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Our Trustees 

Ian Clayton became an EMAT Trustee in Autumn 2020. He is an Education Consultant, including contracts with the Confederation of School Trusts (CST), the National Governance Association (NGA) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). His specialist areas include Governance, School Improvement, and Leadership Coaching.  He spent 41 years working in schools,  21 years of which were in the role of Principal in three settings.  As the Principal of (at the time) the largest secondary school in Norfolk, he guided the school to achieve an Ofsted grading of Outstanding. He has also worked with schools both in Norfolk and nationally as a Local Leader of Education and as an Advisory Headteacher for the Department for Education.

Ian was awarded an M.B.E. for Services to Education.

Additionally, he is Lead Governor at his local hospital. His interests include his music and exploring the coast near to where he lives.
 

Lady Kay Fisher became a Trustee of EMAT in December 2017.  She is passionate about playing her part in building stronger communities and improving the lives of young people in the local area. She is a Member of the Special Educational Needs & Disabilities Academies Trust (SENDAT), a Patron of Thetford Grammar School, a Patron of YMCA Norfolk, and currently serves as Chair of Thetford Academy.  Lady Kay has been an active advocate for mental health issues, including having been a Mental Health Act Manager for the Norfolk & Suffolk and the Hertfordshire NHS Foundation Trusts and a Trustee of Rethink Mental Illness.  She is a Director of MacRae Farms Ltd,  a Partner in Fisher Farms and also a Deputy Lieutenant for Norfolk.

Wendy Fisher was appointed to the EMAT Board in Spring 2017, following 7 years as Governor and Chair of Governors at King's Lynn Academy (KLA), which both her children attended. She has owned a consumer research consultancy company since 2015,  after spending 28 years working for Mars UK in European Research & Development and was formerly the Chair of the Institute of Consumer Sciences, and the Sensory and Consumer Panel at Campden Food Research. Wendy is a huge advocate for the performing arts and is the current Chair of the King’s Lynn Players. She is also a keen runner and regularly volunteers at charity sporting events. 

Donna Moulds joined the Board of Trustees in April 2021 having been the Chief Executive Officer of a Multi Academy Trust (MAT).  She then worked for a large Multi-Academy Trust as a Regional Director, providing school improvement support to a group of schools. Donna now works as a trained Ofsted Inspector. 

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Graham Pearson joined the EMAT Board in Spring 2018. He left a 27-year career in the RAF in the rank of Group Captain to pursue a second career in sales and account management within the technology industry. Starting at Raytheon as Defence Business Development Director, he has since accumulated 15 years of experience as a General Manager within HP and DXC Technology, running >£100m P&Ls and multidisciplinary global teams delivering IT services into Defence, the Post Office and Rothschild's Bank. In Oct 2021, Graham assumed Enterprise Account Manager responsibilities for Amazon Web Services' UK National Security and Defence business.

Graham graduated from the Joint Services Command and Staff College in 2000 as top RAF student, returning in 2004 on selection to the Higher Command and Staff Course. Graham has a degree in Business Studies from Sheffield University, a Masters with Distinction in Defence Studies from KCL and is a graduate of the Manchester Business School.

Julie Perry has been an EMAT Trustee since Autumn 2015. Having previously been Vice Chair, she became Chair of the Trust Board in September 2020. She has a passion for lifelong learning, exemplified by studying for an MBA in her thirties and supporting her son through his education. Julie has over 25 years of experience working in all areas of the general insurance business, most recently with a specialism in risk management with Aviva PLC.

James Rowney became an EMAT Trustee in December 2017. He has been working in Information Technology (IT) for over 30 years, covering almost all areas from engineering through administration, deployment and implementation to system, application and architecture design.  James is an Enterprise,  Application and Infrastructure Solution Architect, and has been a Technology Consultant with his own company for over 20 years.  At present his core focus is on Security, Identity and Access Management - areas that affect everyone in the modern highly-connected world. He works with a wide range of customers including government, commercial, banking, and retail both within the UK and Europe. 

David Wilde  joined the Trust Board in Spring 2018, becoming Vice Chair in 2020. A Fellow of the Institute of Directors with over 30 years in central and local government leadership spanning policy, large scale operations, strategy and whole service transformation, David has a wealth of experience in the public sector specialising in technology, digital and information leadership, communications and commercial development. He now runs his own consultancy for integrating digital and strategic business plans, transforming services, advising multinational and UK IT companies to reshape and grow their businesses as well as holding 3 non-executive directorships in the NHS and Education. He is currently providing strategic leadership for Worcestershire County, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse Councils in the UK.  He has also been a Senior Policy Advisor in the Department for Education and Employment and Local Government and the Regions.

Jonathan Tilman joined the Trust Board in December 2023, having retired from a 35-year executive level career in the insurance industry and relocated to Norfolk. With a passion for education and the vital role it plays in setting young people on the best possible path, Jonathan brings a wealth of specialist financial and risk management expertise to the Trustee role. An actuary by profession, Jonathan has amassed extensive strategic experience in highly regulated organisations and a detailed knowledge of governance, oversight and performance analysis.