Peter is the Chair of Fortis Trust Trustees as well as The Thinking Schools Academy. He has a wide level of experience as a Trustee. He is also Chair of Medway’s School Forum, which is the vehicle that the authority use to distribute cash from Central Government, and this gives him a very practical insight into the finances of schools as well as the authority. Peter is Chair of Medway Youth Trust, which aims to transform young people’s life chances through IAG and training. As a final note he is Chair of a local Charity called Halpern Charitable Foundation which is focused on the promotion of arts within the community. Peter works as a Business Consultant and as such has excellent financial and auditing skills, HR management and Business Development expertise enabling him to provide robust strategic leadership and challenge.

Peter is also the Trustee for Safeguarding, Health & Safety and Careers and Education Guidance.

Mark Gedye, Vice Chair of the Trust Board and is Trustee for Well-Being and Arts. Mark has worked in the printing and publishing industry for over 30 years in general management, commercial, project management, consultancy and marketing roles. He has experience in all forms of business change, e-commerce, publishing, data and project management. He enjoys developing, testing and implementing solutions, data management and processes to improve profitability, productivity and accountability. Mark provides objective views and advice based upon his commercial and personal experience, on governance, constitutional and procedural matters. He has three adult children, a primary school teacher, another works in procurement for a major retailer and a trainee optician who has ADHD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia which helps in his understanding at Bradfields Academy and Fortis Trust.

Nick was a Governor at Bradfields Academy for two years before becoming a Member.

He has worked at C Brewers, a decorating merchant, for over 40 years, working as a seller and buyer and as a warehouse supervisor. He brings the following knowledge and skills to the Trust: good commercial awareness, strong work ethic, and ability to understand our apprenticeship scheme and give valuable insight. He holds the board to account and evaluates the effectiveness of their work.

Nick also enjoys photography in his spare time and is passionate about the arts and diversity that we offer at Fortis Trust. He is a fervent supporter of Bradfields Academy’s dramatic endeavours and has been known to act as the photographer during Bradfields Prom.

Elizabeth has been a Parent Governor of Balfour Junior Academy for 4 years, before becoming a Member of the Fortis Trust and is now a co-opted governor as her children have moved on from the school.

She has been a Local Councillor for Medway Council since 2019, representing Strood Rural. Within her role at the council, Elizabeth sits on the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Children and Young People. She is the mother of four children. Her youngest son had complex needs and used to attend Abbey Court Special School. Elizabeth is passionate about speaking up for children, especially those that may struggle to have their own voice heard for whatever reason.

In her spare time Elizabeth enjoys country walks, reading, cooking and especially eating a Sunday Roast.

John taught English, History and RE in a Kent high school before becoming a primary teacher. He has been headteacher of five primary schools in Kent and Medway, ranging from a tiny village school in the heart of the North Downs to a large and popular CE Junior school in Rainham. His last headship was of a large Margate primary school, which he led out of special measures and opened a new-build nursery.

Since then he has worked in education consultancy in a number of national contexts. As a headteacher and subsequently, he inspected for Ofsted for 17 years and as an Anglican S48 inspector for 25 years. He is currently responsible for the S48 inspection of the Association of Sikh Schools. He has been involved in initial teacher training since the inception of employment-based routes, including recent work as Senior Primary Tutor for a large ITT provider. He has now stepped down from that role but remains involved in ITT. He is the organisation’s RE lead and an assessor for the RE Quality Mark.

John lives in Maidstone, where he and his wife are governors of a local primary school. He was a Lay Reader in the North Downs and currently assists with aspects of playing music and leading in a local Anglican church.

Marie is CEO of Fortis Trust and Executive Principal overseeing Bradfields Academy and our Specialist Post 16 Institution Forward2Employment.  Marie is also the Trustee for Training & Development and Rights Respecting Schools Award Liaison.

