Past Event

Diana Osagie

Author at Courageous Leadership

With 20 years' experience leading secondary education, including six years as a successful head teacher in a London secondary school; Diana works at the cutting edge of leadership development. She is known as a resilient school leader,skilled in urban leadership under challenging circumstances.

Diana has substantial success in developing school wide models that strategically enhance the quality of teaching and learning across the curriculum and can couple sound strategic vision whilst giving clear operational direction. Diana is also a school inspector with developed expertise scrutinising school wide systems. Diana is the author of the book Courageous Leadership- An hour to quash the tummy flies in your butter!

A humorous account of the highs and lows of leading in challenging circumstances, giving strategic insight to leaders who are serving at the chalk face and need someone to honestly share the mistakes, mishaps and triumphs of leadership. With a proven track record of developing leaders via bespoke training programs, Diana founded The Academy of Women's Leadership; specialising in supporting women to grow the leadership cultures of their organisations and to flourish as leaders established in confidence, Diana has established capability in mentoring and supporting leaders facing challenging circumstances and change.

Successful leaders have someone in their corner who understands and has overcome similar challenges. We all need an advocate and that is what Diana becomes when you work together, She is an advocate for your leadership.

Liane Atkin

Assistant Director of Education, Church of England Dioceses of Newcastle & Durham

Liane Atkin is Assistant Director of Education (with responsibility for legal and governance) for the Church of England Dioceses of Newcastle and Durham, working with 107 Church of England schools.  Liane also works in a seconded role as the Chief Operating Officer for the Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust which comprises 13 primary schools. 

This role includes directly supporting Head Teachers and School Business Managers in their roles in various areas, including policy compliance, admissions, HR, complaints handling, data protection and more.  Liane is a qualified solicitor and previously worked in private practice as an employment law solicitor and as a lecturer in law for Northumbria University.  Liane has also previously been a vice-chair of governors in a small rural school.

Emma Chawner

Director of Finance, Resources and Operations, Tees Valley Education

Emma contributes towards children’s opportunities and life chances through working with an outstanding team of individuals at Tees Valley Education and their external strategic partners.  As the Director of Finance, Resources and Operations, Emma does this by leading on a number of priorities such as the Trust’s financial resources, to ensure they are utilised in the best interests of our children so they can realise their true aspirations.

Emma is a Masters graduate in Leadership and Management, a Chartered Manager with the Chartered Management Institute and has worked in the Education sector for the past 5 years.  Prior to this, Emma has over 15 years experience in local government children’s services.

Christopher Sybenga

Regional Prevent Co-ordinator North East, Department for Education

Christopher is an experienced leader with accomplished decision-making skills honed throughout a 30-year career as a detective within law enforcement. Christopher retired from Northumbria Police as Head of Special Branch gaining experience in all aspects of the government’s CONTEST strategy and in particular Prevent. Christopher holds a qualifying law degree from the University of Northumbria and is a member of the National Counter Terrorism Advisory Group. In addition he volunteers within the community serving as a magistrate.

Ben Hardy

Stakeholder & Engagement Lead in the Schools Commercial Team, DfE

The team's role is to support the delivery of the Schools' Buying Strategy. Before joining the DfE, Ben was part of the team at Schools North East, a school-led regional network for all 1,150 schools in the region. In his role as Relationship Manager, Ben was responsible for developing and implementing effective engagement with a wide range of stakeholders including CEOs, CFOs, Head Teachers, School Business Professionals, Local Authorities and other charitable organisations. He worked closely with schools, Multi Academy Trusts and clusters to identify so that the organisation could address the key challenges they face. Prior to this, Ben worked with leaders and governors at schools, MATs and LAs across the country for The Key. 

Ben is Vice Chair of Governors at a primary school in Newcastle.

Julie Collins

Commercial Director, Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust & Bishop Wilkinson Commercial Services Ltd

Julie’s experience within the education sector and public procurement more widely is extensive, spanning 3 decades.  During her career she has been instrumental in education development across the public and private sector covering numerous categories, driving improvement, compliance, efficiency, and savings.  During that time Julie has remained a School Governor and is currently Chair for a Primary Academy, her knowledge and understanding firmly rooted in education.  

Julie’s background includes time with NEPO, YPO and CCS – giving her a unique insight into the procurement landscape and the variety of options available to schools.  Julie is a Board Level Director of Bishop Wilkinson Commercial Services Ltd and the commercial strategy was born out of Julie’s desire to help schools navigate the complex landscape, achieve savings, drive greater benefits, improve vital services and ensure a more balanced attitude across the entire sector.

