How we work

Lord Jim Knight was created a life peer in 2010 and is currently vice chair of the all-party parliamentary group for the teaching profession. As a government minister, he served as Minister of State for Schools and was a member of Gordon Brown’s cabinet.

He has since held various leadership roles including at Tes Global, where he was chief education and external officer. He also founded Tes Institute, which is now the fifth largest qualifier of teachers in England, and has managed Tes Resources, a global teacher community of 13.5 million users.

Tom Campbell joined E-ACT as Chief Executive having previously been Chief Education Officer at Greenwood Academies Trust.  As an experienced executive and non-executive director, Headteacher and teacher with over 20 years in the education sector, Tom brings a track record of transforming schools at scale, rapid yet sustainable improvement strategies and strong partnerships across the system.  Tom is committed to ensuring pupils at E-ACT feel safe in school, enjoy their learning and make exceptional progress.

Tom’s academic background in Psychology alongside his executive education at the University of Cambridge, is reflected in his leadership of E-ACT.  A forensic focus on culture, organisational development, innovation and strategic management form the basis of E-ACTs ongoing work in continuing to grow and improve as a strong trust.

Tom is a Fellow of both the Chartered College of Teaching and of the RSA.

Cameron is Deputy Master, External Relations, at Dulwich College, London. 

He is a teacher of history for years 7, 12 and 13. Cameron has Masters in Music from the Centre of Russian Music at Goldsmiths University. Cameron is also very familiar with E-ACT via the partnership between Dulwich College and E-ACT ’s City Heights Academy. Cameron holds the Ambassadorial Advisory Group portfolio.

Cameron sits on the Education and Personnel Committees and the Board of Trustees.

Brian is acknowledged as an authority on the English and Welsh education systems. He was General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders from September 2010-January 2016.

His broad experience spanning 38 years has included two headships, extensive representation on UK and Welsh Government commit tees, being an external examiner and an Estyn inspector. Now self- employed he has a wide ranging port folio which includes working with individual and groups of schools providing coaching for middle and senior leaders, professional development and support for school improvement . He also serves on the boards of the Careers and Enterprise company and the PiXL Edge trust.

Brian chairs the Education Committee and sits on the Personnel Committee.

Nadeem joined the board in late 2017. Nadeem spent 21 years within the Investment Banking industry and left the industry in 2017 to pursue his own property development business. Nadeem is currently the Founder and CEO of Ultima Asset Management.

He sits on the Council of Trustees for the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), and is Chair of its Finance Committee.

Nadeem grew up in a deprived area of East London and was fortunate to have the support of teachers and mentors through his education and career development. He wishes to give back to younger generations through his work with education organisations.

Nadeem sits on the Finance Committee, Audit & Risk Committee, Personnel Committee, Renumeration Committee and the Board of Trustees.

Rakhee spent over a decade working in education, schools, and youth, with a focus on careers, employability, enrichment, and underserved groups.

She began her career in the classroom with Teach First; she then went on to work for another multi-academy trust, Ark, where she led on enrichment across the network, and education charity Causeway Education, where she led the Access Champions programme, supporting schools in low-progression areas to increase the number of students moving onto higher education.  

Rakhee then moved to EdComs (now EVERFI) where she led the consultancy and strategy function, supporting clients from across a range of sectors to design impactful programmes for young people, within and beyond formal education.  

Rakhee currently works for The Conduit, a collaborative community of people committed to creating a just, prosperous, and sustainable future. There, she has set up the Learning function, designing digital learning courses around key areas of impact such as climate and sustainability and social equity. Rakhee has also been a school governor in East London. 

Jane is an experienced and passionate leader with a proven track record of success in the education sector.

She has worked in a variety of roles across the commercial, not-for-profit, and charity sectors, gaining a deep understanding of the education system and its needs. Jane is a skilled manager with a knack for developing and growing businesses. She is also an expert in project management, stakeholder management, and influencing. 

Jane’s key achievements include turning a volunteer network into a multi-million pound turnover association, overseeing £31bn investment into university estates development and capital projects, and managing a research portfolio of over £50m over six years. She has also received a personal letter from the Prime Minister for her work supporting universities during Covid-19. Jane is a highly qualified professional with a Master’s degree in Information Systems. She is also a Chartered Director with the Institute of Directors (IoD). Dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of others. Eager to contribute to the future of E-ACT and help shape its vision for the future. 

Helen Foulkes is the Head of BBC Education and Newsround, and she is responsible for overseeing several educational initiatives, including BBC Bitesize, BBC Tiny Happy People, BBC Teach, BBC Newsround, BBC Food, and the BBC’s educational campaigns.

