Meet the team
To support our schools, Creative Education Trust has a central team providing expertise in school improvement, governance, finance, IT, HR and other areas.
ABOUT OUR TEAMS
The Executive Team
The Executive Directors and their teams give professional support to the schools in educational improvement and standards, curriculum design, enrichment, finance, marketing and communications, estates management and human resources. Each of these directors is as likely to be found in schools as they are in the London office of Creative Education Trust.
The Education Team
Creative Education Trust’s Education Team supports and challenges school leaders to achieve and sustain the highest outcomes for students in all areas of school life. Shared processes are in place across our network to ensure the smooth running of Creative Education Trust schools and to enable leaders to focus on teaching and learning. The senior members of our Education Team are available at all times to Head Teachers and Principals.
The Education Team is supported by an exceptional group of former school leaders and HMI. From EYFS to Post-16, phase experts work with staff and students to ensure strong practice and effective collaboration across the Creative Education Trust network.
In our secondary schools, experts in core subjects support departments to improve teaching, learning and assessment. Creative Education Trust subject leaders work together regularly to develop the curriculum and manage the moderation of assessments across the network.
School leaders have access to the services of experienced inspectors who offer preparation for Ofsted and other accountability structures. In addition, the Education Team works closely with our Human Resources Team to ensure that Creative Education Trust leaders and teachers have access to high-grade training and development programmes.
The work of the Education Team is matched to the needs of individual schools in the Creative Education Trust network. It is practical and efficient, yet responsive to the changing needs of schools committed to continuous self-improvement. The Education Team’s work is supported by the Education Standards Committee, and by the Primary Head Teachers’ Group and the Secondary Principals’ Group, all of which meet regularly to assess progress and design the strategies to carry our schools forward.
The Safeguarding and Personal Development Directorate
The Safeguarding and Personal Development Directorate ensures that safety, wellbeing, and the holistic development of every student are at the heart of school life. Led by the Director of Safeguarding and Personal Development, the team provides expert support to schools across the Trust, helping them to create safe, inclusive, and aspirational environments.
Safeguarding is delivered through a robust framework of guidance, quality assurance, and professional development. Designated Safeguarding Leads and their teams are supported by our Head of Safeguarding and a network of regional advisory boards, ensuring consistent, high-quality practice across all schools. The directorate also oversees key areas such as attendance and alternative provision.
Personal development is championed as a core pillar of education at Creative Education Trust. The directorate leads a trust-wide strategy to nurture students’ character, resilience, ambition, and values. Through a rich programme of opportunities and support, students are empowered to thrive both in and beyond the classroom.
The Human Resources and Governance Team
The Human Resources Team at Creative Education Trust provides professional, pragmatic, and solutions-focused support to our schools on all people-related matters. It is responsible for delivering our People Strategy, which aims to make each of our academies a great place to work and position Creative Education Trust as an employer of choice for both teaching and non-teaching professionals.
Led by our experienced Director of Human Resources, the team works closely with Principals and Head Teachers to create the right environment to attract, engage, and retain a high-performing workforce capable of delivering excellent education to our students. The team’s work spans the entire employee life cycle—from recruitment and onboarding to employee relations, pay and recognition, diversity and equality of opportunity, and staff wellbeing.
The Head of Business Partnering oversees a team of Regional HR Business Partners who provide strategic and operational HR support to schools across the Trust. This includes guidance on workforce planning, performance management, and employee relations. The Head of Business Partnering also manages the HR Systems Manager and HR Systems Support Officer, who are responsible for maintaining and developing the Trust’s HR systems to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and compliance.
Recruitment is led by the Head of Recruitment, who oversees the Recruitment Manager and two Talent Acquisition Coordinators. This team works collaboratively with school leaders to attract and secure high-quality candidates across all roles. They ensure that recruitment processes are inclusive, efficient, and aligned with the Trust’s values and workforce needs, helping schools to recruit successfully and cost-effectively in a competitive employment environment.
The Human Resources Team also works in partnership with the Education Team to design and deliver high-quality training and development initiatives. These programmes aim to increase skills, build competencies, and grow confidence among leaders and staff across the Trust.
Governance is supported by the Head of Governance, who oversees the work of the Academy Council Clerks. This team ensures that governance across the Trust is compliant, transparent, and effective. They provide administrative and procedural support to Academy Councils, enabling them to fulfil their responsibilities and contribute meaningfully to the leadership and oversight of each school.
