Trustees (ID 1098)

• Matt Lord
  Chair of Trustees & Chair of the Education and Standards Committee
  Matt Lord

  Matthew is a Partner in a successful general practice Law Firm working exclusively in the area of child protection law in East Manchester. He has been a governor at Comberbach primary school for eight years and the Chair of governors for the last five of these.

  In addition to this he is on the board The Observatory School in the Wirral which has provision for children with behavioural special needs. In the three years that Matthew has been on the board the school has rapidly improved which has been incredibly rewarding.

• Craig Ridge
  Chair of Finance Committee Trustee
  Craig Ridge

  Craig has over 25 years' experience in finance across a number of sectors. For the last three years he has been the CFO of HECSU, a charity, and Graduate Prospects its trading company. Craig is on the HECSU/GP board, and a member of the executive team. Tasked with delivering the charity's vision to advance graduate careers research, knowledge and services for the higher education sector.

  The charity's trading subsidiary generates income from advertising and degree verifications. While also tasked with delivering the charity's objectives.Craig has recently started to consult with a small number of small local businesses on a pro bono basis. This is to ‘give something back' and he joined the Weaver Trust in Jan 2019.

• Rob Foreman
  Trustee
  Rob Foreman

  Rob has enjoyed a long and successful career across a variety of sectors, with a proven track record growing sales in multinational businesses including Shell and Michelin. As an experienced senior leader, Rob has managed critical customer relationships, developing growth plans around jointly beneficial strategic partnerships.

  Currently, Rob's business consultancy activity includes mentoring at CEO level, whilst also serving as a Development Director/Non-Executive Director of the ‘Sporting Memories Foundation'.

  As an Ambassador for ‘Be the Business' ,driving productivity in the UK , Rob also brings previous experience from working as a Non-Executive Director within a growing MAT.

  Rob aims to support Weaver Trust with its strategy for growth.

• Chris Heptinstall
  Trustee
  Chris Heptinstall

  Chris has worked in the Schools/Academy sector as a School Business Manager, and Trust CFO for the last 10 years, across 3 different Multi Academy Trusts.

  Before that, he worked for Cheshire East Local Authority in the Business Support team, supporting various business and finance functions across the Children and Families Service, before moving to the School Organisation and Capital Strategy team in 2011, where he worked with schools and colleagues in assets and capital finance on the LA's capital programme for schools and other settings. This role gave him the opportunity to work with colleagues across the borough, on estates management and capital planning, including carrying out suitability and sufficiency surveys in schools, and contributing to the monitoring and reporting on the Childrens' Services and Education Capital Programme.

  Currently, as Director of Business (CFO) at the Youth Engagement Schools Trust, Chris has led the finance and operational set up of 4 schools (3 Free Schools and one Independent), soon to be 5 schools with the opening of a 5th school, September 2024. This will be a brand new, 64 place, SEMH Free School in Halton.

  Chris has undertaken a huge amount of training and professional development over the last 10 years, including completing the CIPFA Level 7 Certificate in School Financial and Operational Leadership in 2020. His learning on this course, along with the growth and development in his own Trust, has given a detailed and broad understanding of the Academy and Free Schools sector, and the many financial and operational challenges of running successful schools and academies.

• Craig Burns
  Trustee
  Craig Burns

  Craig is an experienced and values-driven educational leader, having served in comprehensive
  education for over 20 years, including ten years of successful headship. Beginning his career
  as an English teacher, he has led sustained school improvement, secured strong outcomes
  for pupils and built leadership capacity at all levels.
  Craig holds the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) and the National
  Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership (NPQEL) and has recently been
  accredited as a National Leader of Education (NLE).His expertise lies in rapid school
  improvement and system leadership, particularly in mentoring aspirant and newly
  appointed Headteachers. Supporting leaders to grow in confidence, competence and moral
  purpose has been a consistent thread throughout his career. Craig is currently awaiting the outcome of his nomination to become a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, reflecting his commitment to professional standards and evidence-informed practice.
  Craig brings strategic clarity, strong governance awareness and a deep commitment to
  collaborative working to the Weaver Trust team.

• Eve Bartlet
  Trustee
  Eve Bartlet

  Eve is a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching, Fellow of the Society of Education and Training, Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and over her career in education has been a Director of Education, Acting Director of Operations, Independent School Improvement Partner, Special Needs Consultant, Executive Headteacher, Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and Senior leader across all school phases from EYFS to Post 16, within SEN and mainstream.

