Learn more about our speakers below. Our speakers include leading practitioners in education, expert policy thinkers, and inspirational voices from across the sector. We will be adding more speakers as we approach the conference in February, so keep checking back for more details.
Chief Operating Officer, National Institute of Teaching
Chief Operating Officer, National Institute of Teaching
Amrit Singh is Chief Operating Officer of the National Institute of Teaching. His career has been shaped by a simple belief: finance and operations should not simply service an organisation, they should actively make it better.
Across retail, financial services and education, Amrit has transformed processes, systems and teams; redesigned operating models; improved performance; and put better data at the heart of decision making. He has led change in cost constrained and growth environments, finding efficiencies and making deliberate choices about where and when to invest.
Before moving into education, Amrit spent a decade in financial services, including as finance director for a €500m revenue business. He led organisational transformation at Nasen before joining NIoT as COO during its start-up phase, developing its infrastructure as it moved towards institutional maturity.
His experience reinforces his belief that effective finance and operations leaders enable better decisions and help organisations navigate change well.
Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), L.E.A.D Academy Trust
Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), L.E.A.D Academy Trust
Bobby Thandi is Deputy CEO and Chief Finance and Operations Officer (CFOO) at L.E.A.D. Academy Trust, a school trust serving approximately 12,000 pupils across the East Midlands with an annual turnover of around £100 million. He leads the trust's finance, operations, governance, estates, IT, marketing and organisational development functions, helping to drive sustainable growth and long-term organisational success.
In addition to his executive leadership responsibilities, Bobby leads commercial activity generating over £9 million of annual income, strengthening the trust's financial resilience and capacity to invest in pupils, staff and schools.
With extensive experience in academy trust leadership, Bobby has led major programmes focused on financial sustainability, operational excellence, trust growth, strategic marketing, digital transformation and business improvement. He is particularly passionate about helping trusts maximise impact through effective resource management, strong central services, data-driven decision-making and the practical application of technology and AI across education.
Chief Financial Officer, Arthur Terry Learning Partnership
Chief Financial Officer, Arthur Terry Learning Partnership
Chris Jones is a senior finance leader with experience across the academy trust, corporate and international sectors. A Fellow of CIMA, his career includes UK, European and global finance roles at Patheon and Dyson, alongside more than eight years in school trust finance leadership, including CFO-level roles. His experience spans strategy, FP&A, transformation, systems and reporting.
Chris leads finance at The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP), a trust of 24 schools serving more than 11,000 pupils. He joined as Deputy CFO in April 2025, becoming CFO in February 2026, and has helped transform the finance function, deliver in-year savings and strengthen reporting and assurance. He works closely with the DfE on ATLP’s recovery and rebrokerage plans, supporting the trust through significant change.
Chris is passionate about making finance accessible, practical and purposeful, while always “seeing the people behind the numbers.” He is a two-time Dopey Challenge runner.
Chief Executive, CST
Chief Executive, CST
Leora Cruddas is the founding Chief Executive of the Confederation of School Trusts – the national organisation and sector body for school trusts in England. She has advised successive governments and sits on several Department for Education advisory bodies. She was recently the vice chair of the Head Teacher Standards Review Group, a member of the external advisory group for the Schools White Paper, SEND National Implementation Board and the Regulatory and Commissioning Review.
Prior to founding CST, she was Director of Policy and Public Relations for the Association of School and College Leaders. Leora has six years of experience as a director of education in two London local authorities. She is a visiting professor at UCL Institute of Education. Leora was made a CBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours.
Finance Director, Ebor Academy Trust
Finance Director, Ebor Academy Trust
Andrew Robinson is a CIMA qualified accountant with a BA in Accounting and Management Control. He has over 25 years’ experience of working with fast-growing entrepreneurial businesses in senior finance roles. Following his last role as finance and risk director for a financial services company in York, he joined Ebor in April 2017.
Chief Finance and Operations Officer, STEP Academy Trust
Chief Finance and Operations Officer, STEP Academy Trust
Ben has worked at senior positions with the public sector for many years and was part of a pilot programme for aspiring business managers run by the National College, achieving an Advanced Diploma in 2013. Ben joined STEP in 2014, and since that time has embedded a business strategy which has facilitated STEP’s growth from four schools in Croydon to 20 across London and the south east, as well as ensuring consistently strong outcomes for pupils. Currently, Ben’s remit includes oversight of the STEP Ahead Teaching School Hub, as well as all functions that support the education offer of the trust.
As part of Ben’s commitment to the education sector, he has been involved in shaping various pilots organised by the department, including the SRMA and mentoring CFO programmes. This is in addition to supporting the department on bespoke projects and undertaking trust reviews on behalf of regional directors as well as at the request of trust boards. Keen to support the sector in other ways, Ben also speaks at national conferences and has been commissioned by Ambition Institute and Fig Tree International to present on their executive programmes.
Ben is a qualified accountant and recently completed his NPQH. Ben is a Fellow of the Institute of School Business Leaders and past Trustee of the Institute.
Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Edwin Group
Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Edwin Group
Charnice Scott leads Strategy and Partnerships at Edwin, where she has worked for 13 years, helping trust executive teams turn workforce challenges into long-term strategy across recruitment, retention, HR and culture. She is passionate about connecting people, championing the whole school workforce, including support staff, and building relational trusts where great people want to stay.
Director, Ginger Energy
Director, Ginger Energy
With two decades of experience in the UK energy industry working for suppliers, consultancies and representing customers, I'm well versed in the intricacies and peculiarities of this complex market. As Director of Ginger Energy, I'm passionate about working for our public sector clients to secure the best procurement solutions and lived experiences for their energy needs.
