.
Owen has successfully led large organisations and is deeply familiar with the complexities of education funding and policy. His previous leadership roles include Director of Funding for the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
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.
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.
Stevie Bramble - Safeguarding 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.
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.
Nathan Buxton - Special School Residential Trustee
Nathan Buxton possesses a unique ability to influence individuals at every level of an organization. With two decades of experience in vehicle technology, he has honed his communication and leadership skills to effectively engage with diverse teams and stakeholders. From frontline staff to senior executives, his track record of successfully managing teams and dealerships is a testament to his knack for inspiring and motivating others to achieve shared goals. As a previous Chair of Governors, he can leverage his influence to drive positive change and foster collaboration within the education sector, demonstrating his capacity to mobilize support and build consensus across all levels of an organization.​
James Payne - Trustee
A senior leader and property specialist – James has over 20 years’ experience in multiple property disciplines, including strategic portfolio management, repairs and maintenance, new home development, and regeneration.
James is passionate about continuous improvement and innovation, and evolving the way we manage property, to improve the experience of students.
Paul Rogers - Trustee
IT Director – Flagship Group
Paul is employed by Flagship Group as their Director of IT. Having
worked in IT for over 30 years, 25 in leadership positions, Paul has
gained experience working in a variety of commercial sectors including
marketing, travel, furniture and more recently housing.
Laurie Brown - Trustee
A senior leader with 25 years of experience in Information Security and IT, Laurie has dedicated 13 years to the not-for-profit sector. His passion lies in empowering people and organisations to achieve their goals by understanding their needs and embracing a continuous improvement mindset. Laurie has experience across technology, strategy, risk management, budget management, governance and project/programme delivery.
Simon Rhys Williams - Co-opted Parent Trustee
Company director and founder of Humboldt Travel, a worldwide luxury tour operator.
Simon has worked within the travel industry for the past 20 years with experience in operations, product creation and crisis management. He created his own travel company so has an entrepreneurial spirit. His experience of company creation means that he has a wide knowledge of all aspects of a business from marketing, sales, design, HR and dealing with international suppliers while he regularly deals with high net worth and high profile individuals.
Lisa Andrews- SEND (V) Trustee
Lisa has worked within the education sector for 20 years as a secondary school teacher, moving from Head of Department to Assistant Headteacher to Head of an independent special school. She became a teacher due to strong convictions that education should serve as an equaliser in our communities, and that all young people should have a supportive team around them who nurture their unique talents and strengths at school. She currently works as an Adviser for Norfolk Virtual School giving guidance on the inclusion and achievement of children in care. Her areas of special interest include the personal development and RSHE curriculum, safeguarding, adolescent mental health, SEND, careers education advice and guidance and oracy.
Michelle Unstead - SEND (V) Trustee
An experienced Multi-Academy Trust Special Educational Needs and Inclusion Leader, Michelle has a wealth of skill and success across both Secondary & Primary education including Teaching & Learning improvement, Curriculum Development, supporting our most vulnerable learners as well as Safeguarding & Pastoral provision.
Michelle was previously the Regional SEND Leader for the East of England and North-East London; delivering the Whole School SEND School's Workforce Contract as commissioned by the Department for Education.
Michelle is delighted to join the Trust board as both an educational specialist and former parent.
Trustees no longer serving
Peter Harwood (resigned 22/07/2025)