The Education Leadership Team

Chairman & Chief Executive, Wates Group Limited,     Education Leadership Team Chair

Paul was appointed Chief Executive, and to the Wates Group Board, in September 2004. He became Chairman and Chief Executive at Wates Group in April 2006.

Prior to joining Wates, Paul spent 24 years with ICI PLC, holding senior positions in the UK, Brazil and the USA. This experience culminated with five years as Chief Executive of one of ICI’s four international businesses. He was also a main Board Director of ICI PLC, Chairman of ICI Pension Trustees Ltd., and a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Watch a video interview with Paul Drechsler on why he decided to take a leadership role on Education at Business in the Community, and what a difference Business Class can make.

Wates supports Business Class

Head Teacher
Lent Rise Primary School

Brenda holds a master’s degree in Institutional Management and Education Administration. She has been deeply involved in education on many levels, having been a member of the National College for School Leadership’s Governing Council and The Implementation Review Unit, for which she now works as an independent consultant.

In 1993, Brenda was appointed Head Teacher at Lent Rise Combined School, which is recognised as serving a challenging community. During Brenda’s tenure, the school has been the recipient of numerous awards honouring community leadership and high achievement in its Arts, Sports, IT, and other programmes. These awards include Ofsted’s National Outstanding School Award, the International School Award, and Investors in People status.

During the last six years, the work Brenda has undertaken has given focus to areas which link research, policy, and practice, and she is currently involved in the training, assessment, advising and consultation of both national and local organisations.

She is a member of the board for the Training and Development Agency for schools, a primary consultant for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, an ambassador for the British Council and is involved in the European Leaders’ Network. Brenda is frequently asked to speak about 21st Century Learning and 21st Century Leadership at national and international conferences.

Brenda works with the business world through her links with BESA and through her partnerships with individual organisations. She is also a Trustee of Bentley Priory Battle of Britain Trust.

Chair of Teach First and Vice Chair BITC 

Dame Julia Cleverdon is principally known for the considerable reputation she has acquired as a renowned leader and challenging speaker on business leadership, corporate responsibility, education and women’s development. She has been acclaimed for achieving real innovation and behaviour change in the boardrooms of the UK while Chief Executive of Business in the Community from April 1992 to March 2008. Julia is currently Chair of Teach First.

Chair
Cadbury Foundation

Neil began his career as a graduate trainee with Pilkington Glass. Joined Kellogg Company of Great Britain in 1974, becoming HR Director in 1982. Moved to Cadbury Limited in Bournville in 1988 as Personnel Director.

In 1997 moved to Berkeley Square, London to a new Group-wide role as External Affairs Director with Cadbury Schweppes plc. There, he established the Group’s government affairs programme in Brussels, Westminster and Washington, coordinating relationships with trade associations and other industry-wide bodies.

Corporate Responsibility has been a key part of Neil’s role at Cadbury, leading the company’s thinking and programme development, and its emerging sustainability agenda. He has supported the Main Board CSR Committee, and chaired the Group’s Human Rights and Ethical Trading Committee. A founder Board member of the International Cocoa Initiative, the multi-agency foundation established by the global confectionery industry, the ILO and a number of NGOs to ensure ethical labour standards in cocoa production in West Africa and elsewhere.

Since January 2008, he has moved to a part-time consultancy role, including Chair of the Cadbury Foundation, with a principal focus on programmes of education and enterprise in schools, as well as other themes including health and wellness; environment and sustainability; and social and economic development priorities in West Africa and India.

Outside Cadbury, Neil holds a number of appointments including Chair of BXL Services Ltd (formerly the Birmingham and Solihull Connexions Partnership); Chair, Young Enterprise National Council; and Governor, Chipping Campden School. Previously he was a Board member of Camelot plc and Vice Chairman of the Adult Learning Inspectorate.

