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Claire Knowles

Director, Karen Knowles Training and Development LTD

Claire is co-director of Karen Knowles Training and Development and works passionately to develop people to High Performance within their workplace regardless of their role. She specialises in workplace culture, leadership, and robust communication practises with a passion for ‘developing people to succeed’. Claire is a Licensed Insights Discovery Practitioner, specialising in supporting an understanding of self and others with an overall aim of working with businesses to ensure effective communication, Teamwork, and leadership skills for all staff. 

Adam Wright

Mentor, Chimp Management Ltd

Adam is a highly experienced mentor with a diverse background in mentoring individuals, teams, and organizations both nationally and internationally, across a variety of sectors. At Chimp Management, he has worked extensively in the public sector, particularly within the NHS, as well as in education, working with staff and senior leaders. In addition, Adam has supported clients across the corporate sector, working with everyone from CEOs and senior leaders to team members at all levels. Before joining Chimp Management, Adam ran his own successful coaching business, following several years in a high-pressure sales environment.

Rob Cattrall

Climate Action Advisor, Let's Go Zero

Rob is a Climate Action Advisor and team leader for the North East, Yorkshire and Humber. Originally a Geography teacher, he has also worked as a senior leader in secondary schools and across a Multi-Academy Trust.

John Broderick

Climate Action Advisor, Let's Go Zero

John has been a carbon accountant for 15 years after writing a PhD on emissions trading at the Tyndall Centre Manchester.  He then became a climate change researcher at the Tyndall Centre, lecturer at Manchester University and most recently he was the Net Zero Programme Manager at the Royal Society of Chemistry. John is also a governor at his village primary school, recruited by the local vicar as someone who could help bring the energy bills down.  He moved back to County Durham nearly ten years ago, retrofitting an old chapel into a modern, energy efficient home.

When not at work you can find John supporting his beloved Magpies at St James’ Park where he has shared a season ticket with his dad for nearly 20 years – ho' way the lads!

Graham Fitzgerald

Partner, Azets

Graham heads up the academy audit team at Azets in Teesside. He has over 30 years’ experience in audit and other advisory roles, and has been an audit partner since 2002. He currently works directly with over 30 academy trusts across the North East, and offers support and advice to colleagues and trusts nationally. He is a trustee and  chair of finance and and audit at a growing MAT, and holds the ICAEW’s specialist charity qualification.

Kath Hull

Chief Financial & Operations Officer, Lingfield Education Trust

Kath is the Chief Financial and Operations Officer for Lingfield Education Trust. She is a CIMA qualified accountant with over 20 years financial experience within the education and commercial
sector. She joined Lingfield Trust as a Finance Director in 2018 before progressing to her current position of CFOO where her remit expanded to include HR, Estates, H&S, Governance and Compliance.

She has led central services through a period of significant growth for the trust, and believes passionately in ensuring that high quality central services support schools and the wider communities. Her vision is to align resources to the strategic priorities of the trust, to ensure
finances are an enabler, and not a block, to achieving the key objectives for our pupils.

During her career Kath has also gained experience in HR, H&S, Governance and Compliance and holds qualifications in CIPD, SBM, Procurement, as well as coaching and mentoring.

Jon Holden

Cyber & FinTech Lead, CyberNorth

Jon Holden is a seasoned cybersecurity leader and advocate with a distinguished career in financial technology and digital security. He formerly served as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Atom Bank, where he led the organisation’s efforts to safeguard customer data and ensure the integrity of its pioneering digital banking operations. His innovative approach to cybersecurity played a critical role in strengthening trust in financial technology.

Beyond his tenure at Atom Bank, Jon is an active contributor to the regional cybersecurity ecosystem. He serves as the Lead for Cyber and FinTech at CyberNorth, the cybersecurity cluster for North East England, where he works closely with industry leaders to drive innovation and bolster the region’s digital resilience. His efforts have included supporting the launch of cybersecurity innovation centres in Newcastle and Durham, helping position the North East as a hub for digital security excellence.

Jon is also deeply involved with CyberFirst, an initiative by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) aimed at inspiring and developing the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. Through this work, Jon mentors young talent, champions greater diversity in tech, and promotes opportunities for aspiring professionals to contribute to the future of cybersecurity.

His passion for innovation, education, and collaboration makes him a pivotal figure in advancing both cybersecurity and financial technology, while his contributions to the community exemplify his dedication to creating a safer digital world.

