Our Trustees

Chair of Trustees

Phillipa Sherlock Lewis is the CEO of PACT, a multi academy trust in Birmingham. PACT is dedicated to providing an excellent education especially for those with special needs. With two decades in education, her leadership in inner-city communities has offered a unique perspective.

Under her guidance, PACT has grown significantly, recently opening five resource bases for 150 SEND pupils. Beyond her role, Phillipa champions inclusion, embracing diversity of thought, especially neurodiversity. Overcoming dyslexia, she sees it as her superpower. Her journey also involves raising awareness about alopecia, fostering an inclusive society.

Vice Chair of Trustees

Ian was formerly Finance Director of The National Lottery Community Fund and continues to act for the fund in an advisory capacity.  He represents the Fund’s interests as Director of The Oversight Trust (formerly Big Society Trust) which safeguards the funding and approach of four organisations distributing monies under the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts scheme.  Ian’s role at the fund encompassed responsibility for all Corporate Services including Finance, Technology, HR, Legal and Property.

Ian is also a Non-Executive Director of Beatfreeks arts, a Birmingham based social enterprise supporting young people into employment through Arts activities.  He also acts as an advisor to a number of organisations on finance related matters.

Chair of the Strategy and People Committee

Clive Lawrence OBE is a nationally recognised education leader, keynote speaker and advocate for SEND, equality, diversity and inclusion. His career spans senior and executive roles across multi-academy trust, school and system leadership, including headship, executive headship and trust-level improvement roles across special, alternative provision and mainstream settings. Clive has served as a National Leader of Education (NLE) and supported schools and trusts facing significant challenges.

He has successfully led improvement at scale, transformed outcomes for children and families, and guided schools through complex periods of challenge and change. Earlier in his career, Clive became one of the youngest headteachers in the country, receiving a formal letter of commendation from the government at age 28 recognising this achievement. He went on to lead a large split-site special school to an Ofsted Outstanding judgement and has influenced national thinking on inclusion, behaviour, social mobility and leadership.

Clive is a qualified teacher, holds a master’s degree in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and has completed the National Professional Qualification in Executive Leadership (NPQEL). His expertise is rooted not only in professional experience but also in lived experience. Growing up in social housing, attending an inner-city secondary school as a free-school-meal pupil, and navigating the education system as a kinship carer with legal parental responsibility for his niece.

In 2022, Clive was awarded an OBE for his outstanding services to education in the Queen’s New Year Honours.

Chair of Finance Risk and Audit Committee

Simon is an experienced NED and Consultant. He spent his executive career in Chief Financial Officer and Financial Director roles in Financial Services for Skandia, Aegon and L&G.

Danny is a Senior Internal Audit Manager at Amazon and a Chartered Member of the Institute of Internal Auditors. He brings over 15 years of experience across finance, taxation, accounting, and audit, having previously held senior leadership roles including Director of Audit & Compliance for UPS’s clinical trial supply chain business and Tax Accounting Director.

Alongside his professional career, Danny has previously served as a Non-Executive Director at Student Cooperative Homes Limited, supporting the development of affordable student housing, and has held multiple roles serving on school governing bodies. He is passionate about ensuring that children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities receive the support and opportunities they deserve, which underpins his commitment to serving as a trustee at nasen.

Jeremy is a senior civil servant with many years of experience of digital service transformation. An early member of the Government Digital Service, Jeremy has worked with public sector organisations including the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy, Department for Education and Foreign and Commonwealth Office to deliver better public services that are digital by default and build user centred design capability across government.

Lisa is CEO and College Lead, established post 16 alternative provision,  Specialist College for Creative Education. 20 years’ experience of teaching and leading, 10 being senior management and Designated Safeguarding Lead, within areas of high deprivation and high SEN need.

Mark is Head of the Education Team at Browne Jacobson. Mark has over twenty years’ experience as an education lawyer. He is recommended as a leader in his field in the industry bibles Chambers UK and Legal 500.  Chambers UK has dubbed him “an industry leader” and Legal 500 has entered him into their 'Hall of Fame'.

Penny is CEO at The Bridge London Trust, and is currently a member of the Specialist SEND Reference Group, chaired by nasen. She was also a founding trustee for the Chartered College of Teaching (CCoT).

Richard is an FE Teacher at a Specialist Education College in North Wales. He currently sits as the Student Voice Lead and works alongside NATSPEC to advocate for inclusive practice across social and professional settings.

Richard also chairs Rhyl Gateway - an organisation committed to providing leisure and extra-curricular to service users with SEN.

Gary is a Tax Director at S&W, with over 15 years experience in guiding businesses and not for profit entities through complex tax matters. During his tax career, Gary has acted on a national basis, leading and building out a not-for-profit tax specialism for a top 10 accountancy firm. 

Prior to working as a tax advisor, Gary worked for Accenture as a project management consultant, following completion of his law degree.