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Members of Board and Trustees

Trustees of Mosaic Schools Learning Trust

Scott Pinder 

Chair of Trustees

Scott has a Master’s degree in Mathematics (University of Leeds/University of Waterloo, Canada). He is a Graduate Statistician of the Royal Statistical Society and a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. Scott is a professional trustee and pensions actuary. His key skills are governance, risk management and communicating with a variety of audiences.

 

Ann Medhurst

Trustee 

Ann has been privileged to serve as a Trustee at Compass Academy Trust since its inception, and for the last 8 years as Chair of the Board, so she has worked closely with Connect Schools Academy Trust to effect the merger and creation of Mosaic Schools Learning Trust.  Before retirement, her career was in school business administration and her last post was as the School Business Administrator at a large, combined Primary and Secondary school in London where she was responsible for all the non-teaching functions of the school.  She believes passionately that all children deserve and have the right to the best education we can give them and will work tirelessly to ensure we deliver an inclusive, broad, and rich curriculum at Mosaic Schools Learning Trust.

Naureen Khalid

Trustee

Naureen holds several degrees in Natural Sciences and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. As a property developer and portfolio holder, Naureen has hands-on experience of project management, contract negotiation and budgeting. Naureen administers an online forum for governors which has been recognised by DfE, NGA and Ofsted. She publishes an influential blog on governance. Naureen has been invited to present on governance at several national events and conferences, including the Festival of Education, and has published newspaper articles on governance. Naureen has previous experience of school governance, having served as Vice Chair and Chair of an academy trust and she is also currently the Chair of two secondary LGBs within a large MAT.

William Mitchell

Trustee

William holds a BA (Hons) in Economics and Politics.  He is a Chartered Public Finance Accountant and a qualified member of the Institute of Risk Management. William is a Director in the Risk & Assurance Services practice of BDO LLP, specialising in the public sector, charities, education (academies and examination bodies), museums, galleries, healthcare professions, pension funds and other financial service organisations.  

Skills and experience include being head of internal audit and advisor for several not for profit, education, central government and charity organisations. William also provides risk management services for clients across many sectors, including academies and covering areas such as governance, digital, finance, HR, business planning, project management and legal liability exposures.  

William has previous experience of primary school governance, having served as a governor since 2007 and chair of governors between 2011 and 2022.

John Couch

Trustee 

John is a Chartered Civil Engineer with an extensive background in construction, public service, procurement and project management. He has worked with a range of local authorities, consultancies and companies across the UK. His primary involvement within the Trust is maximising the effective use of resources.

 

 

 

Gareth Walters

Trustee

Gareth spent the majority of his working life in Banking within the NatWest/ RBS Group. Gareth's career covered a number of disciplines including internal management consultancy, strategy and planning, various operational roles and most recently 10 years in the Bank's Treasury function focusing on the management of the Bank's balance sheet. These activities have provide Gareth with a very good understanding of how organisations operate, as well as extensive experience of operating in a team based environment in the areas of finance, budgeting and associated controls. Having now retired from Banking, Gareth is hoping to use his knowledge and experience to help in the continued success of the Mosaic Schools Learning Trust.

Tom Robin

Trustee 

Tom is currently Vice Chair of the Compass Academy Trust and has been involved in the Trust’s initial development having previously served as Chair of Marian Vian Primary School Board of Governors. Tom is passionate about effective Marketing and Communications and oversees the Marketing working group for the Trust. He is also a member of the Standards Committee and is excited about the new opportunities for curriculum development and collaboration.

Tom brings considerable experience to the Board, drawing on his extensive charity background from working in various Senior Marketing and Digital Communication roles at The Children’s Society, The Royal British Legion and Marie Curie. 

Jonathan Forsyth

Trustee

Jonathan is a Chartered Engineer, working in the NHS, with a background in Hard FM and technical compliance for capital schemes. His primary involvement within the Trust is reviewing the Facilities Management to ensure compliance with the guidelines.

 

 

Gerry Arbuckle

Trustee

Gerry holds a BSc (Econ) in International Relations and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law. He previously qualified as a Barrister (non-practising) and practised as a Solicitor. In his early career, Gerry also worked in the internet industry in New York, and for an investment bank in London. Gerry has been for many years an Owner/Director of specialist Legal Recruitment businesses based in the City of London. He works with leading UK and International law firms to grow their operations in the London market. Gerry brings a range of skills and experience gained working as a lawyer and running a successful business. Gerry was a Trustee of Compass Academy Trust from 2020 until its merger with Connect Schools Academy Trust in 2024. Gerry has also been a Trustee of a local Scout Group and has been involved in a number of local initiatives. Gerry is known for his straightforward, honest and friendly approach.

Sue Hannay

Trustee

Sue holds an MA in Relationship Therapy and is an experienced relationship counsellor, specialising in couples, young people and families. She has her own successful private counselling practice and previously worked for Relate. Sue’s first career was in Market Research as an Associate Director of GfK/NOP Market Research in London, moving to a local research and marketing company as Research Services Director after a career break. Sue has been involved with the local company for over 20 years and continues to provide consultancy services to them. Sue’s experience involves HR, finance, marketing, operational and business strategy. She was instrumental in growing the company to a global research and marketing services provider, providing business insight to a range of blue chip companies. She was responsible for building a fieldforce and involved in senior recruitment, managing training, CPD and appraisals. Sue has been a magistrate since 2009. Sue has previous experience of primary school governance, having served as a Chair of two LGBs and trustee of Connect Schools Academy Trust.

Marie Powell

Trustee

Marie has BSc in Mathematics and BEd in Maths, Statistics and Computing from Oxford Brookes University. She also has a Masters with the Open University in Online and Distance Education and is a fellow of the British Computing Society. Marie is a retired Chief Information Officer and Board Director who worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years. She has worked for several Global Investment Management Companies providing all aspects of technology development and technical support, managing large internationally located teams and multi-million dollar budgets. Marie has previous experience of school governance, having served as vice chair and safeguarding governor for a hospital school, local governor and vice chair for an independent GDST school and Trustee for another primary MAT.

Brendan Collins

Trustee

Brendan has qualifications in Business, Philosophy and Theology, studying in both Northern Ireland and Rome. Brendan served as an ordained Minister from 2011 to 2016 in Derry, Northern Ireland. This is where he gained his first experience as a School Governor. As a government official, Brendan has served at the Department for Education based at the Education and School Funding Agency with a focus on school governance and financial management. Brendan is currently based at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Brendan was attracted to Mosaic Schools Learning Trust due to their strong ethos and emphasis on community schools.

Members of Mosaic Schools Learning Trust

  • Peter Goodwin
  • Clive Rockcliffe
  • Ian Stedman
  • Devinia Curtis

 

Accounting Officer

Andrea Harris

Chief Executive Officer

Andrea holds a BEd (hons) degree with a mathematics specialism and an MA in Education with a Leadership and Management focus. Andrea worked for a number of years in a banking environment and completed banking qualifications to support this role. Andrea has worked in a variety of schools from the small village school, to large federations/Trusts and fully understands the leadership challenges that each situation brings. She also has experience of taking responsibility for schools in challenging circumstances and supporting them through the Ofsted experience. Andrea has also been a part of many strategic groups within local authorities, supporting policy writing and training sessions. Andrea is currently CEO of the Mosaic Schools Learning Trust. Andrea supported the successful growth of Connect Schools Academy Trust as well as being a strategic lead in the successful combining of Connect Schools Academy Trust and Compass Academy Trust more recently. Andrea continues to take an active part in MAT expansion to support a greater number of children accessing the highest quality education.