Past Event

Sam McBride

Trust Systems Manager, Matrix Academy Trust

Sam McBride is Trust Systems Manager with extensive experience across health and safety, compliance, security, and site management. His background spans both education and theatre environments, bringing a strong understanding of operational safety, risk management, and the delivery of safe, compliant spaces.

Lana Stoyles

Executive Director Business Transformation, Nexus Multi Academy Trust

Lana has over 10 years’ experience working in education specialising in business operations and commercial. Proud to work for Nexus Multi Academy Trust in South Yorkshire as Head of Business Transformation, she began her career in banking before moving into a role in education as finance officer in a primary school. 

Lana later transitioned to school business leadership before joining Nexus Multi Academy Trust’s central team in 2022. Lana has recently worked closely with the Department for Education and Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) developing commercial capability within the education sector.

Ben Hardy

Policy Manager, Schools North East

Ben returned to Schools North East in January 2026 as Policy Manager, leading on the organisation’s strategic policy and public affairs agenda. His work provides alignment between policy, research, stakeholder engagement, and member insight; ensuring the voice of North East schools is heard to influence decision-makers at the highest levels. 

Ben brings a wealth of cross-sector experience to the role. He re-joins Schools North East following five years at the Department for Education, where he primarily led on stakeholder engagement working closely with the sector to ensure that strategy was developed with schools, trusts, and local authorities. He also served as Policy and Strategy Lead for the ‘Maximising Value for Pupils’ programme, which was launched to tackle systemic challenges at a national level. 

Between 2019 and 2021, Ben was Relationship Manager at Schools North East, where he developed strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders  across the region, including CEOs, CFOs, Head Teachers, School Business Professionals, local authorities, and other charitable organisations. Prior to this, Ben spent five years at The Key, supporting school and trust leaders nationwide. A committed advocate for the sector, Ben has been involved in school governance for over a decade and is currently Chair of Governors at a primary school in Newcastle.

Lisa Savage

Director, Promote your School

Lisa has over 20 years’ experience in the education sector as a teacher, senior leader, advisor and educational consultant. She has worked across schools of varying size, age phase, Ofsted status and management structure, giving her a broad and strategic understanding of the challenges and opportunities within education.

Lisa has always had a deep passion for working with children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). She specialised in SEND during her four-year BEd teacher training, is neurodiverse herself, and is a parent to two children with special needs (now teenagers). This gives her a uniquely rounded insight into the education of SEND pupils, from the perspectives of being an SEND pupil herself, an educator, a parent, and a consultant, and informs all her work in schools.

As an advisor with local authorities and school partnerships, Lisa has supported schools with improvement strategies and led large-scale projects designed to enhance outcomes for young people. This includes involvement in the London Schools Excellence Fund project in collaboration with the Mayor of London.

Drawing on her extensive experience in education, Lisa co-founded Wall Art by Promote Your School to bridge the gap between education and design. Today, she works closely with schools, colleges and universities in a consultative capacity, leading on educational strategy and project development to ensure that every solution is rooted in a deep understanding of how schools operate and what educators truly need.

Having worked with thousands of schools over the years, Lisa brings unrivalled insight into the sector and is passionate about helping educational organisations transform their visual environments. She works with schools, colleges, and universities to ensure their physical spaces reflect their ethos, support their improvement priorities, and positively influence how students, staff, and visitors experience the setting every day.

Pauline Aitchison

Deputy Director, Schools North East & NNoSS Network Lead

Pauline joined Schools North East in July 2017 as Business Manager and was appointed Deputy Director in 2020. She also leads the National Network of Special Schools for School Business Professionals (NNoSS), a network representing 400 schools in the specialist sector across England.

Prior to joining Schools North East in 2017, Pauline was a School Business Manager and has more than 25 years experience of working in education.  She has a wealth of knowledge with an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced by schools and is committed to making a difference to the learning chances of all pupils.

Pauline is also experienced in school governance having served on various governing bodies and is currently a trustee of a special school trust and a committee chair.  She has an MBA in strategic leadership and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management.