Team Bios

Nick Osborne has been in education for over 25 years—though if his own school days (and the number of times he had to resit his GCSEs and A-levels) were counted, it would feel like much longer. Fortunately, he has more than made up for it since, even earning an MBA along the way.

His career highlights include serving as Executive Headteacher at Brooklands, Millennium, and Timbercroft schools, as well as being a National Leader of Education. During his time as Executive Headteacher, he successfully led Brooklands and Millennium from ‘Requires Improvement' to ‘Outstanding.' In 2016, he founded Maritime Academy Trust with the vision of doing things differently.

Nick is passionate about how schools and trusts can work together to make a real difference. He firmly believes that simply repeating the same approaches will not bring about meaningful change, an idea that led to Maritime's BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal): to positively disrupt education so that every child has an excellent start in life.

Recently, he has been particularly interested in how AI can be harnessed as an innovative tool to enhance education. Maritime has even been part of Shape of the Future: How System Leaders Can Respond to the Provocations of Artificial Intelligence, exploring how technology can drive innovation and improve outcomes for children.

Susan brings a wealth of leadership experience to Maritime Academy Trust, where she has served since 2018. Prior to Maritime, she was a civil servant for 17 years, working for four years at the Department for Education as a Senior Civil Servant.

Initially joining on secondment from the Civil Service as Operations Director, Susan quickly became an integral part of the Trust and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2019.

During this time, Susan has delivered transformative initiatives, including successfully securing and delivering the Free School at Ebbsfleet Green as project lead, from bid to completion.

Another of Susan's achievements was leading the merger between Maritime and Barnsole Primary Trust, integrating operations and building a strong, unified team. Under Susan's leadership, the Trust's central team has evolved into a highly effective support system for all Maritime schools, ensuring exceptional service delivery and consistency across the organisation.

Most recently, Susan founded the Maritime Children's Foundation, our link charity dedicated to providing extra support so that every child can thrive and addressing disadvantages. The Foundation runs four programmes that wrap around the core education offer, starting with support for parents with babies and toddlers and running all the way to ensuring our children succeed at secondary school. With a focus on innovation and equity, Susan continues to drive initiatives that strengthen the Trust and the communities Maritime serves.

Louise brings extensive financial experience to her role as the CFO at Maritime, she has worked within the education sector since 2015 and prior to this was within the financial services industry.

Originally, Louise's journey in Education began as an admin assistant within the Barnsole Primary School office, and the following 10 years saw her progress through various roles, including Finance Officer, Office Manager, and Finance Manager. Her journey with Maritime began in 2020 as part of the merger with Barnsole Primary Trust, and Louise was appointed as the CFO in 2021.

During her time as CFO, Louise has led significant developments within Maritime's finance function, focusing on delivering excellent service to the schools within the Trust. She has played a pivotal part in enhancing the Trust's financial operations, ensuring that schools receive high-quality financial support and strategic guidance. In 2024, Louise became a fully qualified Chartered Accountant, further strengthening her ability to drive financial excellence with the Trust.

Under her leadership, Maritime has introduced an extensive investment strategy aimed at generating additional income to ensure that we remain well-positioned to support our schools and provide outstanding educational opportunities for all students.

Louise is committed to financial excellence and continuous improvement and will continue to strive to find new ways to make a positive impact within her role.

Sharon is Maritime’s HR Director, bringing with her over 20 years of strategic HR leadership experience, gained in both the education and private sectors, working for large FTSE 100 companies. Her commercial background, extensive educational HR experience, and desire to make a real difference to our pupil outcomes ensure that the Trust's People Strategy truly supports our Trust priorities.

Since joining Maritime, Sharon has restructured the HR function to implement a school-focused service model, ensuring HR operates as a true business partner to School leadership teams. She has successfully introduced innovative recruitment and retention strategies, leads the HR team to deliver a great service, and champions a culture of staff well-being and engagement.

A Chartered Member of CIPD and finalist for HR Professional of the Year, Sharon brings extensive expertise in Employment Law, organisational development, data-driven decision-making, and change management. Her leadership style is very supportive, and she has a ‘Can Do' approach, which inspires positivity. She challenges ‘traditional approaches' and is solution-focused, often finding creative solutions which really benefit the Trust.

