Future Leaders brings together a diverse team with different backgrounds from inside and outside of education. Find out here about the people running the programme.

Heath Monk, Chief Executive

Heath joined Future Leaders from the DCSF, where he was Deputy Schools Commissioner.  Previously, he had led the development of “Higher Standards, Better Schools for All” and the Parliamentary passage of the 2006 Education and Inspections Act that followed it.  His other projects included the negotiation and implementation of the National Agreement on Workforce Reform, setting up the highly successful National Remodelling Team and creating the Bursar Development Programme at the NCSL.  He also spent six years as a secondary teacher of English and Drama, having read English Literature at Queen’s College, Oxford. 

Amanda Rigby, Chief Financial Officer

Amanda has 18 years experience in Banking and Corporate Finance, and has acted as Finance Director for several growth companies during that time.  She holds an MA in Mathematics from Oxford University, and an MSc in Statistics from Imperial College, London.  She trained at Banking School with First National Bank of Chicago and studied at Durham University Business School. Amanda’s charitable activities include serving on the UK Board of HOPE Worldwide since 1995, and working to represent the community of central London where she lives: as Vice-Chair and a trustee of the Covent Garden Community Association.

Sir Iain Hall, Director of Leadership Development
Sir Iain taught for 39 years, the last 23 as headteacher. He was head of an ‘inner-city’ school in Liverpool for 9 years, before moving to Manchester as head of Parrs Wood High School which gained specialist status and Beacon School designation. He has trained aspiring headteachers under the NPQH scheme, been an NCSL Governor, and is now an associate director of the SSAT. He is Chair of an External Reference Group for the NHS, co-authored a Physics text book and has written widely on education. Sir Iain was knighted for ‘services to education in 2002.

Shirley Gaynor, Interim Director of Product Development
Shirley joined Future Leaders from teaching, having been the Head of the Business Studies Department at an urban challenging school. Before that she was a participant of the inaugural year of the Teach First programme as Deputy Head of ICT in a London school facing challenging circumstances. She graduated from Stirling University with a BA (Hons) in Business and Marketing. She continues to be an Ambassador for Teach First, having worked with community projects in Thailand and working with Salesforce.com foundation in the development and delivery of one their projects, the BizAcademy.

Angi Bhole, Head of Communications
Angi joined Future Leaders from Teach First, where she had responsibility for graduate marketing and recruitment in London, Manchester and Southampton. She moved across Teach First to help to coordinate their leadership development programme and set up their alumni (Ambassadors) department. Prior to Teach First, Angi gained experience of the for-profit sector at KPMG. She graduated from University College London with a BSc (Hons) in Biology, and was elected to Co-Presidency of UCL Student Union the following year, where she had specific responsibility for Student Services and Events. She is a school governor at a large Primary in Hackney.

Catrina Plastow, Associate Director of Leadership Development
Catrina was seconded part time from the National College of School Leadership. She works on schools communication, training and is overseeing the external evaluation of Future Leaders. During her years at NCSL, Catrina has contributed to many projects concerning the Every Child Matters agenda including the development of a student leadership programme and a Multi Agency Team Development Programme. Prior to joining NCSL, Catrina worked on the Essex Children's Fund project. She has BSc honours in Psychology from University of Hull.

Lucy Nicholls, Manager of Recruitment
Lucy joined the team from teaching, having been the Head of Religious Education at an urban complex school. She trained as a teacher through the Teach First programme and holds a Masters in International Relations and a BA(Hons) in Theology from the University of Nottingham.

Pandora Harrison, Recruitment Officer
Pandora has been in management positions in a variety of industries, most recently managing and recruiting media technicians within the film and television industry. She has previously worked in marketing and PR, both in the UK and USA.

Eniye Oshunbiyi, Head of Events

Eniye joined Future Leaders from an International Environmental Law charity in London which provides access to justice and legal education training for people in marginalised communities in Africa. Prior to that, she held positions as Project Coordinator at the QCA, as a Legal Consultant at the Commonwealth Secretariat and as a Women’s Group Leader for an International Christian charity. Eniye graduated from SOAS, University of London with an LL.B in Law and an LL.M in International Environmental Law. She also holds certificate qualifications in Project Management, Coaching and Leadership.

Joyce Matheson, EA to Heath Monk
Joyce joined Future Leaders in January 2007.  She has twenty years’ experience working at the House of Commons as Personal Assistant to a number of senior Labour politicians including John Prescott, Clare Short, Geoff Hoon and most recently, Robin Cook. Joyce graduated from York University with a BA (Hons) in Politics and Economic History. She has taught in Zambia with VSO, and English as a Foreign Language in London. 

Dame Sharon Hollows, Head Leadership Coach 
Dame Sharon has worked in challenging London schools for 25 years. This included two successful headships. She has been a freelance consultant, specialising in school leadership and school improvement, since 2004. She has advised the governments of Canada, Japan, France and The Seychelles. She was a member of the Standards Task Force and the think tank that set up NCSL. More recently a lead urban leadership assessor for NCSL. She was awarded a D.B.E. for services to education in London in 2001.
 

Sir Keith Ajegbo, Leadership Coach

Jane Allen, Leadership Coach
Jane joins Future Leaders having worked as a successful Headteacher, a Consultant Leader, and Associate Headteacher – each time in challenging schools facing particularly difficult circumstances, helping them with their improvement plans, supporting better teaching and learning, and coaching middle and senior leaders. As an alumni of the Trainee Heads programme, she has experienced first hand the kind of programme that Future Leaders offers, working alongside a Mentor Head in a residency context. Prior and up to her work as a senior and consultant leader, Jane worked for 30 years in schools in Fulham, Hackney and Enfield. Jane graduated from the Leeds Institute of Education with a BEd (Hons) in Geography and Education.

Andrew Nixon, Leadership Coach
Andrew joins Future Leaders having recently worked as a school leadership assessor and mentor for both the National College of School Leadership and the Association of School and College Leaders. He was a successful headteacher of two schools in Haringey over two decades. He was the head of Fortismere School, a particularly successful and over-subscribed mixed community school which was noted by OFSTED for its high levels of achievement, pastoral care, wider opportunities for staff and pupils. Prior to working as a head, Andrew taught and was a senior leader in three London comprehensives in Camden, Sutton, and Wandsworth. Andrew gained his MA in Education Management and Advanced Diploma in Curriculum Studies from the Institute of Education.

Jay Altman, Training Review

Jay Altman is CEO/Director of Schools, FirstLine Schools. FirstLine Schools is helping to create quality open admissions schools in New Orleans by directly operating charter schools and by developing training programs for teachers and school leaders in open admissions urban schools.

Alison Kelly, Professional Learning Communities
After 24 years in primary teaching, with 16 of those as a headteacher, Alison was seconded to the National College for School Leadership in 2002 to support the development and management of the New Visions Programme for New Headteachers. In 2004 she was appointed to NCSL as a Senior Programme Manager and in her current role she manages a range of programme activity including NCSL's Early Headship Provision and has a developmental cross-programme role in learning design. Alison supports the training element of Future Leaders and the Future Leaders’ Professional Learning Communities.