Vickie Henry

School Business Manager, St Joseph’s Catholic Academy (BCCET)

Vickie is the School Business Manager at St Joseph’s Catholic Academy, a large secondary school based in Hebburn, South Tyneside, and part of the 30 Academy Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust. A former MFL Teacher, Vickie spent over 12 years working in both teacher and commercial recruitment across many sectors and industries before joining St Joseph’s in June 2021. Her passion for improving the recruitment process for all parties, not just employers, is really important and is evident in the changes made to their school recruitment process focusing on values driven recruitment for all roles, but particularly non-teaching positions across the school, which are nationally recognised as hard to fill.

Jill Donabie

Partner, Muckle LLP

Recognised as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ by Legal 500 UK and shortlisted for Public Sector Lawyer of the Year 2025 in the Northern Powerhouse Awards, Jill Donabie is a Partner at Muckle LLP, Legal 500 Tier 1 Firm for Education.

She works exclusively with education clients, providing practical, solutions-based advice on all types of contentious and non-contentious employment matters, including:

• Employment documentation and day-to-day employment-related issues.
• Employment tribunals.
• Projects (such as TUPE transfers, redundancies and restructuring).
• Collective issues.

Jill also advises on student and parental issues, including parental complaints, safeguarding, discrimination claims from pupils and special educational needs, including SEND tribunals.

Dr Kimberley Hardcastle

Assistant Professor, Northumbria University

Kimberley is an Assistant Professor in Marketing at Newcastle Business School (AACSB), Northumbria University, leading one of the largest Business & Marketing degree programmes in the North of England. Prior to entering academia, she has worked in various marketing and business management roles in the F & B service sector. She has a PhD in Marketing and is a researcher, writer, speaker & advisor in branding, sustainable consumer behaviour, AI, algorithms & platforms.

In particular, she is keen to understand how brands can use successfully proven influential buyer strategies to help consumers create good sustainable habits, her research also extends to examining the societal implications of emerging technologies. Her work has been published at several international conferences and in peer reviewed journals. Whilst working at the Newcastle Business School (AACSB), Kimberley has directly supported and trained many SMEs through European Regional Development Funding. As part of her leadership roles, Kimberley is Programme Leader for BA (Hons) Business and Marketing and leads on the Branding module on the MSc Marketing Programme & the Digital Campaign Management & Media module on the MSc Digital Marketing.

Kimberley is an external examiner at Bournemouth University for Programmes MSc Marketing Management & MSc Marketing and User Experience. She is also a reviewer for the Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Journal of Marketing Management and the Academy of Marketing Science. Kimberley has been awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and has been a nominated finalist for the Student Led Teaching Awards numerous times. Kimberley is on the judging panel for the prestigious Effie Awards UK, The Prolific North Marketing Awards & The North East Marketing Awards. Her current projects include The Responsible Development of AI and the societal implications of this in the North East.

Kimberley is working with North East partners to understand how we can adopt a citizen well-being approach to safeguarding and upskilling the region to ensure the NE is not left behind with emerging technology. Kimberley initiated such discussions after organising and delivering the first 'The North East AI Safety Summit' October 2023, which aimed to articulate a regional voice on the opportunities & threats of AI, & the responsible development of AI for NE industries, businesses & individuals with the intention of informing policy and the first Global Summit. Kimberley's business and marketing expertise resonate beyond academia as she is also a contributor at the World Advertising Research Centre (WARC).

Alexis Thurkettle

Office Manager, Jarrow Cross CE Primary School

Alexis joined Jarrow Cross C of E Primary School in 2009 as a part-time Administrator and progressed to the role of Office Manager two years later. In her current role as School Business Manager, she oversees the school’s finance, HR, procurement, and health and safety, alongside managing the day-to-day operations of the school office. She holds a degree in Business Leadership and Management and is currently studying for an MBA in Strategic Leadership. Passionate about collaboration and professional development, she also serves as one of the lead professionals in the South Tyneside SBM network, STARS.

Tracey Field

Founder, Tracey Field Consulting Ltd

Tracey has worked in the built environment, asset management, and facilities management for over 25 years, with experience spanning local authorities, private estates, and international projects. In recent years, she has focused on the education sector. After serving as an Estate Manager for a multi-academy trust (MAT) overseeing 30 schools, she now runs her own consultancy, supporting schools and trusts in adopting a more strategic and practical approach to managing their estates.

