GREENWOOD ACADEMIES TRUST - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Corporate Affairs Director
I bring to GAT almost thirty years' experience in just about every part of the education world you can imagine.
I have been a teacher so I understand the ‘day job', I've worked in further education so I know ‘what comes next', I've worked in policy so I know the constraints of the system and I've advised leaders and trustees so I get the strategic picture.
But most of all, I really care about making sure that all of our effort is directed towards making sure our young people get an education which makes them confident and gives them the skills and knowledge to thrive in the slightly mad world we all live in.
For me, that means that everything I do should be designed and delivered so that it enables our academy leaders to focus on the children in their care rather than the needs of some arcane process.
After graduating from the University of Leeds, Andy qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC. Since qualification, he worked in finance and commercial roles for a number of companies, including Experian and Rolls-Royce, where he spent ten years of his career. He is currently Finance Director of an engineering company based near Birmingham.
Andy is from Derby and, having graduated and qualified in Leeds, he returned to Derby where he now lives with his two young sons.
I bring to GAT 30 years experience in schools, education leadership and system improvement.
I qualified as a secondary science and PE teacher, becoming Head of Science and Assistant Principal, as well as dabbling with a Team Leader role with an Awarding Body, before moving across to be responsible for school improvement at scale and policy development in two national organisations. I have also led education performance in a Local Authority and have therefore been responsible for strategic school improvement in primary, secondary and special phases, early years providers, the virtual school and other statutory responsibilities that LAs have in terms of education.
So, a varied portfolio, backed up with an NPQH and a MBA in Educational Leadership, that means I have significant experience in school improvement and a deep knowledge of the education landscape. I particularly enjoy building high performing teams and like a bit of education policy geekness!
Job Titles:
- Chief Operations and Sustainability Officer
I started my journey in the education sector with Greenwood Academies Trust in 2012 just as the trust and the academy sector was gaining momentum. I feel fortunate to have joined at this pivotal time as it has enabled me to grow with the organisation and shape the finance function from inception.
Job Titles:
- Senior International Tax Specialist
Edmond is a Senior International Tax Specialist with over ten years of experience within the tax profession. He has experience of interpreting and applying both the UK's tax legislation and the tax laws of other countries, including any applicable tax treaties.
Edmond has first class degrees in Accounting & Finance and Professional Taxation Studies, as well as an Advanced Diploma in International Taxation (ADIT).
Outside of work, Edmond lives with his wife and young daughter, who attends a Greenwood Academies Trust school in Peterborough.
I joined GAT in January 2019 as a Safeguarding Adviser. I then took on the role of Senior Safeguarding Adviser until being appointed as the Trust Director of Safeguarding in January 2022.
Prior to joining the Trust, I worked in a number of roles with disadvantaged young people across Leicestershire, firstly as a Youth Offending Service Officer before joining the Education sector in 2002. Within education I have held various roles as practitioner, adviser and lead in all things safeguarding.
In 2017 I moved to work for Nottingham City Local Authority as the Safeguarding in Education Co-ordinator for City Schools. This role involved the management of all quality assurance activity across the City and development and delivery of safeguarding training to education professionals. I also held LADO responsibilities during my time in this post.
I have had a varied and unstructured(!) journey through education and safeguarding which has allowed me to develop sound operational and strategic skills and I bring all of these with me to my current role with the Trust.
I'm passionate about ensuring that all children and young people are given the opportunity to realise their full potential regardless of circumstance - I know that through my role with GAT I am able to consistently make a difference and support others to do the same.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Executive Officer
I have spent the past 30 years or so working across a number of large public sector bodies and organisations in senior management and director positions, the past 20 of these being within the Childrens' services and education sectors.
Like many of the young people in our academies, I left school not having a clue what I wanted to do, somehow becoming a qualified accountant, which ultimately gave me the opportunity to move into broader senior leadership roles in resource and operational areas.
I have led large unitary authorities' planning and implementation of 100's of million pounds of revenue and capital budgets and programmes. As a Director in Children's Services, I ran a £250m Building Schools for the Future Programme, developing strategy and delivering a once in a generation programme of change. I have led large teams having authority wide responsibility for School Reorganisations, Estates, H&S, Admissions and professional and operational services to over 120 schools.
I have held previous and current non-executive director positions in companies and organisations tasked with delivering public value and positively impacting local communities. I have represented many of my previous employers at a national level.
Originally an actor and drama practitioner, Jacqui has been Director of Learning at the RSC since 2008. She is responsible for the strategic development of the company's work with, for and by children, young people, teachers, adult learners and partner theatres across the UK and around the world. She has an interest in research, particularly finding accessible ways to share and disseminate it to inform real world decision-making. Jacqui is Chair of the Cultural Learning Alliance. She is also a primary school governor. In 2018, she was appointed as a Commissioner for the Durham Commission in Creativity in Education.
