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 operational use. This session explores the early decisions trust leaders face when beginning to work with AI agents, including governance, oversight, testing, training and safe piloting. Speakers will share practical lessons from developing and implementing AI agents to support areas such as HR, finance and policy guidance, reflecting on what has worked, what hasn’t and what they would do differently. Discussion will include data readiness, defining boundaries for AI, deciding what information agents should access, and building confidence before wider deployment, offering practical insights to help trusts explore AI agents thoughtfully.