Trust Central Services Team
The White Rose Academies Trust prides itself on supporting its family of schools with a team of education and industry specialists, each delivering in-house, world-class services to raise and maintain our schools' standards.
School Improvement Team
Nicola Widnall
Vice Principal
Hailing originally from the Brecon Beacons, Nicola graduated from the University of Leeds in 2005 with a degree in Spanish Language and Literature, before continuing her studies there and completing her PGCE in Secondary Modern Foreign Languages...
Rachel Sharples
Vice Principal
Rachel Sharples is delighted to join the White Rose Academies Trust as Vice Principal focusing on Academy improvement. Prior to her appointment...
Meg Flaherty
Executive Assistant
Meg is thrilled to be a part of the Trust’s Executive Team, bringing a unique blend of experience in education, performing arts...
Safeguarding
Raminder Aujla MSc
Director of Safeguarding
Raminder has worked with children and families within both the education and youth justice sector for over 20 years. Raminder is an accredited...
Marketing, Communications, Projects and Events
Emily Hare
Marketing and Communications Manager
Emily was delighted to successfully interview to join the White Rose Academies Trust in April 2018 as an intern during her Industrial Placement year from Northumbria University...
Curtis Hare
Creative Lead
Curtis joined the trust as our Creative Lead after gaining over 10 years experience in the marketing industry working for agencies in Europe and the UK...
Robert Moxon
Creative Lead
With over 15 years of experience working with some of the world’s best-known brands across the arts, lifestyle, music and sports sectors...
Finance & Operations
Sam Bradley
Trust Chief Financial Officer
Sam Bradley graduated from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, with a First Class BA Hons degree in History and Sociology, and completed further post-graduate study at the University of East Anglia..
Finance
Steve Etherington
Finance Manager
Steve joined Leeds West Academy in the summer of 2011, after working for Post Office Ltd for 38 years. He started at the Post Office as a counter clerk in Wetherby and worked his...
Ethan Harlow
Finance Assistant
Ethan joined the White Rose Academies Trust in the summer of 2018 and after a brief time spent with the trust projects team was deployed at Leeds East Academy...
Katarzyna Lukasiewicz
Finance Assistant
Katarzyna joined the trust as Finance Assistant in November 2022. Kat moved to the UK from Krakow, Poland in 2005 and lives with her 12-year-old daughter who is a talented...
Business Management
Liz Armstrong
Business Manager
Liz has extensive leadership and management experience both in an educational and a commercial setting. Liz worked for a major engineering company for 20 years, latterly as a...
David Hillary
Business Manager
David joined the White Rose Academies Trust in January 2019 as Operations Manager across Leeds West Academy and Leeds East Academy...
Lucy Paddy
Business Manager
Lucy Paddy has extensive leadership and management experience in both educational and commercial settings. Lucy has worked for one of the largest construction companies...
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HR
Rajinder Soor
Director of Human Resources
Rajinder graduated from Bournemouth University in 1999 after gaining a degree in Business Studies, with a focus on Human Resource Management in her final year....
Joanna Stokes
Recruitment and People Services Advisor
Joanna joined the White Rose Academies Trust HR Team in October 2021 and is responsible for supporting the academies and central trust team with recruitment, absence, contracts and payroll changes...
Governance
Alice Ryan
Trust Governance Manager
Alice was born in Leeds and has lived in Horsforth all of her life with a big family of four sisters, one brother and two boxer dogs...
Lauren Crowther
HR Manager
Lauren joined Leeds East Academy as Finance Assistant in April 2014.
During the course of her career Lauren developed skills in Finance and undertook some admin tasks within HR...
Gabriela Hlavacek
HR Manager
Gabi joined the Trust as HR Manager in September 2022. Originally from Poland, Gabi came to the UK in 2006 to continue her education...
IT
Michael Douglas
Director of IT & Digital
Michael is a Director of IT with over 20 years of experience in the industry. His career spans both the private and public sectors, with a particular emphasis in the education space...