Speakers

Cat Scutt is Deputy CEO, Education and Research at the Chartered College of Teaching, the professional body for teachers. A former English teacher, Cat’s roles have since focused on supporting teacher development both online and through face-to-face activities, with a particular focus on development using digital technology, through collaboration and by engagement with research and evidence. She has worked in education in both the state and independent sector, as well as in corporate learning and development. Cat leads on the Chartered College Of Teaching’s work around teacher development and certification, including the Chartered Teacher programme, and their research activities and publications, including their award-winning peer-reviewed journal, Impact. She is currently completing her PhD at the UCL Institute of Education. She received an MBE for services to education in 2021 and has been a member of several government advisory groups.

Chris Moon has lived through experiences few have survived, and even fewer would undergo with such impressive fortitude and positivity. He has been imprisoned and blown up, and now takes on some of the toughest marathons in the world.

After serving in the army Chris joined HALO, the Hazardous Areas Life-Support Organisation. While supervising former Cambodian soldiers doing mine clearance, Chris and two others were kidnapped by Khmer Rouge guerrillas. Chris kept his nerve and negotiated his release, despite being told no one had ever left their captivity alive.

After Cambodia Chris assumed control of large-scale mine clearance in Mozambique. Walking through a cleared field, he encountered a mine his team hadn’t been able to find. The explosion should have killed him, and doctors back at base said he wouldn’t survive long enough to be rescued. A combination of treating himself and mental and physical strength saw him pull through. He focused on what he had to live for and why it mattered that he make it.

Less than a year later he completed the London Marathon. He went on to become the first amputee to take part in the Great Sahara Run and has since taken on some of the toughest, longest marathons and ultramarathons in the world including running 700km down the length of Cambodia. Chris has since taken part in dozens of challenges, raising thousands of pounds for charity.

Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a scientist and broadcaster.

She is the presenter of the The Sky at Night, has fronted a number of space documentaries, and regularly appears on science and non-science programmes.

From a modest background and diagnosed with dyslexia, Maggie overcame the naysayers to study at Imperial College where she obtained her degree in Physics and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. After her studies, she toured the UK speaking to inner-city schools about what scientists do, why they do it, and how to be one with the aim of inspiring the next generation of physicists.

Since then, she has spent her career making novel, bespoke instrumentation in both the industrial and academic environments, ranging from hand-held land mine detectors to an optical subsystem for the James Webb Space Telescope. She has worked for the MoD on missile warning systems, and for aerospace giant EADS on projects to monitor the earth’s atmosphere.

Maggie is a research fellow and an Honorary Research Associate at University College London, and continues to work to engage the public with science. She was made an MBE for services to science and science education.

Dame Rachel is a nationally recognised educator and advocate for improving the life chances of disadvantaged children. Before her appointment as Children’s Commissioner, she led two schools from failing to outstanding, before founding and leading the Inspiration Trust, a family of fourteen schools in East Anglia. The trust was twice ranked as the nation’s top group of comprehensive schools based on pupil progress at GCSE. She was made a dame in 2014 for services to education.

Dame Rachel was appointed Children’s Commissioner in 2021. In this role she has unique legislative powers, is an advocate for children across the country, and represents children’s needs across Government. In role, Dame Rachel has completed the two largest-ever surveys of children ‘The Big Ask’ with over half-a-million responses and most recently, The Big Ambition. Dame Rachel is now building on the over a million voices she has captured directly, to present young people’s ideas to politicians and policy makers about how to make their lives better.

Victor Adebowale is Chair of the NHS Confederation, and was Chief Executive of the social charity Turning Point for over a decade. As well as more than 25 years experience in the health, social care and housing areas he is a leadership consultant for both private and public sector organisations. Raised in Yorkshire, Victor left school, worked as a street sweeper, moved to London and returned to education. After working for various housing charities he joined Centrepoint as Alcohol Recovery Project Director and became Chief Executive. After five years leading the homelessness charity he moved to become Chief Executive of Turning Point, the integrated community care organisation working across a wide spectrum of social and health care issues. Victor helped turn the organisation around and Turning Point now helps over 100,000 people and has a nationwide workforce of over 2,500 working in areas from drug and alcohol abuse to mental health, learning disabilities and unemployment. Victor has advised both Labour and Conservative administrations on housing, employment, social care and public service reform. As a leadership and organisational consultant he has worked with companies including Shell, KPMG and with local government. He is also a non executive director of the Co-Op, health IT consultancy St Vincents, and TomahawkPro, a collaborative software company. He is Chair of Social Enterprise UK and was a member of the Audit Commission.

Sir Hamid is Chief Executive of Star Academies. He has led the trust since its inception. Sir Hamid is passionate about the highest of ambition for children and young people from the most disadvantaged communities across the country, and this vision has guided the philosophy of the trust and his work in particular.

Sir Hamid is a member of several national and international strategic educational and policy forums. In this role, he has contributed to the development of strategies and programmes as diverse as teacher training, leadership development, community cohesion, curriculum reform and social mobility. He is committed to the development of a strong and world-class academy sector, and actively works to improve its reputation.

In recognition of his service to education, Sir Hamid was made a CBE in 2015 and awarded a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2021.

Sir Hamid is Chair of the Confederation of School Trusts.

Sir Martyn Oliver started as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector at the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills in January 2024. He has worked in education since 1995 starting as a teacher and joined Outwood Grange Academies Trust in 2009 where he became Principal of Outwood Grange Academy and then a National Leader of Education. In 2016, Sir Martyn was appointed Chief Executive and Accounting Officer for Outwood, a role he held until he started as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector. Sir Martyn has also previously held Trustee positions for the Office for Students, Education Endowment Foundation, Confederation of Schools Trusts and for the David Ross Education Trust, was a board member of the Department for Education’s Opportunity North East and has advised both the government and the DfE on a number of groups.

Sir Mo Farah CBE is a multiple Olympic, World and European Champion athlete. For many he is Britain’s greatest ever athlete having accumulated 10 global titles which includes the ‘double double’ of gold medals over 5,000m and 10,000m at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. He holds numerous European and British Records and has the World Best for the One Hour Run (21,330m).

His achievements are a far cry from his humble beginnings in Somaliland, arriving in London at the age of eight and speaking very little English. Mo grew up in West London and began running at school when spotted by his PE teacher, who saw potential in his young student.

Sir Mo is passionate about philanthropic work and is a Save the Children Ambassador and the first ever global Goodwill Ambassador of the International Organisation for Migration.

At the start of 2024 he became the National School Sport Champion for the Youth Sport Trust, embarking on ‘Mo’s Mission’ to encourage young people to be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day.