Audit Director and Responsible Individual, Bishop Fleming
Audit Director and Responsible Individual, Bishop Fleming
Chris has worked with the academy sector since its creation in 2010 and now leads academy operations at Bishop Fleming, overseeing training, development, and an annual programme of sector events. He has worked with more than 40 trusts, advising on growth and helping school trusts shape their strategic journey.
Chris is a contributor to the Kreston Academy Benchmarking Report, leading the data analysis that underpins its insights. Each year, he and his team sift through vast amounts of financial information to identify trends and deliver clarity, enabling trust leaders to benchmark effectively and make informed decisions.
In addition to his benchmarking work, Chris represents the profession in national forums, including the DfE’s Academy Accounts Direction working group and the counter-fraud working group, and has helped shape sector reporting through DfE good practice guides. His focus on data-driven insight ensures his benchmarking contributions are both rigorous and practical for trust leaders.
Managing Director, Childcare Bookings
Managing Director, Childcare Bookings
Dan McCaffrey is the co-owner and Managing Director of Childcare Bookings for Schools, and has extensive experience across education and childcare. A former primary and secondary teacher, he is a founding member of the DfE school-aged childcare steering group. Dan is also an experienced primary school governor, giving him clear insight into the financial and organisational pressures on schools today.
Dan’s passion is helping schools maximise their impact on every child in their care. He understands that with shrinking budgets, schools are being forced to act and think more commercially and is proud to run a business that help schools achieve that, whilst enabling them to retain their primary focus on providing pupils with a great education.
Dan lives in Sussex with his family, their indifferent cat and badly behaved dog.
CEO, Value Match
CEO, Value Match
David created Value Match over 10 years ago as a specialist procurement services and consultancy company. Previously, David has held senior positions in the cabinet office, HM treasury and recently as director of procurement, sustainability and social impact at NHS SBS. Through extensive experience in ensuring procurement aligns to an organisations strategy and purpose, David believes that procurement can play a pivotal role in mitigating climate change while delivery positive social vale impact and improving broader organisational outcomes.
Audit Partner and Head of Academies, Bishop Fleming
Audit Partner and Head of Academies, Bishop Fleming
With 25 years’ audit experience, Kevin has specialised in the academy sector for the past 15 years, supporting a diverse portfolio of academy trusts, including some of the largest school trusts in the country. He is particularly experienced in advising trusts in financial difficulty, working with the DfE, and guiding trusts on matters of regularity, governance and trading subsidiaries.
As one of the key authors of the Kreston Academy Benchmarking Report, Kevin brings first-hand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. His contribution to the report is backed by his reputation as a sector expert – recognised by regulators and trusted to provide input into DfE guidance. Kevin combines deep technical expertise with a relationship-driven approach, sharing benchmarking insights to help trusts strengthen their financial sustainability and strategic decision-making.
Executive Director, Business Transformation, Nexus Multi Academy Trust
Executive Director, Business Transformation, Nexus Multi Academy Trust
Lana Stoyles is Executive Director of Business Transformation at Nexus Multi Academy Trust and Managing Director of Nexus Services Group Ltd. With over 15 years' experience in commercial leadership, transformation and strategic delivery, she leads programmes that drive innovation, organisational improvement and sustainable growth across the education sector.
Chief Finance & Operations Officer, Academy Transformation Trust (ATT)
Chief Finance & Operations Officer, Academy Transformation Trust (ATT)
Mo Chatra is Chief Finance & Operations Officer at Academy Transformation Trust and has extensive experience of financial turnaround, transformation and centralisation. He previously led the centralisation of finance at Lionheart Educational Trust, alongside implementation of GAG pooling and achieved a significant strengthening of the trust’s financial position. At ATT, he leads finance and a broad range of operational services across the trust and has significantly turned around the trust's financial position in addition to improving operational effectiveness. A CIPFA-qualified accountant, Mo has worked across academy trusts, central government, local government and the NHS, giving him a broad perspective on finance and transformation across the public sector.
Director of Trust Governance, CST
Director of Trust Governance, CST
Samira Sadeghi is Director of Trust Governance for CST. Prior to that, she was Head of Governance and Company Secretary at Academies Enterprise Trust, a multi-academy trust with 57 schools, and served as Regional Governance Officer at Ark Schools for four years. Before moving to the UK with her family in 2010, she was a criminal defence attorney and spent 12 years representing clients on California's death row in their post-conviction proceedings.
Chief Operating Officer, Cabot Learning Federation
Chief Operating Officer, Cabot Learning Federation
Sarah Lovell is the Chief Operating Officer (and CFO) of the Cabot Learning Federation. The COO is responsible for all areas of operational activity outside of educational delivery. This includes leading professional services which covers estates management, governance, IT, administration, communications, HR, and finance.
Sarah started in role in January 2022, having previously held the role of finance director for over 4 years. She is a qualified accountant of over 10 years and has worked in range of different sectors including legal and IT. Sarah is involved in a number of external networks that include Bristol School’s Forum, chairing the Queen Street Group Finance Subgroup and is chair of CST's Operations Community.
Sarah is passionate about the role of professional services within education and the positive impact it has on a pupil’s school experience. This includes ensuring professional services colleagues have excellent professional development and opportunities to progress.
Chief Finance and Operations Officer, Discovery Schools Academies Trust
Chief Finance and Operations Officer, Discovery Schools Academies Trust
Steve Orton is a qualified chartered accountant and currently serves as Chief Finance and Operations Officer for Discovery Trust, a position he has held since September 2023. He has worked within multi-academy trusts for over 10 years and brings more than 20 years of post-qualification experience in the education and charities sector, with a strong focus on financial leadership and operational excellence.
In addition to his executive role, Steve is Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee at Learn Academies Trust and serves as a governor at Bingham Primary School. He is a passionate advocate for the transformative power of education and is deeply committed to values that promote equity, opportunity, and excellence.
