Trustees
The Board of Directors acts in the best interests of the Trust, governing in accordance with its Articles of Association and having governance arrangements that demonstrate visionary leadership, clarity of relationships, effective oversight and sustainability, and achieve the greatest possible economies.
Greg Comninos
Trustee term of office 18/07/2017 – 17/07/2021
Skillset and experience
A qualified Chartered Accountant and has spent his whole career, from trainee to partner, with Deloitte. A current Trustee and Chair of the Citizens Advice St Albans. Greg is also a Community Governor at Sandringham School.
Greg moved office to St Albans when Deloitte established a practice officer there in 1995 and subsequently retired from the firm in 2008. He joined the Sandringham Governing Body in 2013 and served until August 2019. Through Greg’s role at Citizens Advice St Albans he is able to get involved in wider community issues in St Albans. Greg lives in Berkhamsted and enjoys bridge, travel and, when time permits, retirement.
Nicholas Daymond
Trustee term of office – 29/01/2018 – 28/01/2022
Skillset and experience
Retired Headteacher of Parmiter’s School in Garston 2010-2017 and former Headteacher of Roundwood Park School in Harpenden 2004 – 2010. He has led both schools from “Good” to “Outstanding” through Ofsted inspections. At different times Nicholas has been Chair of the Links ESC Management Committee in St Albans, Chair of STASSH (St Albans and Harpenden Secondary School Headteachers) and Chair of the St Albans and Harpenden SAPG (Strategic Area Partnership Group 16-19). As an elected member of Schools’ Forum between 2012 and 2016 ensured that money retained at the centre was spent wisely.
Since the beginning of his career in 1985 Nicholas has taught in four different schools in Hertfordshire and so has a good knowledge of the County, its schools and its issues. He is a strong believer in schools working together for the benefit of their students and staff and has always worked hard to improve collaboration. Consequently, Nicholas has taken on a number of additional roles beyond his schools which have given him the opportunity to put this into practice. Parmiter’s currently leads on ITT. Nicholas is a National Leader of Education and trained Pupil Premium reviewer. He has plenty of experience of supporting other schools and was Executive Headteacher of another Hertfordshire school for a term.
Alan Gray
Trustee term of office 18/07/2017 – 17/07/2021
Skillset and experience
Headteacher of Sandringham School for 15 years and previously Headteacher at The Hemel Hempstead School. Alan is a National Leader of Education and has experience of working with a number of secondary schools in this capacity to support leadership. Alan has trained and served as an additional OFSTED inspector and chairs Hertfordshire Schools Forum, the Alban Federation (ITT provider) and the Alban Teaching School Alliance. He has previously chaired local and Hertfordshire Headteacher groups. He was a member of the DfE Secondary Headteacher Reference Group, supporting the DfE with guidance on education matters. Alan is also a trustee of the Saracens High School MAT, contributing to the development of a new school in North London and a Trustee of the Radio Communications Foundation, supporting students with an interest in electronics and communications. Alan has worked closely with governing bodies for over 25 years and has significant experience of school leadership and how to create an outstanding learning environment for all.
Peter Jones
Trustee term of office 17/3/2020 – 16/3/2024
Skillset and experience
Peter graduated from Oxford with an honours degree in French and German, both of which he speaks fluently.
He then spent 25 years in industry, principally with a manufacturer of packaging and specialist adhesive products. He started his career in sales in German and French speaking Europe and particularly in the countries behind the former iron curtain. He then held a variety of roles from Europe-wide production management, customer service, logistics to IT responsibilities, including the design and implementation of multi-million pound business
change projects. He spent several years living in France, looking after the local subsidiary company and was a member of the European board of management.
Peter retrained to teach in 2006 and was Head of Modern Foreign Languages at a Hertfordshire secondary school before retirement.
Peter has lived in St Albans for over 30 years and until recently was Chair of Governors at Garden Fields JMI School, which his two children attended before moving on to STAGS and university. His interests, which he shares with his wife, include theatre and music. He enjoys both performing and directing; he conducts irrational theatre, a local opera company and is a trustee of St Albans Chamber Opera.
Lin Keen
Trustee term of office 18/07/2017 – 17/07/2021
Skillset and experience
Lin is a National Leader of Governance, working with governing bodies in other schools. After graduating from Edinburgh University, Lin started her career in Market Research in Birmingham, moving on to Marketing and eventually relocating to St Albans to take a position with Cadbury Schweppes. Until she retired, Lin did a variety of freelance work and worked with her husband to build up a Market Research company. She took on responsibility for the finance and company secretarial functions.
Lin first became a parent governor in 1999. Over the years she has been a governor at three different schools in various roles including being a chair at two of these.
Richard Kennedy
Trustee term of office 19/09/2018 – 18/09/2022
Skillset and experience
Richard’s current role with a global gas company requires him to develop and implement strategic programmes in order to deliver on business objectives for revenue, profit and debt. Richard has 14 years experience on school governing bodies. His most recent role has been Chair of Governors at Verulam School.
He is a motivated, hardworking and supportive team member who thrives on building relationships alongside strategy development and implementation.
Richard lives in St Albans with his wife Liz; they have three sons who have all attended school locally. A keen rugby supporter, he also coached with the St Albans based Old Albanian Rugby Club.
Norman Leinster
Trustee term of office 21/03/2018 – 20/03/2022
Skillset and experience
Norman qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1991 with the then Touche Ross, and worked in various accountancy roles in the private sector, with firms such as Parity and Citigroup. Norman’s roles focused on financial and management accounting, budgeting, and installing financial systems. Norman then joined the diplomatic service at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 2003, and has worked in various policy areas such as Syria and Lebanon, Iraq, the UK Overseas Territories, and also in corporate areas such as IT and Freedom of Information, and Data Protection. He is currently Desk Officer for Anti-Corruption. He has been posted overseas to Kuwait and Pretoria, South Africa.