Together, the Human Resources, Recruitment, and Governance teams form a vital part of the Trust’s central operations, supporting our mission to deliver high-quality education and foster a thriving, inclusive, and well-supported workforce.
The Estates and Facilities Team
The Estates and Facilities Team plays a vital role in ensuring that our school environments are compliant, safe, pleasant, efficient, and well-designed spaces for students and staff. Led by our Director of Estates & Facilities, the team works in close collaboration with school leaders and site staff to maintain high standards across all buildings and grounds.
The team is responsible for a wide range of operational and strategic functions, including compliance, maintenance, cleaning and catering, grounds, and health and safety. They also oversee the delivery of major capital projects that enhance the long-term infrastructure and learning environments across our schools.
Supporting this work is our Head of Estates Delivery, who leads on the planning and execution of capital programmes, ensuring that all projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to a high standard. Our Regional Facilities Managers provide essential operational oversight across multiple school sites, coordinating day-to-day facilities management and ensuring consistency and quality across the estate.
At the heart of each school are our dedicated site teams, who manage the daily activities in buildings and grounds, respond to local needs, and ensure that each site remains a safe and welcoming place for learning.
Together, the Estates and Facilities Team ensures that every school environment reflects our commitment to safety, excellence, sustainability, and the wellbeing of our students and staff.
The EdTech and IT Team
IT plays an important role in Creative Education Trust’s educational vision. The Director of IT and his team are responsible for developing our overall strategy with input from school leaders, for procurement of hardware and software, and for running a central help-desk that enables IT issues to be resolved speedily and effectively so that the work of our schools can go on without technical disruption.
The Finance Team
The Finance Team works closely with the central team and senior leadership across our schools to ensure that budgets align with school improvement priorities and that value for money is achieved through effective resource management and robust financial controls. Each school is supported by a dedicated Senior Finance Business Partner, who is also part of the central head office team. The Finance Team provides regular financial reporting to Principals, Head Teachers, Executive Directors, and the Board of Creative Education Trust, and is responsible for preparing the annual accounts submitted to the Department for Education.
You can meet our key people in the sections below.
the executive team
Nicole McCartney
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Nicole has been a school leader since 2003, and in the academies programme since 2007 in both small, local trusts and large, national multi-academy trusts. She was designated a National Leader of Education in 2014 and has a wealth of school improvement experience gained through academy leadership, Executive Principalships and Executive roles within Multi-Academy Trusts. She is on a number of national advisory boards, and has supported a number of multi academy trusts in developing their operational models.
Since Nicole joined Creative Education Trust in September 2018, she has designed and implemented our Leadership Development Programme, lead on our ambitious curriculum development and assessment work and as our Director of Education from 2020, revised our model of educational delivery.
Nicole was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Creative Education Trust in April 2025 and has since overseen the successful implementation of the organisation’s new strategic direction. The current year marks the formal launch of Unified Purpose. Empowered People. A strategy firmly anchored in Creative Education Trust’s foundational values of ambition, equity, and opportunity.
Dr Jason Howard
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
Jason became one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors in 2013 and has inspected since, serving as a Senior HMI in the East of England. Previously, Jason has led school improvement in a number of roles, including at an executive level in a local authority, within a multi-academy trust, and as a secondary headteacher. Jason has a doctorate in history, and has considerable experience in curriculum development, governance and safeguarding.
Jason joined Creative Education Trust in September 2021.
Jason was appointed as Director of Education in April 2025.
Victoria Tricarico
DIRECTOR OF HR
Victoria rejoined Creative Education Trust as Director of Human Resources in August 2023. Victoria previously held this position at the Trust until 2019, when she joined the Competition and Markets Authority as Human Resources Director. At the CMA, she was responsible for formulating effective HR strategies and delivering a best-in-class HR service.
Prior to working at Creative Education Trust, Victoria was Head of People & Change at the London Borough of Haringey, and for six years before that she led the HR function at ARK Schools. Victoria has a wealth of experience in the Education sector including recruitment, talent-spotting and staff development, as well as in the more transactional aspects of HR including restructuring and industrial relations.
Victoria is passionate about ensuring that the Trust continues to be a great place to work by providing a positive, productive and fulfilling work experience for employees.
Louis Donald
DIRECTOR OF SAFEGUARDING AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Louis joined Creative Education Trust in December 2021 as an Executive Director, responsible for Safeguarding and Personal Development, Louis is a member of the Trust executive leadership team.
