Board of Trustees

Mike Hicks, Chairman

Mike graduated from Oxford in 1990 and has an MSc and DPhil in Economic History. He worked extensively in Eastern Europe and set up advisory, banking and investment operations there. After a period working for Grant Thornton, Mike currently works as an adviser to private equity investors on management and organisation issues. He has been a member of the Inspiring Futures Council of Trustees since 2002.

 

Liz Allen

Liz Allen is Headteacher of Newstead Wood School for Girls, Bromley, Kent. Newstead is a leading secondary school in Engineering, Languages and the education of exceptionally able students. It places emphasis on students' personal progression planning, skills development and preparation for vocational choices.

 

Wendy Berliner

Wendy Berliner is Head of Education for Guardian Business and Professional, the media services arm of Guardian News and Media and is currently leading the Guardian Teacher Network, a fast growing resource and support site for teachers. An award winning educational journalist, Wendy is a former education correspondent of The Guardian, education features editor of The Independent and editor of the Times Educational Supplement. Wendy rejoined Guardian News and Media in March this year after two years spent in Dubai as a director of GEMS Education, where she developed a parental engagement programme for the world’s largest group of international schools.

Chris Conway

Chris Conway has been Head of Careers at Shrewsbury School for over 15 years and is also Director of Staff Training and Director of Liaison with Shrewsbury International School, Bangkok. He read chemistry at University College, Oxford and followed this by two years with V.S.O. in Tanzania. He has gained experience with the selection processes for Higher Education both in the UK and overseas, and has particular interest in those for competitive courses and institutions.

 

Lillian Croston

Lillian Croston has been Head of Westholme School, Blackburn since April 1988. A Lancastrian educated at Durham and Cambridge Universities and with additional qualifications from London and the University of Central Lancashire Lillian worked in three maintained schools in Trafford and at Bolton School Girls’ Division. A former chief examiner for JMB/AQA examination boards, she has worked as an Head Masters Conference/Girl's School Association inspector, served as NW GSA regional chairman and is currently a member of the GSA/HMC CPD Committee. Lillian is a member of Lancaster University Court and ISCO council, a governor of Alderley Edge School, an active member of Blackburn Rotary Club and Moorside Badminton Club, Bolton. She is married with one son.

Deborah Eyre

Deborah Eyre is a Professor of Education at the University of Warwick and, until recently was the Director of the government’s National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth. She is a world renowned expert in the education of gifted and talented pupils and has a long standing interest helping children and young people to maximise their educational potential.

 

Carl Gilleard

Carl has been Chief Executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters since 1998 and has previously worked for METRA Services Ltd specialising in recruitment and retention of graduates in local government. Carl is a prominent speaker at conferences and in the media on graduate recruitment and development issues and is co-author of 'If only I'd known', a resource for young people to help them maximise the benefits of their higher education experience.

 

Elizabeth Lister

Starting as a graduate of the University of Stirling, biology teacher and science and health care teacher, Elizabeth has worked as a Development Officer for the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) providing advice and guidance to adults returning to higher education with few, if any, qualifications. She moved on to work as an Education Liaison Officer at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh which involved admissions at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and widening access and participation. She is currently a member of the UCAS Scottish Standing Group and last year was invited to join the timings and adjustments working group of the delivery partnership. She is also on the project management board of the UCAS fraud and verification feasibility study commissioned by HEFCE. Elizabeth has been a governor of a small independent school in Scotland for over ten years and has worked with ISCO and the Inspiring Futures Foundation for a similar amount of time inputting to the development of the organisation particularly in Scotland.

