Trustees’ Information

Our Trust Board

As stated in the Academy Trust Handbook September 2023 the academy trust board provides:

Strategic leadership of the academy trust: the board defines the trust vision for high quality and inclusive education in line with its charitable objects. It establishes and fosters the trust’s culture and sets and champions the trust strategy including determining what, if any, governance functions are delegated to the local tier.

Accountability and assurance: the board has robust effective oversight of the operations and performance of the academy trust, including the provision of education, pupil welfare, overseeing and ensuring appropriate use of funding and effective financial performance and keeping their estate safe and well-maintained.

Engagement: the board has strategic oversight of relationships with stakeholders. The board involves parents, schools and communities so that decision-making is supported by meaningful engagement.

To contact our trustees please email the Trust Governance Officer at gaby.willis@ivyeducationtrust.co.uk

Our Trustees

Tony Smith

CHAIR OF TRUST BOARD

Member appointed 15 December 2020
Member reappointed for a second term on 8 November 2024

Tony has enjoyed a long career in state education, which began as a teacher of Geography. He and his family have lived in Teignmouth for over twenty-five years during which time he was an education officer in Devon for 14 years, and Director of Education for over 5 years. Tony brings extensive knowledge and experience of Multi-Academy Trusts to the Board, having been involved with academies since their inception in areas such as training programmes for Chairs and Trustees; performance reviews of Chief Executives; reviewing progress of and assisting and advising on growth of various MATs. In addition, Tony served for five years as Chair of the Diocese of Salisbury Multi-Academy Trust.

Tony looks forward to working with the schools in the Ivy Education Trust and ensuring the pupils in those schools receive the best education and opportunities possible.

Paul Lilley

CHAIR OF FINANCE, AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE

Member appointed on 10 February 2020
Member appointed for a second term on 16 January 2024

Paul is currently a director of his own company, Lucwin Limited, which provides advice and financial solutions to SMEs. He is also a director of Friends Helping at Home, a care business providing support to people in their own homes. Paul spent the majority of his career, 34 years, with HSBC, as a senior manager, both in the UK and overseas. His last post was based in Cardiff looking after the business in Wales, over 100 branches and 1500 people. Paul has been actively involved with the Chamber of Commerce, being president at Frome and a founding director of the Wessex Association of Chambers of Commerce. He also helped to establish a new Young Enterprise board for West Wiltshire, helping 15 to 16 year olds set up and run their own limited companies. He has been a parent school governor and most recently a governor at Torbay and South Devon Health care Trust. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. He is married with two grown up daughters. He enjoys travelling to exotic and unusual locations in the world and loves to keep fit and Spin is his passion.

Paul Austin

VICE CHAIR OF TRUST BOARD
FINANCE, AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE
GDPR LINK

Member appointed on 1 June 2022

Paul is a Chartered Accountant with Board experience of listed financial services companies and not for profit organisations. In the past he has specialised in Business Strategy, Finance, Investment Management and IT within large businesses. Paul was the Chairman of Estuaries Multi Academy Trust prior to the amalgamation with Osprey Learning Trust (now Ivy Education Trust). His aim is to help the Board clearly set out the Trust’s strategic objectives and then build robust and scalable operations to achieve these objectives over time for the benefit of all stakeholders.

REV GARETH REGAN

FOUNDATION TRUSTEE
PEOPLE AND VALUES COMMITTEE
CAREERS LINK TRUSTEE

EDEN (Foundation) appointed on 16 May 2022

Gareth was Ordained in 2013 at Lichfield cathedral and prior to this he worked as a Manager for several retail companies, specialising in support of creating teams for new stores. Since being ordained, Gareth’s first role was in Wolverhampton working in a large multi-cultural parish and he enjoyed being a governor in a 3-form-entry Infant and Junior school.

Being born and raised in Newton Abbot, Gareth has returned home to be a Vicar in his home town; one of a team of 3 looking after 6 churches. Continuing his speciality in starting new things, he started a new church in 2021, which saw a church that was due to be closed and sold come back into life.

Gareth Is married with three children and enjoys cycling and walking to keep fit.

NICK TALLAMY

PEOPLE AND VALUES COMMITTEE
SAFEGUARDING TRUSTEE

Member appointed on 10 October 2023

Nick is a Senior Account Manager for Inteum International Ltd., working with Universities and Research Institutes in the UK, EU, Middle East and Africa.

Nick has over 12 years’ experience in governance, many of those as Chair of governors for Cockwood, Kenn CofE and Kenton primary schools. He was also Chair of Osprey Learning Trust for a short time, at the start of the Covid pandemic.

His previous experience, working alongside child protection teams in the Police, has given him an insight and experience with Safeguarding.

Nick is an avid Torquay United fan and can regularly be seen watching games from Bristow’s Bench.

