Chair of Aston Community Education Trust, Member and Trustee

Now retired, John brings over 35 years of leadership and management experience acquired through his work as a Senior IT Manager for a large global financial organisation. His position as a strategic leader: managing, reporting and delivering multi-million pound board level business cases on time and on budget including the management of personnel and finance matters for staff (up to 300+ across several countries), offices, programmes, projects and live IT services. He is a highly effective manager of people who places great emphasis on staff development particularly those who occupy senior leadership posts.

John has a wealth of governance experience at nursery, primary and secondary level in schools and academies, having been a governor since the late 1980’s. He is a highly experienced Chair who has also been a National Leader of Governance since 2013, mentoring other Chairs of Governors and undertaking Reviews of Governance. John was instrumental in setting up Aston Community Education Trust and as Chair of the Trust, he leads the strategic direction and reviews the audited accounts to ensure financial soundness, best value and strategic alignment.

Vice Chair of Aston Community Education Trust, Trustee

Originally born and educated in Manchester, Catharine moved to University in Bangor, North Wales where she gained a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and then went to Aberystwyth to complete her Post Graduate Certificate in Education. During her working life she was supported to complete an MSc in Educational Psychology and then, in the late 1980s, an MSc in Education Management. Catharine also qualified as a Registered Inspector of Special Schools and a Team Inspector for both primary and secondary schools when the original framework for the inspection of schools was introduced.

Catharine worked in education for 38 years in a number of different posts, mainly in Rotherham, initially, teaching in both primary and secondary schools. She then became an Educational Psychologist / Senior Educational Psychologist and in 1990 she joined the School Improvement Service, originally as an Adviser for Special Educational Needs, then Senior Adviser for Secondary Schools and finally the Head of School Improvement. Her final post before retirement in 2010 was Senior Director of Schools and Lifelong Learning.

ACET were delighted when Catharine agreed to join the MAT where she now makes a significant contribution as Trustee and Chair/Vice Chair of Governors in junior and senior academies: “Young people face such challenges and I hope I can help, even in a small way, to ensure they also have the opportunity to learn, grow and develop in to active, positive citizens."

Andrew is a retired firefighter with 33 years’ service to Derbyshire Fire and Rescue. He also took on the role of Regional Union Official for the East Midlands area. Andrew then went on to set up his own Learning Consultancy Company in 2015 in which he works with the Fire service and Police nationally delivering learning opportunities and Dyslexia awareness programmes.

He has been involved as a school governor for over 35 years and currently acts as Chair in a primary school, Special school and secondary academy, so has experience of educational provision in the Derbyshire area which covers all ranges from 3 years to 19 years of age. Andrew is deeply committed to ensuring all children regardless of their age, ability or background benefit from access to high quality education. He became a member of the Board of Trustees with ACET when Shirebrook Academy, previously a Single Academy Trust, chose to join the MAT in Spring 2017.

Jane is passionate about education for all and first became a parent/carer governor in 2005 for a school in her local community. She remains fully committed to driving inclusivity and outcomes for all pupils.

Jane has over 20 years teaching and enablement experience within both the private and public sector and has a degree in Education and Learning Support.

She has experience across a broad range of industry sectors having consulted and delivered training for many global Fortune 500 companies and is currently employed as a Senior Facilitator for a multinational computer technology corporation. She also has previous leadership experience working as the Commercial Director for a large UK Media Organisation.

During her time in education, Jane worked in both a primary and secondary setting as a HLTA with extra responsibilities for leading behaviour and SEND within the support team.

She has previous experience as a Board Member and wants to bring her experience and drive to support ACET’s vision and to ensure strategic impact for the Trust.

Craig is a Commercial Director working for Balfour Beatty, the UK’s largest construction company. Skilled at high-level stakeholder management and has experience of bringing multiple partner organisations together and aligning their needs to deliver optimal business outcomes. With a track record of successfully leading and engaging large teams in complex change, delivering outperformance and meeting efficiency targets at project and business level.

Originally from Sheffield, Sarah has worked in schools for over 25 years, starting her career as a mathematics teacher in Wiltshire. Sarah has experience of working in 4 Local Authority areas across the country in a variety of leadership roles. She was Principal at South Axholme Academy before becoming substantive CEO of Isle Education Trust (a small MAT in North Lincolnshire currently consisting of a primary academy, a secondary academy and an alternative provision academy) in 2019. Sarah is passionate about improving the educational experiences and outcomes for students regardless of whether they are part of Isle Education Trust or not. She sits on the North Lincolnshire Education Standards Board and the DRET Teaching School Hub Strategic Board. As Chair of the North Lincs Secondary Heads and Principals group she has been instrumental in promoting outreach and collaborative work within her locality, helping to set up the original Peer Review system, now well-established across the area in all phases.

