Trustees and Directors
Mark Edwards, Chair of Trustees and ex-officio member
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Mark is now Head of Packaging for a large corporation, with extensive knowledge of procurement and technical development globally. He has over 18 years’ experience of school governance at both primary and secondary level. A former councillor within Swindon, he has many links with the community including scouts and several other charitable organisations.
Antony Purser, Trustee
Commissioned Army Officer. Extensive experience in Leadership, Management and Strategic planning. Two years’ experience as a Governor. Understanding of the conversion process to an Academy as a Governor. Breadth of skills and experience within Risk Management and Resource Planning.
Matthew Dixon, Trustee (Vice Chair of Trustees and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee)
A Chartered Global Management Accountant by profession. Matt is an experienced finance professional and is currently Head of Finance for a large Telecommunications organisation. He has experience across a number of industries and has a passion for developing high performing teams. He is looking forward to putting these skills and experience to good use, to help enable young people to reach their potential.
Catherine Dampney, Trustee
Catherine has over 20 years' experience in data and technology in both the Financial sector and NHS. Over her career she has been involved in the development of regional and national data and digital transformation programmes for the NHS as a CIO and Director of IT. Catherine is also a founding member of the National Digital Health CIO Network, and current Member of the National CIO Advisory Panel and sits on the Health Data Research workstream of The Elizabeth Blackwell Institute at the University of Bristol. Catherine started her career as a Primary School Teacher with an interest in using technology in the classroom and her current role focuses on reducing health inequalities.
Caroline Henham, Trustee
Caroline is a retired Headteacher, with a range of experience in education spanning almost four decades. Her twelve years’ experience as Headteacher, has provided her with a strong understanding of strategic leadership and management. She was responsible for establishing a brand-new primary school within a new community in Swindon, focusing on the strategic vision and direction of the school, whilst successfully securing high standards for pupils through its strong ethos. Her knowledge of, and experience in education, enables her to support the future development of The Park Academies Trust and its pupils.
Rebecca Fish, Trustee
Rebecca’s career background is within Public Sector Procurement on behalf of various Central Government bodies, this has mainly been in the Facilities and Construction sector however, in recent years branching out into the Energy, Climate and Carbon Net Zero space including several years' experience working on high profile and complex requirements. In her role as Head of Procurement, Rebecca oversees a team of people taking on a large amount of responsibility and associated risks when it comes to managing public money. A large part of Rebecca’s role involves reviewing and inputting into documentation of both Strategic and Commercial importance which is a transferable skill she will bring to the Park Academies Trust in terms of being able to assess, understand and challenge the wider picture and pressing questions to add value and promote continuous improvements.
Cordou Van Oppen, Trustee
A HR professional with over 18 years’ experience in human resource management. She holds an MBA from the university of west England and has held senior HR roles in the Pharmaceutical and Orthopaedic sector for Vectura and Biomet. Her area of expertise includes policy development, strategic leadership, organisation development and employee relations. Her skill and experiences will bring a fresh perspective to The Park Academies Trust.