Steve has spent almost 40 years of his career working in the financial services industry both for BlackRock, T. Rowe Price and Legal & General Investment Management.​​​​  He has also owned his own business for 9 years offering his pensions knowledge on a consultancy basis.  Steve has held various directorships including BlackRock’s Life Company (over 10 years) which is responsible for managing £70+bn of client assets.

Steve retired from full time work in 2022.

Steve joined as a Trustee of the PFT in March 2016 and was previously Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee.  He took over as Chair of the Trust in September 2024.  When he is not working with the Trust, he is focused on restoring classic cars.  

Why did I become a Trustee?

"Children are the future of our country and I believe every child should be given the best opportunity to make as much progress as they possibly can.  I love visiting our schools and seeing how engaged our pupils are with their learning and the passion and dedication of all of our staff in ensuring that the progression goal is being met."   

Andrew is a qualified solicitor and Partner at a busy City practice and is Head of Modern Family Law.  He is best known and distinguished in the legal sector for his specialism in international surrogacy law and modern family structures.  He is frequently in the High Court and Court of Appeal on cases and representing clients for their children.

Andrew has been a Trustee of the PFT since 2014, with previous experience as a governor for two primary academies and an appointment by the Secretary of State of Education as the Chair of an IEB for a school in difficult circumstances with responsibility for overseeing public consultations, OFSTED inspections and rapid improvement. 

When he became a Trustee at the Primary First Trust it was because saw the potential for a growing trust having children's progress and an enriched school environments at it's heart.  He knows that success looks differently for every child and he wants every child to make their best progress in education.  He does this by providing support to the educational professionals and senior leaders in each school, seeing how the PFT provides strong learning environments and strive to reach the potential for every child on their own journey through education. 

Bill started working with schools when his first child went to the local infant school.  He became a Governor and was elected to the Chair soon afterwards.   Ten years later Bill worked with some of his fellow Governors and the school leadership to form the Primary First Trust.  Bill was then the Chair of the Board of Trustees for a further ten years until stepping down in 2024.  Bill believes that every child deserves the best education possible and the best school experience possible.  He was educated in a local school on a large council estate where learning was a challenge and progression difficult.  It is those early school experiences that have motivated him to volunteer his time, for more than two decades, to support the schools in our Trust and to help ensure all of the children, no matter what their background, can reach their full potential.   

Alison Hales is an Associate Professor of Teacher Education and Primary History at the University of Greenwich. As the School of Education Lead for Professional Practice, she jointly leads Initial Teacher Education, working across Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Further Education. This involves working with trainees, mentors, schools and settings to develop practice-based learning and partnerships. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and assesses GOLD application across the University of Greenwich.

After completing her degree with Southbank Bank University, she worked as a primary class teacher and as a member of the senior management team for several years having experience across the primary age phase. Her area of expertise is within humanities and has written and published widely on primary history, in particularly using local people and places as a way to develop historical knowledge and understanding with children. 

Alison is currently researching young children’s understanding of controversial issues and is looking specifically at war and conflict. Other research interests include the character education of teachers and children, identity and the use of the local in primary history teaching.

Alison is an Honorary Fellow and a Quality Mark Assessor in Primary History for the Historical Association, working across schools in Southeast England.

Steve is a founding member of The Primary First Trust and previously held the role of Member. He has a background in Local Governance with over 12 years experience, during which he held both Vice Chair and Chair roles in one of the Trust schools. He is passionate about educational development and equality, governance at all levels and sustainability.

Professionally Steve is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer. He is a Programme Manager leading delivery of large, complex infrastructure programmes in the transport sector. He has significant experience in Project and Programme management, managing large budgets, building, developing and leading teams. As an engineer Steve is analytical by nature, a problem solver and loves to combine his professional and voluntary roles by engaging in STEM ambassador activities with schools.

I'm passionate about the trust's work, especially our focus on improving education and community outcomes. Supporting school development and inclusion truly benefits children across all our settings. Education is both a basic right and a valuable investment.

Collaborating with some amazing leaders in the field of education is also valuable for my own professional development.

