I have a passion for and a deep understanding of the education sector, and I will use my experience to help Herts for Learning achieve their vision of providing schools, settings and trusts with high-quality products, services, and training to support them to deliver a great education.

For the past 12 years, I have been the Principal and Chief Executive at Royal Holloway, University of London and have served in other senior roles at the universities of Sussex, Manchester and UMIST.  With expertise in information technology, I developed early video-based and computer-based training techniques and products and worked on experiments in distributed group-based working using technology.

I am an experienced Chair and Board member, having chaired the Boards of London Higher, representing London’s higher education institutions, and AQA, the UK’s largest exam board for GCSE and A-level qualifications.

Carole has overall responsibility for HFL Education and is accountable to the Directors of the company.

Carole has over 30 years’ experience working in the education sector, leading and delivering educational development, teaching and learning and school business support services.  Having worked in LAs and school improvement services for many years, she was involved in the creation of HFL Education in 2013 and led the development of new services to support schools and academies.   Most recently, she was the CEO of a Multi Academy Trust serving Lower, Primary and Secondary schools across four Local Authority areas, before returning to HFL Education as CEO in 2023.

I am the Director of Finance & Business Support at Hertfordshire County Council (HCC), supporting Children’s Services, Environment & Transport, and Sustainable Growth.

I provide the bridge between the departmental directors and the Corporate Finance team, supporting service strategy formation and financial modelling, linking in corporate financial expectations. I support the service with the corporate process, and challenge to service strategy and financial direction. Equally, I ensure the service strategy is understood by the corporate centre, addresses their likely areas of challenge, and consider how it supports the Council wider vision.

My career started in audit, then progressed through various private sector financial roles, firstly in corporate finance, moving into commercial financial and operations roles. Most recently I moved into the public sector on joining HCC.

I am very much looking forward to bringing my knowledge and experience to support the great work of HFL Education through my role on the HFL Board.

I have been a primary school teacher in Hertfordshire since 2002.  During this time I have had the pleasure of teaching across all primary phases and working with many inspirational teachers.   Teaching has always been my passion and I believe that as educationalists we have a very privileged position of being able to help shape the future.  I have now been in senior leadership for 15 years and have had the privilege of being a primary school headteacher for the past 8 years.  I was elected as a Non-Executive Director of HfL Education in November 2023 and it is an honour to have been voted into this position by primary phase schools.

An experienced leader of businesses and not for profit organisations, I support my clients to find new leaders, and also provide board advisory services, coaching and consulting.

I have worked within the UK and globally, establishing new business through government contract wins and B2B sales. An innovator of products and services through co-creation and digitisation, I have led membership organisations and understand how to build strong stakeholder communities, alliances and partnerships to achieve success.

I live in Hertfordshire, and I am the Chair of Governors for the Thomas Alleyne Academy and also the Chair of Harts Learning Trust.  

I have over 30 years’ experience within HR across a range of charities, including Action for Blind People, NSPCC, St Joseph’s Hospice and Breast Cancer Now. I most recently served as the Director of People at North London Hospice.  All recent roles have included the full range of HR and training issues including external education, the recruitment and management of volunteers and the development of HR strategy.

I have a degree in Business Studies, an MA in Human Resource Management and I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

In my role as a Non- Executive Director at HFL Education, I chair the People & Remuneration Committee. 

I am passionate about education and the importance of education to enable students to have a strong start in life.

I am an education technology founder and CEO with experience as a non-executive director, trustee, school governor and Chair.  Like HFL Education, I've focussed my career on trying to make sure every student can achieve their full potential.  

I co-founded Firefly Learning to solve my own frustrations as a GCSE student; it creates software for schools to drive better learning outcomes through effective engagement of parents and students.  At first, I built the business as a sideline throughout my Computer Science degrees at Oxford and Cambridge and a stint on the trading floor at Goldman Sachs.  I helped it grow to a team of 75 experts supporting around 900 schools across the UK and in 50 countries worldwide.  As CEO, I led it through two rounds of venture capital and the acquisition and integration of two other startups to a successful exit to a US-based edtech company, where I now help lead the combined European business.  I have also volunteered as a governor and Chair at several schools and trusts across London.

I am the Headteacher at Marriotts School in Stevenage and I was elected to the role of secondary phase non-executive director in March 2019.

With over 14 years of senior leadership experience, including being founding Deputy Headteacher at the Oasis Academy in Enfield, I am motivated to help provide strategic leadership and accountability for HfL, to ensure schools’ needs are met and outcomes for all Hertfordshire’s young people continue to improve.

I have been in education for 35 years and have had the privilege of working within local authority and private sector primary, secondary, SEN schools and alternative provisions.  I am the Headteacher at Southfield SEN school and I have a proven track record of leading, managing and stabilising schools in difficult and challenging circumstances.  I am passionate about ensuring that all pupils have the best opportunities possible through aspirational targets and I look forward to supporting Hertfordshire schools in my role as special phase/alternative provision Non-Executive Director on the HFL Board.

I am the Director of Inclusion and Skills at Hertfordshire County Council, overseeing the Integrated Services for Learning (ISL – SEND and Inclusion), the Virtual School, the Youth Services and a new Improvement and Transformation Service focused on the improvements to inclusion across the local area. This portfolio really brings together the most vulnerable of our children, driving forward inclusion and subsequent pathways into adulthood, which I am really passionate about. Being originally a primary school teacher, I have held senior leader roles within schools and have worked directly for local authorities. It is a privilege to become part of the HFL Board of Directors.

As Chair of Governors at Field Junior School and a co-opted governor at Central Primary, I bring hands-on experience in school governance and a commitment to fostering strong, supportive educational communities. Alongside my governor roles, I lead a software company that focuses on supporting schools in improving educational outcomes for children. With a background in tech strategy and business, I’m dedicated to providing solutions that drive long-term success.

In my role with HFL Education, I am driven by a vision to make a positive impact for children in Hertfordshire and beyond. I am passionate about the potential of technology to improve educational outcomes and empower both teachers and students. By supporting HFL’s strategic use of digital solutions, I aim to help build sustainable, forward-thinking environments where every student has the opportunity to succeed.