Jo Davies

Owner & Manager of HR Alchemy

Jo is the Owner/Manager of HR Alchemy. Previously, She was HR Director within the steel industry for over 20 years. Jo established her business in 2017 after she was made redundant, and now has a team of 6 and they look after clients across a huge variety of sectors, from Education to Tech, Digital,  Maritime, Hospitality, Manufacturing, and everything in between. We look after high street brands as well as a well-known local dragon. As a company we act as HR mentor to start-ups at Teesside University Launch pad and Jo is a board member at Teesside Hospice.

Jo lives in Middlesbrough and is married to Phil with a footie mad 14 year old son called Lucas. However, the real boss in the household is our French bulldog called Stella.

Julie Deville

CEO, Extol Trust

Julie is CEO of Extol Trust a six school Trust based in the North East of England. She is passionate about the school led system and  formed Extol Trust to further enhance system leadership in the North East She has significant experience of effective school improvement.

Julie currently sits on TeachFirst's North East Strategic Board and has supported their development of the Early Careers Teaching programme.

As CEO, Julie has developed a different professional skillset than that of a Headteacher. She has gained insight into project management, managing change, talent strategy, financial predicting and metrics around financial sustainability within a complex organisation of a Trust, thus creating a sustainable community of improvement.

Jim Farquhar

Assistant Chief Executive, Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust

Jim Farquhar is the Assistant Chief Executive of the Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust, serving 38 schools across Teesside and Yorkshire with strategic responsibility for all Corporate Services’ functions.  With previous senior appointments in local government and the police, Jim is a CIPFA qualified accountant with over 25 years’ experience. 

Jim is also a serving officer in the Royal Navy Reserve with the Maritime Trade Operations capability and is the current Unit Training Officer for HMS Calliope in Gateshead.  

Dr Rachel Gordon

Managing Director, School Funding Service

Rachel Gordon has been helping schools find and apply for grants for over 10 years. She has advised hundreds of schools on grant fundraising and written winning bids to secure funds for a wide range of projects from playgrounds and sports equipment, to after-school clubs and extended services. Rachel has delivered fundraising workshops across the country at education conferences including EdExec Live and the School Finance Conference. She has also written articles for Ed Exec, Headteacher Update, SecEd and Innovate My School.

Elliot Stirk

CFO, Extol Academy Trust

Elliot is Extol’s lead on both finance and accountancy. He has a number of years experience of working within the public sector, this included supporting schools within a LA and gaining experience of different streams of funding.

Elliot is a fully qualified chartered accountant  having undertaken the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Professional Qualification,  this enhances the service we provide  to our schools in terms of clarification over such things as National Funding Formula and responding to ESFA announcements in a timely manner.

Elliot  is also an accredited School Resource Management Adviser  (SRMA) and undertakes deployments commissioned by the ESFA across the North of England. His work supports schools and local authorities to look at efficiencies within their budgets.

Lorraine Heard

Legal Director in WBD's Employment Team

Lorraine was shortlisted for 'Employment Lawyer of the Year' in the inaugural Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards 2023.  Lorraine draws on her recognised expertise in discrimination and equal pay to advise clients in the education sector on diversity and inclusion related matters, including the avoidance and defence of complex discrimination challenges.

Graham Jordan

Partnership Analyst, North Eastern ICT Partnership

Graham co-ordinates joint working in the Region’s council IT departments to address new IT challenges. 

Within that role he manages ISNorthEast, an IT security network for more than 50 public sector organisations in the region.

Graham has worked in a partnership setting for the past 30 years, previously working in regional public transport policy and managing trans-national EU research projects looking at how the emerging digital society can benefit public services, in particular those for older and disabled people.

Graham is a STEM Ambassador and has delivered careers and online personal branding talks in schools as part of Esh Group’s ‘Building my Skills’ programme. 

Louise Levy

COO, The Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Academy Trust & Education Mutual Director

Louise is Chief Operating Officer at a large and growing Multi Academy Trust in the North East. She has been at Cardinal Hume for the last 11 years and overseen the growth from a single school to a Multi Academy Trust of 17. Louise is also a director of Education Mutual.  Louise is also on the Schools North East SBM Council.

Chris Mills

Communications & Engagement Lead in the School Resource Management Team, Education Skills Funding Agency

Chris joined the Schools Resource Management team in 2021, helping to co-draft in partnership with the sector the published School Resource Management Strategy: Building a Stronger System in 2022.

Prior to this Chris worked in the Apprenticeship team at the Department for Education, leading on the policy for the Traineeship programme which supported young people and adults into employment or further education.

