Alison Anderson has dedicated over 30 years to education, with 14 of those as a Chief Executive Officer — first leading a Standalone Academy Trust and now serving as CEO of ACT Multi Academy Trust. Throughout her extensive career, Alison has held a wide range of leadership roles, including Advanced Skills Teacher, Senior Leader, and Headteacher across several schools. She has also served as a Local Leader of Education (LLE) and a National Leader of Education (NLE), supporting school improvement across diverse Local Authorities from Westminster and Newham to Cambridgeshire.

As CEO, Alison has successfully led a Teaching School and has been deployed on numerous occasions as a National Leader of Education to provide system leadership and school-to-school support. She has worked closely with the Diocese of Ely as an Educational Advisor and continues to collaborate with the Diocese on many aspects of the Church Schools agenda. In addition, she supports the Diocese in completing Headteacher Performance Management (HTPM) and served as an Ely Diocese Regional Advisor (EDRA), offering strategic guidance and expertise to schools across the region.

Alison is also a Trustee at AdAstra Multi Academy Trust and St Bede’s Inter-Church Academy, reflecting her strong commitment to educational governance and collaboration. She is an active member of the Cambridgeshire Schools Forum, representing the academy sector, and contributes to wider educational networks through her involvement with the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) and Whole Education, championing innovation and excellence across the system.

Whatever role Alison has held, her guiding principle has remained constant: pupils are always at the heart of every decision. Her own education and life experiences have shaped a deep belief in the power of a nurturing environment—where talented teachers, inspiring leaders, and compassionate role models empower every learner to thrive. Alison is passionate about ensuring that every child within the Trust receives a high-quality education that unlocks doors, creates opportunities, and instils a lifelong love of learning. She firmly believes that the role of educators is to help young people overcome barriers, ignite curiosity, and nurture ambition so they can reach their full potential.

With over 20 years of dedicated experience in education, Rebecca has established a profound commitment to nurturing the potential of every child, especially those with additional needs. Beginning as a teacher and progressing to the role of assistant headteacher, Rebecca has cultivated a rich understanding of the diverse challenges faced in the classroom.

As a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator (SENDCo) for the past decade, Rebecca completed the NASENCO award in 2018, further solidifying a passion for creating inclusive learning environments. Rebecca believes that every child deserves a creative and adaptive approach to learning, emphasising the importance of tailoring teaching methods to meet individual needs.

Having successfully led a large primary school's SEND department, characterised by a high level of complex needs, Rebecca takes pride in the transformative impact made within the school community. Now serving as the Director of Inclusion and Safeguarding, Rebecca is driven by a vision to further enhance educational practices across the Trust, ensuring that all children within our settings flourish in their learning journeys.

With a warm and compassionate demeanour, Rebecca continues to inspire colleagues and students alike, championing a future where every child's unique strengths are recognised and celebrated.

Bridget Harrison is Deputy CEO at ACT Multi Academy Trust. With over twenty years’ experience across all phases of education, she began her career as a teaching assistant before progressing through roles as SENDCo, deputy head and headteacher in both Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

Bridget has led three schools as headteacher, each with its own context and challenges, where she focused on raising standards, strengthening curriculum design and building leadership capacity. Before joining Ofsted as one of His Majesty’s Inspectors in the East of England, she worked nationally as a leadership consultant, supporting schools and trusts with curriculum design, governance and strategic improvement.

During her time as an HMI, Bridget inspected a wide range of schools, assured the quality of other inspectors’ work, investigated complaints and contributed to the development of inspection practice.

At ACT, she leads the Trust’s strategy for educational improvement, professional development and inspection readiness, working closely with headteachers and central leaders to secure consistently high standards.

Nationally, Bridget is a panellist for the Department for Education’s Teaching Regulation Agency, a Trustee and Culture Champion for Anthem Schools Trust, and an active member of the Confederation of School Trusts and Whole Education network.

