Astrea Academy Trust Appoints Five New Trustees

Five new Trustees have joined the Board of Astrea Academy Trust bringing a diverse set of new skills, experiences and perspectives to the organisation.

Astrea is a family of 27 schools across South Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire, often in communities which have suffered from historical educational disadvantage. The Trust is committed to ‘inspiring beyond measure’ so that all children in its care are given opportunities which set them up to learn, thrive and lead successful lives.

With a number of Trustees set to rotate off in the near future, the Board has taken a strategic approach to addressing skills gaps, homing in on specific areas of need. Society was retained to support this process, and we conducted a broad, national search for potential candidates. We were not only interested in the skillsets people could bring, but their values-alignment with Astrea’s mission. We are delighted to share that the following five Trustees have now been appointed, several of whom have a close personal connection to either South Yorkshire or Cambridgeshire:

• Julie Bloor - Former Chief Education Officer, Academies Transformation Trust
• Ben Brown - Head of Market Development and Strategic Relationships, Promethean World
• Peter Burrows – Chief Executive Officer, Cambridge Building Society
• Louise Cooper - Business Development Director, Academies Enterprise Trust
• Faye Craster - Director of Teacher Development, Teach First

The appointments bring greater balance to the gender mix of the Board, which now stands at 55% female to 45% male.

Ben Brown commented: “After working for twenty years in the EdTech space, I really feel I have a moral obligation to give back to the sector in a Trustee role. If I can support improved outcomes for any of the children within Astrea’s schools then it is worth every second of my time. I am excited to join this forward thinking and progressive Trust at an exciting time. Thanks to the team at Society who have supported me through the process and just allowed me to focus on the Trust rather than the process!”

Louise Cooper remarked: “I am very excited to join the Astrea Board at this point in its transformation journey, working with the CEO and the Board to make a huge difference in the lives of our pupils. Society have been brilliant at every step of the process, from initial contact to follow up after appointment. I would highly recommend working with the Society team.” 

Peter Burrows commented: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to join Astrea as a Trustee. There are few things more rewarding than making a positive difference to  the lives of young people, and I am keen to do my best to support the Trust in the next phase of its journey. From a candidate perspective, Society operated a very high-quality process.  It was simple and straightforward but also rigorous and insightful.”

We wish all five of the newly appointed Trustees every success in their new roles!