  Eve took teaching and Learning from 33% good or better to 86% good or better in 12 months. With a 10-year track record of 0% NEET, Eve set up and led alternative provisions which have been graded as Outstanding for the last 10 years. She has also overseen 15 schools with 100% good and 46% outstanding inspection results for Ofsted and ESTYN, and, in 12 months, increased qualifications achieved across the schools by 42%.

• Rosemary Charlton
  Trustee
  Rosemary Charlton

  Rosemary began her career teaching in a non-selective secondary school in London.

  Subsequently, she has taught children from ages 4-18 in both mainstream and special schools. Rosemary has a passion for inclusion, supporting many schools to become more inclusive.

  Rosemary has a particular interest in neurodiversity. She is a qualified Dyslexia assessor and for several years taught APP for specialist teachers on the master's programme at Wrexham University.

  Until her retirement, Rosemary was head teacher of a special school for primary-aged children with autism spectrum conditions. Since leaving headship, she has continued to work as an educational consultant. Rosemary has also been a long-standing member of the Local Education Committee at Barnton Community Nursery and Primary School. As such, she is very familiar with the work of Weaver Trust and is committed to supporting the Trust's future development.

• Simon Robinson
  Trustee
  Simon Robinson

  Simonis a results-driven Strategic Director with over 25 years of experience in the construction, property, and facilities managementindustry. He excels at leading transformational change and delivering sustainable growth through strategic governance andrisk management. Hisexpertise spans across managing multi-disciplinary teams, developing cultures of continuousimprovement, and ensuring organisational performance in complex, multi-sector environments.

  With a proven track record in collaborative leadership and working effectively with senior stakeholders and cross-functionalteams, Simon has been able to strategise to enhance business operations.

  His experience in property consultancy, construction management,and facilities management has honed his skills in handling complex organisational environments and multi-client systems.

  He is skilled in developing industry-leading service standards through mentoring, coaching, and empowering teams, ensuringoptimum operational performance and client satisfaction.

  His proactive approach to business transformation and strategicplanning has been instrumental in delivering sustainable growth and ensuring organisational resilience and Simon is keen to use his experience to support Weaver Trust in its work.

• Tim Langley
  Trustee
  Tim Langley

  Tim is an accomplished technology entrepreneur, founder and strategic technology leader with extensive experience in technology innovation, digital transformation and business growth. Combining exceptional academic credentials, including an MBA and a Master's Degree in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge, with a successful track record of founding and scaling technology businesses, he brings a valuable blend of commercial insight, technical expertise and strategic thinking to the boardroom.

  As the creator of the original CANDDi software platform, Tim established the technology vision and roadmap that underpinned the development and growth of the business. Throughout his career, he has successfully led the design, implementation and evolution of technology strategies aligned to commercial objectives, providing him with a strong understanding of how technology investment can drive organisational performance, customer engagement and long-term value creation.

  Tim offers significant expertise in digital transformation, innovation and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, large language models (LLMs), big data and enterprise technology platforms. His experience enables him to provide informed oversight of technology strategy, digital investment decisions and transformation programmes, ensuring that organisations maximise the benefits of technology whilst maintaining alignment with strategic goals and stakeholder expectations.

  Alongside his technology leadership credentials, Tim brings a strong appreciation of governance, risk management and organisational resilience. Having operated at founder and executive level, he understands the importance of effective controls, robust decision-making frameworks and executive accountability. He is well positioned to support boards in overseeing technology risk, cyber security preparedness, data governance and business continuity planning, helping organisations balance innovation with appropriate risk management and regulatory compliance.

  Tim's combination of strategic perspective and technical understanding allows him to challenge constructively, scrutinise technology roadmaps and provide assurance that digital initiatives are delivering sustainable value. He is particularly effective at translating complex technical concepts into clear commercial considerations, enabling boards to make informed decisions around technology, transformation and organisational capability.

  Now seeking to build a portfolio of Non-Executive Director and Trustee appointments, Tim offers boards an independent mindset, strong analytical capability and a collaborative approach. He is passionate about supporting organisations through periods of change and growth, while also championing diversity of thought and inclusion, with a particular interest in neurodiversity and autism advocacy.

  Tim would be a valuable addition to any board seeking expertise in technology strategy, digital transformation, cyber security oversight, governance, risk management and innovation-led growth.