Lorna Nicoll

Operational Lead, Poverty Proofing

In her fifth year working on Poverty Proofing with Children North East, Lorna has a background in teaching and leading Primary and Early Years.  Passionate about social justice and making a difference for disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people, she has seen first-hand the immediate and long-term value Poverty Proofing has in schools, health, cultural and other settings.

Hilary du Randt

Partner and Head of the Newcastle Employment Team, WBD

Hilary is an extremely bright, diligent partner with a down to earth, easy to work with demeanour. She is incisive in her thinking and effective at communicating it" (Legal 500 UK 2023).

Phil Tompkins

Partner, Ward Hadaway LLP

Phil is a partner at Ward Hadaway LLP and is an experienced information rights lawyer specialising in data protection and freedom of information for over 25 years. He is on a mission to demystify the dark arts of data protection law. 

Phil acts for both public and private sector clients including a number of education bodies in respect of information rights issues.  He is never happier than when presented with a complex subject access request(!).Phil delivers the data security module for national training provider PDP as part of their Practitioner’s Certificate in Data Protection.

Phil is joint editor of the Law Society’s Information Sharing Handbook and taught the Freedom of Information module on Northumbria University’s master’s degree in Information Rights law for a number of years.

Julie Liddell

Managing Director, Still Human

Julie has over 25 years experience of teaching Psychology, along with an enthusiasm for sharing simple, effective ways to improve wellbeing.
Having worked in the post 16 sector both as a teacher and a Senior Manager, Julie has a genuine understanding of the current challenges facing education.

Julie founded Still Human as she believes that when staff health and wellbeing is nurtured, it positively impacts both the individual and the whole school community. Still Human is part of the educational support services organisation, The Edwin Group and delivers workshops on a wide range of topics including Stress Management, Mindfulness, the Menopause and Rest, as well as delivering Wellbeing Champion training.

Rebecca Lambton

Marketing Director, iTchyrobot

Becky Lambton is a highly experienced marketing strategist with over 25 years of expertise in both the commercial and educational sectors. For the past decade, Becky has focused her efforts on helping schools to effectively market themselves through thoughtful and targeted communications.

Drawing on her extensive knowledge and practical approach, Becky provides schools with the tools and strategies they need to tell their story and connect with potential pupils and parents. Widely recognised as an expert in her field, Becky's friendly and approachable manner makes her a trusted partner to schools seeking to achieve their marketing goals.

Jill Donabie

Partner, Muckle LLP

Recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ by Legal 500 UK, Jill Donabie is a Partner at Muckle LLP, Legal 500 Tier 1 Firm for Education. As part of the firm’s Sports, Education and Charities team, Jill advises on a wide range of people related issues in the education sector.

Jill has around 20 years’ of specialist education/employment knowledge and experience in advising on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious issues, including:
• employment documentation and day to day employment related issues;
• employment tribunals;
• projects (such as TUPE transfers, redundancies and restructuring);
• collective issues; and
• student and parental issues, including parental complaints, safeguarding, discrimination claims from pupils and special educational needs including SEND tribunals. 

Jill regularly delivers training on a wide range of topics and chairs a networking group of HR professionals in schools. Jill is also chair of governors at a local primary school.

Graham Fitzgerald

Partner, Azets

Graham heads up the academy team at Azets Wynyard, and is joint head of academies at Azets nationally. He has over 25 years’ experience in audit and other advisory roles, and has been an audit partner since 2002. He currently works with over 50 academy trusts across the region. He is also chair of finance and a trustee at a growing MAT, and holds the ICAEW’s specialist charity qualification.

Chris Zarraga

Director, Schools North East

Chris has been part of the Schools North East team since its inception in 2007 and in 2019 he was appointed Director.

Chris works with other leaders across the North East, the education sector and charity sector to represent the voice of North East schools, and lobby policy makers to ensure that the North East is not left behind when it comes to education policy. Chris has overseen the launch of the Ednorth evidence-based excellence programme, as well as the partnership with SHINE bringing over £500,000 worth of funding to North East schools.

Under Chris, Schools North East has moved to a greater focus on lobbying around education policy, with the launch of the Manifesto for North East Education in December 2019. As well as being a trustee of a local MAT, Chris sits on various boards including the board for Opportunity North East. Prior to joining Schools North East, Chris worked with over 165 schools in the North East and various education organisations including local authorities, Excellence Partnerships, 14-19 Groups, the Specialist Schools & Academies Trust, and School Improvement Officers. He led a large scale culture change project in education across the North East and was the development consultant for the LEGI funded Wansbeck Enterprise Education Network.