James Fendek is Director of Information Systems at The Mercian Trust, a school trust in the West Midlands, where he has played a key role in trust‑wide digital transformation, information systems and cyber resilience. His experience includes MIS migration, device refresh programmes, data protection compliance and online safeguarding. James has supported the trust’s exploration and adoption of AI, contributing to the development of an internal AI agent used to respond to finance, governance and HR queries. He has also been closely involved in the rollout of Microsoft Copilot to more than 140 senior leaders, helping embed AI into everyday leadership practice and decision‑making. Alongside his professional role, James is completing an Executive MBA and brings a practical, evidence‑led perspective on digital strategy, risk and organisational change in education.