An award-winning campaigner and educator, Jess is a keynote speaker and facilitator for a collection of social enterprises and charities. Her work focuses on centering on young people. She works with many different sectors, from mental health to the participation of young people in services to Public Sexual Harassment. As a result of her expertise, she is a Trainer Consultant at Young Minds, facilitates for charities across the UK as well as a lead trainer for Our Streets Now, a campaign aiming to end Public Sexual Harassment through both cultural and legislative change. Jess uses her own experiences as an LGBTQ+ woman to be able to shape policy, lead workshops and has spoken on the likes of BBC News, Sky News, Houses of Parliament and TEDx.
Job Titles:
- Internal Audit Director at Experian
Kelly is an Internal Audit Director at Experian, covering the UKI, EMEA and APAC regions. Having made the career move to Internal Audit in 2020, Kelly's background is predominantly in project, programme and portfolio management, having delivered successfully and established PMO functions to enable multi-million pound business strategy and transformation in the financial services, aerospace and FMCG industries.
Job Titles:
- Gateley Plc in 2004 As a Corporate Partner
Mark joined Gateley Plc in 2004 as a Corporate Partner and became head of team in 2013. He is a leading corporate finance partner and heads the firm's corporate team in Nottingham. Mark specialises in corporate finance, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity, management buyouts and company disposal transactions.
Mark is one of the leading lawyers in his field in the East Midlands and has an extensive client base of owner managed or led businesses and larger companies, including many with an international dimension. He has been nominated for the East Midlands 'Insider Dealmaker of the Year' Award three times in the last four years.
Mike was a senior member of staff at the Trust for 30 years having joined the Greenwood Dale School as Head of the English department.
Mike has extensive experience in education management. He is an author of a number of education related publications and is well-read in all maters relating to educational developments world-wide.
Nada has gained extensive leadership experience in a range of schools from ex-mining communities to inner city and county settings. She spent ten years as headteacher of an 11-18 Nottinghamshire secondary school. Prior to this, Nada worked with young people with special educational needs.
In 2006 Nada was recruited by Ofsted as an HMI. For eight years she led inspection teams, and supported schools in challenging circumstances. As a member of Ofsted's survey team, she visited numerous schools to gather evidence on national priorities. Nada was appointed as national advisor for Equalities and Human Rights to provide guidance and support to inspectors.
Since 2014, Nada has used her valuable experience and expertise working as an Education Consultant. She has provided tailored input, working with middle and senior leaders, and governors, to secure measurable improvement.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Nottingham Growth Board
- Honorary Professor of Sustainable Development at the School of Architecture
- Vice Chairman of Igloo Regeneration Ltd
Nick Ebbs is a Chartered Surveyor and Vice Chairman of igloo Regeneration Ltd, specialists in the development of sustainable places and buildings. Nick is part of the strategic management team and provides leadership in relation to a number of key research areas.
Nick is Chair of the Nottingham Growth Board; a governor of Nottingham Trent University; a member of the Bank of England Regional Consultative Group (East Midlands); a panel member of Opun's Regional (East Midlands) Design Review Panel; a member of Nottingham City Council's Heritage Panel; an Ambassador of Framework (a charity that supports the homeless) and a member of the Greenwood Academies Trust.
Nick is also an Honorary Professor of Sustainable Development at the School of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Nottingham.
For the year 2018/19, Nick served as High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire.
Prior to joining igloo, Nick was a founder member of Innes England Consultant Surveyors, a property consultancy based in the Midlands.
Job Titles:
- Senior Technology Strategist at Microsoft
Paul is a Senior Technology Strategist at Microsoft, working with Multi Academy Trusts to drive digital transformation and innovation in the education sector. He has spent over 20 years in the education and IT sector, working in the classroom as an educator for over 8 of those years.
Paul is also an EMBRACE mentor, working with mentees from the BAME community to support early in career mentees looking to build a career in the technology sector.
Christine is the Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham. She researches and writes about education, with a particular focus on the arts, creativity and literacy. She is an experienced teacher, at school and university levels, and has extensive senior leadership experience, including as Head of the School of Education. She has worked in the field of UK teacher education for many years and has acted as a consultant to teacher professional development initiatives internationally, most recently in China, Malaysia and Cambodia. Throughout her career, she has been an active member of school governing bodies and educational trust boards, including the University of Nottingham Council and Nottingham City's Education Partnership Board.
Rob joined the University of Nottingham in 2001 having previously primarily worked in the financial services sector. He has held project and operational roles, including three years until 2020 as Chief Financial Officer at the University's Ningbo campus in China. Rob is a CIMA qualified accountant and currently has responsibility for the University's UK property portfolio as Property and Space Management Director.
Sandra has been involved in governance for many years, with experience in primary schools, stand-alone and MAT academies, Special schools and Pupil Referral Units. In the majority of these, she has been, or is currently, Chair of Governors. In addition, she has sat on several Interim Executive Boards following the removal of the previous board tasked with securing strong governance.
Sandra worked at a national level as a National Leader of Governance for over ten years.
She is currently self-employed as an educational consultant and works extensively in governance and school leadership; her background is in secondary education but she also supports the leadership development of a group of primary heads.
Sandra is committed to providing the best educational experience for all pupils, securing the best life opportunities possible, hence her work with school leaders and governors who have an overwhelming remit to secure this for them.