Louis has vast experience in holding various senior leadership responsibilities across education, specialising in Safeguarding, school improvement, supporting leaders with their preparations for Ofsted visits and their broader improvement journey. Most recently, Louis was Safeguarding Director at a regional Multi Academy Trust, leading SEND and Attendance and before that, an Assistant Principal at a secondary academy.
In 2020, Louis supported the work of the Department for Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic, advising civil servants on the impact and effectiveness of the Government safeguarding strategy around attendance and children in need.
Louis is a calm and professional leader, especially in the face of adversity or challenge; he is passionate about safeguarding, advocating for children and young people, and maximising the effectiveness of senior leaders in Education; by taking a common-sense approach to effective and robust strategic leadership.
In his spare time, Louis is a non-executive Director (Trustee) at a Nottinghamshire based Multi-Academy Trust, a member of the Independent Advisory Group of the British Army at the Defence School of Transport (DST) Leconfield and founded and now sits on the board of the national group of academy trust Safeguarding Directors (NASSA)... Most importantly, he is an avid follower of Hull City.
Catherine Hughes
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Catherine is the Trust’s Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She joined the Trust in 2015 as Regional Head of Finance, was promoted to Financial Controller in 2017, and subsequently appointed Director of Finance in 2021. Catherine developed her passion for the education sector while working in audit, following the completion of her Chartered Accountancy qualification with the ICAEW in 2010. She holds a First-Class Honours degree in BSc (Econ) Accounting and Finance.
Gwayne Webb
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
In his capacity as Director of Research and Development,Gwayne works closely with the education team leading on professional development, teacher recruitment and retention, and leadership training and support. The role includes delivering challenge and support to the schools and driving transformational change through collaboration and networking.
A specialist in English Language and Literature, and Psychology, Gwayne has 32 years’ teaching and leadership experience. He has been part of the Academies’ Programme since its inception and has held senior positions in cross-sector institutions, including most recently as Regional Director with one of the country’s largest academy trusts. Gwayne’s skill-set includes initial teacher training, change management, performance management, middle and senior leadership training and accountability, self-evaluation and governance.
Ash Mudaliar
DIRECTOR OF IT
Ash is responsible for the strategic development of IT within the Trust. Ash works closely with Creative Education Trust schools to support their IT development plans ensuring that they incorporate the schools' needs and the Trust-wide IT strategy.
Ash has a number of experienced IT Support professionals within his team who ensure that core IT services and individual schools are supported effectively. Through the use of the CETcloud services, he is able to ensure that pupils and staff have the tools they need to deliver and receive a high quality educational experience.
Ash has a BSc in Computing which he completed in 2007. Having worked in the education IT sector for over 10 years, Ash has extensive knowledge which includes managing complex IT projects and developing IT within the classroom.
Jon Ward
DIRECTOR OF ESTATES & FACILITIES
Jon has worked for a range of multi-academy trusts since 2007 on more than 50 estates and facilities projects. In 2017 he was recruited as a consultant by Creative Education Trust to manage the construction of the new Michael Dickson Building for Ash Green. He joined Creative Education Trust on a full-time basis as Head of Estates & Facilities in September 2018. Earlier in his career Jon worked on regeneration projects for the London Development Agency, and before that in Aerospace engineering, running factories to make aircraft and automotive components.
Ben Driver
DIRECTOR OF PERFORMANCE
the education team
Dr Jason Howard
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
Jason became one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors in 2013 and has inspected since, serving as a Senior HMI in the East of England. Previously, Jason has led school improvement in a number of roles, including at an executive level in a local authority, within a multi-academy trust, and as a secondary headteacher. Jason has a doctorate in history, and has considerable experience in curriculum development, governance and safeguarding.
Jason joined Creative Education Trust in September 2021.
Jason was appointed as Director of Education in April 2025.
Gwayne Webb
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
In his capacity as Director of Research and Development,Gwayne works closely with the education team leading on professional development, teacher recruitment and retention, and leadership training and support. The role includes delivering challenge and support to the schools and driving transformational change through collaboration and networking.
A specialist in English Language and Literature, and Psychology, Gwayne has 32 years’ teaching and leadership experience. He has been part of the Academies’ Programme since its inception and has held senior positions in cross-sector institutions, including most recently as Regional Director with one of the country’s largest academy trusts. Gwayne’s skill-set includes initial teacher training, change management, performance management, middle and senior leadership training and accountability, self-evaluation and governance.
