ISBA

50 www.theisba.org.uk CONFERENCE SPEAKERS Amanda Waite Amamda is the head of St Albans High School, having previously taught at a number of independent schools in Oxford and the south of England and state schools in the United States. Prior to her career in teaching, Amanda spent 10 years as a research oceanographer studying the biogeochemical environments around deep sea hydrothermal vents. She also spent several years as a civil servant, working with the United States Department of Education and Defra in the UK before returning to education. She holds undergraduate degrees in mathematics, chemistry and geological science and graduate degrees in chemical physics and education, and is passionate about supporting girls and young women to pursue higher education and careers in STEM. F4 14.00 – 15.00 The rationale for mergers and acquisitions…and making them work David Woodgate, chair (As before) Morgan Allen Morgan Allen is a partner in Gerald Eve’s education team, the largest education team in the property sector. She specialises in advising independent and special schools on valuation (for bank lending, investment or acquisition, or for financial reporting purposes), disposals and acquisitions, and compliance with the provisions of the Charities Act. Morgan, together with the education team at Gerald Eve, advises the UK’s largest schools groups and hundreds of charity- school clients on their school property assets. She is a finalist in the Education Investor Awards 2021 ‘Business Woman in Education’ category and Gerald Eve’s education team is also a finalist in the ‘Property Advisor’ category.   Kate Hickey Kate leads Harrison Clark Rickerbys corporate education work for the independent schools team. Kate Is a corporate lawyer who has developed a special interest and expertise in the education sector. Kate is trusted to advise and support schools on strategic projects and collaborations including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and disposals and international projects including establishing an overseas presence. As well as working with schools on corporate transactions, Kate also advises on formation, public benefit requirement, constitutional matters, governance and compliance. As a result, Kate works closely with governors, bursars and heads. Charles Innes Charles is a senior credit officer at Lloyd’s Banking Group in the small and medium enterprises credit team. He worked in PwC’s business recovery services team and in mergers and acquisitions at Grant Thornton Corporate Finance, before joining Lloyds Banking Group’s Mid Corporate team. He was then appointed area director for Lloyds’ Midlands Business Support Unit, assisting customers in financial difficulty. He subsequently specialised in complex lending, for example for management buy-out and acquisition transactions. Alex Osiatynski Alex is a consultant and director of Osiatynski Bespoke Education. He has worked in maintained, independent and international schools for over twenty years, eight as headmaster of Bilton Grange Preparatory School which Alex led into a merger with nearby Rugby School in January 2020. Alex was previously director of the music school and assistant foundation headmaster for the Loughborough Schools Foundation. Before that he taught at Oakham, Gresham’s and the British School in the Netherlands. Alex’s experience of education extends to governance (he has been a governor of two maintained primary schools and has recently been elected a trustee of Leicester Grammar School) and to regulation. He was for many years a panellist for the Teaching Regulation Agency, is a serving inspector with the Independent Schools’ Inspectorate, and was until recently a director and council member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools, chairing the finance committee. F5 14.00 – 15.00 Key issues for smaller schools Paul Flowerday, chair (As before) Alice Reeve Alice is a partner at VWV specialising in providing employment law advice to independent schools. Alice is trusted by schools to support them in tackling sensitive and complex staffing issues in a pragmatic and commercially focused manner. These can range from restructuring or redundancy programmes, to grievance and capability processes and negotiating exit arrangements. Alice is experienced in supporting schools with incident management and safeguarding cases. Alice has worked with schools in relation to their pay policies and structures as well as strategic options around the TPS. Alice has a genuine understanding and enthusiasm for the education sector, which means that schools can trust that the advice is appropriately tailored to their needs and will reflect the latest legal developments. Rex Sartain (As before) John Wilder John is bursar at Moulsford Preparatory School and an ISBA Board member. He built up an agricultural dealership over 20 years and after selling that he joined a printing business which he ran for 10 years as well as studying for an MBA at the Open University. After the business was successfully sold he became bursar at Moulsford. During his 14 years as bursar the school pupil numbers have grown by 70 percent and the governors have spent £8m on a new sports hall, theatre, classroom block and art and ceramics department. The school has also developed its sports facilities with a new swimming pool and hard tennis courts as well as a new 11 acre sports field. John was until recently chair of a further education college and has served as a governor of his local state school. John is an ISBA board member. Tracey Young Tracey Young is a partner and head of education at haysmacintyre. She has been advising the charity and education sector for more than 20 years and now specialises in supporting independent schools. She provides her clients with audit and accounting services, and has a strong track record in financial due diligence on mergers and acquisitions. Tracey is often asked to advise boards on governance, risk management and financial reporting.