Speakers

Philip Britton is the Head of Foundation at Bolton School, a school for some 2,400 pupils from nursery to Sixth Form, with a Boys’ Division, Girls’ Division and Primary Division structure. He took on this newly developed overarching role in 2021 having been Head of the Boys’ Division at Bolton since 2008. He was brought up on Tyneside and was educated at Blaydon Comprehensive School, took a first in physics at Oxford and did teacher training at Cambridge, winning the Charles Fox prize. He worked as physics teacher, Head of Physics and Deputy Head (Academic) at Leeds Grammar School. Between 2005 and 2008 he worked between Leeds Girls’ High School and Leeds Grammar School as the two merged into the Grammar School at Leeds.

Philip has been very much involved in the Institute of Physics over the years, chairing their Yorkshire Branch, the Education Committee and being a trustee and the national Vice President for Education for four years from 2012-16. In 2010 he was awarded an MBE for services to physics and is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics where he remains much involved in physics education, encouraging teachers to inspire the next generation of physicists.

Philip was a member of the HMC Communications Committee from 2012 to 2024 and has been the Chair for many years, as well as serving a term as Secretary and Chair of the North West Division. He is very much committed to the purpose of HMC as a mutually supportive group of colleagues with common aims as well as a means for providing a public voice to issues that our sector cares about. The capacity and expertise for communication within HMC and communications from HMC to the wider world has been transformed in the last decade. Philip is very much committed to articulating the moral purpose of our schools and their place in the educational landscape, so often based on our very real sense of place in our localities more than the national debates. We know the positive difference we make to our pupils and the impact we have on the areas around our schools. He is passionate about schools being inclusive, promoting social mobility, fundraising and bursary support: to that end he has been a trustee of the Institute of Development Professionals in Education since 2018 and Chair of Trustees from 2021 to 2024. Aside from this he volunteers time as a Governor: from 2012-2019 he was a Governor at Stockport Grammar school, chairing the education Committee and from 2022 has been a Governor at the Grammar School at Leeds, where he is Chair of the Foundation Committee and a member of the Education Committee. He also volunteers time to the Scout movement, of which he has been a member from childhood and is currently the Assistant Group Scout Leader for the school group.

Nigel Brown is an experienced educator whose career spans three continents. His teaching experience began in the UK state sector in secondary school near Nottingham, followed by time in a single-sex private school also in the Midlands in the UK. He won a place on the Fulbright Exchange Programme and in doing so, he swapped jobs (and housing and cars) with a colleague who taught in a public high school in America. He also experienced boarding school education at North London Collegiate School on the volcanic island of Jeju in Korea. Currently he is serving as the Headmaster at The English College in Prague, a selective international grammar school that is also formally embedded in the Czech education system.

His diverse roles have included teaching Physics, Maths, Technology, Theory of Knowledge, and Thinking Skills. His responsibilities have been Head of Physics (for 8 years), Head of Sixth Form (another 8 years), a short stint as Head of Boarding in Asia, and time as a Pastoral Deputy Head in a European context.

A central focus of Nigel’s educational philosophy is building strong relationships in the classroom and practising emotionally intelligent leadership, focusing on developing autonomy in his middle and senior leadership teams. He has managed the process of moving and operating his entire school to temporary premises while the original school building was renovated from the ground up. He has a particular interest in partnership development, a critical area of which includes his work on the TTE initiative. This initiative, in collaboration with St. George’s British International School, Rome and the British School of Brussels, offers UK-based trainee teachers an opportunity to do some of their second main teaching placement in a European, HMC school. More recently, he is developing relationships with Bolton School and Akademia High School in Warsaw.

Dr Anne Cotton has been Head at King’s College School, Wimbledon, since 2022. Anne studied Classics at Oxford, where she returned for her postgraduate study after a spell working in London. Her doctoral research focused on learning in Plato’s dialogues, and her book, Platonic Dialogue and the Education of the Reader, was published by Oxford University Press in 2014. She also holds an MA in Education.