Amy brings 5 years of financial management experience, specifically in the education sector. Starting as an admin and finance assistant, Amy quickly developed her career and became a School Business Manager, moving onto CFO. Prior to Education, she worked in retail management for 16 years developing many transferable skills in people management, premises management, budgets, finance and HR. She now runs the operational side of the trust with a more strategic hat on and is passionate about ensuring that all children have an equal opportunity whichever school they attend.

Amy lives with her two teenage children, husband and dog. She is currently developing her professional qualifications further by studying for accountancy qualifications. This will enhance her understanding and build strong foundations for the trust to grow. 

An experienced and strategic Estates Director with over 19 years of leadership in property and facilities management within the education sector. Skilled in overseeing the operational and strategic aspects of the physical estates of a multi-academy trust (MAT), ensuring that all school buildings and facilities are safe, efficient, and fit for purpose.

Adept at managing a wide range of responsibilities including capital development, maintenance, health and safety, and compliance, while delivering value for money and supporting the educational goals of the trust.

A collaborative leader with a strong ability to work alongside senior leadership teams, governors, and external contractors to drive sustainable solutions for estate management. Known for proactive planning, budget management, and a track record of successfully delivering on complex property projects, from new school builds to major refurbishments. Dedicated to creating environments that support the learning and wellbeing of students and staff.

With over 12 years of experience in various support and management roles in education, Michelle has used her qualifications and passion to further understand the links between children’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and recognises the importance of a holistic approach in supporting children to help improve behaviour and attendance in school. As a Trauma Informed and Licensed Thrive Practitioner she has many years of experience to offer our schools in supporting good attendance and behaviour culture across the Trust.

After taking the lead role in developing Pastoral care for our children across all key stages, Michelle developed the Home School Hub at Buckden CE Primary School, which is a unique provision providing specialist support and therapies for children and their families. As a trained Family Support Worker, Michelle has used her natural ability to network with Multi-agencies and signpost our families for early support. Michelle’s direct involvement with supporting our more vulnerable children and their families led to her receiving the Carer Friendly Tick Award in Education.

In her role as Director of Attendance, her commitment and drive to working alongside children and families to support wellbeing and attendance is driven by her passion to ensure equal opportunities and inclusion for all children.

Kim brings over 30 years of diverse experience in education, building upon a solid foundation from her previous career in banking. Throughout her extensive tenure, she has held a variety of roles that showcase her versatility and dedication. Starting as a Teaching Assistant, Kim developed a passion for supporting students and enhancing their learning experiences. She advanced her career by taking on additional responsibilities as a Learning Support professional, where she provided assistance to those with specific educational needs.

As her expertise grew, Kim transitioned into administrative roles, ultimately becoming a School Business Manager. In this capacity, she honed her skills in managing school operations, budgeting, and strategic planning, while ensuring compliance with relevant regulations. Kim has significant experience with recruitment; she is well-versed in Safer Recruitment practices, having successfully led the hiring processes for numerous educational staff.

Currently, Kim is expanding her professional qualifications by pursuing a CIPD qualification in People Practice, which will enhance her understanding of human resources within the educational context. She has a deep-seated interest in promoting staff wellbeing, which is reflected in her training as a Senior Mental Health Lead and a Mental Health First Aider. Through these roles, Kim advocates for mental health awareness and support within educational settings, aiming to create a positive and nurturing environment for both staff and students alike.

Emma brings seven years of finance experience working within a multi academy trust setting. Starting as a finance assistant, Emma embarked on her AAT qualifications developing her career to become a Regional Finance Officer in Northamptonshire before joining ACT as the Trust Finance Officer in January. Emma is just about to complete her final AAT qualification, Level 4 diploma in professional Accounting.

Prior to education Emma worked within the local authority as a community services officer and electoral services officer, bringing with her plenty of experience working within busy environments, juggling lots of different responsibilities.

Emma is passionate about providing an excellent service by improving processes, working with people, and listening to the requirements of what is needed to achieve those goals.