She is dedicated to building a positive, people-focused environment where diversity is celebrated, and every employee has the opportunity to grow. She is passionate that to deliver successful outcomes for our pupils, we need the very best employees - people are at the heart of all we do, and our HR Strategy focuses on attracting, developing, and retaining the very best teams within our Schools.

Sharon is passionate about aligning HR strategy with Maritime Academy Trust's vision—to inspire excellence, empower staff, and create meaningful impact within education.

With 30 years of experience in primary education, Carole’s journey is defined by a deep commitment to making a meaningful difference for children and families. Her leadership was recognised in her very first year of teaching, sparking a career that has spanned roles from SENDCo and Headteacher to Project Manager. Now, as Education Director and an Accredited Fellow of the Ambition Institute, trained coach and mentor, Carole leads with a focus on sustainable growth and collaborative excellence.

The ERT Vision: Four Unique Selling Points
Carole is incredibly proud to lead the Education and Research Team (ERT), where she works alongside a brilliant team of specialists to deliver four core USPs that drive the Maritime BHAG:
- Early Excellence (0–6 years): We are dedicated to closing gaps early, ensuring every child has the foundational skills and best start needed to thrive as they move through their education.
- Digital Technology & AI: We empower students from Year 3 upwards with 1:1 devices, focusing on Ped-Tech to create truly personalised and inclusive learning journeys.
- SEND & Inclusion: Through our specialist Outreach Team, we provide high-impact support and guidance to staff, ensuring every child with additional needs can succeed.
- Innovation and CPD: We foster a world-class learning culture through our bespoke CPD platform, the Learning Culture Podcast, and Maritime Bites. We prioritise sharing expertise beyond Maritime through external collaboration, exemplified by the Maritime Education Conference (MEC), which welcomed over 800 attendees with bespoke workshops.

The Squid-Master-Traitor & Culture
While she is serious about educational standards, Carole is the unofficial ‘Games Master’ of the trust. Fuelled by her creative ADHD sparkle, she pioneered the Squid-Master-Traitor—a high-energy blend of Squid Game, Taskmaster, and The Traitors. She believes that to deliver the best for pupils, the team needs a culture filled with energy, innovation, and a healthy dose of fun.

With over 20 years of experience in special education, Cathryn Falconer brings a wealth of expertise to Maritime Academy Trust as the SEND & Inclusion Lead, alongside her role as Headteacher of a special school in Medway. Throughout her career, Cathryn has been driven by a deep commitment to ensuring that every child—regardless of need or circumstance—has the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Her leadership approach blends high expectations with compassion, collaboration, and a relentless focus on removing barriers to learning.

Her long standing career in specialist settings has provided her with extensive experience supporting children with complex learning, communication, and physical needs. This background directly shapes her current work as Trust Lead and Headteacher, where she ensures that the child is at the center of every decision. By continually developing the curriculum, therapy provision, and family partnerships, she works to maintain a learning environment that is deeply engaging, nurturing, and ambitious for all.

Cathryn is passionate about building strong relationships and embedding consistent, evidence-informed practices across the Trust. In her strategic role, she works closely with mainstream colleagues to strengthen provision, develop Trust-wide systems, and improve overall inclusivity. She is equally dedicated to staff development, fostering a reflective culture where professional growth directly enhances pupil outcomes. Cathryn remains committed to championing inclusion and ensuring that every child is given the opportunity to thrive.

Rebecca is the Marketing & Operations Manager at Maritime Academy Trust, where she leads the strategic marketing and communications function. With a background in executive support and recruitment, and now education, Rebecca brings a unique blend of creative vision and operational expertise to her role.

Previously working as a Board Level Executive Assistant and Operations Executive, Rebecca now champions Maritime Academy Trust's marketing efforts. Her mission at Maritime Academy Trust? To transform marketing from ‘meh' to ‘magnificent' - filling classrooms, attracting the best staff and increasing awareness of Maritime Academy Trust in the communities we serve. When she's not crafting compelling marketing strategies, she's pursuing her Level 6 Marketing Management apprenticeship, proving that learning never stops!