She led the BBC’s nationwide education response to the COVID-19 pandemic, known as Lockdown Learning. The BBC Education team aims to transform lives through education, and they are proud to say that BBC Bitesize is the most widely used educational website in the UK, reaching 76% of school students. BBC Teach provides teachers with world-class, curriculum-linked content for use in the classroom, while Tiny Happy People is a language acquisition initiative that aims to reduce the word gap in partnership with other organizations. The BBC’s education campaigns address societal or educational deficits, including campaigns such as Ten Pieces, Super Movers in partnership with the Premier League, and the BBC Micro:bit. 
 
Helen has an extensive professional experience in the field of media. Prior to joining BBC Education, she worked as an Executive Producer and has several award-winning credits to her name including Points of View, Country Tracks, My Life My Religion, See Hear, and To Buy or Not to Buy. Before becoming an executive, she worked as a director and producer for a variety of BBC brands such as Holiday, Homefront, and What Not to Wear. 

Mandy is the Founder of ‘Talent Architects’ with a simple mission; helping schools become great places to work.   She is also the Co-Founder of ‘Trust Inclusion’ – developing inclusive leaders in school Trusts.  From 2012 to 2019 Mandy was Director of People at the largest school group in the UK, United Learning, responsible for HR, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Marketing and Communications.    The United Learning HR team won the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development ‘HR Team of the Year’ in 2016.    HR Magazine listed Mandy in the top 10 ‘HR Most Influential’ in both 2018 and 2019 – where she was ranked the 7th most influential HR Director in the UK.  

Mandy has previously worked in senior HR roles in the NHS, Local Government, the Charity sector and with schools.  She is also an experienced Board Director and advisor on aspects of corporate governance.   She was a Trustee/Director of the Diocese of Coventry Multi Academy Trust from 2016 until 2024 and she Chaired the People and Pay Committee.  Mandy is currently a Trustee of the National Teaching Awards Trust.   She is a graduate in Law, a Fellow of the CIPD, a qualified Executive Coach and an NLP practitioner.    

Andrew is a successful entrepreneur, running businesses in the healthcare products, property development and hospitality sectors both within the UK and abroad.

He has over 20 years’ experience within education governance.

Pamela is Group Company Secretary at Rolls-Royce Holdings plc.  She is an expert in corporate governance and company law and has been a fellow of the ICSA: The Governance Institute since 1997. 

Pamela has held various senior company secretarial and legal roles throughout her career.  At Rolls-Royce Pamela chairs the Charitable Contributions and Sponsorship Committee which also oversees the Group’s community investment and education outreach programmes which are particularly focused on STEM activities.

Pamela sits on the Audit & Risk Committee, the Finance Committee and the Board of Trustees.

Mark Martin MBE aka @Urban_Teacher is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Education Practice. Mark has been working in education for nearly two decades and has worked in a range of different education settings.

Mark is a thought leader in EdTech and a hugely popular speaker, sharing his expertise and insights to educators around the world. He has worked with government, big tech, and institutions around the UK.

He continues to advocate for home-grown talent, digital skills and education equity. He co-founded UKBlackTech in 2017, and now is one of the leading tech groups within the UK. In May 2022, Mark was recognised as one of the top 50 most influential people in UK IT by computer weekly. In 2019, he was awarded an MBE for services to education, technology, and diversity in UK technology.

Karen is the Global Co-Head of Litigation and the Americas Co-Chair of Allen & Overy LLP, a global law firm.

Karen is also an employment law specialist and has considerable strategic boardroom experience, including dealing with all manner of crises. She was admitted as solicitor in England and Wales 1990.

Before joining NCG in 2019, Liz worked in Higher Education for more than 20 years, holding senior roles at the Open University, Salford, Goldsmiths and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) where she was Deputy Vice Chancellor. Liz was also CEO of University Alliance during 2018, on a secondment from UCLan.

First in the family to go to University, Liz studied English Language and Literature at Worcester College, Oxford. She has been a passionate advocate for social equality and for widening access to all forms of education, in practical as well as in policy terms, throughout her career. Liz is well known across the education sector for leadership development, positive change management, entrepreneurial leadership, improving the student experience, and for making things happen.

Liz holds a number of non-executive roles, which include English Heritage (member of the Remuneration Committee), the Sir John Brunner Foundation (member of Audit and Remuneration Committees); and has recently joined the Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust.

After spending eight years in various finance roles at Oldham Council, Joe joined E-ACT in 2013 as Academy Accountant at E-ACT The Oldham Academy North.

Joe then progressed to Business Manager and Regional Operations Director before moving to his current role as Director of Academies Finance in 2023.

Joe’s role is to lead the team of Finance Leads across the trust in supporting headteachers with their budget setting, monitoring and management.

Joe is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA) and holds a Diploma in School Business Management.

Paul joined E-ACT in September 2022 after six years managing the provision of new educational premises with the PPP, Bristol Local Education Partnership. Throughout his career he has worked in major procurement and project delivery in a number of sectors and worked for the DfE and a range of private sector organisations on educational schemes.

