Dr Ian Young, CEO of Peterborough Keys Academies Trust said: “Our Trust governance has been strengthened significantly by these additional appointments. The biographies below demonstrate the wealth of expertise and experience that has been brought into PKAT through these new appointments. The Trust executive members benefit enormously from the advice and support given by longstanding and new members of our Trust Board.”

 

Mrs Lindsay Batchford has been appointed as a Trustee.  She has a background as a senior Human Resources (HR) professional, previously working for United Learning Trust, the largest Multi Academy Trust in the country for fifteen years.   Now she is a self-employed HR consultant, working solely in the education sector, supporting clients with a wide range of HR issues, including reorganisation, recruitment and retention, pay and reward, together with some complex case work. 

 

She said: “With my HR background, I have been supporting the Chief Operating Officer and the HR Manager in developing the trusts HR Strategy and plans.  I am a member of the board People and Infrastructure Committee.  My aim is to support the PKAT schools in being great places to learn and work!”

 

Commenting about her appointment she said: “As an alumna of Jack Hunt School and a local resident of Peterborough for most of my life, I am thrilled to be part of PKAT and all it stands for in the community.”

 

Dr Tom Williamson joined the Trust as a Trustee. He is an experienced senior leader in Higher Education, and he is Assistant Principal of ARU Peterborough, responsible for the Faculty of Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Faculty of Creative and Digital Arts and Sciences.

 

He has held previous roles as Head of School of the School of Economics, Finance and Accounting at Coventry University and was formerly Chair of Enterprise Educators UK. He is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE and holds the CMBE with the Chartered Association of Business Schools.

 

He joined PKAT taking on the role of SEND Trustee as well as membership of the Education Committee and the People and Infrastructure Committee. As well as contributing to the continued success of PKAT.

Commenting on his appointment he said: “I aim to build strong links between ARU Peterborough and the wider Education eco-system across the city to identify collaborations and opportunities for staff and students across PKAT schools.”

 

Mrs Stela Plamenova was appointed a Safeguarding Trustee and Chair of the Education Committee at PKAT.

 

Mrs Plamenova said: “I am proud to be part of forward-thinking ethical leadership team that has got a relentless focus on high quality education that develops 21st Century learners. The infectious ambition and expansive thinking of the trust leaders resonate with my values and ambition as an educator who is committed to creating positive cultures and making meaningful differences in people’s lives.”

 

She said: “I am now rooted in Cambridgeshire and have had the opportunity to develop a successful career in SEND that spans over 20 years. My current leadership role focuses on developing leaders and ultimately having a positive impact on pupils’ learning and achievements.”

 

There are currently five schools within the Peterborough Keys Academies Trust.