Rebecca is passionate about education and believes in giving children the absolute best start in life. Her work focuses on showcasing Maritime Academy Trust's core values, engaging parents and the local community, and supporting the trust's ambitious strategic goals.

Katie-Louise is Head of Community Engagement, leading a team of Community Ambassadors, connecting schools, families, and local communities to ensure every child and family thrives. Katie-Louise is passionate about building meaningful partnerships, championing school communities, and creating opportunities that make a real difference. She works hard to ensure every voice is heard and every family feels supported. Beyond this, Katie-Louise drives a culture of belonging across the Trust, supporting school teams with strategic initiatives, and showcases our community story to partners and stakeholders, ensuring Maritime is recognised as a welcoming, connected, and innovative trust.

With over 35 years of experience in the sector, Sarah is Early Education Lead for the Trust. Once she realised that becoming a Blue Peter presenter may not have been for her, she followed her true calling to make sure our youngest children thrive by” getting it right early.”

Sarah is a passionate advocate for our youngest learners and their families. Her work focuses on building a culture of expertise across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), ensuring every Maritime setting delivers high-quality provision that provides children with the best possible start in life and a robust foundation for their future education.

Throughout her extensive career, Sarah has held a diverse range of leadership roles. Her commitment to educational excellence is backed by rigorous academic and professional credentials, including: Master of Education (MEd) in School Leadership and Specialist Leader of Education (SLE) status.

Within the Trust, Sarah oversees early education for children aged 0 to 6 years old. She also serves as the Programme Lead for Strong Foundations (Nought to School), a flagship initiative under the Maritime Children’s Foundation dedicated to supporting child development from the very beginning.

"Ensuring our children have strong foundations isn't just an educational goal—it's a commitment to their lifelong success and opportunities.”

Omar Jennings is the Headteacher of Nightingale Primary School in Greenwich and a key leader within the Maritime Academy Trust, where he supports the development of digital strategy, assessment and teaching and learning across the trust.

At Nightingale, Omar has led the school to achieve outcomes significantly above national averages. This success is rooted in a clear and consistent vision: high expectations for every pupil, strong teaching grounded in research, and a culture where practice is purposeful and aligned across the school. His work demonstrates how clarity of vision, when combined with effective implementation, leads to sustained academic success.

Across the Maritime Trust, Omar works with school leaders to strengthen classroom practice and build systems that support high-quality teaching. This includes developing approaches to formative assessment, refining curriculum delivery, and ensuring that innovation—particularly in digital learning—is used to improve outcomes in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Omar is also recognised for his work beyond the trust, supporting schools both nationally and internationally. He works with leaders and teachers to share practical approaches to school improvement, with a particular focus on the effective use of technology to support teaching, identify gaps in learning, and accelerate pupil progress.

Alongside his leadership role, Omar has been a Maths Specialist Teacher and Headteacher Advocate with the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics since 2017, contributing to professional development and the promotion of mastery approaches in mathematics.

Through his work within the Maritime Trust and beyond, Omar continues to support schools in translating strong vision into day-to-day classroom practice—ensuring that both pupils and staff are able to thrive.

With over 14 years of experience in education, Michael is the Teaching and Learning Lead for Maritime. Having worked from Nursery up to year 6, Michael has worn many hats in his time in the classroom; from leading maths, reading and assessment to developing whole school approaches to Number Talks and reading fluency, Michael is always leading the way with innovative, evidence-based solutions.

As Teaching & Learning Lead, Michael is responsible for a range of areas, including:
- Overseeing our ECT facilitation programme
- Running our Pedtech and Year 6 Professional Learning Networks (PLNs)
- Hosting our podcast, The Learning Collective
- Designing and launching our Maritime Bites online CPD programme

Michael is a nationally recognised champion of oracy and published his first book, Voices of Opportunity, in early 2026, focused on the power of talk in education. With this deep experience, he is currently leading on several school-wide oracy pilots in both our mainstream and special schools.

