Trust Board
The following individuals are members of the Trust Board. Some are appointed by the Members, and some are co-opted.
Trust Board is primarily supported by the Chief Executive Officer (who also serves as the Accounting Officer for the Trust) and the Chief Financial Officer. Other members of the Executive Leadership Team also attend Trust Board meetings as required.
Sandy Gillett (Appointed Trustee - Chair)
Sandy is currently Chair of the Trust Board, having been Vice Chair for a number of years and is a founding member of the Trust. Before that she was Chair of Governors at Wallington High School for Girls and a governor at Wallington County Grammar School for Boys. Prior to her retirement Sandy worked in Human Resources in the NHS and was HR Director of an NHS Trust. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has a Masters in Organisational Behaviour from Birkbeck College, University of London. Sandy is also an accredited coach and is qualified in psychometric testing.
Term of office expires: 31 August 2028
James Brown (Co-Opted Trustee)
James joined the Trust Board on 16 December 2024 and is a member of the Trust Finance Committee.
James is a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA) with over 10 years’ experience of academy sector finance and holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Bristol. He began his career as a charity and not-for-profit auditor and then moved on to hold senior finance roles in two of the largest Multi Academy Trusts in the country. He is currently the Chief Finance Officer for a growing 11 school Trust in Bromley and East Sussex.
James lives in Coulsdon and enjoys days out with his family, keeping fit and travelling to places with great food.
Term of office expires: 15 December 2025.
Lynne Chambers (Co-opted Trustee)
Lynne Chambers is a newly appointed Trustee at GLT, bringing a wealth of experience from her career as a senior executive coach and leadership development specialist. She is a Partner at Praesta, the UK’s leading firm of executive coaches, where she works with CEOs, board directors and senior leaders across private and public sectors. Prior to her coaching career, Lynne held senior leadership roles in industry and has a track record of supporting individuals and teams through complex change and integration. She has a BA in French & German from Durham University and an MBA from Bayes (formerly City) Business School. She was previously a Trustee at School Home Support and Chair of the Charity Committee at the London Stock Exchange Group. She is professionally qualified in executive coaching and psychometrics, and is committed to enabling confident, authentic and effective leadership.
Term of office expires: 16 July 2026
Chris Chant (Co-Opted Trustee)
Chris joined the Trust Board in October 2024. He is currently a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Defence, with an experienced career in numerous Civil Service and military roles. Chris has volunteering experience within the public
sector, having previously served on the Children and Young People’s Committee within the London Borough of Bromley and brings a wealth of experience in managing complex projects to the Trust Board.
Term of office expires: 20 October 2025
Raeesa Chowdhury (Appointed Trustee - Vice Chair)
Raeesa was appointed to the Board as a Co-opted trustee in 2022. She is a corporate solicitor, practising for approximately 9 years and currently works for an international private practice legal business in London. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature from UCL and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Law. She has is passionate about equal opportunities in education and is keen to promote, develop and support policies for the benefit of students and educational institutions in this regard. Outside of work, she enjoys keeping active (whether by hiking or going to the gym) and is a keen traveller (travel restrictions permitting) with the objective of visiting at least three new cities or countries a year.
Term of office expires: 17 December 2027
Andrea Cooke (Appointed Trustee)
Andrea is Chair of Governors for Nonsuch High School for Girls having started as a parent at Nonsuch 12 years ago. She is a Chartered Accountant with a degree in Natural Sciences and Management Studies. She has had a career in finance working as an audit manager in a city accounting practice before transferring to the education sector with experience in both secondary and primary schools. She now works as a School Business Manager in a local primary school. She has been involved in finance across the Trust since it was set up and has been Vice Chair of the Trust Finance Committee for the past 4 years. She was a former pupil in a girls’ grammar school and has keen interest in girls’ education.
Term of office expires: 17 December 2027
Anouschka Elliott (Co-Opted Trustee)
Anouschka Elliott is a senior financial services executive with over 25 years of experience spanning investment banking, asset management, and brand strategy. She has held global leadership roles at firms including Goldman Sachs Asset Management, UBS, and RBC, where she built and led high-performing teams across marketing, client engagement and business development.
A Chartered Financial Analyst and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Anouschka brings a rare combination of financial expertise and strategic communication. Her work has been recognised in Marketing Week’s Top 100 Most Effective Marketers and through her involvement with the IPA’s Effectiveness Leadership Group.