After discovering her love of teaching through volunteering in her local primary school, Anne began her teaching career in the maintained sector, before moving to Magdalen College School in Oxford, where she held both pastoral and academic responsibilities and became Deputy Head. She joined The Portsmouth Grammar School as Head in 2018, and took up her post at King’s College School Wimbledon in 2022 as the school’s first permanent female Head.

A strong advocate for partnership working, Anne has been involved in community engagement initiatives throughout her career, and served as a member of HMC’s newly formed Public Benefit and Partnerships Committee. She was director of Oxford Festival of the Arts for a number of years, working alongside cultural organisations and businesses as well as launching a partnerships programme with local schools, before becoming Chair of Ports Fest, Portsmouth’s annual festival celebrating young people and the arts. At Magdalen College School, she led the school’s community engagement programme, and in is a strong supporter of King’s collaborative work with around 50 local schools as part of the Wimbledon partnership, including a recent partnership with Harris Academy Wimbledon. A member of the board of the King’s group of international school, Anne has a keen interest in the educational value of international partnership work.

Married to a musician, Anne has two school-age children, and enjoys enthusiastic family music-making and cooking.

Mrs Helen F Jeys is the 11th Head Mistress of Manchester High School for Girls. She attended Durham and Cambridge Universities, started her teaching career at The Manchester Grammar School and is the author of several books on Philosophy. She taught at MHSG for 14 years as Deputy Head (Pastoral) and Head of Religion and Philosophy before joining Alderley Edge School for Girls as Head Mistress in September 2016. She returned to MHSG, taking up her position as Head Mistress, in 2020. A passionate advocate for girls’ education, Helen is President-Elect of the Girls’ Schools Association, Chair of the Education Committee and will take up her post as President of the GSA in September 2026. She is committed to raising awareness of the challenges girls face and empowering their voice.

Jenny is the Director of Digitally Enabled Learning at the Warwick Schools Foundation, developing the use of digital technologies across the five schools within the Foundation in order to improve the learning outcomes for students of all ages from 3-18.
After studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, Jenny started her teaching career at Oakham School before spending 9 years at King Edward’s School, Edgbaston, as Head of Chemistry and Science. She then joined the Warwick Schools Foundation as Director of Educational Innovation at King’s High School in 2016, before taking up her overarching Foundation role in 2021.
Jenny leads both technology and pedagogy teams that have supported the successful integration and adoption of Microsoft 365 tools across the Foundation and the development of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programmes at its three senior schools. For the past 3+ years, one of the key strategic aims has been how best to safely and effectively harness the opportunities that AI can bring to education.
With over 20 years of experience as a teacher, Jenny understands the rewards of using technology in teaching and learning alongside more traditional pedagogical approaches, but she also understands the challenges it can bring. She has presented at many educational events, conferences and schools across the country to help leaders to navigate both a measured and innovative approach to embedding AI into their settings – showing how they can safely integrate AI into their teaching practice with courage and curiosity.

David Morton is currently Headmaster of The King’s School, Gloucester – a 3-18 co-educational Cathedral day school – where he has been Head for nine years. He is also Chair of the Choir Schools’ Association, a Lay Canon of Gloucester Cathedral, a former governor of a large day-boarding school, and has worked in four other HMC schools across the UK. As such, David has considerable experience of the independent school sector and has led his school through a 40% growth in pupil roll despite the many challenges of the last decade.

Robin Macpherson is Head of Robert Gordon’s College, a 3-18 co-educational day school with over 1,400 pupils in Aberdeen. As a history teacher and school leader, he has worked in Scotland, England and the Middle East for over 20 years. He writes textbooks for Cambridge University Press and education books for John Catt/Hachette, including What Does This Look Like In The Classroom? with Carl Hendrick and The Teaching Life with Kate Jones. He is a supporter of the charity Beyond Srebrenica and organiser of researchED conferences in Scotland.