Ben Driver
DIRECTOR OF PERFORMANCE
Toni Bailey
DIRECTOR OF SEND
Toni joined Creative Education Trust following his role as Assistant Director of SEND and Inclusion for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire local authorities. Toni started his journey with SEND working as a residential care-worker before training as a mainstream primary school teacher, but returned to his interest in working with special needs and vulnerable children early in his career, moving into primary and secondary special needs schools from 1998. He has been a headteacher in three residential schools with specialisms in social emotional and mental health and autism and associated complex needs.
Toni has been chair of a national network of SEMH schools, which has led to successful experience as a consultant, supporting special and mainstream schools, academies and local authorities to develop their SEND and alternative provision offers and has supported specialist schools and settings across Europe and with the Ministry of Education in New Zealand
Nimish Lad
HEAD OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
Nimish joined the Creative Education Trust education team, initially on a secondment in January 2021, supporting schools with the process of collaborative curriculum development. An experienced senior leader, Nimish has a keen interest in the use of educational research to improve the implementation of a knowledge-rich curriculum.
Nimish has completed his NPQH, focused on the use of cognitive science to improve the outcomes of all pupils. This led to him authoring the book Shimamura's MARGE Model of Learning in Action. He often presents at national educational conferences, sharing ideas on how research-informed strategies can drive improvement in the classroom.
In addition to his work within the Trust, Nimish sits on the Trust Steering Committee for Steplab, supporting the development of evidence-informed professional development at scale. He is also a member of the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) Policy Advisory Group, contributing to national discussions on education policy and system leadership.
Joanne Chambers
HEAD OF ATTENDANCE & ADMISSIONS
Joanne joined CET in January 2025 as Head of Attendance & Admissions, bringing with her a wealth of experience in pastoral leadership and school improvement. Prior to this role, she served as Vice Principal for Behaviour & Attitudes at Ellis Guilford School.
With a career spanning several senior pastoral positions across four secondary schools in Nottingham and Derby, Joanne has developed deep expertise in fostering inclusive school environments and driving improvements in student welfare. Her work has consistently focused on enhancing pastoral care and inclusion strategies to support student success.
Joanne is particularly passionate about improving school attendance and has been recognised by the Department for Education as an outstanding practitioner in this field.
Jo Bell
HEAD OF DATA STRATEGY
Jo has been working in education since 2001, when she became Exams and Data Manager at a secondary school and remained there for three years. For the following 17 years, she worked in two London Local Authorities education data teams. Jo moved to the multi-academy trust world in 2021, before joining CET in February 2024.
Since joining the trust, Jo has been working with the data team to better organise and visualise our data and improve use of systems, data quality and support to school Data Managers.
the safeguarding & personal development directorate
Louis Donald
DIRECTOR OF SAFEGUARDING AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Louis joined Creative Education Trust in December 2021 as an Executive Director, responsible for Safeguarding and Personal Development, Louis is a member of the Trust executive leadership team.
Louis has vast experience in holding various senior leadership responsibilities across education, specialising in Safeguarding, school improvement, supporting leaders with their preparations for Ofsted visits and their broader improvement journey. Most recently, Louis was Safeguarding Director at a regional Multi Academy Trust, leading SEND and Attendance and before that, an Assistant Principal at a secondary academy.
In 2020, Louis supported the work of the Department for Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic, advising civil servants on the impact and effectiveness of the Government safeguarding strategy around attendance and children in need.
Louis is a calm and professional leader, especially in the face of adversity or challenge; he is passionate about safeguarding, advocating for children and young people, and maximising the effectiveness of senior leaders in Education; by taking a common-sense approach to effective and robust strategic leadership.
In his spare time, Louis is a non-executive Director (Trustee) at a Nottinghamshire based Multi-Academy Trust, a member of the Independent Advisory Group of the British Army at the Defence School of Transport (DST) Leconfield and founded and now sits on the board of the national group of academy trust Safeguarding Directors (NASSA)... Most importantly, he is an avid follower of Hull City.
Stacey Anderson
HEAD OF SAFEGUARDING
Stacey brings extensive expertise as a Designated Safeguarding Lead, with a proven track record across Nottinghamshire, Sheffield, and Rotherham. Before joining the central team, she served as the Designated Safeguarding Lead at The Bulwell Academy, where she successfully led the rapid improvement of safeguarding practices, securing an ‘effective’ judgment within just six months. Prior to this, Stacey headed safeguarding at Sutton Community Academy, achieving another ‘effective’ judgment and contributing significantly to the senior leadership team’s work in moving the school from a ‘Special Measures’ status to a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating.