Marie has worked in education for over 15 years, working in both Primary and Secondary mainstream provisions, and providing school improvement support across the South East as SSAT Lead Practitioner before joining the Bradfields Academy family in 2011 as part of the Senior Leadership team. Prior to gaining her teaching qualifications, she worked as a Press & Marketing Officer for Unicorn Children’s Theatre, in London.

Marie feels extremely privileged to lead the Trust as she gets to ensure that the children, young Adults and staff can excel in a fully supportive environment which values all. She passionately believes in ensuring all children and young deserve outstanding education and support and supported on their journeys into adulthood.

Marie is mum to three children, Katie, Adam and Millie. Marie believes in always being a learner and as such is currently studying for her National Professional Executive Leadership Qualification, having already gained a Masters Degree in Effective Learning and the NPQH. These enable her to drive forwards the trust successfully.

Emma started her career in charity administration and then spent ten years working in payroll for the Church Commissioners for England, before becoming a full-time Mum in 2010. Emma became a clerk for The Education People’s clerking service in 2017. She provides advice to the governing body on governance, constitution and procedural matters and provides administrative support to the governing body and its committees.

Not a Member, Trustee or Director – No voting rights.

Paul Coyne is a Community Director and is Chair of the Finance, Staffing and Buildings Committee.

During his career Paul has had various roles both in the UK and overseas working in the publishing, technology and learning sectors. Currently he is Director of the Integrated Learning and Assessment programme for Cambridge University Press and Assessment, an educational publisher.

Paul has a Master’s in Business, a doctorate from the Swiss Management Centre. He is also a Chartered IT Professional (CITP), a member of the British Computer Society. Paul’s extensive business and IT experience positively impact the board’s ability to oversee the development of Fortis Trust.

During Ian’s business life he has worked for a large national retail company (Halfords) where he became a Branch Manager and worked throughout Kent. He then moved into the car dealership trade becoming an IT Manager before moving to a large Land Rover/Jaguar dealership in London as a parts manager.

Following this Ian became self-employed, owning a retail business of his own. Due to his disability, he had to give this up in 2000.  Since then, he has become a Magistrate and has enjoyed this role immensely.

He has been a Governor for over 28 years within Medway and Kent as Vice Chair or Chair at several primary and secondary and SEN schools, including the role of Chair during the creation of a new school.  Currently, as well as Fortis Trust, Ian is also Vice Chair of Ocmat Trust in Kent, a Director of Hadlow Rural Community School and Vice Chair of St John Fisher School.

Whilst undertaking these roles Ian has been involved in the recruitment of a number of Headteachers and other staff selection panels; he has sat on disciplinary committees and undergone over 20 Ofsted inspections, also mentoring other Chairs through the process.

He also became a Mentor with The Prince’s Trust as well as a Trustee for Compaid in Tonbridge. He is trained in restorative justice and has also undertaken training to resolve family matters, as well as becoming a Counsellor in supporting complex families and challenging situations, such as abuse, financial and drug related matters.

On a personal note, Ian has been married to Jackie for 41 years and they have one daughter who has given them the gift of two beautiful granddaughters. Ian has a number of hobbies which include music, photography, reading, cooking, computer work, watching documentaries, as well as just sitting and reflecting on the day.

Matthew Hull is a Community Director, and is Trustee for Parent & Community Engagement and School Council Liaison. He currently works for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as Senior Host Government Services Lead for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. He has worked in DCMS and the Civil Service since 2003, taking up a range of roles including across major sporting events, regional devolution and HR. Matt is a CMI chartered manager and is a member of the Government Project Delivery Profession and is a Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) Practitioner. He brings a wealth of skills and experience to the board.

Jane has spent her whole working life within the education sector and has held two Head Teacher positions as well as being a qualified SENCO. She has had lots of experience on a variety of governing bodies within the mainstream sector, as staff, community and Head Teacher governor.

Jane is looking forward to learning more about specialist education provision and the Academy sector in her new role as Trustee.

