James Fendek
Director of Information Systems, The Mercian Trust
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.
Being curious but cautious (AI and new technologies)
1 Workshop series three
Exploring the use of AI agents? Trust leaders share their experience
AI agents are moving quickly from experimentation to practical use. This session explores the early decisions leaders face when beginning to work with AI agents: governance, oversight, training, testing and safe piloting. Trust leaders will share what has worked, what hasn’t and the lessons learned. Discussion will include how their organisations are defining boundaries for AI, deciding what data agents should access, and building confidence before wider deployment, offering practical insights to help trusts explore AI agents thoughtfully. Speakers to be confirmed.