Our People and Our Team

Founded by Helen Stevenson and Laura McGunigle, Satis Education brings together a select and well respected group of education professionals, all committed to supporting schools, academies, multi academy trusts, dioceses and local authorities in improving the life chances of children and young people.

Meet our Advisory Board

There is no secret in the fact that leadership recruitment and retention is one of the biggest challenges facing the education sector right now.

A huge amount of work is being done by trusts and schools themselves to try and increase the numbers of people who progress and are ready to thrive as leaders and make a big difference to future generations of children and young people. Where we do feel there is a gap, is in ensuring there is consistency, right across the sector, in ensuring the necessary knowledge, skills and capacity for achieving high quality executive leadership recruitment, and ultimately, securing retention.

Recruiting a new CEO, for example, is something that most Trusts may only have to do once every cycle of trustees. It is very hard to build any organisational expertise in recruitment at the highest level, which is problematic given that leadership recruitment is one of the most crucial decisions any group of trustees has to make. We also need to develop even greater awareness about keeps leaders supported and sustained in post, in what are highly demanding and accountable roles.

That is why we have brought this group of very experienced sector leaders together – we want to help to build that knowledge and understanding further, where we can.

Michael Pain

Chair

Michael Pain is the founder of Forum Strategy and an entrepreneur, overseeing the development of successful businesses and a national network of well over one hundred Chief Executives.

He is a long-standing strategic adviser to CEOs and Chairs, a qualified executive coach (Henley Business School), and author of the acclaimed book: ‘Being The CEO‘.

Sir David Carter

Sir David took up the position of National Schools Commissioner (NSC) in December 2015. From 2018 to 2021 Sir David was the Director of System Leadership at the Ambition Institute and now works with a number of schools and trusts advising them on their strategy.

Sir David is a trustee at several charities including Centrepoint, and the Talent Foundry Trust - a charity creating new opportunities through wider enrichment and support for dis-advantaged children.

Ann Palmer

Ann is a Founding Fellow with the Chartered College of Teaching, for which she serves as a member of their Ethics Committee.

Ann is also the founder of the ‘Confident Executive Leadership’ programme for black and Asian leaders, in addition to overseeing the accredited RACE Charter Mark for schools and colleges. She is the CEO of Fig Tree International, a company given international recognition in 2022.

Sir Steve Lancashire

Sir Steve was the founder of REAch2, the largest primary academy Trust in England. Steve is a National Leader of Education supporting schools across the country and working internationally with government departments and school leaders.

Steve specialises in coaching and mentoring executive and senior leaders. Steve was Knighted for services to education in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in 2016.

Meet our Team

What makes us different is that our team is a genuine team of people who understand the sector and the pressures that our clients face. As Governors, Trustees and Chairs ourselves, as well as having experience of working in schools, we have travelled where our clients have.

What is more, is our relationships are based on connections we have developed over many years. We believe we have brought together one of the best, and most personable, education recruitment teams in the country.