Mark has 25 years’ experience in the charity and social enterprise sectors. He is currently Chief Executive of UnLtd, which finds, funds and supports hundreds of social entrepreneurs every year. He has been CEO of Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust’s charity, CW+, a Partner at Leaders’ Quest and directing the Global Executive MBA at INSEAD. Mark sits on the board of HM Government’s Inclusive Economy Partnership, is a member of the Impact Investing Institute’s Advisory Council and was chair of the RGS Foundation. Throughout his career Mark has had a passion for people and organisational development, including through innovation in the education sector.

I started my career working in criminal defence - where nearly all of my clients had stories of poverty, mental ill-health and a history of trauma and adverse childhood experiences that disadvantaged them throughout their lives. While I was able to support them with legal advice and representation, the truth was many ended up in court again not long afterwards because the root causes of their offending were never addressed. I made the decision six years ago to change my career and began working for a charity that did just that. Since then, I have developed a real love for using evidence of what works in improving the life outcomes of young people to advocate for an education system that places wellbeing at its heart. The New School's relational approach to education aligns with my own commitment in this area and I am very honoured to be able to support the charity's work as a trustee.

I am a qualified and practicing Educational Psychologist with extensive experience working with young and vulnerable people. My interest in working with The New School arose from my belief that accessible alternative education is an essential and valuable commodity in the UK. Furthermore, I believe that all young people have the right to the same opportunities. I myself attended a Democratic Secondary School in the heart of South Devon, an education that gave me insight into how child-centred pedagogy can be life changing for the most vulnerable young people. I value student voice, equity, and allowing expression and identity for young people to thrive.

Throughout my varied experience and career, I have consistently observed that the provisions that strive to provide a sense of nurture and belonging are cultivating the best outcomes.

I am currently a Director of Finance for a Multi Academy Trust around Sutton, with over 12 years’ experience in managing finance in the education sector. My background includes a range of senior financial positions working for a large Trust (over 35 academies), a single academy Trust and a medium Trust (3 academies). My vision as a finance lead is to provide guidance on best value, resources and curriculum needs for all young people. Joining The New School as a Trustee, gives me this opportunity to use my experience, and provide guidance to the team in building a robust financial model for the future.

I believe education should inspire young people to reimagine the future and make change not just in the classroom but in their communities. It’s why I founded Volunteers for Future, a conservation and climate education social enterprise, working with schools, and why I am delighted to be a Trustee of The New School. As a consultant, I was closely involved in supporting Lucy to launch The New School, and as a Trustee, I will use all my experience in the corporate and charity sectors, including ten years in a senior strategy role at The Prince’s Trust, to drive forwards our ambitious plans to reimagine education.

I am delighted to be joining The New School team as a trustee, a great fit with my background as a teacher, a social entrepreneur and a non-profit leader. My professional journey began in the classroom, teaching in inner city London (2003-2006), before taking on school leadership roles in the UK and Australia (2006 - 2012).

Since 2012 I led the UK charity United World Schools, during which time we established 280 sustainably run schools in regions of SE Asia and Africa where there are many thousands of children who have no access to education. This required the leadership of significant growth and development, delivering sustainable, life-changing projects with proven impact, whilst successfully managing, coordinating, and supporting multiple partners, philanthropic and charity sectors. Together with the team, we enabled 50,000 children to go to school, and won the international 2019 WISE Award for Innovation in Education. I have been honoured to be acknowledged as one of the UBS’ 2019 and 2020 UK Social Entrepreneurs and an RSA Fellow for leadership in social development.

I stepped back as Chief Executive of United World Schools in November 2021 and today support several organisations as an advisor and trustee, and assess for the Cambridge University Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Away from education, I manage a small property portfolio, look after my young family and enjoy kite-surfing and hockey. I am very much looking forward to using my experience to support The New School at this exciting stage of our journey.

I am a Headteacher of a large primary and nursery school in South East London. I have been leading in schools for over ten years and have worked in a number of different London Boroughs. I am passionate about ensuring that schools and their curriculum offer an opportunity for academic progress but are balanced with citizenship development and championing talent. I am happy to be a trustee at The New School and excited to help the school and the young people grow and move forwards.

Democratic education is not new - in fact it predates 1900, but our education system today categorises this educational model as ‘alternative’, making these settings private, and therefore cost prohibitive, often excluding the young people most advantaged by this model. Our charity enables us to create an equitable alternative educational model that is non fee-paying. I’m excited to bring our vision to life, to support young people’s voice and to challenge the current educational narrative in the UK.

From my personal education journey, I can appreciate that mainstream education is not a ‘one size fits all’ solution. My experience of home education taught me a lot about how students can learn and the power of individuals having a sense of self, the importance of pupil voice, pupil wellbeing and community action. This is something that I have brought through to my career in education but hasn’t always complemented the mainstream methods. 

I am passionate about the importance Science has in people’s lives, and the difference a good Science education can make to a person’s future. My Medical Science degree only furthered my interest in Biology especially, but showed me that although I enjoyed working with and helping people, the Medical industry was not for me. Having mentored people within my performing passions, I knew I thrived in this environment so turned to teaching and never looked back, as it was so fulfilling.