His focus within E-ACT is on the improvement of the trust’s estate and capital investment in new developments.

Jen has worked across the education, health, and social care sector for over 22 years and has dedicated her career to safeguarding the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Kate has had a wealth experience from her previous employment of Acting Director of School Improvement at St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust.

Kate’s new role at E-ACT will focus on leading the delivery of outstanding education across a number of academies.

Laura has joined E-ACT as National Education Director – Secondary.

Laura has a wealth of experience including her previous role as Headteacher at a ‘stuck’, requires improvement school in Burton. Laura brought about phenomenal change, successfully leading the school from “requires improvement” to Ofsted “outstanding”.

Niall joined E-ACT from Ofsted where he served as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI). Prior to joining Ofsted, Niall was headteacher of an 11-18 secondary academy in South London.

At E-ACT Niall is an Education Director working across a number secondary academies. He also leads the Secondary Learning Assurance Board (LAB) which seeks to improve the quality of teaching and learning across the trust.

Having graduated with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bristol, Marcus undertook the Teach First training programme in 2011 where he trained as a Maths teacher in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Marcus became subject leader before moving to a challenging inner-city school in Derby where he became an Assistant Principal and then Principal in 2016. Having successfully led the school out of special measures, Marcus then became the founding Principal of The Wells Academy in January 2019 where he led the successful demerge from a larger school and led a rapid positive transformation in behaviour, culture and outcomes at the academy, with the academy’s progress score making significant improvements in 2022. Marcus became an Education Director for E-ACT in December 2022 and has a real passion for educational equality and providing the very best platform for students from all backgrounds.

Sophie joined E-ACT as a HR Administrator in 2018. Starting off her career in HR, Sophie supported both of our Daventry schools. In 2019 Sophie moved on to support a number of academies in the south region and now she is the Head of HR supporting 28 academies with her team.

Laura has been with E-ACT since 2021 and heads up the marketing and communications function with a focus on trust and academy marketing, internal communications and brand. Prior to joining E-ACT, Laura was Head of Marketing for an Education Software company. Laura is passionate is about championing each one of our stakeholders, whether that’s a pupil in an academy or one of our colleagues.

Debbie joined E-ACT in 2016 having previously worked at Booker Cash & Carry as a Senior Commercial Analyst. During her time at Booker Debbie helped to negotiate and evaluate supplier contracts with many multinational food and beverage companies.

At E-ACT, Debbie manages the national finance team along with the trust payroll team and is committed to help  ensuring that E-ACT is financially resilient and her teams add value and communicate clearly with all colleagues.

Dominic joined E-ACT in August 2016 as Procurement Manager, having worked previously in the procurement team at The University of Northampton. Dominic was promoted to Head of Procurement at E-ACT in 2020.

Dominic is one of the original members of the MAT procurement group, established in 2017, working collaboratively for the sector. This has grown significantly and membership currently covers in excess of 600 academies. Dominic also represents E-ACT within the DfE MAT Procurement Professional Network. He is MCIPS qualified.

Jason joined E-ACT as National Cyber Security Manager in 2019 before becoming National IT Service Manager in 2023.

Prior to working at E-ACT, Jason worked in education as Director of IT for a Multi-Academy Trust and as an IT Manager responsible for the IT Support for nine schools in a local community. Prior to working in education, he provided IT support in the public sector for Axa Sun Life and Orange.

Djaoueb has taken on this new role as part of our ambitious digital transformation programme. Djaoueb has been with E-ACT over 14 years so brings a wealth of experience – most recently as Regional IT Manager for London and Bucks. He is also studying for an MSC in Digital Technology and Solutions at Henley Business School.

Clío Brown is the National Early Years and Early Reading Advisor for E-ACT. Having worked in the education sector for 13 years she has held a variety of roles from teaching positions to EYFS lead, Assistant Headteacher, DSL and Lead Practitioner for another large MAT. Clío contributes to Tes on Early Years and SEND issues and is a regular conference speaker. Clio is passionate about raising the profile of the vitality of the Early Years, especially in the early identification of SEND.

Jillian has been at E-ACT since 2012 as a teacher at E-ACT Ilminster Avenue Academy. She has worked across various academies and worked regionally as a Regional Data Lead and Training & Learning Lead. 

Since 2021, Jillian has been the Primary Curriculum Advisor where she has supported academies with the development of curriculum, pedagogy and subject leadership knowledge.

Rhian has been at E-ACT since 2018 when she joined as a Regional KS2 Lead Practitioner. She has worked at Chalfont Valley and Braintcroft Primary Academies as Deputy Headteacher and SENDco leading on curriculum and inclusion. 

Since Sept 2023, Rhian has been the Primary SEND Specialist where she has supported academies with their SEND provision.