Sarah supports colleagues in their own career progression as an Expert Facilitator for the National Institute of Teachers, delivering the new NPQH programme. She also carries out school improvement work as part of the DfE’s TSIO (Trust School Improvement Offer).

Jill is a diligent, enthusiastic and committed individual with strong organisational capability gained from 18+ years of experience in the payments industry managing relationship for tier one retailers, banks and processors. Most recently in the testing and certification sector as Chief Operating Officer at Iliad Solutions.

While fairly new to the education sector Jill would like to bring her skill regarding Audit and Risk management, Business Operations, Project Management and Change Management to help ACET achieve its core goals. This role is a particular passion for Jill having attended Aston Academy (Comprehensive as then) herself.

Jude is a school leader and is currently a headteacher and executive headteacher based in Lincolnshire. He began his career in secondary schools as an English teacher and has held posts including Head of English and senior leadership roles. 

Other career experiences for Jude include organising ResearchED Rugby, providing CPD with the Chartered College, and providing feedback and editorial advice to peers in education publishing. 

Jude has been a governor at the primary school his three children attend and is a parish councillor in his Lincolnshire village. 

Jude joined the board at ACET in November 2025. 

Craig Dillon is an experienced education leader serving as Regional Director at Star Academies, where he has contributed to the trust’s mission for more than five years. His current role builds on a leadership career dedicated to raising standards, improving life chances, and transforming outcomes for young people across the North of England. 

Before becoming Regional Director in 2022, Craig served as Executive Principal at Star Academies and previously spent 13 years in senior leadership roles within United Learning. His leadership at Sheffield Park Academy was nationally recognised for exceptional outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, with the school receiving a Pupil Premium Award and having been identified as one of the very small number of schools in England where disadvantaged pupils consistently made better progress than their peers. 

He holds a PGCE in Business Studies & Economics from Sheffield Hallam University and completed the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) through the National College for School Leadership.

Lawrence has over 35 years of experience including senior executive roles in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Most recently he was the Director of Strategy & Impact at the British Heart Foundation.

Lawrence was a school governor for over 10 years at the primary school that his two sons attended, and he has been a trustee at a Multi-Academy Trust with schools in London and Peterborough. He is also a trustee of the Geographical Association, the leading subject association for geography teachers in the UK.

Previously he was a trustee at Redthread, a charity that works with children and young people affected by exploitation, violence, mental and physical health issues, grooming and modern slavery.

He and his wife Catherine moved to Sheffield in 2024 at the start of a “gap year” which involved backpacking around India.

Lawrence is also a keen walker, cyclist and runner and has raised over £15,000 for charity through various endurance challenges. Since moving to Sheffield, he has discovered the joys and challenges of fell running.

Lindsay Ball is a Fractional and Board level Marketing Director with a deep belief in the power of brand to shape purchasing behaviour, strengthen relationships, and build long-term loyalty. Her passion lies in unlocking growth potential, elevating customer experiences, and embedding a culture of brand pride that fuel sustainable business performance. She now advises SME’s in growth strategy and developing long standing customer relationship.

Working end to end across marketing strategy and business plans, Lindsay partners with and mentors Senior Leadership teams to uncover untapped potential, solve complex challenges, and deliver practical growth. She brings extensive experience across consumer and Industrial businesses, spanning commercial, retail, e-commerce, and healthcare sectors, with a reputation for strategic rigour, clarity, and impact.

Since graduating at Manchester Metropolitan in Business Management, she has held Board positions with many youth brands such as Boots, Dominos, Gregg, Beelivery.com  as well as healthcare organisations such as Care IVF clinics, MSI( Marie Stopes) and Marsden Group. 

Lindsay was schooled and lives in North Notts and has a passion for golf and gardening.

Maxwell is a Financial Controller and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI) with expertise in financial leadership, governance, and organisational performance. A qualified accountant with an Executive MBA, he specialises in risk management, internal controls, and strategic planning to support robust decision-making and financial sustainability.

He has previously held Trustee and Non-Executive Director roles in Sheffield-based organisations.  He is a Career Mentor at Arden University, supporting students and early-career professionals in leadership development, employability, and career progression. Maxwell is passionate about widening participation, raising aspirations, and promoting high-quality education.