Richard Martin

Richard is chair of the NHS Professionals Special Health Authority. Formerly he was chief executive officer and then president of Adecco UK and managing director of Granada Hospitality Limited. He has a special interest in skills development and vocational training through his previous roles as a governor of Thames Valley University and as a board member of the Sector Skills Development Agency. He is a trustee and vice chair of Turning Point, the social care enterprise, and a council member of Inspiring Futures, the organisation that provides career guidance to 15 -23 year old students. In January 2009 he became a vice president of the Institute of the Motor Industry, the sector skills council for the automotive sector. During his period at Adecco he was involved in developing a new model for the out sourcing of the HR function and after leaving the organisation he became one of the founders and chairman of Integrated International Payroll Ltd (iiPay), an internet based payroll organisation specialising in complex payroll solutions, particularly cross border arrangements for expatriates. iiPay software manages payrolls in over 90 countries and is the only fully integrated international payroll system currently available. Richard joined Ochre House the HR Solutions Group as chair in March 2007.

Anthony McClaran

 Anthony McClaran took up post as Chief Executive of QAA on 1 October 2009, after nearly six years as Chief Executive at UCAS.

A graduate in English and American Literature from the University of Kent, Anthony began his career at the University of Warwick where, among other posts, he was Admissions Officer.

In 1992 he became the Academic Registrar at the University of Hull then moved on to become Chair of Council for the University of Gloucestershire.  He served on Professor Schwartz’s Admissions to HE Steering Group, the HE Group for the Tomlinson Review of 14-19 Qualifications, the SHA Commission on Post-qualification Application (PQA) and Sir Alan Wilson’s Consultation Group on Improving the HE Applications Process.

Anthony is a governor of the John Lyon School, chairs Gloucestershire First’s Employment and Skills Advisory Panel, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Chartered Management Institute, a Freeman of the Company of Educators and a member of the Honourable Company of Gloucestershire.

Jane Middleton

Following 6 years with the Metropolitan Police as a Scenes of Crime Examiner (CSI) Jane qualified as a Certified Chartered Accountant and gained a raft of financial and general management experience within various businesses, often managing projects installing IT systems to improve financial process and reporting aimed at monitoring and maximising profitability.

From February 1996 for a year Jane was the Assistant Treasury Manager at Pizza Hut where she managed the integration of credit card payments into the delivery business.

Jane then spent 4 years working for Virgin Atlantic, firstly in a Controllers role with a fully owned subsidiary where she was responsible for setting up offices in several overseas locations. Having overseen the management buyout of the company she moved into a Cargo Managers role with Virgin at Heathrow for 2 years. Whilst working full time she obtained a Masters Degree in Air Transport Management from City University, London.

In September 2001 she joined TNT Express setting up and managing a Financial Shared Service centre providing support to 6 business units across Europe.

In 2004 Jane joined Rockwell Collins UK Ltd and in 2006 was appointed Finance Director. During her time at Rockwell she was responsible for all the financial and commercial aspects of the company, including overseeing two acquisitions and their subsequent integration into the RCUK business.  In 2009 she was asked to run the Hermes Software business which went from losing £6.5m per year to break even in the first year. After making a small profit in the second year it was divested to the US Parent.

In November 2011 Jane started up her own business Authentic Associates aimed at providing strategic financial management to start up businesses and dynamic companies looking to grow.

Since 2009 she has been the Treasurer for The UK Aviation Club and in 2011 was appointed the Chair of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Finance Board. As well as being the Honorary Treasurer of Inspiring Futures she serves on the Boards of The Royal Air Force Museum, DKH Legacy Trust, Women in Aviation International and The Air League.

Kenneth Richardson

Ken Richardson has been a member of both the Inspiring Futures’ UK Council and ISCO’s Scottish Council for a number of years as a representative of the business sector.

Ken worked with BP before setting up his own consultancy business in 2004. In that time he headed up BP’s education links programme in Scotland, as part of a wider training and communications role.

Dr. Joe Spence

Dr. Joe Spence is the Master of Dulwich College. Before that he was Headmaster of Oakham School and Master in College at Eton College, where he taught history. He was educated at the Salesian College, Battersea, and at the Universities of Reading and London. He serves as a governor of a number of schools, including St John’s College School, Cambridge, and The Dragon School, Oxford. His work for Dulwich also sees him closely involved with Academies and International Schools: he is Chair of the Education Committee of the Isle of Sheppey Academy and promoting a range of educational partnerships with Dulwich College Management International’s schools in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou) and Seoul, South Korea.