Neil was awarded an OBE in 2005 for services to adult learning. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Personnel and Development (FIPD), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). ]

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Barry is a partner in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer specialising in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions and securities.  He has been a member of the Education Leadership Team since 2006 and is a governor of Haggerston Girls School, Hackney.

Freshfields recently supported the BITC report into school governance.

Global Head of Global Capital Markets, UBS

David graduated from Magdalene College, Cambridge University in 1991. Later that year he joined the DCM group of UBS (SBC). In 2000, he was appointed Head of DCM FIG, Europe and in 2004 to head all investment grade DCM business in Europe. David moved to Investment Banking late 2005 to become Head of FIG EMEA.

David's responsibilities were enlarged in 2007 to include the Fixed Income businesses of DCM and Structured Sales for FIG clients in EMEA. In 2008 David was appointed Head of Global Capital Markets for EMEA, running Equity and Debt Capital Markets.

David has many years of capital markets and advisory experience most recently advising, amongst others, the UK government in respect of the recently announced series of bank recapitalisation and funding plans.

Operations Director, UK & Europe Prudential Plc

Tulsi is the Operations Director at Prudential UK & Europe and a member of the UK&Europe Executive Committee, a role she was appointed to in January 2010.  Tulsi has overall responsibility for Business Change, Information Technology and Customer Service. Tulsi is also responsible for Prudential's India organisation, PPMS which provides a range of services to Prudential Group’s operating units.

Tulsi has held a number of senior general management roles across Pru UK since 2006 with responsibility for Direct Distribution, Corporate Pensions and the Mature Life and Pensions business.  She joined Prudential in 2003 in the Corporate Development team

Tulsi began her financial services career at Arthur Andersen and also held positions at ICICI Bank and CSFB. She is an MBA.

Head Teacher, Robert Clack School 

Sir Paul Grant has been Head Teacher at Robert Clack School in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham since April 1997.  He originally joined Robert Clack School in 1990 as the Head of Humanities. The school, at that time, was moving through the most challenging period of its history with very low examination outcomes and very poor pupil behaviour creating an appalling reputation.  There were well advanced plans for closing the school down.  However the Humanities faculty which Sir Paul led continued to go from strength to strength with outstanding pupil progress in a school haemorrhaging pupils, teachers and community support. 
This striking pupil progress had come to the attention of the Governing Body and the Local Authority, and they asked him to replicate this success across all subjects and across both sites of the school. What happened next has been the subject of much study by government, academia and has entered local folklore given that Robert Clack serves one of the most disadvantaged communities in the UK.
 
In June 2004, December 2007 and March 2011 Robert Clack School was designated by OfSTED as an 'outstanding school'.  Robert Clack School now has over 2,000 pupils on two sites and is featured in the prestigious Good Schools Guide.  It is one of the most over subscribed schools in London. It is a High Performing School with Specialisms in Science, Maths & Computing and Languages.  The school was the highest placed education establishment in the 2010 Sunday Times Best Hundred Companies to Work for List, and winner in the medium-sized company section.  It also came first for the quality of its leadership, for personal growth and for its employees’ pride in working there.
 
Sir Paul works closely with his LA, the DfE, Future Leaders, the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors, The Princes’ Teaching Institute and is a member of Business in the Community’s Education Board.  He has also established international partnerships and is an NCSL Consultant Headteacher.  He is actively involved in School Improvement having collaborated with and supported, hundreds of secondary schools UK wide.  He was part of the National Steering Group that created the National Leader in Education role.  He is currently on the National Advisors group for History in the curriculum.

Sir Paul was knighted for services to local and national education, appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London and was bestowed the Freedom of Barking and Dagenham, all in 2009.  This year he was awarded (honoris causa) Doctor of Letters by the University of Hull.

Former Director General, CBI

Having studied history at Balliol College, Oxford, Richard Lambert joined the Financial Times in 1966. He edited the Lex column in the 1970s, becoming financial editor in 1979. In 1982 he moved to New York as the bureau chief, returning to the UK a year later as deputy editor. He became editor of the Financial Times in 1991 and during his 10 years in this role launched the US version of the newspaper.

