Trust Executive TEAM
The Trust is led by an able, ambitious and experienced leadership team.
Mike Westerdale -Chief Executive Officer
Mike Westerdale, CEO, describes his greatest responsibility as ensuring every pupil and student reaches their potential, within a culture of care, where they are safe and inspired to flourish. Mike has over 30 years’ experience in the education sector, working in Headship roles as well as Director for Education for a large national Multi-Academy Trust before joining Brigantia.
Mike recognises that there are many Trust-wide outcomes to be proud of, including the commitment of all academies and members of the organisation to break down social mobility barriers and serve their respective local communities. In this regard, he looks forward to the continuation and growth of the Trust’s mission and to further supporting and strengthening the communities in a myriad of different ways. As the Trust grows, the aim is to create Brigantia’s own multi-agency team, working alongside the local authority, ensuring Brigantia Learning Trust’s academies are at the top of the agenda.
Mike describes his role as a facilitator and motivator, empowering others to take on their roles by removing barriers. For Mike, it was important to create a Trust offer that positively impacts on all stakeholders across the Trust, namely creating a culture of sharing: drawing on the strengths of one another to support each other, creating a pool of expertise and resources to draw from, sharing best practice and enabling individual flair to provide pupils and students with the highest quality teaching and outstanding educational experiences.
“As CEO for the Brigantia Learning Trust, I take great pride in my role of preparing every young person and member of staff for a journey of personal growth and development, improvement and achieving their potential. It is my role to enable every member of the Brigantia community to strive for themselves and to be ambitious for the whole community”.
Jacqui Simpson - Chief Operating Officer
Jacqui Simpson joined Brigantia Learning Trust in 2014 as Chief Operating Officer. Throughout the years, Jacqui’s career has spanned roles within banks and account management, before completing her degree at Sheffield Hallam University in Accountancy and Management control. Prior to joining Brigantia, Jacqui worked for Sheffield City Council within the Education Finance department for 11 years.
As the Trust has developed and grown, so has Jacqui’s role. With responsibility to oversee a range of departments: Human Resources, Finance, IT, Premises, Health and Safety and Estates, Jacqui credits her broad and strong team who she leads, citing their role as a back-office function, taking pressure off Executive Principals to ensure the smooth running of academies.
Within her role, Jacqui has a unique insight into and responsibility of the critical daily running of the Trust and academies, supporting with risk management and legal advice in addition to the effective management of the Trust. In years to come, Jacqui looks forward to the expansion of the Trust, not only with more academies but growing from within, and broadening their offer to students.
Kelly Howes - Director of Education
Kelly Howes joined Brigantia Learning Trust in 2019 as Associate Principal at Yewlands Academy, and since this time has held a range of leadership roles across the trust, the most recent of which was a dual role as Deputy Director of Education for Brigantia Learning Trust and Executive Principal of Concord Junior Academy and Wincobank Nursery and Infant Academy. In June 2023, as Executive Principal, Kelly led the team at Concord Junior Academy to secure the first 'Good' Ofsted rating in the academy's history and has subsequently led on the amalgamation of Concord Junior Academy and Wincobank Nursery and Infant Academy to form Brigantia Hill Fort Academy.
Kelly has over 25 years' experience in education, spanning the 2-19 age range. Prior to joining Brigantia Learning Trust, Kelly worked as a teacher of science and a senior leader for 16 years within schools in Suffolk, before moving to Liverpool to work for 4 years as a senior leader, leading on teaching and learning, curriculum and pupil attainment.
As Director of Education, Kelly oversees the Trust's school improvement and monitoring and evaluation strategy in coordination with the Trust’s Education Improvement Team, who she credits as having an essential role in ensuring a strategic approach to safeguarding, SEND and inclusion, student experience, CEIAG and Early Careers Development to ensure social, emotional and educational barriers are removed and gaps in learning are reduced to enable all young people to flourish throughout all stages of their educational journey and beyond.