Executive Team

CEO - Kath Kelly

Kath joined Beauchamp in 2011 in a Vice Principal role covering curriculum standards and achievement. She was appointed Head of College and then Principal of Beauchamp College in 2015, before becoming CEO of Lionheart Educational Trust in 2016.

Kath has 20 years’ experience in education and has worked to raise standards across the trust by changing staff culture through empowerment and encouragement to share best practice, with outstanding results.

Deputy CEO - Jennifer Piper-Gale

Jenny joined Beauchamp College in 1998 as a Teacher of Biology with a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University. She had previously taught at a mixed 11-16 comprehensive in Hereford. During her time at Beauchamp College and within the trust she has had numerous roles including AST, SENCO, Head of Inclusion as well as extensive SLT experience. Most recently she has been supporting the leadership in a school rated inadequate.

Jenny has a wide range of experience of all areas of education with a particular interest in holistic development, inclusion (including raising the aspiration of disadvantaged students), attendance and behaviour. Since being with the trust she has attained an MSc (Distinction) in Educational Leadership and her NPQH.

Chief Financial Officer - PHILLIPA HUNT

After spending eleven years progressing through KPMG within public sector audit, Phillipa joined Lionheart in 2021 as a Senior Finance Partner, bringing a wealth of financial experience and expertise to the Trust. While at Lionheart, Phillipa progressed to Head of Finance before moving to her current role as Chief Financial Officer in 2023.

An ACA qualified chartered accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Phillipa's role is to lead the finance team across the Trust's schools and centralised services. Key responsibilities include supporting headteachers with their budget setting, monitoring and management, finance support for central services, capital accounting, due diligence processes, and reporting to the Trust Board.

Chief Operating Officer - Ben Jackson

Ben joined the Trust in April 2016 having previously worked for a large IT managed service provider with overall responsibility for managed service operations throughout the UK and Channel Islands.

Ben has 25 years’ experience delivering and supporting projects in all types of educational establishments. Ben brings to this role a wealth of senior leadership experience across a number of business disciplines including IT, HR, Estates, Catering, Governance and Compliance coupled with a track record of successfully delivering complex capital projects. Ben's focus is always to drive rapid and sustained improvement to secure the best outcomes for staff and students.

Director of Estates - Roger Taylor

With over 40 years’ experience working in different types of educational establishments, prior to joining Lionheart Roger worked for Leicestershire County Council for 15 years; in a Site Manager role for 12 years before becoming the Estates Manager at Beauchamp College in 2008. While at Beauchamp, Roger managed a £10 million master plan rebuild of the college site, before moving into a Trust-wide role as Director of Estates.

In his role at Lionheart, Roger leads on Trust-wide premises development, repairs & maintenance, compliance and health & safety, new build project delivery and school condition allowance funding.

Head of Governance and Compliance - Lauren Hackett

With a background in large scale retail management, Lauren joined the Trust in January 2021 as Operations Manager for the North Hub, arriving at a critical time to project manage Covid testing centres for a group of schools. In 2022, as a qualified Data Protection Practitioner, Lauren took on the role of Data Protection Officer, then becoming Head of Governance and Compliance in 2023.

Lauren leads on all aspects of governance and data protection, providing strategic leadership to ensure that the Trust and local governance measures are robust and accountable for educational and financial performance. She supports and guides Governors and Trustees to ensure that their role is both fulfilling and effective, as well as providing assurance on key areas of compliance across schools.

Head of HR - Trish Barnard

Trish joined the Trust in March 2022 from Local Government, where she was HR lead for Employee Relations, Organisational Development, Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity and Staff Wellbeing.

A chartered member of the CIPD, Trish brings to the Trust diverse sector experience covering HR, OD and employment law.  Trish's career history includes a variety of leadership and management roles within organisations that have included, Loughborough University, Oxford University, Leicestershire Police, Connexions, Framework Housing and Mental Health Charity and Bracknell Forest Council.  With Bracknell Forest Council Trish led the HR/OD service supporting across the Council's staff and services, including adult and children's social care and 45 schools across West Berkshire throughout the challenges of the COVID pandemic.   

head of MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS - SIAN KALIDOSKI

Sian joined Lionheart in November 2020 from the hospitality sector where she had spent over ten years leading the marketing communications during year-on-year growth, culminating in company acquisition. CIPR qualified in public relations and internal communications, Sian has over 20 years' experience across marketing and communication disciplines and varying sectors, from national adult education campaigns to outdoor product PR.

At Lionheart, Sian's responsibilities include admissions marketing, media relations, reputation management, branding and internal communications. She is passionate about communicating the achievements of students, staff and schools to stakeholders, as well as employee engagement.

Director of Curriculum - Alex Petrie

Alex joined Beauchamp college in 2007. She is a trained English teacher, specialising in English literature. She has held a variety of leadership positions including as Head of English, Assistant Principal in charge of data and assessment, Vice Principal for Curriculum and Standards and as Specialist Leader in Education for CPD. Alex has also worked closely in a trust capacity as Lionheart has grown, working to support Primary leaders, as Interim Principal and prior to her current role seconded as Trust wide secondary curriculum lead. Currently, Alex manages a team of curriculum leaders and directors of learning leading on strategy to devise, revise and refine both the academic curriculum and the personal development curriculum. Her broad experiences with Lionheart over the last 15 years support her work to strive for excellence within a supportive and inclusive culture.