Philip Wood
Board Chair and Member

Philip is a solicitor specialising in education law at Browne Jacobson LLP. He has over ten years of experience in advising a range of institutions including schools, academies, local authorities, and universities. He works with a huge variety of education institutions, from the largest trusts in the Country to single schools, and that variety means that he is able to provide learning and experience from one to the other. Philip was previously the advice manager for the National Governance Association, advising and training schools on everything from exclusions to strategic thinking. As part of his role at NGA, he was part of the group that developed various editions of the Academy Trust Handbook and the DfE’s admissions working group that looked at changes to the Admissions Code. He seeks to bring this knowledge and experience with him in exercising his role within the Trust.

Giles Allen
MBA
Trustee

Chris is currently the Head of Finance (Deputy Section 151 Officer) for the West Midlands Pension Fund one of the largest Local Government Pension Schemes in the UK with assets of over £20bn. Chris trained with KPMG and has nearly 15 years’ experience in the Academy sector having worked across two Multi-Academy Trusts in the midlands during their periods of expansion; serving ten years as Chief Finance and Operations Office and a year as Accounting Officer. Chris has played a key role in the construction and successful opening of three secondary schools. Chris brings a wide knowledge on finance, estates, ICT, Health and Safety, HR, and governance to the Board and has served as a Trustee and Governor at several charities over the years both within and outside of education. Chris has presented at ESFA events and in 2022 was shortlisted for Finance Director of the Year at the West Midlands Finance Awards recognising his work in developing the central services within a Multi-Academy Trust. 

Claire Grainger
B.Ed. Hons/NPQEL
Chief Executive & Trustee

Claire Grainger has been a headteacher since 2007 and is an expert in primary educational leadership. She has led three primary schools with varied communities in rural and inner-city locations in both the South-West and West Midlands. Claire has been a Local Leader of Education and an active member of Devon SACRE for 13 years. More recently, she was invited by the local authority to be a member of an Interim Executive Board (IEB) for a Secondary School, which involved chairing the School Improvement Committee. Claire has a passion for coaching and mentoring leaders and is currently working & collaborating with other schools (outside of Fioretti Trust) to further develop school improvement priorities, notably with developing rigorous monitoring systems, holding leaders to account and supporting school culture and ethos. This work has all helped towards her recent completion of a National Professional Qualification for Executive Leaders (NPQEL).

In Claire’s spare time, she enjoys supporting her children in their love for cricket and is a committee member at the local cricket club. Part of this role includes being the Safeguarding/Welfare Officer. Claire has recently received the Safe Hands Award by Worcestershire County Cricket Board for her work; ensuring that her club goes above and beyond on the welfare front and helped to deliver a safe and fun environment for all.

Deidre Leeming
M.Ed/NPQH
Board Vice Chair

Deidre has over 40 years’ experience as an education and leadership expert, with a skill set including Teaching and Learning, Educational Leadership, Performance Management, Recruitment and Safeguarding. Deidre served as a head teacher in Worcestershire and Birmingham for many years before becoming a school improvement advisor in Sandwell and Birmingham. During this time she worked with various primary schools and in particular supported the development of senior leadership teams. More recently, she worked as a leadership consultant, supporting a number of schools, academies and local authorities having completed a Chair of Governors’ Leadership Development Programme with the National College. Deidre challenges and champions educational achievement for every child in our Trust.

Georgina Edgar
Trustee

Georgina Edgar is a Senior Managing Consultant at Ramboll, a global engineering, architecture and consultancy company, and has over twenty years’ experience of health, safety and environmental compliance, governance and Due Diligence in both private and public sector organisations. Georgina provides management and technical support to a range of clients across many sectors. Georgina brings a wealth of experience and skills with regard to EHS legal compliance and has a working knowledge of development and implementation of effective EHS programmes which underpin strategic direction and facilitate continual improvement. Georgina is delighted to share her skills and experience to support the Trust and secure future growth.

Nishat Azmat
ACCA, PGCE, SFHEA
Trustee

Nishat is a qualified accountant who now lectures in financial Accounting at the University of Birmingham Business School, where she is currently the Director for the Executive MBA. Her role at the University builds on the experience she has gained working as an accountant in both industry and private practice. Nishat has also been a trustee for a women’s charity for the last eight years. Nishat combines in-depth knowledge of education and finance, making her an invaluable member of the Board of Trustees. She brings a wealth of educational and governance experience, along with a commitment to financial rigour and a passion of education to her role.

Karla Mulrain-Gobbinsingh
BSc(Hons), PGCE, NPQSL
Trustee

Karla has over 20 years’ experience working in primary education within church schools and at all levels of school leadership, including governance. Her skillset includes a background in Teaching and Learning, Safeguarding, Performance Management, Recruitment, Attendance processes, Assessment and tracking of pupil attainment and progress. Karla’s current experience in education, ensures up to date knowledge of policies and guidance, and their impact on the strategic leadership in primary education. Karla has a passion for classroom teaching and is committed to ensuring the positive experiences and outcomes for all children.

Muhammad Qureshi
Trustee

Muhammad Qureshi is a Human Resources Practitioner and has over 10 years’ experience working in a range of public and private sector organisations. Based in Birmingham, Muhammad has taken on a number of roles providing advice and guidance to government service providers across the UK. Through his breadth of experience and rich professional network he facilitates people development, strategic human resources management and effective conflict resolution. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the area of policy review; having originally qualified as a lawyer. He has worked with management teams across the NHS for several years supporting on strategic HR matters, compliance and governance development initiatives. He is currently a Senior Growth People Partner in the Serco Group Plc. Muhammad has a keen interest in social values with a focus on creating healthy, productive, safe and inclusive workforces and will bring valuable skills to the Trust.

Muhammad Qureshi
Trustee

Leanne is a paralegal at Hogan Lovells International LLP. She works across a number of commercial practice areas including corporate law and litigation. She moved into the role in February 2022, and prior to this worked in the same firm as a Learning & Development Adviser, crafting development programmes and training to meet the needs of employees. She has also worked in a Software as a Service (SaaS) company in a Learning & Development role. Leanne has also held a role as a teacher, qualifying through the Teach First graduate programme. She worked for 4 years at a school within Dudley Academies Trust as a Teacher of English in a secondary school, and remains a Teach First Ambassador. She has undertaken CPD courses through Ambition Institute, and has been a trustee for All Saints Multi Academy Trust since June 2022.