Speakers

Chris Kirk has enjoyed 25 years in leadership, management and strategy in the education sector, with senior roles in the UK civil service, a partnership within one of the largest accounting and consulting companies, and an international CEO role for a large school group. Six years ago, Chris founded CJK Associates. CJK works extensively with the education supplier and investor market, and frequently carries out market studies to compare the services, quality and price of education service providers (school improvement, finance, HR, IT support) and software (MIS, assessment, curriculum). Corporate clients have included The Key for School Leaders, Arbor, Scholarpack, Juniper Education, Herts for Learning, BBC, TES, ESS SIMS and Supporting Education Group.

Investors include Horizon Capital and Montague Private Equity. CJK Associates works with multi-academy trusts and other school groups to develop strategies and implement better operating models and has provided the material hosted by The Key which guides trust leaders about strategy, operations, collaboration and accountability. Chris teaches the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leaders for Teach First and previously for Ambition. Chris is a Trustee of Weydon Multi Academy Trust, an adviser to OPERA (a charity supporting unemployed youth into work) and to The Education Partnership, Nigeria (a pro-poor education charity). He has previously held roles as Adviser to Ofsted’s Strategy Group, The Careers and Enterprise Company, Getting Ahead London, World Economic Forum and Business in the Community.

Emma has over 15 years’ experience in generalist HR in both the private sector and the public sector. Emma has worked as HR Director and regional HR Business Partner for two large, national school trusts and regularly networks with other HR leaders in the education sector. This enables Emma to keep abreast of the challenges that schools, academies and multi-academy trusts are facing today.

Emma hosts a number of our collaborative forums for clients and non-clients. Well networked, Emma is able to bring insights and great practice from organisations across the sector to help inspire new approaches to HR. Whilst at Browne Jacobson, Emma has carved out expertise supporting boards with executive pay setting and reward redesign. Emma has also carried out many senior level investigations, ranging from fraud allegations through to tricky bullying and harassment issues.

Emma has led on many business transformation projects, including a complex national restructure. Emma has also worked with trade unions at a national level, covering everything from policy negotiation to terms and conditions through to more tricky industrial disputes involving ACAS conciliation and strike action.

Emma is a regular speaker at education conferences across the country and will often take part in sector-wide webinars and other HR commentary. Until recently, Emma was the Chair of Trustees at a school trust comprising of 16 primary academies. This role gave Emma great insight into the challenges that boards face.

Emma is currently a Trustee for the Institute for Employment Studies, a research organisation that works to bring about sustainable improvements in employment policy and HR management.

Stephen has a 20 year career history in operations and finance, working at a senior level in the public and private sectors, both in the UK and abroad.

Stephen presided over the development and implementation of nationally recognised school business leadership professional standards and led the transition from the National Association of School Business Management to the Institute of School Business Leadership. Stephen works closely with the Department for Education in areas of policy reform, and his commitment to research to aid our self-improving system includes ongoing engagement with international jurisdictions including Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the US.