Nigel Richards is a Fellow of the ACCA, the global body for professional accountants and currently Chief Finance Officer of Catch22 a charity working with local authorities and other commissioners to deliver more than 120 public services that meet local needs and support individuals within their community.  As CFO Nigel is responsible for Catch22’s corporate governance, risk and financial sustainability, ensuring that the charity manages its resources effectively, and is a stable and well funded organisation. He was vice-chair at Mayplace Primary School, within the PFT for many years before being invited to join the Board for his financial expertise in 3rd sector operations.

Soumaya is the Head of HR and Operations for the Whitehall and Industry Group in London. Her passion is cultivating a culture of lifelong learning, education and inclusion. Over the last 5 years, Soumaya has worked across the consulting, tech, hospitality and education sectors, embedding HR practices in start-up/scale-ups and partnering with founders, entrepreneurs and C-suite leaders to facilitate leadership and organisational development to drive business growth and expansion. She has held director-level roles and was responsible for overseeing the operational and HR expansion of teams across the UK, SSA and Europe. 

With over three decades of enriching experience in the field of education, Emma brings a wealth of diverse expertise to her multifaceted roles. Her professional journey spans pivotal positions, including that of an Advanced Skills Teacher, a Headteacher overseeing specialist resource provision, and a dedicated school governor within primary and nursery settings. Emma's academic background includes a B.Ed (Hons) degree in mathematics with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), a Masters in Children's Literacy, and a National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).

Presently, Emma serves as a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Greenwich, where she plays a pivotal role in co-leading the primary team as an Academic Portfolio Lead. In addition to her teaching responsibilities on Initial Teacher Education programs, Emma also facilitates NPQ delivery. Her commitment to professional development extends further as she holds certification as a coach with the Chartered Management Institute, actively fostering the growth of colleagues across primary, secondary, and higher education sectors.

Emma's unwavering dedication to inclusive education serves as the cornerstone of her professional ethos. Her profound interest and expertise in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) are evident through her senior leadership role with a National inclusion charity and her position as Programme Leader for the SENCO postgraduate qualification at the University of Greenwich. Emma's impact transcends borders, as she has shared her expertise with colleagues in UK universities and has been invited to speak at international conferences and webinars in Indonesia and Vietnam.

As an active member of the National NASENCO forum, Emma collaborates with colleagues from other Higher Education providers to advance inclusive practices. Additionally, in her role as an Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) Assessor, she remains steadfast in her commitment to championing inclusive education, ensuring equitable opportunities for all learners.

Carol is a retired secondary school headteacher whose career involved a range of senior leadership roles including leading on curriculum development and strategies to raise standards. Her final post was headteacher of an outstanding selective school.  She holds a number of qualifications including a B.Ed, a M.A. in Education and NPQH.

With governance experience and a keen interest in schools’ links with their communities, on retirement, Carol volunteered as a governor at one of the Primary First Trust’s Kent schools, later becoming its Chair of Governors. She has also undertaken interim Chair of Governor responsibilities at a second Primary First Trust school in Bexley.  As a governor, her particular interests lie in primary to secondary school transition and raising aspirations for disadvantaged children and pupils from homes in which education is not highly valued.

As an Associate of ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders), Carol maintains an awareness of current developments in education. Beyond her Trustee role, Carol sits on the Board of a Pupil Referral Unit and is involved in primary and secondary admission appeals as well as a member of Independent Exclusion Appeal Panels within the South East.

Angela’s background is in education; she has a BA(Ed) honours degree and worked initially as a class teacher and then a senior leader in primary schools for more than 20 years. Angela was the Deputy Head and Inclusion Lead at the Academy of Cuxton Schools and during this time gained the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).

On leaving this post Angela was asked to become a Governance Partner for Cuxton, a role she held for seven years. During this time Angela became Vice Chair and was also a member of the Education Committee, she has sat on Complaints and Exclusion panels for the Trust.

Angela became a Trustee in 2025, her interests lie with Inclusion, she is passionate about children with additional needs receiving the essential support that they and their families need. Angela also believes strongly that all children should receive the greatest possible educational experience, one that provides them with the opportunity to achieve to the best of their abilities in all areas of the curriculum and school life.

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