Tracey is also publishing a book on managing an education estate — a practical guide designed for everyone involved in the process, from site staff to CEOs. It’s the kind of resource she wished had been available when she first took on that responsibility.

Laura Mellis

Director of Operations, Advance Learning Partnership

Laura has over 13 years’ experience in education, with the past 7 years at the Advance Learning Partnership (ALP), initially as Head of Data before becoming Director of Operations in 2021.
As Director of Operations, she plays a significant role in delivering the Trust’s vision of enhancing both educational outcomes and organisational performance through the implementation of scalable systems and processes whilst empowering staff to drive improvements and deliver sustained impact. With her background in data Laura uses insights and intelligence to drive operational excellence, inform strategic planning and support continuous improvement.

John Brennan

Chief Commercial & Communications Officer, ISBL

As a strategy consultant, John has been involved in development of schools, academies and multi academy trusts for over 25 years. Now, as Chief Commercial Officer for ISBL, John is responsible for all aspects of communication, marketing and commercial development at the Institute.

Cate Kalson

Chief People & Operations Officer, Opencast

An advocate for building deliberately developmental organisations that put skill development at the heart of their purpose, Cate Kalson champions creating supportive, empowering cultures that enable people to grow and develop as people as well as professionals.

Cate hasn’t had a traditional path to chief people officer, but rather describes herself as a proud owner of a squiggly career. Cate started out as a life sciences researcher with a PhD in microbiology, then learned about business as a management consultant, digital product manager and then moving into leadership roles. Cate has always focused on building capability, recruiting, developing teams and creating training pathways.

Cate has been in her current role at Opencast since 2021 and has supported the rapid growth of one of the fastest growing large technology businesses in the North East. Cate believes that one of the biggest social impact levers any organisation has is to build their employees skills and works in close partnership with Skills Builder Partnership to champion the building of Essential Skills.

Cate is passionate about supporting community-focused organisations and alongside her Opencast role is also a Trustee at The Alnwick Garden, a primary school Governor and a Director of Dynamo North East.

Adam Ward

Renewals Manager, Education Mutual

Adam is the dedicated Renewals Manager at Education Mutual, where he plays a vital  role in collaborating with schools and trusts to ensure their unique needs are met with precision and care. With a strong understanding of the sector, Adam is committed to providing exceptional support and tailored solutions that empower educational institutions to thrive through staff absenteeism.

Before stepping into his current role, Adam spent many years as a Membership Advocate at Education Mutual. During this time, he built up his skills in maintaining a strong network of key decision makers and advocating for the interests of school business leaders, ensuring their voices were heard and their requirements addressed. His extensive experience in membership advocacy has equipped him with a deep appreciation for the challenges faced by educational professionals and the importance of providing them with a solution for the sector.

Graham Vials

Head of Education Law & Partner, Ward Hadaway

Graham is a Partner at Ward Hadaway and Head of Education Law at the firm, specialising in advising schools, academies, multi-academy trusts, independent schools, and colleges.  He is recognised nationally for his expertise in this sector, evidenced by him being ranked in both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500, independently praised for being "an expert in his field", "supportive and proactive", "extremely capable and easy to deal with" and "highly recommended".   He regularly advises on a wide variety of legal issues affecting education clients, including admissions and pupil exclusions, independent review panel hearings, employment and HR issues, KCSIE and Prevent, SEND Tribunal and student discrimination claims and complaints.

Dale Barton

Health & Safety Risk Manager HANDS, NYES

Dale Barton has worked in education for over 30 years and has led the NYES Health and Safety service for over 20 years, he manages the delivery of Health and Safety to over 500 schools. Dale spends most of his time supporting schools to ensure they are the safest possible environment for the staff and pupils acting as each school’s Reg. 7 competent person, advising on all things Health and Safety.

During the COVID 19 pandemic, Dale was an instrumental part of the COVID task force ensuring all schools were kept as safe as possible, he digested the government guidance quickly and translated this into an easy-to-understand format for our schools, as well as producing a new generic risk assessment each time! Dale is the lead Radiation Protection Officer for both North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council.

Dale is NEBOSH Diploma trained, a member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, a member of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management, alongside being a member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers and a Tiered 2 fire risk assessor on the IFSM Tiered Fire Risk Assessment Register. 

Louise Levy

COO, 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 47. Louise is also a director of Education Mutual.  Louise is also on the Schools North East SBM Council.

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.