Since retiring from headship in September 2021, Jane has trained to become a dyslexia specialist teacher and dyslexia assessor which she thoroughly enjoys.

Jane has two grown-up daughters and loves spending time with her two grandsons.

Elizabeth Akinlaja is a skilled and experienced business development manager, responsible for managing City & Guilds’ operations across Kent, London, Surrey, and Sussex. With extensive experience in both the private and public sectors, Elizabeth has worked for reputable organisations such as Manpower, Babcock, Imperial College Hospital, and FE colleges.

Elizabeth is a highly motivated individual, consistently delivering sustainable growth and exceeding targets with a strong focus on problem-solving. She utilises her expertise to identify and create opportunities, foster strategic relationships, and drive revenue expansion, making her an indispensable asset to any organization. Her seven years of apprenticeship experience and knowledge in business development make her a seasoned professional, with unparalleled expertise in these areas.

Her ability to develop and cultivate long-term relationships with clients and partners has been key to her success in driving business growth and exceeding expectations.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Elizabeth works with young children as a mentor, sharing her knowledge and expertise with the next generation of aspiring professionals. She is passionate about making a positive impact on her community and actively involves her 2 young children instilling in them the values of giving back and encouraging their active participation in various initiatives such as raising money for children’s charities and the NHS Children’s Department.

I trained as a psychology teacher in 2003.  Prior to that, I worked for Her Majesty’s Prison service.  I started my teaching in a mainstream provision but have taught in special educational needs since 2015.

It was whilst as an Assistant Principal at Bradfields that I realised that there was a gap in provision for those young people who need a little extra support to get into employment.  With this in mind, I have worked tirelessly to develop Forward2Employment and I have a strong vision of how I want to move the provision forward to support more young adults in Medway and further into Kent to gain employment.

I started my career in the British Army where I served as an Infantry Soldier for 9 years.  I then joined her Majesty’s Prison Service as a Prison Officer and have worked in several establishments with various categories of prisoner. I have seen first-hand how important it is that young people have the right start in their adult life and how badly things can go wrong if there isn’t support in place.  I strongly believe that supported internships and employment provide that support.  

I am currently Kent, Sussex and Essex regional Health, Safety and Fire Advisor working at establishments through the region.  I am qualified to carry out Health Safety and Fire risk assessments and I will be vigilant in ensuring the safety of the interns when they undertake their placements.

I have worked with young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) for over 20 years in various establishments within the education system. I am a qualified Higher Level Teaching Assistant, a trained PTTLS level 3 tutor and Trained Careers Adviser where I specialised in working with young people with SEND.

People are my passion, whether that be supporting young people with learning difficulties, supporting my colleagues, networking with partners or spending quality time with my family, my focus is on helping others. I believe in enabling young people whatever their background or abilities to reach their goals.  It’s so important in my role that I understand every student as an individual and help them to identify their strengths.

I also really enjoy working with other agencies so the young people and their families or carers have access to all relevant information that can be helpful when they are making decisions. I am proud to be a Director of Forward2Employment as above all I believe passionately that everyone deserves the opportunity to be included within the community and should have the same workplace opportunities.

I am a carpenter by training, but fell into the hospitality industry early in my working life where I learned very quickly the importance of strong teams, quality customer service and the building of healthy working relationships. It was through this role that I met my current employers.

I have worked for Richard Austin Alloys for 7 years now and manage our skilled and experienced sales team in their day to day tasks. RAA began offering placements for interns in 2022 after we were approached by Forward2Employment. I have experienced their workfirst hand and the critical role they play in the development and growth of the interns that join their programme and the support offered to interns and associated businesses (Like RAA) toensure successful placements and a fair chance for interns to experience working life.

I was excited to be asked to join the board at F2E and hope that my experiences can offer an insight into ways to maximise the potential from associated businesses and work towards successful placements where our interns and businesses have the support and reassurances that they need.