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Mandy Coalter

Founder, Talent Architects
Mandy is the Founder of ‘Talent Architects’ which has a simple mission; helping schools become great places to work. Talent Architects providers consultancy and advisory support to school groups, coaching and mentoring, training and events/conferences. Mandy’s successful book ‘Talent Architects; how to make your school a great place to work’ was published in 2018.
From 2012 to 2019 Mandy was Director of People at United Learning, responsible for HR, talent management, leadership development, marketing and communications. United Learning is one of the largest school groups in the UK, running circa 80 schools across state and independent sectors employing over 8,000 staff. Mandy built the group reputation as an employer, taking forward key priorities such as developing leaders, talent management, employee engagement, well-being, recruitment, pay and performance management.
The United Learning HR team won the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development ‘HR Team of the Year’ in 2016. HR Magazine listed Mandy in the top 10 ‘HR Most Influential’ in both 2018 and 2019 - where she was ranked the seventh most influential HR director in the UK. Mandy was also shortlisted for the HR Excellence Awards' ‘HR Director of the Year’ 2018.
Mandy has previously worked in senior roles in the NHS, Local Government, the charity sector and with schools. She is also a very experienced board director and advisor on aspects of corporate governance. She is a Trustee/Director of E-ACT Trust and the National Teaching Awards Trust. She was a Trustee at the Diocese of Coventry Multi Academy Trust for eight years up to April 2024. She is a graduate in Law, a Fellow of the CIPD, a qualified executive coach and an NLP practitioner.
Mandy is also the Co-Founder of ‘Trust Inclusion’ – developing inclusive leaders in school trusts.
Hall 7

1 Breakout sessions: Series one

Why they join, and why they stay: Connecting your people to your trust’s mission

Is your trust telling its story to employees and potential recruits? This workshop explores how employer branding, communications, and evidence-based storytelling can strengthen recruitment, retention, and trust-wide connection, including through change and mergers - especially for trusts that have limited capacity. Join this session to learn how trusts have successfully utilised people-focused strategies to showcase the value and fulfilment of working in schools, communicating impact and retaining talent. Ideal for trust leaders interested in trust-wide recruitment and retention strategies, including HR Leads, CEOs and COOs.

1 Workshops series two

Leading beyond HR: The journey from professional expert to people leader

In this session, Lisa and Mandy will explore how the role of Chief People Officer (or equivalent) is developing, both inside and outside of the trust sector, and how you can start to use operational challenges to evolve your role strategically. Participants will reflect on their own trust context and identify practical actions to strengthen your influence and evolve your role in your trust setting. Join this session for an in-depth discussion on how the people leader role can act as a powerful strategic lever for organisational change.