As Head of Safeguarding, Stacey will provide strategic leadership and direction for safeguarding across CET. She will be responsible for ensuring the highest standards of safeguarding practice, developing and implementing safeguarding policies, and overseeing compliance with statutory requirements. Stacey will lead on safeguarding training and professional development, strengthen safeguarding culture across all settings, and work closely with senior leaders to monitor and improve safeguarding performance. She will also oversee case management, safeguarding audits, and quality assurance processes, ensuring that all CET schools and services provide safe and supportive environments for children and young people to thrive.
Laura O'Shaughnessy
HEAD OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Laura is known for her unwavering passion and belief that education is about far more than academic success.
Laura is passionate about education beyond academics, focusing on self-belief, ambition, and strong values to help students shape their futures.
With 30+ years in education, she remains a PE teacher at heart and has held senior leadership roles, including Interim Headteacher, SENCO, and Assistant Principal, gaining deep insight into school communities.
In December 2024, she stepped into her "dream job" as Head of Personal Development for Creative Education Trust, leading a trust-wide effort to embed personal development at the core of CET schools. Her vision is to make CET a national leader in personal development, ensuring every student gains the skills, resilience, and opportunities to thrive.
Lee Davies
HEAD OF MARKETING & PUPIL RECRUITMENT STRATEGY
With a strong background in strategic communications and stakeholder engagement, Lee has held a variety of roles that have shaped his belief in the power of marketing as a driver of school development.
Lee worked for many years in a large secondary school, where his marketing efforts played a key role in transforming the school’s reputation—doubling student numbers and supporting its expansion at the request of the local authority. He worked within a large multi-academy trust, where he led marketing strategies for the successful launch of two free schools and helped boost enrolment across several schools facing under-subscription.
Lee is passionate about the role of marketing in shaping a school’s culture. He believes that effective marketing goes beyond promotion—it’s about building meaningful relationships, listening to the community, and celebrating the achievements of students and staff alike.
the human resources & GOVERNANCE team
Victoria Tricarico
DIRECTOR OF HR
Victoria rejoined Creative Education Trust as Director of Human Resources in August 2023. Victoria previously held this position at the Trust until 2019, when she joined the Competition and Markets Authority as Human Resources Director. At the CMA, she was responsible for formulating effective HR strategies and delivering a best-in-class HR service.
Prior to working at Creative Education Trust, Victoria was Head of People & Change at the London Borough of Haringey, and for six years before that she led the HR function at ARK Schools. Victoria has a wealth of experience in the Education sector including recruitment, talent-spotting and staff development, as well as in the more transactional aspects of HR including restructuring and industrial relations.
Victoria is passionate about ensuring that the Trust continues to be a great place to work by providing a positive, productive and fulfilling work experience for employees.
Vanda Roy
HEAD OF HR BUSINESS PARTNERING
Vanda joined the Trust in October 2017 and works with our Academies in Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, as well as providing support to Head Office. Vanda previously has had over 12 years experience of working in the NHS and Higher Education before joining the Trust. She completed her MA in HR Management in 2011.
Vanda provides operational support to Creative Education Trust schools as well as supporting the Director of HR in developing the trust-wide HR Strategies.
Sarah Catchpole
HEAD OF RECRUITMENT
Sarah plays a crucial role in ensuring that the trust's network of schools are well-resourced with high-quality colleagues.
In her role, Sarah works in partnership with schools across the trust to attract top-quality education and head office staff. She is responsible for increasing brand awareness and building relationships with key external partners to ensure a steady pipeline of talented candidates. Sarah delivers expert advice on all aspects of attraction, selection, and onboarding, ensuring that the trust's schools are staffed with passionate and skilled educators and support staff.
Before joining Creative Education Trust, Sarah was the Head of Leadership Recruitment at Hourglass Education, where she supported schools, multi-academy trusts, and local authorities by placing top leadership talent. She offered a full executive search recruitment solution and interim leadership solutions for senior leadership requirements. Sarah has extensive experience in Education Recruitment, supporting schools in finding quality hires for the past decade.
Holly Crofts
HEAD OF GOVERNANCE
Holly joined the Trust in 2024 as Head of Governance, bringing extensive experience in education and governance. She is responsible for ensuring that governance across all levels of the Trust is compliant, effective, and sector-leading.
