Our Board of Trustees
The Board is responsible for our overall strategy, policy, educational initiatives and development, and for steering AQA to fulfil its educational and charitable objectives. Trustees are drawn from various educational and business bodies to ensure a balance of skills and experience and serve for no more than three terms of three years.
- Anne Spackman (Chair)
Anne has an extensive background in national newspaper journalism on The Independent and at Times Newspapers, where she was Managing Editor and Assistant Editor and sat on the board of Times Newspaper Ltd. Alongside these roles, she served as a trustee and Chair of the charity now known as Gingerbread and as a director of the Camelot Foundation. On leaving The Times, Anne became Chief Executive of the social mobility charity Career Ready. She is currently a trustee of the Royal National Children's Springboard Foundation and Chair of the Greenshaw Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust.
- Mark Allen
Mark has recently retired from Cancer Research UK where he spent five years as Executive Director of Human Resources. He has over 35 years of human resource and general management experience gained in multinational corporations including Britvic PLC, AB Agri (Associated British Foods), Constellation Brands Inc, Campbell Soup Company, Yardley Lentheric and International Distillers.
Having worked in various senior leadership roles, he has a wealth of experience developing people strategies within large, complex organisations. He has led on equality, diversity and inclusion, employee and industrial relations, compensation and benefits, including advising remuneration committees on pay practices, talent acquisition and development, and the people aspects of mergers, acquisitions, disposals and large capital projects.
Mark has undertaken extensive voluntary work as a non-executive director, advising on remuneration, pay and reward practices. He has also been a board member and chair of trustees for several large occupational pension schemes and was deputy-chair of governors for one of the UK’s largest further education (FE) colleges.
- James Dahl
James graduated from Jesus College Cambridge in 1995 with a degree in Classics. He has taught at a number of leading independent schools and has, at various times, been Head of Department, Head of Sixth Form, Housemaster, Director of Admissions and Marketing, and Deputy Head (Pastoral).
Since 2013, James has worked at Wellington College in Berkshire, becoming the school’s first internally appointed Master in 2019. He also sits of the Board of Governors at three other schools. Throughout his career, James has taught GCSE, iGCSE, A-Level and IB Diploma, and is a passionate advocate of holistic models of education.
James is a member of AQA’s Curriculum and Assessment Quality Committee.
- Ann Ewing
Ann is an experienced executive who has held senior roles in the energy, banking, and not-for-profit sectors. For more than 25 years she has specialised in leadership development, working in a wide range of strategic HR roles focused on identifying talent, succession planning, organisational development and change programmes.
Ann teaches with the Open University, helping students who might not otherwise have gained access to tertiary education and those who want to develop their careers.
In addition, Ann is the founding chair of governors of an academy in West London, and for the Girls' School Trust is chair of the academy trust board and council member. Since 2014 she has been Vice-Chair of Council, Royal Holloway University of London and recently became a member of the Remuneration Committee, Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge.
- Anne Frost
Anne was a senior civil servant until 2020, spending much of her career at the Department for Education. Many of her various roles involved support for disadvantaged learners including her role as Director of Further Education. Before joining the civil service, Anne spent seven years as an officer in the Royal Air Force serving in Hong Kong and at RAF Cranwell, although began her working life in retail management. She is currently chair of trustees for a growing multi-academy trust in Leicestershire and chair of council for a university in Lincoln. She is also vice-chair and lead education trustee for NACRO, a national social justice charity. Anne holds an MBA from Nottingham Business School and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
- Tom Hall
Tom works as the General Manager, International, for LEGO® Education, where he oversees the international business and channel partners. He is passionate about the potential technology brings to business and learning, as well as the social and business impact of education. Tom is dedicated to delivering STEAM learning and empowering teachers and students with LEGO Education solutions around the world. He has particular interests too in the role of play-based learning in the classroom, and education technology in addressing education inequities.
Tom previously held leadership positions at Pearson and Penguin Random House UK and is experienced in enabling new market opportunities, leading global teams through complex change management programmes, and creating partnership ecosystems. He also sat on the board of the British Educational Suppliers Association and as a member of the Board of Directors of Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF).
Tom has a degree in Modern Chinese Studies from Durham University and Renmin University of China, and is based in the UK.
- Dr Ali Hadawi CBE
Since 2011 Ali has been Principal and Chief Executive at Central Bedfordshire College, which offers a range of courses from Level 1 to higher education - including Access courses that ensure students aren't limited by their academic background. Some 85% of its students come from 'deprived postcodes' and Ali is passionate about the college's role in helping transform their students' futures through education.
