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Our trustees

Lord Baker (Chairman)

Kenneth Baker is a former MP and Cabinet Minister. He was the first Information Technology Minister, introducing computers into schools. As Education Secretary, he introduced the National Curriculum, testing, City Technology Colleges, and grant-maintained schools, as well as freeing polytechnics to become universities. Together with Lord Dearing, he founded the Baker Dearing Educational Trust in 2009.

Sir Mike Tomlinson

Mike Tomlinson was Chief Inspector and Head of Ofsted between 2000 and 2002. He was Chair of the Working Group set up by government to propose reform of the curriculum for 14-19 year-olds. He acted as Chief Adviser for London Challenge from 2008 to 2010. In 2014, he was appointed Education Commissioner for Birmingham to oversee reform.

Lady Morris

A teacher in an inner city multiracial comprehensive school for 18 years, Lady Morris entered Parliament in 1992, becoming Education Secretary in 2001 and Minister for Arts in 2003. Leaving Parliament in 2005, she is a member of the House of Lords; Trustee of The Royal Institution; Birmingham Education Partnership; National Poetry Archive; and Sunderland Football Foundation.

David Land

David Land is a well-known figure in the manufacturing and automotive sectors in the North East of England. He has spent his entire career in these sectors, starting out as an apprentice. Today, he allocates his time between managing businesses and supporting local organisations. He is Chair of Governors at UTC South Durham.

Mike Wright

Mike Wright is a former Executive Director of Jaguar Land Rover, retiring in 2016 after making a significant contribution to doubling JLR’s scale since 2008. He acts as an advisor to FTSE- and North American-listed businesses, sports, arts and government-related organisations. Mike is the former Chair of Governors of WMG Academies, which has two UTCs near Birmingham.

Clive Barker

Clive Barker has enjoyed a successful career as a businessman and entrepreneur. He is Chairman of CSB Logistics, a company he founded over 30 years ago. He is an active participant in the business community in South East London, having twice served as President of the region’s Chamber of Commerce. Clive is Chair of The Leigh UTC in Dartford.

Madeleine Hallward

Madeleine Hallward is a public affairs and communications expert, having worked in-house for Diageo and Bloomberg. Most recently, she was a Director on Ford’s UK Board of Directors, leading on government affairs. She has a long association with the UTC programme, particularly through Ford’s support for Brook Sixth Form and Academy, which is based in Dagenham.

Jim Wade

From 2009 until 2020, Jim Wade was Principal of the JCB Academy, the first UTC, in Staffordshire. During his time at the JCB Academy, the UTC was consistently judged ‘Good’ by Ofsted, and developed the model of employer engagement which has been adopted across the UTC programme. In doing so, the JCB Academy equipped thousands of young people with the skills essential for the world of work. Prior to joining The JCB Academy, Jim was Principal of South Molton Community College which was judged ‘Outstanding’ under his leadership.

Will Harding

Will Harding has spent his career in the media industry, working at the BBC, Sky and, most recently, at Global Media & Entertainment, the UK’s largest commercial radio operator and leading outdoor advertising company, where he was Chief Strategy Officer and a group Board Director. He set up the Global Academy UTC and served as its first Chair of Governors.

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