Norman has lived in St Albans since 1988, attends a local church in St Albans and goes regularly to the National Theatre, Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Royal Academy of Arts. He travels widely both with work and for leisure, including many of the southern Africa countries when he was working in Pretoria. He worked for three years in Germany and France, and speaks both languages.
Jeremy Loukes
Trustee term of office – 29/01/2018 – 28/01/2022
Skillset and experience
Former Headteacher of a Hertfordshire Academy judged outstanding by Ofsted. Jeremy has spent three years as one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors, based in the London region. Jeremy currently has a leadership role in a schools’ company providing school improvement services to primary schools in and beyond Hertfordshire.
Having started his teaching career in London, Jeremy taught across the primary age range, having held teaching and leadership posts in Hertfordshire and London schools. In addition to leading inspections of maintained schools, independent schools and academies, the role included reviewing local authority arrangements for school improvement and inspecting initial teacher education providers. It also involved carrying out a broad range of quality assurance tasks and leading training for school leaders, Governors and Ofsted Inspectors. He is committed to promoting high standards, including those of disadvantaged students.
James Rodea
Trustee term of office 19/11/2020 – 18/11/2024
James is employed as a Chief Operating Officer within in a Financial Services company based in London, he has been with the same firm for twenty years. The varied nature of his operational role has provided him with a breadth of experience in many areas of running a medium sized business.
Prior to becoming a trustee James was a parent governor and then a co-opted governor for Wheatfields Infants School, a role he undertook for five years.
He lives in St Albans with his wife and three children, all of whom are pupils within schools of the A.A.T. He is passionate about the idea of encouraging everybody to ‘give something back’.
James enjoys most sports.
Richard Springall
Trustee term of office 19/09/2018/ – 18/09/2022
Skillset and experience
Richard is an Engineer whose current role is UK Technical Director for a Swedish Design & Engineering consultancy. His strong design and engineering skills are complemented by his accomplished leadership skills. His success and passion for improved design and development have seen him invited to lecture at the Royal College of Art, London.
Richard has been a pro-active Community Governor since 2006 and contributes wholeheartedly to supporting and verifying school decisions and policies. Married to Diane, they have three children and have lived in St Albans for 34 years. Richard enjoys sailing, skiing, classic cars and all types of electrical, plumbing and building maintenance.
Deborah Strazza
Trustee term of office 19/09/2018 – 18/09/2022
Skillset and experience
Deborah is an experienced HR practioner, with both operational and strategic experience.
Passionate about learning and leadership development she has worked in the retail, automotive and not for profit sectors. For the last 17 years she has been at the John Lewis Partnership where her roles have included Managing Director at Milton Keynes and High Wycombe branches, and most recently the Head of Organisation Effectiveness & Talent Management.
Deborah was a member for the MK Chamber of Commerce Board for three years and now sits on the Young Enterprise Board in Hertfordshire, as well as acting as business advisor & judge on the YE company programme.
She lives in St Albans with her husband and two children. Her daughter attended Marlborough Science Academy , and is now at Nottingham Trent university and her son is a current pupil at Verulam.
Jonathan Sweet
Trustee term of office 19/11/2020 – 18/11/2024
Skillset and experience
Jonathan graduated with a degree in philosophy from Hull University and is a qualified solicitor, living in St Albans. Jonathan’s current role is as a Director of Legal and Compliance at the Abbeyfield Society, a charity providing care and housing for older people. Previously Jonathan worked as in-house Counsel for VBSO, the international development charity and before that, was a solicitor with an international law firm in London.
Jonathan and his wife have recently become parents and Jonathan has said he is delighted to be involved in the world of education and is looking forward to supporting the children and staff in any way he can.
Penny Thei
Trustee term of office 18/07/2017 – 17/07/2021
Skillset and experience
Graduated in 1970 with a degree in Sociology, then in 1971 qualified as a Careers Adviser. In 1998 Penny become a senior lecturer in Career Guidance on the postgraduate diploma at London South Bank University where she taught until she retired in 2014.
Penny was brought up and educated in North West London. As a careers adviser Penny worked in a variety of roles and with a range of client groups including adults. Both Penny’s daughters attended Sandringham School and she then became a Parent Governor. In 2003 when Penny could no longer claim to be a parent in the school, she was co – opted as a Community Governor and served in this capacity until August 2019. Outside of Penny’s Governor role she is a St Albans Green Badge tour guide, sings in the community choir, and volunteers at the museum on various projects.
Jim Wright
Trustee term of office 18/07/2017 – 17/07/2021
Skillset and experience
Self-employed business consultancy liaising with blue chip companies on strategic thinking, change implementation and leadership development. PhD in Chemistry. Previous roles include leading a research team in the pharmaceutical industry. Global Head of Human Resources. Parent Governor in a comprehensive school in Surrey.
Jim has lived in St Albans for 20 years. After research in the pharmaceutical industry he transferred into general management. During that period his interests included working closely with secondary and tertiary education to support the development of scientists and to promote awareness of career opportunities in the scientific sector. He has served as non-executive Director on the boards of several not-for-profit organisations. He is currently involved with supporting investment in small businesses in Central and Eastern Europe to promote employment and alleviate poverty and in developing business leaders in these countries. Jim was a member of the Sandringham Governing Body for 10 years until August 2019 where he has previously chaired the CAW & HR committees. Jim has also been a Governor at Ridgeway Academy
