Becky Hickford
Chief Operating Officer, Preston Hedges Trust
Becky Hickford is Chief Operating Officer of a Primary Multi-Academy Trust of five schools in the East Midlands. With over 20 years’ experience as a senior HR leader in a global commercial organisation and consultancy for the NHS, Becky brings a strong commercial lens to education leadership. She served as Chair of the Trust for seven years before stepping into the COO role three years ago, where she focuses on building organisational capacity, strengthening governance, and delivering operational excellence to enable high-quality education across the trust.
1 Workshop series three
Panel: What is the role of commercial leadership in education?
As the growth of school trusts continues in a tight fiscal climate, many finance and operations leaders are considering the role that commercial leadership can play in their schools’ sustainability and success. Our panel will share what commercial leadership means in their trusts, reflecting on the strategies that they are taking and their learnings along the way. This discussion will give insights into the scope of commercial leadership for trusts, the risks to be mitigated, and the potential benefits and opportunities for trusts in sustaining operations and increasing impact for children and young people.