Barney leads the education sector practice at law firm VWV which advises and supports school operators in the UK and internationally. VWV is top-ranked by Chambers & Partners, lauded as a “one-stop shop” with a “stellar reputation in the market.”

Barney has a broad and deep understanding of strategic opportunities in an evolving political and economic landscape. His advisory work is focused on good governance and practical strategies to help schools and education charities thrive and adapt to change.

In addition to his professional role, Barney brings insights from a trustee’s and governor’s perspective, having previously served on boards of academies and independent schools. He recently acted as a Commissioner for the Civitas report on the Future of Independent Education (published in January 2025) and is currently on the board of AGBIS.

He is an experienced speaker at national education conferences and is recommended for his expertise and commercial approach.

Contact Barney at [email protected]

As School Director at Aiglon College, Nicola Sparrow brings over 25 years of global expertise in institutional leadership, teaching, change management and academic transformation. Since joining Aiglon’s leadership in 2012 as deputy head of academics and becoming School Director in 2019, she balances complex daily operations with long-term strategic vision.

Nicola’s career began at the University of Oxford, where a PGCE sparked her transition from historical research to a calling in education. Her international journey includes roles in the UK and the West Indies, alongside 13 years as Director of Studies at Harrow International School Bangkok.

With a BSc from Brunel University and an MBA with Distinction from the University of Leicester, Nicola blends pedagogical rigor with financial acumen. She is a specialist in school development and collaborative leadership, dedicated to fostering high achievement and a holistic boarding experience within Aiglon’s world-class alpine setting.

After a degree in PPE from Oxford University, Antony qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst and Young, and then worked for a number of large companies in finance roles, before deciding to become a teacher, starting at Eastbourne College.  He went on to be Director of Studies at Denstone College, then Deputy Head Academic at Clifton College, before being appointed Principal of St Lawrence College. After nearly seven years there he became CEO of the Mill Hill School Foundation from January 2020

Heather is Chief Executive Officer at RSAcademics and leads our work to help schools build strong leadership, effective governance and thriving communities.

Since joining us in 2014, she has brought strategic insight and deep sector understanding to her work with schools. Before becoming CEO, Heather led both our Consultancy Services practice and the Professional Services Appointments team, supporting schools across the independent and state sectors to strengthen their leadership and plan for the future.

Her consultancy projects have ranged from strategic reviews and research studies to brand development, fundraising and change management. Whatever the brief, Heather focuses on helping school leaders and governors make confident, evidence-based decisions that have a lasting impact.

Earlier in her career, Heather held senior roles in higher education, including Faculty Manager of the Business School and Director of Marketing and Market Development at the University of Surrey. She later served as Director of Finance & Operations of an independent school and Business Manager at an academy. She studied Law and German and holds an MBA from Henley Management College.

Heather is Chair of the Board of Whole Education and previously served as a governor of a large UK independent school for over a decade. She is motivated by a belief that strong, values-led leadership in schools can change lives and communities for the better.

Matthew Syed is an author and highly acclaimed speaker in the field of high performance. Through his many speaking engagements, he reaches an annual in-person audience of thousands of people as he speaks to groups from multiple industries right across the private and public sector.

He has written seven best-selling books on the subject of mindset and high performance – Bounce, Black Box Thinking, Rebel Ideas, The Greatest, and his celebrated children’s books, What Do You Think?, You Are Awesome and Dare To Be You – and has worked with many leading organisations to build a mindset of continuous improvement. To date his books have sold over 2 million copies. He is also a multi-award-winning journalist for The Times and The Sunday Times (read by some 700,000 subscribers) and presenter of the popular BBC Radio 4 programme and podcast, Sideways and he is currently creating the seventh series.

He regularly appears as a panellist and commentator on various TV and radio networks in the UK and has been a guest on numerous high-profile podcasts, including: Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, Modern Wisdom podcast Chris Williamson, the High Performance podcast with Jake Humphrey, Performance People Podcast with Georgie Ainslie and Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth. Before starting his writing, he was the England table tennis number one for almost a decade, representing team GB at two Olympics.