A member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee from Spring 2003 until Spring 2006, Richard took up the post of director-general of the CBI in July 2006. Among a number of other non-remunerated roles, Richard is also a trustee of the British Museum and became chancellor of the University of Warwick in August 2008. He was knighted in January 2011 for services to business.

Partner, UK Head of People, KPMG

Michelle was appointed as UK Head of People in April 2010,  covering recruitment, performance management, reward, talent management, learning & development CSR and diversity, in support of the UK firm’s business objectives. In the 17 years prior to this, having qualified in Audit, Michelle provided tax advice to corporates, and continues to act as lead tax partner on a number of UK listed groups and UK subsidiaries of overseas groups; providing practical and value-added tax advice.

As UK Head of People, Michelle has championed the firm’s commitment to ensuring fair access to the profession.  This has included embedding KPMG’s commitments as signatories to the Deputy Prime Minister’s Compact on Social Mobility and leading the delivery of innovative recruitment marketing and community investment programme targeted at people from under-represented groups.  She has also led the work with UKCES to review the need for an accountancy apprenticeship offer.

Michelle serves on the UK Main Board and the European HR Board of KPMG.

Co-Head of UK Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs International

Anthony is co-head of the UK Investment Banking business. Previously, he was co-chief operating officer of UK Investment Banking and prior to that, he managed the European Leisure, Gaming & Hotel group. Anthony joined Goldman Sachs as a managing director in the Consumer Retail Group in 2007.

Prior to joining the firm, Anthony spent seven years at Citigroup in the United Kingdom Investment Banking group and latterly, covering the leisure sector. Earlier in his career, Anthony qualified as a corporate lawyer at Freshfields in London.
Anthony is on the board of Axiom Europe and is a former member of the Rebuilding Childhoods Board, which is a sub-board of the National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children.  Anthony earned a BA in Modern History at Worcester College, Oxford University, and a CPE and LPC diploma from the London College of Law.

Chairman, Ford of Britain

Joe Greenwell was appointed to the role of Chairman, Ford of Britain, on 1st January 2009.

Joe Greenwell was the 2009/2010 President of the UK Automotive industry's Trade organisation, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and he is Chairman of BEN, the Motor and Allied Trades Benevolent Fund.

Prior to his appointment to these positions, Joe Greenwell was Vice President, Government Affairs, Premier Automotive Group and ford of Europe, from 1st September 2005.

Greenwell's responsibilities included helping to develop and co-ordinate Ford Motor Company's strategy with Government and other official bodies in the European region.

Prior to this position, Joe Greenwell was Chairman and CEO of Jaguar and Land Rover where he was responsible for overseeing sales and production expansion at Land rover and setting in train necessary structural changes at Jaguar.

Previously, he had been Vice President, Marketing and Operations, since August 2002.  In that role, he was responsible for Ford of Canada, Ford of Mexico, Worldwide Direct Market Operations and Global Marketing.

Prior to that, Joe Greenwell had been Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs, Ford of Europe and had performed the same role at Jaguar Cars.

He was awarded the CBE for services to the Automotive Industry in the Queen's birthday Honours list in June 2011.

Group Communications Director, 3i Group Plc

Patrick is Group Communications Director for 3i Group plc and a member of its operating committee. He has over 25 years experience in private equity and is a regular speaker and commentator on boardroom issues and is an established author on the topic. Patrick was also a member of the Higgs Review and is a judge for the UK's annual Non-executive Director Awards.

He has a passion for education and is a member of the General Council of Warwick University, a Visiting Professor at Cranfield School of Management and Chairman of the charity LEAP – Confronting Conflict, the UK’s leading charity in the area of youth and conflict. In 2006 he founded Warwick in Africa, a charity recently featured in a BBC documentary for transforming the teaching of maths for over 90,000 young Africans in some of the poorest schools in Ghana , South Africa and Tanzania.