Our Board

Mrs Una Bennett

Una is a retired senior civil servant with a career spanning project delivery and operational leadership across government agencies and the private sector, including roles at the Standards and Testing Agency, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, the Department for Education and Barclays.

Her experience includes strategic leadership of large-scale operations (including teams of more than 2,500 staff), leading change and performance improvement across complex organisations, and strong governance and board experience.

Fr Paul Whieldon

Fr Paul is the parish priest serving St Joseph, Carterton and St John Fisher and St Thomas More, Burford. Fr Paul has extensive pastoral experience of youth ministry as the former Parish Priest and Chaplain at the Kenelm Youth Trust in Alton.

Mr Keith Ainsworth

Keith is a solicitor with a background spanning criminal law, private equity and corporate finance. He has held senior leadership roles in legal practice and in industry, including board responsibility for audit, compliance, governance, legal matters and risk management.

His expertise includes corporate governance, risk management, public procurement, audit, compliance and regulatory oversight.

Mr Paul Concannon

Paul has almost 30 years’ experience in the governance of Catholic schools as a governor and director. He is currently Chair of the Pope Francis MAC and has held senior roles in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.

His background includes strategic planning informed by executive board experience, commercial leadership skills across sales and marketing, finance, HR and legal, and experience of transformation and growth, including partnership with the DfE to support a trust merger.

Jim Foley

Jim retired as Headteacher of St Thomas Aquinas School, Kings Norton, after 37 years in Catholic education. He is a Foundation Director and Chair of the Holy Spirit Multi-Academy Company.

He brings deep experience of Catholic education and school leadership, with a track record in school improvement, including supporting transformational change within challenging schools, alongside governance leadership as a Trust chair and foundation director.

Mr Phillip Richardson

Philip is a retired Director of Democracy, Planning and Public Protection at Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council and a practising barrister.

His experience includes public-sector leadership and governance, facilities management and ongoing health and safety training, executive coaching and mentoring (ILM Level 7), and charity leadership as Chair of the Chinthowa Development Trust.

Mr Joseph McLoone

Joseph is an experienced executive and non-executive director across commercial, public and voluntary sectors, with considerable organisational development experience and strong people management and finance skills.

His background includes managing people and finances, supporting public-sector governance, including local government standards work. He also has NHS non-executive experience, including supporting the establishment of new NHS trusts.

Mr Daniel Gavin

Daniel is Head of Estates Operations at an NHS Trust, with extensive estates and operational experience across large, multi-site hospitals.

His expertise includes estates strategy and operational delivery across complex portfolios; health and safety, statutory compliance and business continuity.

Dr Priscilla A. Duodu Vitoh

Priscilla is a legal academic, qualified solicitor and governance consultant with over ten years’ experience across financial services and legal education in Africa and the UK. Holding a PhD in Law, she specialises in corporate governance, supporting organisations to establish and strengthen effective governance frameworks.

She is a lecturer in company law at Loughborough University and an active researcher, contributing to governance policy and practice across academic and professional contexts.

Mrs Joanne Murphy

Joanne has had a long and varied career across both the public and private sectors, with senior experience in sales, communications, marketing and project management. She is currently a Project Director for the Department for Education, overseeing a portfolio of capital construction projects from feasibility through procurement and delivery, with a value of approximately £300 million.

She is an experienced line manager and negotiator and brings a diligent, trustworthy and conscientious approach to her work, with a clear understanding of the responsibility and importance of governance roles.

Mrs Marjorie Bannister

Marjorie Bannister is an entrepreneur, educationalist, mother and Christian whose life has been shaped by leadership, service and faith.

She was born in Connecticut, USA, holds an undergraduate degree from Boston College, a Masters degree from London School of Economics and a Theology degree accredited by Durham University.

Her business career began in management consulting with Booz Allen London in a specialty offshoot in financial services called Spicer and Oppenheimer.  She is Co-founder and CEO of Wax Lyrical Ltd, a retail chain of candle stores which was built up to 50 shops across the UK, then sold to a US manufacturer in 2003.

Her educational posts include being Chair of St Michael's Catholic College from 2013-2025, a Catholic comprehensive with 1000 students in Bermondsey, achieving 2 Outstanding Ofsted ratings during that period.  Marjorie is currently Chair of Hungerford Nursery School with 120 children and a staff of around 20.

Marjorie’s current Directorships include Trustee of EducareM since 2015 which is led by Sister Judith Russi and provides formation for Catholic leaders in education. She is a trustee of The Archbishops Anglican Communion Fund based in Lambeth Palace which provides funding for Anglican Communities in need, around the world and a trustee for the Personal Emergencies Fund which provides funding for clergy in need of medical care.

A passionate Christian who is a baptised Catholic working across Anglican and Catholic institutions.