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

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 December 2019

Paul is currently a director of his own company, Lucwin Limited, which provides advice and financially 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

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.

Katie York

CHAIR OF QUALITY OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE POLICY REVIEW GROUP

Trustee appointed on 14 July 2020

Katie has spent her career teaching Science and Biology in state secondary schools for 35 years.

Katie taught in Scottish secondary schools for 6 years and then moved to London in 1987 where she taught for the next 29 years in a range of schools to include 2 Academies. She held several promoted posts starting from Deputy Head of Science and working her way up to Head of Science, Deputy Principal and Vice Principal. Katie also completed a 1-year teacher exchange to Queensland in Australia where she concluded research on Assessment for her Masters degree. She holds the following qualifications: Chartered London teacher and NPQH. She has been a Leadership coach for the former NCSL and was Academy lead for the ‘Challenge the Gap programme. Katie is also trained as an Ofsted Inspector.

Steve Jackson

FINANCE, AUDIT AND RISK COMMITTEE
GDPR LINK TRUSTEE

Trustee appointed 25 May 2021

Steve is currently Commercial Director for the regional civil engineering business of a large national contractor. He is primarily responsible for commercial performance, risk management, supply chain, governance and strategy. Prior to this, Steve was a senior manager for a large defence contractor based in Plymouth, maintaining and decommissioning the UK’s nuclear submarine fleet.

Steve has an MBA from Warwick Business School and a Honours degree in Business. He is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

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.

SUE CLARKE

QUALITY OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Member appointed 12 August 2022

Sue retired in 2016 after working in education for nearly forty years. Her last post was as Head of Education and Learning for Devon County Council but she has been a primary headteacher, a primary phase adviser and school inspector. Sue has more recently worked as an independent consultant leading Peer Reviews for the Local Government Association.

Sue sits on the Exeter College Board of Governors and is also a trustee for SPACE*, a youth services charity based in Devon.

Sue has a MSc in Education Research from Exeter University and was awarded an OBE in the 2011 New Year’s Honours List for Services to Education. Married with two grown up children, Sue enjoys walking on Dartmoor, yoga and swimming.

NICK TALLAMY

PEOPLE AND VALUES COMMITTEE
SAFEGUARDING TRUSTEE

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