Amy serves as the Trust Safeguarding and CPD Lead, bringing 18 years of experience in education and 14 years of senior leadership to the role. As the Trust’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and a qualified NSPCC safeguarding trainer, Amy provides expert strategic guidance to school-based DSLs and supports Headteachers in navigating the complexities of safeguarding compliance.

Beyond her work in pupil welfare, Amy is responsible for leading the Trust’s CPD pathways and strategically developing the professional development content matrix. She is a strong advocate for the future of education, ensuring that digital learning remains a prominent and effective feature in every classroom.

Amy’s expertise is rooted in a decade of service at Timbercroft Primary as Deputy Head and Inclusion Manager, followed by five years as Headteacher of Featherby Infant and Featherby Junior School. During her headship, she successfully led the Featherby Schools through a period of rapid improvement, taking them from an Ofsted rating of ‘Inadequate’ to ‘Good.’ As a Specialist Leader in Education (SLE) for safeguarding and inclusion, Amy uses her proven track record of school improvement to bridge the gap between high-level Trust strategy and the daily realities of school leadership.

With over 15 years' governance experience, Sarah Phillipson forged an unconventional path into the field. Before moving into education, she managed projects for IKEA, leading interior fit-outs for new stores across the country. This role helped her develop strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to deliver large-scale, complex projects.

Since entering governance, Sarah has served as Chair of Governors, Trustee, Clerk, and Governance Professional. These roles have given her practical insight into governance at all levels, from steering individual schools to shaping strategy for entire trusts.

Today, Sarah leads strategy for several multi-academy trusts, working closely with Trust Boards and Executive Teams, advising and overseeing governance across groups of schools. Her role combines operations, law, and education, enabling her to tackle complex challenges with a broad perspective.

In addition to her main responsibilities, Sarah advises several trusts and regularly mentors governance leads to help build strong, confident teams within the sector. Sarah also consults on exclusions and suspensions, with a focus on SEND and equality. She helps schools and trusts address sensitive cases fairly, always aiming for the best outcomes for young people.

Sarah believes strong governance underpins successful schools and trusts. She is committed to making a lasting difference by getting governance right for children and their communities.

Rob was born in South Africa but moved to the UK in 2008, where he joined the London Borough of Havering as a Building Surveyor. After four years, Rob moved within the local authority and became the Schools Health and Safety Consultant. After the pandemic, Rob joined another trust as Head of Estate and Facilities, before relocating in 2024 to join Maritime.

Janet joined Timbercroft Primary School as the School Business Manager in 2014, she then became an Executive School Business Manager over several Greenwich Schools when Maritime was established in 2016.

She has been the Finance Operations Manager since 2020, setting and monitoring four schools’ budgets, management accounts and month-end procedures.
Prior to this, Janet has over 30 years’ experience in various finance roles, within the Housing, Health, Banking and Construction sectors.

Outside of work, she enjoys quizzes and escape rooms, reflecting her keen interest in problem solving and teamwork.

Keiran joined Barnsole school in 2016 in an admin role, where he got a good grounding in how everything works day to day. He then moved into finance as a Finance Officer, developing my skills in financial processes.

After that, he stepped into the role of Purchase Ledger Supervisor, where he was responsible for running the purchase ledger function and supporting the PL team.
He is now four years into his Finance Manager role, leading on four school budgets and making sure everything is on track financially. He also oversees the purchase ledger team, supporting them in their roles and helping things run smoothly across the department.

Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his partner and son. If he’s not doing that then you would find him on the padel or golf course.

Lesley joined the Maritime Central team in 2022, bringing with her 20 years of experience as a School Business Manager. Her experience working within a school environment has given her the expertise required to fulfil her role as a Finance Manager, currently working with the Medway mainstream schools within the Trust, setting budgets, monitoring year end forecasts and producing monthly management accounts. Lesley also oversees the Trusts Estate’s funding, tracking and reporting on large capital projects and ensuring compliance where necessary. Lesley won the Education Today “School Business Manager of the Year” award in 2024.

