Mandy Coalter

Founder, Talent Architects

Mandy is the Founder of ‘Talent Architects’ which has a simple mission; helping schools become great places to work. Talent Architects providers consultancy and advisory support to school groups, coaching and mentoring, training and events/conferences. Mandy’s successful book ‘Talent Architects; how to make your school a great place to work’ was published in 2018.

From 2012 to 2019 Mandy was Director of People at United Learning, responsible for HR, talent management, leadership development, marketing and communications. United Learning is one of the largest school groups in the UK, running circa 80 schools across state and independent sectors employing over 8,000 staff. Mandy built the group reputation as an employer, taking forward key priorities such as developing leaders, talent management, employee engagement, well-being, recruitment, pay and performance management.

The United Learning HR team won the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development ‘HR Team of the Year’ in 2016. HR Magazine listed Mandy in the top 10 ‘HR Most Influential’ in both 2018 and 2019 - where she was ranked the seventh most influential HR director in the UK. Mandy was also shortlisted for the HR Excellence Awards' ‘HR Director of the Year’ 2018.

Mandy has previously worked in senior roles in the NHS, Local Government, the charity sector and with schools. She is also a very experienced board director and advisor on aspects of corporate governance. She is a Trustee/Director of E-ACT Trust and the National Teaching Awards Trust. She was a Trustee at the Diocese of Coventry Multi Academy Trust for eight years up to April 2024. She is a graduate in Law, a Fellow of the CIPD, a qualified executive coach and an NLP practitioner.

Mandy is also the Co-Founder of ‘Trust Inclusion’ – developing inclusive leaders in school trusts.

Hall 10a

1 Series two

Flourishing adults: How to create and measure a healthy workplace culture

In this session you’ll learn about how The Education Alliance is using staff insight to improve wellbeing and drive tangible outcomes. Drawing on this approach, we will hear from Mandy Coalter on how executive leaders and trust boards can measure engagement and understand the experiences of all employees – from classroom to board. You’ll gain practical strategies to build a thriving, supportive culture where people – and pupils – can flourish.

1 Workshops series one

Developing inclusive people leadership so staff and pupils can flourish

This session looks at the critical importance of developing inclusive leaders - those who create environments where everyone can thrive. Participants will explore how inclusive recruitment, people development, performance management, and supportive wellbeing can support our leaders to be successful for the benefit of the adults and children in their care. You’ll also have the opportunity to consider how a strategic focus on flourishing adults can have a tangible impact on teacher retainment, creating the powerful argument for investing in this area. Following this session, delegates will be able to answer two key questions: What does inclusive leadership mean? And, how do we model it?

12:05

1 Main programme

Keynote panel: How do we make education the sector of choice?

The panel will discuss strategies for attracting the next generation of educators. How can the trust sector create the supportive environment necessary within their schools to help emerging talent thrive? Together, they’ll explore how culture can be intentionally shaped to meet the expectations and values of new professionals entering education.