RICHARD GIVEN

QUALITY OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE
ATTENDANCE TRUSTEE

Trustee appointed 12 December 2023

Richard is Group General Counsel at OpenPayd which is building embedded finance and banking-as-a-service infrastructure that powers business growth. Previously he was General Counsel at 10x Banking, the cloud native core banking platform provider. Richard has also been Deputy General Counsel at the global bank, HSBC and a Regional General Counsel at the IT company Cisco.

Richard drives effective and timely decision-making for complex business as a key business partner to other stakeholders. He also works on supporting in-house lawyers on managing the tensions inherent in the regulatory requirement to be independent while also advising your employer.

Richard is an alumnus of the international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and of Cambridge University. He enjoys walking the Tors of Dartmoor whenever he gets the chance.

EDWARD WALKER

PEOPLE AND VALUES COMMITTEE

Trustee appointed 12 December 2023

Edward is a Director at Deloitte Consulting and senior leader in their People and Workforce Strategy practise supporting government, civil service and broader public sector with their most complex people related challenges, shaping what the future of work looks like for the UK Public sector.

Previous to this Edward has proven track record in leading some of the largest People, Workforce and HR strategy programmes with FTSE100 multinationals across international emerging markets as well as domestically here in the UK.

Edward was born and bred in Devon, spent 15 years aboard and in London and now lives back in East Devon. Since a child he has a passion and love of the water and can often be found coaching at the local sailing club, or on the water fishing with his young family.

Lee Sargeant

CHAIR OF QUALITY OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Trustee appointed on 14 May 2024

Lee is currently a Head Teacher of a secondary school in Plymouth. He has extensive experience of senior leadership in schools, including those in challenging circumstances. Lee began as an English teacher in Cambridgeshire before relocating to Devon in 2015. He has a Master’s in Education, holds the National Professional Qualification for Headship and is currently undertaking a doctorate in education. He is also a trained Ofsted inspector. Lee lives in Devon and is keen to support the work of the Ivy Education Trust in providing excellent educational opportunities for the children that attend their schools.

LORRAINE HEATH OBE

Member appointed 24 July 2024

Lorraine is the Chief Executive Officer of Blackdown Education Partnership, a 12 school Trust based in Somerset and Devon.

Lorraine worked in a number of secondary schools in Somerset, before becoming the Headteacher at Uffculme School in 2008, later becoming the CEO of Uffculme Academy Trust. In 2023, Uffculme Academy Trust merged with The Castle Partnership Trust

Lorraine believes passionately in comprehensive education and inclusion. Her own children benefitted from an excellent state education, and she is firmly committed to working towards every child thriving in an excellent school. In 2019 Lorraine was awarded the OBE for services to education.

NIKI GLEW

FINANCE, AUDIT & RISK COMMITTEE
HEALTH & SAFETY LINK TRUSTEE

Trustee appointed on 4 March 2025

Niki is the Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Officer for Teignbridge District Council. With a diverse career spanning Central Government, the Private Sector, and charitable organisations, Niki brings a wealth of experience to her current roles.

She serves as Vice Chair of the Devon Association of Governance (DAG), is a Primary Schools representative on the Devon Education Forum and the Vice Chair of Governors for Decoy Community Primary School. Over the past 18 years, Niki has held various board positions across multiple sectors, demonstrating her leadership and governance expertise.

Having grown up in Teignbridge and now residing in Newton Abbot, Niki is deeply connected to her Community. She is married with three children and is passionate about driving up standards and championing community-strengthening initiatives.

Niki is eager to leverage her extensive experience to enhance outcomes for the children and young people attending schools within the Ivy Education Trust.

CHRIS TAYLOR

QUALITY OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Trustee appointed on 4 March 2025

Chris is a strategic leader in primary education with experience driving school improvement at scale. As Primary Regional Director for Lift Schools (the UK’s 3rd largest MAT, serving 33,000+ pupils), he leads Principals across the South West to ensure excellent education through a focus on high-quality teaching, robust curriculum and strong leadership. A former successful Principal with a track record of achieving exceptional outcomes and championing inclusion, Chris is nationally responsible for raising KS2 achievement within a network of 31 primary schools.

Chris is proud to have four generations of his family rooted in this coastal community. He is committed to the success of Ivy Education Trust, bringing extensive primary expertise and strategic insight to the Board.

DR STEPHEN LEE

PEOPLE AND VALUES COMMITTEE
SEND TRUSTEE

Trustee appointed on 13 May 2025

Stephen was one of His Majesty’s Inspectors of Education from 2015 until 2024 and latterly was Ofsted’s assistant regional director in the South West. He worked across all Ofsted’s remits (schools, children’s social care, further education and skills, and early years). In his role as an HMI, Stephen inspected all types of schools and was also involved in the inspection of local authority children’s services and area SEND partnerships. Prior to joining Ofsted, Stephen was a teacher, head of department and senior leader at Torquay Boys’ Grammar School. He has also worked in higher education.

Stephen has a first class degree and a doctorate in history. His book, George Canning and Liberal Toryism, 1801-1827, was awarded the Whitfield Prize by the Royal Historical Society for the best first book on British history published in 2008.

Stephen has lived in Teignmouth for nearly two decades.