Frankie joined Featherby Infant and Junior School as an Administrative Apprentice in September 2020 where he gained a strong understanding of school office operations while adapting to the changing demands brought about by COVID-19.

After his first year he progressed to an Office Administrator role at Ebbsfleet Green Primary School, where he also finished his apprenticeship. In this position Frankie contributed to establishing key administrative processes, supporting the school during its first year in a new building.

In September 2022, Frankie moved into the central team as a Finance Officer before moving into an Assistant Finance Manager role in March 2023. In his current role, he is responsible for managing income across the trust. Alongside this, Frankie is working towards becoming a fully qualified chartered accountant.

With over 35 years of experience in finance and business operations, Lisa brings a wealth of expertise to the team. Before joining Maritime, she spent 19 years at Barclays Bank in a range of specialist management roles, including operational risk, compliance, audit, process improvement, and project management.

She then spent 15 years at Diebold Nixdorf as a Commercial Change Manager, where she delivered complex operational and technical change programmes for major clients—ensuring projects were completed on time, within budget, and in line with strict governance and control standards.

Now serving as a Finance Officer, Lisa draws on her extensive experience and high professional standards to support schools across the trust. Working closely with School Offices and Headteachers, she provides guidance on procurement and is always on hand to resolve queries.

Lisa takes pride in ensuring purchases are managed efficiently and processes run smoothly, enabling school leaders to stay focused on supporting students and their learning.

Paula has 16 years of experience in administration and finance roles in Early Years and Primary settings and joined Maritime’s Finance Department in 2023. She is currently working towards her Level 4 Diploma in School Business Management and really enjoys supporting the schools behind the scenes. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and watching her two sons play football.

Bobby joined the Maritime Academy Trust in February 2022 as an Assistant Accountant Apprentice, where he completed his Level 2 AAT qualification. Following this, he progressed into the role of Finance Officer and is a part of the Purchase Ledger team.

In his role, Bobby is responsible for processing orders and invoices, and responding to finance-related queries. He also supports the posting of Bromcom income and oversees the administration of school trips across the Trust, ensuring accurate financial tracking and smooth coordination.

After completing his A-Levels, Luke joined us in September 2022 as an Assistant Accountant Apprentice, completing his Level 3 AAT qualification and is working towards Level 4.

While working towards that goal, Luke helps us support our schools where possible. He is responsible for processing and managing their utility billings to help our premises manager and the trust for Carbon Reporting.

On his time off, Luke enjoys spending time with his family and friends, working on games or practising guitar.

Nicki is an experienced HR professional with over 30 years’ expertise across operational HR, payroll, and administrative management, primarily within the education sector. Her direct experience working in school environments has given her a strong, practical understanding of the complexities of school life, including the often-unpredictable pressures faced by staff and senior leaders.

She is deeply committed to supporting education professionals, providing effective people management solutions that enable leaders to focus on delivering positive outcomes for young people and helping them reach their full potential.

Nicki is recognised as a highly effective deliverer, with exceptional organisational skills and a keen attention to detail. She is often regarded as the central cog within a team, ensuring that processes run smoothly, priorities are managed efficiently, and outcomes are consistently achieved to a high standard.

Sarah has dedicated her entire career to payroll, with over 35 years’ experience supporting education staff across KCC, Medway Council, and Maritime. Sarah takes pride in being part of a collaborative team, ensuring salaries are processed accurately and on time, and providing clear, supportive guidance to staff on payroll and pensions matters.

After 11 years in the banking sector, Chantelle took a step back to focus on her family, becoming a stay-at-home parent. During her sons’ early years, she loved volunteering at their schools and being actively involved in their education.

Now that her children are older, Chantelle has happily returned to the world of work, enjoying her role in pensions and HR. She particularly enjoys reconnecting with colleagues, being part of a busy team, and the social side of being back in the workplace.

With extensive experience in talent acquisition across a range of industries, Michelle is passionate about exploring what’s possible within the field. She focuses on attracting talent at all levels across the Trust and its schools, creating positive recruitment experiences, and strengthening Maritime’s employer brand to showcase why it’s a great place to work.

