Alicia Coad
Darren Coxon
Jo Cruse
Will Fraser
Julie Robinson
Dr Kathy Weston
Alicia is a former Independent Schools Marketing Director and has supported many schools with their marketing and admissions. She has over 15 yrs experience in the sector having previously worked in the corporate world and is passionate about all things schools marketing. She is also an Independent school governor, parent of children in Independent Schools and married to an Independent School teacher so brings a 360 degree perspective on schools marketing and admissions.
Darren is the Founder of Coxon AI, a consultancy specialising in helping schools make sense of AI in their context. An educator for 25 years, Darren has most recently managed the operation of school groups, notably Brighton College’s international schools and Britus Education, Bahrain. Darren has been at the forefront of educational technology for many years, including leading the first state 6th form in the UK to move to an iPad 1:1 model. He is now a major thought leader on AI in education and has delivered training, keynotes and workshops for HMC, COBIS, BSME, GSA, NAHT, Saxton Bampfylde, Independent Schools Portal, the National College, and GESS Dubai. This summer he will be speaking at the Inspiring Leadership Conference.
Jo’s expertise sits at the intersection of education and entrepreneurship. She leads the Education Practice at people and culture consultancy, 100 & First, and advises ambitious start-ups and schools on projects related to strategy, entrepreneurship, and leadership development.
A former A Level teacher, in 2019 Jo became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts for her work in the sector. Jo began her career working in politics in South Africa, where she held positions including Chief of Staff to the Parliamentary Leader of the Opposition.
Jo holds several voluntary and advisory roles in the education sector. She is also the Founder of Delivering Better, a national campaign for maternity care reform.
Will is a former professional rugby player for Saracens RFC and joined the Saracens Academy aged just 14. He was a member of the famed ‘Class of ’08’, made 83 appearances for the club and was a part of the team during the historic 2015/16 European and Premiership Double.
After a 10-year playing career, Will was forced to retire from playing in 2017 following a neck injury. He went on to work for Saracens’ commercial arm, developing high performance cultures for clients across a range of sectors.
In 2020, Will launched 100 & First. The company was borne from his realisation of the power of incredible real-life experiences and how, if told in the right way, the learnings from them are applicable to any person or environment - the only difference is the context in which they are applied.
Will is passionate about driving and creating change. He brings with him 10 years’ experience of playing professional sport at the highest level and a successful transition into the business world.
Julie Robinson, General Secretary, ISC
Julie was first a teacher then head of two co-educational, day and boarding prep schools for children aged 3-13. She led education and training for IAPS for five years and was appointed General Secretary of the Independent Schools Council in 2015.
The ISC’s data analysis informs advocacy of the sector and Julie has appeared in the national media regularly. Live appearances include Newsnight, Sky News, The Today Programme, BBC, and Channel 4 News. The ISC is a representative body working with a range of other organisations linking the independent education sector and government policy. It brings together the independent school associations AGBIS, GSA, HMC, ISA, IAPS, ISBA and the Society of Heads along with affiliate associations BSA, COBIS, SCIS and WISC. The ISC’s three priority areas of activity are: research/data; media/communications and policy/public affairs. ISC seeks to support, inform and promote the sector, rebutting untruths and explaining the value of independent education to wider society.
Julie advocates working together for the benefit of children in all kinds of schools. She is a trustee of the School Partnerships Alliance and a school governor at a state school as well as an independent school in London.
Dr Kathy holds a LL.B., Masters and Doctorate in Social Science (Criminology) from the University of Cambridge and worked for many years as a policy researcher and research fellow in education. She is the co-author of two books for school staff on “Engaging Parents” (Bloomsbury, 2018;2020) and a sought-after keynote speaker. In 2018, she founded Tooled Up Education: a digital library of evidence-based resources for parents and teachers, on all aspects of parenting, education and family life.
Dr Weston works with a team of researchers who collaborate with some of the world’s most eminent researchers. By having access to the most up-to-date research findings, Tooled Up is able to bridge the world of research with real-life by curating and developing usable tips, activities and advice that can empower parents or those who work with children. This unique, digital library grows in response to requests from schools and parents, making it a powerful hub of most relevant content in the educational space today.
Go to www.tooledupeducation.com to read more about her work.