Beyond her executive career, Anouschka is passionate about purpose-led leadership, mentoring and the role of finance in enabling long-term, positive impact. She is particularly committed to initiatives that promote trust, inclusion and sustainability in business.
She holds a BSc in Economics and Management from London University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, a CFA charter, the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing, and an Executive Strategy Certificate from Oxford University.
Term of office expires: 16 July 2026
Fiona Johnston (Co-Opted Trustee)
Fiona is a former Chair of the LGB at Carshalton High School for Girls, as well as a former parent at Wallington High School for Girls - where she was an active member of the PTA. She has recently left teaching, after over 34 years in the SEND sector. She has worked as a consultant with a specialist provision in Sutton, as well as in a voluntary capacity with local Children's Centres, in developing early communication. In her spare time, she enjoys running, pilates and yoga, as well as growing her own veg.
Term of office expires: 12 July 2027
Nigel Pepper (Appointed Trustee)
Nigel has enjoyed a long career in finance and business and has held senior positions in a number of leading international institutions. He has an accomplished track record in risk management, developing strong and sustained partnerships with clients, industry bodies and regulators. Nigel employs his extensive strategic and analytical experience to drive educational improvements across the Trust and increase opportunities for students from all abilities and backgrounds. He holds a Master’s degree from Imperial College in London and is a founding trustee of the Trust.
Term of office expires: 31 August 2027
Anita Patel (Co-Opted Trustee)
Anita Patel is Chief of Staff to the Chief Operating Officer at Springer Nature, a leading academic publisher. She plays a pivotal role in driving operational excellence across global teams, with a focus on embedding a culture of continuous improvement and delivering strategic outcomes. Her career spans digital transformation programmes, strategic leadership and cross-functional collaboration, with a consistent focus on delivering meaningful change.
Anita has previously worked across education and training supporting funding for students with learning difficulties and disabilities, overseeing the national delivery of curriculum tests for thousands of schools across England, and helping launch new GCSE and A-level qualifications.
Term of office expires: 16 July 2028.
Laura Peters (Co-Opted Trustee)
Professor Laura Peters was appointed to the Board in July 2025 and has recently started a role as Vice-Principal at West Dean College
Most recently, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange, Academic Development and Transformation at the University of Roehampton, Laura has led institutional strategy across research, teaching, academic transformation and sustainability.
Laura studied English Literature at Trinity College, University of Toronto and gained her MA and PhD from the University of Kent at Canterbury.
Term of office expires: 16 July 2026
Veena Sivapalan (Appointed Trustee)
Veena is a UK qualified solicitor, having read Law with German Law at Oxford. She spent a number of years practising as an employment lawyer at a global law firm, before moving to a large international children’s charity, where she is responsible for the day-to-day running of its in-house legal team. As a former pupil of Wallington High School for Girls, and with a young daughter, Veena has a keen interest in girls’ education.
Term of office expires: 31 August 2027
Alison Sleight (Co-Opted Trustee)
Alison is Chair of Governors for Wallington High School for Girls. She worked at Wallington High School for Girls from 2015 to 2022 as Exams Officer and became a Staff Governor in 2019. On leaving Wallington Girls, she continued as an appointed Governor and Vice Chair of WHSG LGB before taking on the role of Chair of WHSG LGB from January 2025. She also sits on the Admissions Committee.
Alison has worked across a variety of industries, focused on data management and analysis. She currently works for a local company supporting schools with their management information systems.
Alison attended a girls’ only secondary school and is a strong advocate of girls’ only education.
Term of office expires: 31 August 2025
Emily Tofield - (Chair Designate and Co-Opted Trustee)
Emily Tofield has been appointed to the Trust Board as a Co-Opted Trustee and Chair Designate, succeeding Sandy Gillett as Chair from January 2026.
Emily is an experienced non-executive who has held senior leadership roles across UK government, local government, higher education, the media, and the global commercial sector. For more than two decades, she has been a chief adviser on strategy, communications, corporate affairs, reputation, marketing, fundraising and transformation, having led major structural and cultural change in some of the UK’s largest, most complex institutions. She lives in Kent with her family and is passionate about work that improves lives.
Term of office expires: 16 July 2029
We’re always keen to speak to potential Trustees and School Governors. If you’re interested in volunteering, or want to contact Trust Board directly, please email us on governance@girlslearningtrust.org.