Elise began her career in Human Resources within the education sector, gaining valuable experience across different Trusts and developing a strong foundation across a wide range of HR processes. Through her roles within education, she has built experience across key areas of HR, including recruitment, onboarding, and supporting schools with effective people processes.

With a passion for supporting people and creating positive employee experiences, Elise is committed to helping schools attract, support, and retain talented staff, ensuring the best possible environment for both employees and students.

Kelly began her career in banking, spending over 15 years developing strong professional and interpersonal skills before moving into Human Resources in 2013 to follow her passion. Since then, she has gained broad HR experience across the public and education sectors, building a practical, people-focused approach across all aspects of HR.

An experienced HR professional, Kelly joined the Trust in 2023 following a move from another Trust. Kelly is a certified Member of the CIPD, having completed the Level 7 Diploma in Human Resource Management and is committed to applying best practice to support staff wellbeing and organisational success.

Kelly is passionate about supporting education professionals to reach their full potential, helping to ensure that schools are able to provide every child with the best possible start in life.

After working in retail for 15 years, Makeda developed a growing desire for a career change. She enjoyed supporting people with their professional development, so transitioning into HR felt like a natural next step. Makeda loves being part of a team that champions personal growth, enabling people to thrive and reach their potential. She enjoys supporting the great work happening at Maritime.

Claire gained her CIPD qualification during a long career in the ski industry, where her roles of HR Manager and Overseas Personnel Manager involved a real focus on recruitment, retention, training and employee relations in often challenging operational conditions. While raising a family, she spent several years as a volunteer in her sons’ school, and as a self-employed tutor teaching French to primary and nursery children, working across many pre-school and primary settings. She is now relishing the opportunity to make a difference and to be part of a professional, dynamic and empathetic HR team in a sector she is thoroughly passionate about - supporting Headteachers across the Trust and ensuring a seamless service is provided to staff and children alike.

Following ten years spent working in primary schools as a teaching assistant, Kerry joined Maritime in 2023 and is now Marketing & Communications Officer. Previously, she was Assistant Beauty Editor on a leading health and beauty magazine.

Jo has been Maritime’s Admin Lead since 2022, having joined Maritime as Admin Manager for Featherby Schools in 2018. Jo’s core belief is that quality admin support is a critical foundation to schools’ operations. It is by ensuring that school administrators understand how their school office is perceived, as it is the 'shop-front' to the community; empowering administrators to optimise the way they use their skills and technology; facilitating collaboration and by sharing their best practice and ideas that school offices can help leadership, teachers, parents and the wider community support our children to thrive. Previously Jo has worked in education as part of another academy trust and also worked for a multi-national plc as PA to the Company Secretary.

Mel is Fundraising and Operations Lead at the Maritime Children's Foundation (MCF). During her career, she has worked across a variety of industries, including travel, construction and office management, as well as volunteering as chairperson and treasurer for the PTA at her daughter’s school.

The Fundraising and Operations Lead role appealed to her because it’s personally important to help children in the community thrive and succeed. In her role at MCF, she manages the charity operations, fundraising and communications, including writing funding bids and sharing the stories of programmes that make a real difference, helping to expand opportunities for children across the Maritime schools.

Mwila is Head of Programmes and Impact at the Maritime Children's Foundation. The Foundation supports schools and communities to deliver creative and practical programmes that help children and families thrive, especially those who need extra support.

Mwila has over 15 years' experience working with charities to support children, young people and families, including work to reduce poverty, close gaps in education, and design community programmes alongside the people they are for. She enjoys working closely with schools and partners to make sure support feels welcoming, useful and fair.

At the heart of Mwila's work is a strong belief that every child deserves the same chances in life. She is passionate about equity and inclusion, and about creating communities where all children feel supported, valued and able to succeed.

Ellie currently supports both the operations and marketing team, helping to drive the trust’s ambitious strategic goals. Prior to joining Maritime, she spent over ten years working in education administration across both higher and primary education sectors, motivated by a strong passion to contribute to a vital and impactful industry.