Term from 10 January 2022 to 9 January 2026

William Collier is a Reader in Economics at the University of Kent. He is also the Strategic Lead for the University’s Medway Campus based at Chatham Maritime.

William has been a Trustee Board member since October 2021 and Chair of the Chatham Grammar Governing Board since September 2022. He has a strong background and interests in curriculum and educational development, and a deep commitment to leading change that enhances students’ aspirations and outcomes.

Term from 2 October 2023 to 1 October 2027

Nigel Ingram is a retired senior Bank Manager, who worked for HSBC Bank for over 40 years, many of which were in the Medway Towns. Nigel has been a Governor, now Trustee, for over 20 years and has helped to steer the direction and growth of the organisation through its transformation into the now very successful University of Kent Academies Trust. His role on the Board of Trustees is Chair of the Finance and Staffing Committee and Vice Chair on the Trust Board.

Nigel is also the Link Trustee for Safeguarding and Health and Safety across the Trust. Nigel is a local resident and lives close by in the town of Sittingbourne.

Term from 2 September 2024 to 1 September 2028

Dr Barbara Adewumi is a Senior Research Fellow for Student Success in the Centre for the Study of  Higher education at the University of Kent.

Barbara lectured in Sociology in the School of Social Sciences and is now a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Kent.  Her research focuses on academic progression, closing the Black/white attainment gap, sense of belonging and engagement of racially minoritised and widening participation students. Barbara’s research interests include Black middle-class parents’ aspirational strategies in education, decolonising and diversifying the curricula and Critical Race Theory. Barbara is co-editor of Race, Capital and Equity in Higher Education: Challenging Differential Academic Attainment in UK universities, Palgrave Macmillan. She is a board member of the National Windrush Museum and is founder and Co-chair of the BAME staff network. Barbara is a member of the International Society for Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF) for the preservation of cultural heritage through education. Barbara is also a member of for the Medway African and Caribbean Association (MACA).

Term from 10 January 2022 to 9 January 2026

Clare Allison has been a UKAT Trustee since January 2022. She has been Head of Outreach & Widening Participation at the University of Kent since 2021 and has 15 years’ experience working with schools and colleges to support learners, from underrepresented groups and those who face disadvantages/structural barriers, to consider Higher Education progression.

Through her work at the University, Clare is a Board Member of the Kent and Medway Progression Federation and the Care Leaver Progression Partnership. As an active member of the UKAT Trust Board, along with her experience in the wider education sector, Clare brings her experience in strategic development, people management and problem solving.

Term from 5 January 2023 to 4 January 2027

Lisa Dickson is a Reader in Law at the University of Kent. She is also the Deputy Director of the Division of Law, Society and Social Justice (LSSJ).

Lisa has been a Trustee Board member since January 2023 and is Chair of the newly created Sixth Form Local Advisory Board. Lisa has a strong background in education, scholarship, and curriculum development having acted as Director of Education for both Kent Law School and LSSJ.

Lisa’s education focus lies in working on co-production with students and leading educational change that reflects student needs and ambitions.

Term from 4 October 2021 to 3 October 2025

Richard Ebanks was a partner in a very large dental practice in Chatham for over 30 years. He was involved in all aspects of the business, including personnel, business development and finance. He now continues to work as a dentist in a different practice in North Kent.

Richard was asked to become a Governor for Brompton Academy by the Local Authority in 2010, as he had taken a keen interest in all aspects of education. As a Trustee, he has been involved in the oversight of the academies within the trust but with an emphasis on the Discipline Panels. Recently he has been asked to Chair the Local Governing Board of Brompton Academy.

Richard is a local resident and, when time permits, is a keen amateur rugby referee.

Term from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2027

Zaid Mahmood is currently the Students’ Union President at Kent Union based at the University of Kent (UoK) in Canterbury. He studied at the UoK’s Medway campus from 2018-2022, Zaid subsequently moved to Canterbury. Zaid’s time in Medway was formative during his university career. He worked with the UoK and Students’ Union to improve the experience for students in Medway and has been involved in the wider community through various volunteering roles, employment, and family ties.

Zaid is honoured to be a part of the UKAT Trust Board to help bring a new perspective. He aims to work with Trust members in ensuring that UKAT academies provide their students with the best possible education and remove barriers for them to progress into higher and further education routes.

Zaid states that “Academies such as Brompton Academy and Chatham Grammar are the backbone of the community in Medway, and they give young people from all different backgrounds, the opportunity to grow and develop themselves.”

Term from 2 October 2023 to 1 October 2027

Neil Oliver’s experience is finance based as a qualified Chartered Accountant and previously Assistant Director of Finance at the University of Kent for 29 years. Prior to joining the University, he worked for Ernst and Young (EY) and then KPMG (both international firms of accountants providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services).

Neil has been a Governor, now Trustee, for over 12 years and has been involved with the financial aspects of the Trust since it was established in 2010. Neil’s current role on the Board of Trustees is Vice Chair of the Finance and Staffing Committee and the Link Trustee for Finance across the Trust.

Appointed 19 February 2024

Allan has been in education for 24 years and in senior leadership for 19 of those. He has served as Head of Sixth Form, SENCO, Assistant and Deputy Headteacher, Headteacher, Executive Headteacher and Director of Education for Ongar. He has also had the opportunity to work in several educational settings including Primary, Secondary, University Technical College and Further Education.

He has been a Headteacher for over a decade including taking two schools out of special measures to good or outstanding. He was fortunate enough to lead one school to become the third most improved school in the whole country in 2017 - overturning a Progress 8 score of -0.54 to +0.1 in one year.

Allan has worked in inner city London schools for 10 years and in deprived, rural Essex for eight and has worked for two of the biggest academy groups in the country.

At heart, he will always be a teacher by trade and still loves to be in a class of 30 students delivering English or Drama education.

Term from 12 March 2022 to 11 March 2026

Oliver Martin has been a parent Trustee for UKAT since 2018 and is now a co-opted Trustee on the UKAT Trust Board. Oliver was recently voted in again as a Parent Governor at Chatham Grammar. During his time as a Trustee, he has been an active member of the Trust Board getting involved in discussing a wide range of topics including the vision of Chatham Grammar and the Trust, the curriculum, wellbeing and mental health, Sixth Form provision, development of the Senior Leadership Team and marketing of the UKAT academies.

Oliver is currently Regulation and Strategy Director at South East Water where he brings a range of skills to him in his role on the Governing Body at UKAT. This includes people management, strategic planning, governance, compliance and quality assurance. Oliver is a local resident and has two daughters who attend Chatham Grammar.