Ali is also Vice-Chair of the UK-Iraq Further Education Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Strategic Partnership – work for which he received a CBE in 2011 for the successful partnership with further education (FE) colleges in Iraq to deliver education and training.
Ali currently chairs the Central Bedfordshire Skills and Employability Board which brings business, the council and education and training providers together to help close skills gaps; and is a member of the Board of the Association for Research in Post Compulsory Education (ARPCE), a peer-reviewed journal concerned with promoting evidence-based research in post-compulsory education and training. He has also been an Ofsted inspector.
- Colin Hughes (CEO)
Before joining AQA, Colin was at HarperCollins for eight years. During his time there, he was promoted to MD of Collins Learning, merging the Education, Language and Geo divisions of HarperCollins UK, and he launched Collins India. He also chaired the Education Publishers Council from 2014 to 2018.
Find out more about Colin from his Executive team profile
- Elizabeth Kitcatt
Elizabeth taught English Language and Literature to A-level in a range of inner London comprehensives. As Head of English, she led a review of the literary texts studied in her school and established a more diverse offer.
In middle and senior leadership roles, Elizabeth developed strong school self-review systems which included data analysis in relation to gender, ethnicity and disadvantage. This enabled the school to put measures in place to address inequalities, leading to outcomes for disadvantaged students in her school which were stronger than those of non-disadvantaged students nationally.
From 2010 to 2021 Elizabeth was headteacher at The Camden School for Girls in north London, establishing it as one of the most successful state schools in the UK.
Elizabeth holds a degree in Classics and English from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Language and Literature in Education from the Institute of Education, University of London.
A strong supporter of improving educational opportunities and outcomes for girls and young women, Elizabeth has served as the President of the Association for State Girls’ Schools. She is a trustee of Young Enterprise, chairing the Remuneration Committee.
Elizabeth is currently the co-chair of AQA’s Student Advisory Group, Chair of the Curriculum and Assessment Quality Committee and a member of the EDI External Expert Group.
- James Knowles
James joined Royal Holloway University London (RHUL) in 2017 as Vice-Principal and Dean of Arts and Social Sciences. He then became Senior Vice-Principal (Education) and Deputy Principal (Academic) in 2019.
His current role covers all aspects of teaching and learning across RHUL, including its Access and Participation Plan, and he holds final responsibility for quality assurance and standards. He is also responsible for curriculum change and teaching and learning development, especially technology-enhanced learning, and for ensuring the valuing of teaching and educational activities and innovation.
At RHUL, James works closely with the student union to ensure the effectiveness of student representation and the recognition of the student voice in education. He is an advocate of wider access to higher education and works in collaboration with schools and universities to raise attainment and educational opportunities in poorer and disadvantaged areas.
James is leading on the development of RHUL's West London strategy, supporting with projects that help bring educational opportunities to areas in West London. Currently, he is working with the Reach Academy as part of the Feltham Convening Project, an initiative that aims to improve outcomes for children and young people in Feltham.
James is a governor of North East Surrey College Of Technology (NESCoT Further Education College) and was a School Governor at Sir William Ramsay School, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. He was also Professor of Renaissance Literature and Culture and Vice-Dean (Research) at Brunel University, London, and Professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at University College, Cork.
- Mike Nicholson
Mike joined the University of Cambridge in October 2021, having previously worked as Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach at the University of Bath (2014-21) and University of Oxford (2006-2014), and Head of Undergraduate Admissions and Student Recruitment at the University of Essex (1998-2006).
Mike heads the team responsible for supporting undergraduate and postgraduate student admissions, student recruitment and marketing (UK and international), scholarships and funding, and widening access and participation. He also has oversight of the team developing the University Foundation Year for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, which had the first intake in October 2022. He is also one of four deputy heads in the Education Services department, with a particular responsibility for admissions, access and participation. He is also a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
In addition, Mike is Vice Chair of the UCAS Council, the stakeholder advisory group that advises the UCAS Trustee Board on sector issues. He is also a Trustee and Treasurer of the Council of International Schools (chairing the Finance Committee) and a Trustee of the AQA Exam Board, chairing their Higher Education Advisory Group. He has recently joined the Sutton Trust’s Education Advisory Board, and the Rethinking Assessment Advisory Board.
Mike graduated in 1990 from the University of Sheffield with a degree in English and History and attended Allegheny College, Pennsylvania for a year as an exchange student. He was the first member of his extended family to go to university, after attending state-funded comprehensive schools in Gateshead.
- Deirdre O’Donoghue
Deirdre has over 30 years’ marketing and brand strategy experience in large multinational companies, NestlĂ© and Mars. She ensured that their strategies aligned with their corporate social responsibilities, including marketing responsibly to children, ensuring the sustainability the firms’ brands, diversity and inclusion. Deidre has experience transforming business processes across large organisations and has worked in many markets, including Ireland, Switzerland and Ukraine.