Job Titles:
- Chief People and Organisational Development Officer
I bring to GAT a wealth of HR and organisational development experience, gained within the public sector, private sector and not for profit organisations.
As a generalist at heart, I understand the added value an integrated people agenda brings, and committed to delivering a great place to work for our people, whilst also operating at an Executive level advising leaders and trustees on our strategic path.
Utilising my skills as a trainer and coach, I am fortunate to help others realise their people management obligations as well as aspirations, as it's the unleashing of people's potential that makes this job truly amazing - enabling us all, whatever our role, to make a positive difference to the lives of our young people and the communities we serve.
With over 25 years in the education sector, I bring to GAT a wealth of experience and a commitment to ensuring our schools are the best they can possibly be. As an academy and systems leader, I have dedicated my career to raising the aspirations of all young people and closing the attainment gap for the most disadvantaged. After qualifying as a Teacher of English, I was a Head of English before moving to senior leadership where I led on raising achievement in several academies and transformed outcomes.
Since joining GAT, I have led the Trust's secondary raising achievement strategy and been responsible for the secondary portfolio before being appointed to the role of Chief Education Officer. With NPQH and NPQEL and my experience as a governor and Trustee, I am fortunate to be in a position to help develop leaders and bring about positive change.
Simon has been a Nottinghamshire Magistrate since 2005 and Chair in Adult (criminal law) and also the Family Division. On 1 st April 2018 he was elected as the Bench Chair for Nottinghamshire. Simon is also Alumni Mentor at the Nottingham Trent University Law School.
Simon has previously been a Director of the Trent Academies Group, from January 2014 to April 2018, and was also chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, the Pay and Policy Committees, and the Risk Management Group. Simon was also Chair of the Local Governing Body at Farnborough Academy.
Before retiring, earlier in his career Simon was a Chief Flying Instructor for HM Service and, more recently, has had roles as an IT Programme Manager and Board-level Director.
Job Titles:
- Vice - Chancellor of the University of Nottingham
Sir David Greenaway was appointed the sixth Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham in 2008. This is one of the UK's largest comprehensive, research intensive Universities, with four Campuses in the East Midlands, and Campuses in China and Malaysia. Sir David completed his term of office as Vice-Chancellor in September 2017.
Sir David's public service commitments are extensive. He has been Chairman of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (2004-10) and a Member of the Senior Salaries Review Body (2004-2010). He has held non-executive positions in the NHS, including Board Member roles with the Nottingham Health Authority and Nottingham University Hospitals Trust. He has served on many Government Task Forces and advised a range of Government Departments.
Sir David's service to the professional community includes appointments to three Higher Education Funding Councils Research Assessment Panels, including twice as Chair; the Council of ESRC; membership of the Council and Executive of the Royal Economic Society; and Chair of the Russell Group of Universities.
He was Knighted in The Queen's Birthday Honours in 2014 for services to higher education and public policy.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Chief Executive and Director of Integration
Tim has worked in acute hospital management for over 15 years.
A graduate of the NHS Management Training Scheme in 1999, he worked in Hertfordshire and Hull and East Yorkshire before joining Nottingham City Hospital, then Nottingham University Hospitals Trust.
Tim is currently Assistant Chief Executive and Director of Integration, leading on improvement and integration, the local health and social care system, and the wider East Midlands Network. In particular, he is leading on NUH's key role in the Greater Nottinghamshire Transformation Programme.
Tim also teaches service improvement courses and is a guest lecturer for Nottingham University's Masters students.
Our 37 academies serve many varied communities across the East Midlands, stretching from Mansfield in the north to Northampton in the south, from Leicester in the west to Skegness in the east.
Across our primary, secondary and special academies, we serve over 18,000 pupils and the communities in which they live. We are proud to work with a talented army of over 3,000 colleagues who get up every day determined to make a difference in those young people's lives.
What makes us just a little bit different is our belief that education is not a ‘one size fits all' business. We believe that the best decision for pupils in Peterborough may not be the same best decision for pupils in Nottingham, and we empower our academy leaders to have a level of autonomy accordingly.
However, that does not mean that we don't work together - where it is right for all our pupils that we do, we collaborate and use the benefits of everyone's knowledge to make things better for everyone.
Wayne Norrie FCCT is a qualified teacher with 23 years of senior leadership experience in the education sector holding roles such as Headship, Senior LA Officer, Department of Education (DfE) Consultant and Senior His Majesty's Inspector for Ofsted.
Wayne was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Greenwood Academies Trust (GAT) in 2016, the 11 th largest multi-academy trust in the Country. GAT currently has 37 academies in the East Midlands and East of England: 25 Primaries, 9 Secondaries, and 3 Special all located in areas with the highest levels of social deprivation in the country with many academies in the Trust having more than 50% of children eligible for Free School Meals.
More recently, Wayne has been asked by the DfE to advise other Multi-Academy Trusts on leadership issues and safeguarding. In February 2022 Wayne was asked to become the Interim CEO, alongside his role at GAT, of the troubled Evolve Trust in Mansfield.