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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.

Oluyinka Oworu - Trustee (Chair of the Trust Business Committee) - 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 (Quality of Education 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.

Jeannine Olivier - Trustee (Trust Business Committee) - appointed 09/01/2026

Jeannine has over 27 years of experience in education, working across a variety of sectors, including senior primary schools in both the UK and South Africa, local authority schools, a large multi-academy trust, and schools with specialist resource provisions (SRP). 

Throughout her career, Jeannine has gathered extensive leadership experience enabling her to grow and transform schools and Multi Academy Trusts. Jeannine has experience in developing governance across the education sector, safeguarding, improving attendance, enhancing curricula, reducing risk and driving school improvement at scale. More recently, Jeannine has taken on a role of Executive Headteacher in the independent sector for an all-through SEMH school.

As an educational consultant, Jeannine continues to coach leaders within multi-academy trusts and support candidates completing the NPQEL and has worked with primary headteachers and leaders to help develop key priorities and outcomes in reading, writing, and maths, as well as leading curriculum development and improvements in EYFS. 

Charlotte Maughan - Trustee (Risk and Audit Committee) - appointed 14/07/2026

Charlotte brings a strong scientific foundation, having achieved first-class honours in Biomedical Science from the University of Southampton before completing her PhD in Vaccine Discovery at University College London (UCL). 

With more than a decade's experience, she has developed deep expertise in data analytics, risk management, change management, and compliance, with particular specialism in AI and process automation. She has successfully led and motivated large, diverse teams, fostering collaborative and inclusive cultures that empower people to thrive, leading her to her current role of Chief of Staff at Aspect Labs.

Charlotte brings to Veritas a rare blend of scientific rigour, operational acumen, and strategic foresight. Her skills in data-driven decision-making, risk mitigation, and leveraging emerging technologies position her well to support the Trust's governance and modernisation priorities.

Key Trustee Documents:

Trustees resigned in the past 12 months:

Hannah Duncan - resigned 14/07/2025

Yasmin Affum - resigned 14/07/2025

Contact Us

Veritas Multi Academy Trust, c/o Warden House Primary School, Birdwood Avenue, Deal, Kent, CT14 9SF

01304 375040