Matthew’s career is characterised by a unique blend of sporting excellence, journalistic insight, and transformative thought leadership, making him one of the UK’s most respected voices on mindset, performance, and culture. In his most recent book – Rebel Ideas: The Power of Diverse Thinking – Matthew argues that individual intelligence is no longer enough to solve today’s complex problems; to truly succeed we must harness the power of ‘cognitive diversity’. Rebel Ideas uncovers the best-kept secrets of the world’s most successful teams, bringing insights from psychology, anthropology and data science, whilst drawing on a dazzling range of intriguing case-studies. With his most talked about and bestselling book, Black Box Thinking the focus is an innovative approach to high performance. It is a means of finding an edge in a complex and fast-changing world. It is not just about sport, but has powerful implications for business and politics, as well as for parents and students. He uses real-world examples, together with the very latest research on marginal gains, creativity and grit, to tell the inside story of how success really happens – and how we cannot grow unless we are prepared to learn from our mistakes.

Matthew’s work explores a thought-provoking approach to high performance in the context of a complex and fast-changing world. By understanding the intimate connection between mindset and high performance, organisations can unlock untapped potential in individuals and teams, driving innovation and agility to secure a future-proofed environment. In particular, he is passionate about Growth Mindset and the impact it can have on an organization.

As well as growth mindset, his work emphasizes the power of learning from failure, and the importance of cognitive diversity in teams and organizations. His ideas have influenced leaders in business, education, healthcare, and sport, including advisory roles with major companies and the England football team at the 2020 Euros.

His interest in and passion for performance led to him co-founding Matthew Syed Consulting (MSC) in 2013; the company has worked with an impressive portfolio of clients to build growth mindset cultures and drive higher performance in individuals, teams and organisations. Matthew Syed Consulting’s cutting-edge thought leadership programme and digital learning tools are becoming a catalyst for real and lasting change within business and the public sector. Through a synthesis of leading psychological research and industry best-practice, MSC have developed a psychometric assessment and framework of proven tools and innovative strategies that empower organisational development and accelerate business outcomes

Matthew also works very closely with the education sector to help improve mindsets in schools and young people. He is an active founding member of the charity Greenhouse Sports and an ambassador for the PiXL Educational Foundation.

PROF. GEOFF THOMPSON MBE, FRSA, DL, QP JM Geoff Thompson has a 40-year track record in the social and human development of young people and communities. As a former five times world karate champion, sports administrator and politician, he has realised a unique range of skill sets that have seen him advise, develop and deliver social and human project and programme initiatives globally. Geoff has also undertaken a number of public and private sector appointments developing and contributing to equality, diversity and inclusion at all levels of society. He is the Founder and Chair of the Youth Charter, a UK-based international charity and United Nations NGO that uses the ethics of sport, arts, cultural and digital activities to tackle the problems of educational non-attainment, health inequality, anti-social behaviour and crime in some of the most troubled areas around the world. Geoff is also a Board Member of the London Legacy Development Corporation, an Advisory Board Member of the Muhammad Ali International Committee and was Chair of the Board of Governors at the University of East London for two years. Geoff is Chair of the Operational Board of the Professional Footballers’ Association, Chair of the London Youth Games and was Deputy Chair of the highly successful Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Leigh Webb is CEO of ISC Research, the world’s leading provider of data, intelligence and research expertise on the international schools market.
Educated at Charterhouse and Durham University, Leigh was an equity analyst in the City of London for four years. Since then, his business career has encompassed retail, sport and distribution. Leigh joined ISC Research as CEO in 2016 to lead the company during a period of substantial investment and development within the international schools market.
ISC Research has tracked the world’s English-medium international schools market since 1994 providing market data and intelligence, identifying development opportunities and facilitating school/investor partnerships. It is a trusted research partner for schools, investors, education suppliers and sector specialists.