Governance

Andrew Meehan

Chair

Andy is a graduate of Oxford University, a Chartered Accountant and enjoyed an executive career mainly in the retail sector, having had roles as Finance Director and Chief Executive of several companies including Selfridges, Mothercare and Co-operative Retail Services. Since 2006 he has had a portfolio of chairmanships and non-executive directorships across commercial, public and charity sectors. These include University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry University, Fortnum and Mason and several private equity backed businesses. In addition to SET he is currently chairman of Wessex Children’s Hospice Trust.

Stephen Pegge OBE

Vice Chair

Stephen Pegge had a distinguished career in finance including leading residential training for a major bank and has served on several boards of commercial, charity and government organisations including the national centre for work experience. He is a member of the Creative Industries Council advising the government on policy including on education and skills and chairs the access to finance working group. He is a Director of UK Business Angels Association, a director and trustee of Shaw Trust and was a founding member of a therapeutic education service in Somerset. Stephen chaired PRIME Cymru for nine years, a charity to provide for employment, education and support in Wales, established by HM the King who was president

Cathy Stevens

Cathy is an ex-Army officer who has subsequently spent over 25 years working in the Facilities and Property Management Sector. With an MBA in Construction and Real Estate, she has held senior positions in a number of FTSE 100 organisations delivering facilities, health and safety, and property projects across a wide range of complex and challenging portfolios, in the UK and throughout Europe. She is a keen advocate of robust compliance arrangements, whilst ensuring buildings meet the best needs of their users. Although having never directly worked in education before, Cathy worked in a number of training roles in the forces and has a deep appreciation in the benefit of a great education. Having recently returned to her native North Staffordshire she is well located to support our school portfolio.

Helen Walker

Helen is passionate about education technology - its potential to transform learning and improve social equity. Helen's career spans teaching, advising, senior civil service and the edtech industry. She started out in schools and moved into policy, strategy, and delivery roles at the UK government’s first edtech agency then at Qualifications and Curriculum Authority leading on pedagogy and ICT. As CTO at the Department for Education, she led the department’s sector-facing digital services & internal tech, delivering a major cloud modernisation and digital transformation programme. More recently in commercial edtech, she has led Global Operations for RM plc and is now Vice President for UK and International Qualifications at Pearson plc.

Neil Tinegate

Neil is a Non-Executive Director and Advisor specialising in digital transformation and commercial strategy. Alongside his role as a Trustee of the Shaw Education Trust, he serves as a Non-Executive Director on the boards of Shepherds Friendly Society and Mansfield Building Society. In his Advisory capacity, he provides digital expertise to a range of corporate commercial clients. His executive background includes board-level roles across retail and consumer goods sectors, spanning international PLCs and private equity-backed businesses.

Philip Hamilton OBE

Philip leads Community Academies Trust (CAT) – a successful cross phase multi academy trust comprising 3 secondary schools and 14 primary schools. His previous experience includes teaching in and leading city and rural secondary schools. He served as an executive Headteacher in a large 11-18 comprehensive school before founding and growing CAT. Philip also inspects with Ofsted. He was awarded an OBE in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to education.

Natasha Hazlewood

Natasha is a highly skilled HR leader with over 12 years of experience in HR, qualified at Level 7 and a chartered member of the CIPD. Known for her expertise in strategic people management, Natasha’s particular strengths lie in transformation and change management, where she has a strong record of driving organisational transformation, cultivating high-performance cultures, and implementing impactful people strategies across sectors such as Higher Education, Social Housing, Childcare, and Sports. In her role as Director of People and Culture at UCFB, Natasha’s leadership is instrumental in fostering an inclusive, high-performing workplace that attracts and retains top talent while driving growth at all levels of the institution. A champion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Natasha leads initiatives that embed inclusivity into the culture. She also dedicates time to volunteering with the charity Collaboration for Kids (CFK), supporting workforce planning and cultural initiatives that promote health and wellness for young people. Natasha’s career reflects a deep commitment to people-focused leadership and a talent for fostering environments where both individuals and organisations can thrive.

Roy Povey

Roy is a Fellow Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, FCCA. He has spent over 30 years in finance roles in owner managed, private equity backed & PLC environments. Most recently Roy held the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary on the board of Likewise Group Plc, an AIM listed, Midlands based floor covering distributor. He previously worked in operational finance & as a General Manager for Headlam Group Plc. Roy is also a member of Manchester & District Rugby Union Referee’s Society and has volunteered at his local rugby club for 20 years where he coaches youngsters from ages 4 to 16.

Christine Swabey

Christine has held positions in the commercial, public and third sectors, with a focus on education, health and social care, following an early career in finance. She is passionate about the role of the Board in upholding values and supporting strategic ambition to enhance impact.

Her non-executive experience includes the breadth of primary, secondary and tertiary education, most recently, as Chair of St. George’s, University of London, a specialist healthcare university based in South West London. There she led the Council through the landmark merger with City, University, of London creating one of the UK’s most comprehensive educators of the healthcare workforce and through scale ensuring the sustainability of London’s leading university for Business, Practice and the Professions. As Joint Vice Chair of the merged Council of City St George’s, she continues to provide oversight of the integration process.

In the schools sector, Christine has been a governor of an independent residential secondary school and a trustee of a pioneering school for autistic children. She has first-hand experience of schools regulation, notably overseeing the development of a new inspection framework while serving as Chair of the Independent Schools Inspectorate. This contributed to her knowledge and understanding of safeguarding in schools, and she currently serves as the Trustee Lead for Safeguarding at the Shaw Trust, one of the UK’s leading employment charities.

Additionally, Christine has significant non-executive experience in a number of NHS and charitable organisations delivering healthcare. She also served as Chief Executive of Autistica, the UK’s leading research charity dedicated to improving the lives of autistic people.

Al Parr

Al has worked in education for 4 decades, beginning her teaching journey as a mainstream history and politics teacher. Her passion for working with graduates at the beginning of their careers as teachers took her into Keele University where she was a Senior Lecturer. She co- led the PGCE History programme and worked in India and Thailand co-developing and leading the MA in International Education and the PGDIE. As the Course Director of the PGCE, her final role at the university was to transition the primary and secondary PGCEs into School Centred Initial Teacher Education.

Driven by a desire to combine her interest in special educational needs with ongoing involvement in teacher training, she joined Blackfriars, a 11-19 special school with a Teaching School, first as Head of School and later as substantive Head—guiding its transformation into an academy and one of the three founding schools of the Shaw Education Trust. Over a decade of leadership, she steered the school through two Ofsted inspections, each receiving an ‘Outstanding’ judgement. Nationally, she contributed as Whole School SEND Regional Lead for the West Midlands and led professional development in China at the invitation of The British Council.

After leaving full-time employment in 2024, she established her own education consultancy, continuing her work as Whole School SEND Lead, facilitating the NPQSEND, and supporting teachers both nationally and internationally to enhance provision for children and young people with SEND. She also serves as Chair of Governors at her local infant school.

She is deeply committed to the values of the Shaw Education Trust and to shaping a future where every learner can flourish.