Developing People - Digital - Speakers

Liz Anderson, Chief Executive Officer, Djanogly Learning Trust

Liz Anderson is CEO of Djanogly Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust based across Nottingham and Derbyshire.  A former headteacher, her mantra is “children first” and all decisions are filtered through this belief.  It is her passion to make a difference and ensure that all children get the same opportunities to succeed at a high level, whatever their starting point.  Her positive impact on school improvement and system leadership has been recognised through her designation as National Leader of Education and Pupil Premium Reviewer.

Find out more about Liz's session in this short video.

Val Andrew, School Business Leadership Consultant

A background in corporate and commercial finance underpinned Val’s later career in education working in a variety of school business leadership roles in different settings over 25 years.Since semi-retirement in the last 2 years, Val has programme managed the DSBM Level 4 programme offered by Best Practice Network (BPN), supported and spoken at SBM events, and delivered consultancy work supporting school leaders. One of only three official patrons of ISBL, Val is a Fellow of the Institute, and recipient of the CEO’s award for exceptional contributions to the school business leadership profession. Val remains incredibly passionate about mentoring and supporting the professional development of the next generation of school business leaders.

Karen Dempster, Co-Founder, Fit2Communicate

Karen is a highly-experienced communicator and is passionate about the power of relationships and communication in making a difference to future generations through a student's experience of school. As a parent and communication professional, she co-founded Fit2Communicate in 2014. Since then, she has worked with many UK schools and supported school leaders and the broader school community. She co-wrote a book about the Fit2Communicate school communication approach that was published in 2017. Karen is also a professional photographer and a Fellow of the Institute of Internal Communication.

Learn more about Fit2Communicate with this short video

Nickii Messer, School Business Management and Leadership Development expert, All the geese

Nickii and her company, All the geese, specialise in training, developing and promoting school business management and leadership.  A well-known national and international conference speaker, Nickii is a published author and a regular contributor to Optimus Education. Nickii is intensely aware of the ever-growing pressure on school business professionals and recognises the imperative for ensuring the very highest quality of service and effectiveness right across the school business management team.  Nickii is keen to help school leaders at all levels develop the skills and confidence to embrace the complex challenges facing schools today and is particularly known for her work supporting and mentoring school business professionals. For more information, please visit www.nickiimesser.com

Watch this short video to hear more about Nickii's session

Andrew Pain, Speaker, Coach, Mentor

Andrew is on a mission to prevent burnout and create decisive and resilient communities of people. Working through 2021 and 2022 with a diverse client base including: Amazon, Lloyds, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Essex County Council, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, Federation of Small Businesses, Association for Project Management, Andrew delivers keynote talks and interactive workshops, helping busy leaders to solve painful headaches.

Meet Andrew and find out about his Beat Burnout session in this 1-minute video.

Shonagh Reid, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consultant

Shonagh is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consultant working primarily in the fields of education at the arts. Shonagh has an extensive background in leadership in education, specialising in Performing Arts and Pastoral Senior Leadership and has worked as a DEI Leader in the East Midlands for five years. She works with many education organisations across the UK in a range of ways, including strategic Inclusion planning, creation of and embedding of robust and effective DEI networks, mentoring, and training. Shonagh has recently conducted extensive research into the experiences of Black and Global Majority female leaders and will be publishing this in late spring 2022.

Justin Robbins, Co-Founder, Fit2Communicate

Justin has been delivering communication professionally since 2001. His purpose of co-founding Fit2Communicate in 2014 was to make a difference to education through communication. He now helps schools and school teams work together more effectively for the ultimate benefit of their students. He co-wrote a book about the Fit2Communicate school communication approach that was published in 2017. Justin is a school governor, triathlon coach, and a Fellow of the Institute of Internal Communication. He is passionate about helping people to better understand themselves and achieve their dreams.

Learn more about Fit2Communicate with this short video