Trust Board

Date of Appointment: 04/07/2018
Term of Office: 03/07/2026
Committees: Distinctiveness and Personal Development Committee (Chair)
Meetings 2022/23: 3/3
Meetings 2021/22: 7/7
Bio: 
Philippa Gowland is a lawyer who has worked in the field of child protection since 1998. She studied law at Exeter University and also completed a masters degree in family law and policy at the University of East Anglia. Teaching is her family’s profession and it instilled in her a passion for good education and a desire to give every child the opportunity to achieve their potential. She has a significant knowledge of safeguarding and child development, and her work with vulnerable families gives her insight into the obstacles that can limit children’s life chances.

Date of Appointment: 09/06/2018
Term of Office: 06/2024
Committees: Standards
Meetings 2022/23: 2/3
Meetings 2021/22: 7/7
Bio: 
Jane Lewis has been a Governor/Director for over 20 years in a variety of schools and organisations.  She is passionate about improving education. She has served the Department for Education as a National Leader of Governance (NLG) for almost a decade, working with dozens of schools and academies across the North & Midlands. She was previously a MAT Board Director at  Sentamu Academy Learning Trust (SALT). She is a Director of Together People Ltd which specialises in undertaking External Reviews and advising on Governance, Leadership and Organisational Development.

Date of Appointment: 05/05/2021
Term of Office: 04/05/2025
Committees: Standards (Chair)
Meetings 2022/23: 2/3
Meetings 2021/22: 6/7
Bio: 
Karen Osborne has spent her 40 year career in the Insurance industry. Having started her career as a Commercial Underwriter she progressed to management within a short period of time going on to hold senior management and director roles responsible for operational efficiency, optimising client journey, compliance, HR and finance in both Insurance Company and Broker sectors. Karen is now retired.

Throughout her career Karen’s passion has been providing a developmental environment that allows employees to achieve their full potential and her proudest achievements have been seeing those that she has mentored managed and supported over the years thrive in their careers.

Karen’s interest in utilising her business skills to support schools as a Trustee was sparked having provided internship placements for sixth formers from the David Young Academy.

Karen joined the Hope Learning Trust Board in the summer of 2017.   

Date of Appointment: 17/02/2019
Term of Office: 31/08/2023
Committees: Audit and Distinctiveness & Personal Development Committee
Meetings 2022/23: 1/3
Meetings 2021/22: 3/7
Bio: 
Fred is the Chief Executive Officer for the RSPCA Hull & East Riding with an extensive background in strategic and operational leadership in the public and third sector both regionally and nationally.

He has spent over 17 years as a senior leader in St John Ambulance, leading on charity transformation, quality assurance in training and clinical education and safeguarding. Fred was an Ambulance Operations Manager for the North of England responsible for delivering ambulance care to CQC standards. As a senior leader for the charity Fred was also a mentor for the new managers programme and a leadership coach for both its commercial and volunteer people.

His experience as a leader in the Ministry of Justice brings a wealth of experience leading on curriculum policy, embedding British Values providing enrichment and developing the hidden curriculum for offenders in custody with the aim of reducing reoffending and resettling back into the community with skills and opportunities.

Fred has volunteered with the Army Cadet Force for 30 years and is the Commandant of Yorkshire North & West.  In 2008 Fred was recognised by HM the Queen and invested as a Member of the Order of St John. He has also been recognised by Her Majesties Lord-Lieutenant for the East Riding of Yorkshire for services to youth.

Date of Appointment: 01/04/2019
Term of Office: 31/03/2023
Committees: Resources (Chair), H&S Representative 
Meetings 2022/23: 2/3
Meetings 2021/22: 7/7
Bio: 
Andrew Simpkin is Head of Project Delivery for the Portakabin Group Sales business. Andrew gained his B.Sc honours degree in Building (Production Management) from Nottingham Trent University. He is a Chartered Construction Manager and Fellow of the CIOB and has been employed by Portakabin Group since 1988, operating at strategic level as a member of the group’s leadership team and the divisional business unit’s senior management team.

Date of Appointment: 21/02/2023
Term of Office: 20/02/2027
Committees: Standards Committee
Meetings 2022/23: TBC
Meetings 2021/22: N/A
Bio: TBC