Trust Board
The Board of Trustees set the strategic direction, mission, vision and values of Veritas Multi Academy Trust and are accountable to the Secretary of State for Education for standards across trust schools.
If you would like to contact any of our Trustees, please contact our Governance Professional.
Trustees
Squadron Leader Simon J Haseltine, RAF (Retired) - Chair of Trust Board appointed 01/01/2023
Simon attended Canterbury Technical High School for Boys before commencing his career in the RAF, where he served around the world for 33 years as a Squadron Leader.
Simon gained many skill sets whilst in the military which he brings to Veritas in his volunteer role as our Chair, including leadership, teamwork, project management, public sector budgeting and accounting, lean management, business engineering, risk management, equality and "Ofsted" style inspections.
"Off-duty", Simon is a Scout Leader, keen social historian and enjoys keeping fit by playing rugby and football - both at county level. He also has an allotment, greenhouse and a diverse collection of fruit trees in his garden, as well as being a keen cook, and passionately believes in food sustainability.
Dr. Kerry Jordan-Daus – CEO, Accounting Officer & Trustee - appointed 01/09/2022
Kerry has spent her career in education, as a teacher in Secondary Schools and as a lecturer in Higher Education, securing numerous leadership roles across both. Her leadership has been recognised as outstanding. Kerry has recently achieved her Doctorate Study on gender and leadership in education. Kerry has significant experience in MAT Governance having previously been a Chair of a MAT Board and a Trustee for three MATs. Kerry is committed to inclusion and ensuring success is enjoyed by all. Building on the success of the research based culture already embedded at Veritas MAT, Kerry will continue to ensure that all staff are supported in their professional learning and development, therefore putting outstanding teaching as a key priority.
Gavin Sibbick - Trustee (Chair of Risk and Audit Committee) - appointed 23/05/23
Gavin is the Head of a division of Finance for a large global specialty (re)insurance company and is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. He is either the chair or a member of various insurance industry committees and has experience in his field of regulation, accounting and credit risk management, and is leading and shaping the Finance Strategy for his company. Outside of work, Gavin is a keen footballer and cyclist and enjoys embarking on long distance and multi day cycling events, all for great charitable causes.
Dr. Jennifer Shearman - Trustee (Chair of Quality of Education Committee) - appointed 11/10/2022
Dr. Jennifer Shearman has spent her career in mathematics education: she trained as a secondary mathematics teacher with Teach First, then worked in teacher training at Canterbury Christ Church University. Within the university, Jen led a STEM PGCE and the Education Masters degree, and completed her Doctorate in Education which focused on mathematics teachers. Jen now is the Director for Evaluation and Impact at the National Centre for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics (NCETM), a professional development organisation for mathematics teaching. Jen lives in Whitstable with her two young(ish) sons.
Hannah Duncan - Trustee (Trust Quality of Education Committee) - appointed 11/10/2022
Hannah trained as an oboist at the Royal Academy of Music where she gained her LRAM diploma in instrumental teaching and BMus degree. On leaving the Academy and work as a freelance musician Hannah trained as a primary school teacher in Whitstable on the School Direct route. She then moved to London and enjoyed working in a diverse school where she mentored trainee teachers and led the music provision. Hannah currently works at Canterbury Christ Church University as Senior Lecturer in Primary Initial Teacher Education as the specialist music tutor. She is also a PhD student researching flexible working in schools and is mum to three young children.
Yasmin Affum - Trustee (Trust Business Committee) - appointed 17/10/2023
Born and raised in South London, Yasmin relocated to Liverpool in 2014 and began working for REED Recruitment, where she worked her way up from Trainee to Recruitment Manager before securing a position within Merseyside Police, where she was the Private Secretary to the Chief Executive. Upon returning to London in 2019, Yasmin worked as Business Support officer within UCL before joining Haberdashers’ Academies Trust South as Executive Assistant to the CEO & HR Advisor to the Central Team. Since joining the Trust in 2020, Yasmin discovered her passion for HR and has since completed an CIPD Assoc. Degree in People Practice (L3), and is currently studying towards the CIPD L5 HR Business Partner qualification, which she hopes to complete in early 2025.
During her free time, Yasmin enjoys taking her 5 year old Hungarian Viszla, M’bilou for long walks, cooking and socialising with friends.
Oluyinka Oworu - Trustee (Chair of the Trust Business Committee & Trust Data Protection Officer) - appointed 23/05/23
Oluyinka is a professional Accountant with more than 10 years experience in accounting and finance across Finance, Aviation, Banking and the FMCG sectors. Oluyinka has strong leaning towards financial & business strategy formulation, strategy execution, compliance and risk management, treasury & investment management, audit, control, and in financial & data analytics.
He has a first degree in Accounting, and Masters of Science degree in Finance and is an Associate Chartered Accountant of England and Wales, and Nigeria. His drive for results, leading teams of finance and business experts, has seen successes in restructuring and reviving businesses and believes strong leadership is the key to success. Oluyinka continues his pursuit of professional development and growing interests and is presently studying to obtain additional certifications in Cybersecurity Management, Governance, Risk and Compliance.
Sarah Hoekman-Tuckfield - Trustee (Quality of Education Committee) - appointed 7/11/2024
With a BA Hons from Royal Holloway, University of London, Sarah initially worked in Marketing and Communications before completing a Secondary English PGCE at Goldsmiths University in 2005 and starting an English teaching career in South East London. Sarah went on to teach at international schools and became increasingly interested in the field of Special Educational Needs SEN). She completed a Masters in Education with a focus on SEN and became a SenCo working in international schools, and more recently has been working as a freelance SEN tutor in the UK and is training to become a young persons' coach and mental health practitioner. Sarah is passionate about the Arts, the outdoors and cold water swimming.
Heather Jolly - Trustee (Risk & Audit Committee) - appointed 7/11/2024
Heather has 17 years of experience working in Special Education and has been in Senior Leadership roles for over 10 years, including Head of School at an SLD all-through school which she developed and oversaw its expansion to double in size across three sites. Heather has comprehensive experience in strategic management, including driving continuous improvement and fostering a culture in which every child has the opportunity to succeed. Heather is committed to her own professional growth, having recently completed a Postgraduate qualification in Autism and is currently working towards her Master's degree. Outside of work, Heather enjoys spending time with her three children, being outdoors, running, and surfing.
Key Trustee Documents:
Trustees resigned in the past 12 months:
- Rebecca Steele (resigned July 2024)
- Tamzin Wood (resigned July 2024)
- Richard Morris (retired August 2024)