Alongside governance, Holly and her team lead on website compliance, policy audits, and complaints handling. As the Trust’s Data Protection Officer (DPO), she also oversees all aspects of GDPR and data protection.
Prior to joining CET, Holly was Governance Lead across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and previously directed a successful community tuition centre in Peterborough.
Holly is passionate about making governance a culture, not a checklist, and works closely with a wide range of stakeholders to support strong and transparent governance across the Trust.
the estates and facilities team
Jon Ward
DIRECTOR OF ESTATES & FACILITIES
Jon has worked for a range of multi-academy trusts since 2007 on more than 50 estates and facilities projects. In 2017 he was recruited as a consultant by Creative Education Trust to manage the construction of the new Michael Dickson Building for Ash Green. He joined Creative Education Trust on a full-time basis as Head of Estates & Facilities in September 2018. Earlier in his career Jon worked on regeneration projects for the London Development Agency, and before that in Aerospace engineering, running factories to make aircraft and automotive components.
Andrea Evans
HEAD OF ESTATES DELIVERY
The EdTech and IT Team
Ash Mudaliar
DIRECTOR OF IT
Ash is responsible for the strategic development of IT within the Trust. Ash works closely with Creative Education Trust schools to support their IT development plans ensuring that they incorporate the schools' needs and the Trust-wide IT strategy.
Ash has a number of experienced IT Support professionals within his team who ensure that core IT services and individual schools are supported effectively. Through the use of the CETcloud services, he is able to ensure that pupils and staff have the tools they need to deliver and receive a high quality educational experience.
Ash has a BSc in Computing which he completed in 2007. Having worked in the education IT sector for over 10 years, Ash has extensive knowledge which includes managing complex IT projects and developing IT within the classroom.
Tom Brown
HEAD OF IT OPERATIONS
Following more than 11 years across both technical and managerial roles in IT, Tom joined Creative Education Trust in 2020 as one of the team’s Regional IT Managers before stepping into the role of IT Operations Manager and later being appointed into his current role as Head of IT Operations.
As Head of IT Operations, Tom oversees IT service delivery for Creative Education Trust, including leading the Regional IT Management team, and directing and supporting the implementation of IT standards across the Trust. Tom’s work ensures these standards align with the digital strategies of both Creative Education Trust and the Department for Education, driving innovation and operational excellence throughout the organisation.
Adam Johnson
HEAD OF IT TECHNICAL SERVICES
Katie Glenister-Soós
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LEAD
Over the course of more than a decade in education, Katie has taught across all primary key stages, held whole-school leadership roles and contributed to curriculum development and school improvement initiatives in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. Her experience in teaching, mentoring and school leadership underpins her approach to educational technology, ensuring that innovation is always practical, purposeful and rooted in supporting teachers and improving student outcomes.
As Educational Technology Lead for the Trust, Katie draws on her extensive teaching and leadership background to drive the development and implementation of digital and AI strategies across all schools, ensuring they genuinely serve the needs of teachers, students and school communities. She works with school leaders, IT teams and external partners to embed technology that enhances both teaching and learning, as well as operational effectiveness. Katie’s blend of classroom insight and strategic oversight enables her to champion practical, sustainable digital solutions that empower educators and enrich learning for students across all key stages.
the Finance TEAM
Catherine Hughes
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Catherine is the Trust’s Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She joined the Trust in 2015 as Regional Head of Finance, was promoted to Financial Controller in 2017, and subsequently appointed Director of Finance in 2021. Catherine developed her passion for the education sector while working in audit, following the completion of her Chartered Accountancy qualification with the ICAEW in 2010. She holds a First-Class Honours degree in BSc (Econ) Accounting and Finance.
Jenna Tromans
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
Jenna graduated from University of Liverpool in 2006 with BA (Hons) Business Studies and qualified as an accountant in 2012. Jenna joined Creative Education Trust in 2025 as Financial Controller, with extensive finance experience working in different sectors.
Jenna is responsible for ensuring the Trust has strong internal financial controls and processes enabling the Trust to achieve its strategic aims and objectives.
Michelle Hopkinson
HEAD OF FINANCE BUSINESS PARTNERING
Michelle is an ACCA qualified accountant with extensive finance business partnering experience across a variety of sectors. In 2020, Michelle joined the Trust as Regional Head of Finance and was subsequently promoted to Head of Finance Business Partnering.
Michelle is responsible for leading on the development of our financial planning, management and analysis to support the continued evolution of the financial service for our schools and head office.