Deirdre led a government/industry initiative in Ireland to give young people work experience and career advice. Between 2017 and 2020, she taught marketing strategy to students at Sheffield Hallam University, taking an apprentice degree sponsored by NestlĂ©, giving young people the opportunity to study whilst working. Since 2019 she has been a volunteer with The Prince’s Trust as an advisor to young people in start-up businesses, and more recently advising young people on how to progress a career in social care. Deirdre has left full-time employment in order to use her experience to help young people find their path to study and work.
Deirdre is the AQA Trustee Sponsor of Safeguarding and a member of the AQA Finance Committee.
- Mohsen Ojja
Mohsen is an experienced teaching professional and is currently CEO of the Anthem Schools Trust.
Prior to this, Mohsen worked as Deputy CEO at The Mossbourne Federation as well as Principal and then National Director of Education for E-ACT, a multi-academy trust responsible for 28 academies. He is also a trustee for the United Westminster and Grey Coat Foundation, and The Talent Foundry.
- Murray Orr (Vice Chair)
Murray is an investment banker with 40 years’ experience in the financial services sector, providing corporate finance advice to clients internationally and across many sectors. He has significant not-for-profit senior governance and board experience, including at Greenwich University where he is on the Board of Governors and is Chair of the Finance Committee.
Murray has an Economics and Accounting degree from Bristol University. He is also a qualified Chartered Accountant, and completed the Duke Fuqua Business School Advanced Management Programme.
- Ginny Rhodes
Ginny is a qualified teacher and has worked as a secondary school headteacher for ten years. She is currently CEO of The Circle Trust, a multi-academy trust consisting of eight schools (and growing!). The trust encompasses the age ranges of nursery to post 16 and includes specialist resources for pupils with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and with total communication needs (hearing impairment).
Alongside this work, Ginny is a governor at Wellington College where she plays a pivotal role in developing the state and independent school partnerships and is a serving OFSTED inspector. Ginny is also a leadership coach and regularly speaks at PiXL partnership (Partners in Excellence).
- Paula Smith
Paula has been a Partner at KPMG since January 2013 and became KPMG’s UK Head of Banking in June 2019. She has over 20 years’ experience in senior finance and operational roles at a number of global banks. Much of her career has focused on management responsibility for control and reporting functions, oversight of capital market business, financial planning and analysis.
She is a senior leader in a highly regulated sector, and has extensive involvement in senior governance and direct contact with global regulatory authorities.
For nine years to 2021, Paula was a trustee for Magic Breakfast, a registered charity working to end hunger as a barrier to education in UK schools by providing meals for disadvantaged children. For a similar period, until summer 2022, Paula was also governor of City Lit, the charity and adult education college, providing flexible, part-time learning for adults.
- Isabel Sutcliffe
Isabel Sutcliffe is an independent consultant working in the education and skills sector.
Prior to setting up her own company in May 2015, she was Pearson’s International Standards and Quality Director, based in India, and before that Pearson Education’s Regulation, Standards and Research Director, which included the role of Responsible Officer. Isabel had left her position as Chief Executive of Northern Council for Further Education (NCFE) in 2006 to join Pearson.
Isabel’s extensive career in qualifications’ development, assessment and quality assurance has covered school, college and work-place standards, and has included national, international and customised awards.
She is an independent member of the Institute for Apprenticeship and Technical Education’s Quality Assurance Committee, a member of Ofqual’s Standards Advisory Group and a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Educators. She is Vice-Chair of the Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT) Board of Trustees, Chair of the Awarding Body Board of Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) and Chair of the City & Guilds Quality and Standards Committee.
Isabel is passionate about assessment, accreditation and the role of awarding organisations in supporting the lifelong learning needs of individuals, employers and society at large.
Isabel is a member of the AQA Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee.
- Martin Turner
Martin is an accomplished senior executive, with over 18 years’ experience operating at board level in various roles with complex FTSE 100 organisations, as well as more recent experience of working in the public sector.
He brings specific expertise in risk, governance, regulatory engagement, business transformation and organisational change, combined with broader commercial skills ranging from strategy development to customer and client engagement.
Martin has an MA in Natural Sciences from St John’s College Cambridge, and an MBA from the University of Warwick Business School. He is a qualified associate with the London Institute of Banking and Finance, and holds a Diploma in Financial Studies. He is also a member of the Association for Project Management.
Martin is the Chair of the AQA Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, a governance committee reporting to the AQA Board of Trustees.