Who We Are
Rebekah Iiyambo
CEO
As well as being CEO of Eko Trust, Rebekah provides high quality school improvement work to a range of schools and trusts.
Previously, Rebekah has been a Headteacher, Co-headteacher, Deputy Headteacher, and an advisor for Science, Early Years and English as an Additional Language in two local authorities before becoming a senior advisor for Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This role included specific responsibility for developing leadership capacity across primary, secondary and special schools. She has taught in schools in Britain and Namibia.
Executive Team
Philip Cranwell
DEPUTY CEO & CFO
Philip joined Eko Trust in September 2021, having acted in an interim role since March 2021.
Philip has worked in the academy sector since 2008, initially working as a project director for sponsored academies and Building Schools for the Future (BSF) projects. From 2013, he ran a consultancy providing strategic advice and project management to schools, academies and multi academy trusts. Philip has been involved in the conversion of nearly 300 schools and helped establish over 50 multi academy trusts.
In fact, Philip supported the three schools that founded Eko Trust in November 2016: Kaizen, Gainsborough and the then Eleanor Smith. He then supported the subsequent integration of Earlham, Hackney New Primary, Pathways and Rushmere Hall schools.
Philip is a member of the Institute of School Business Leadership and the Institute of Directors. Philip has a post-graduate diploma in School Financial and Operational Leadership from CIPFA/Institute of School Business Leadership. He has a Masters in Marketing and a BEng in Civil Engineering.
Deborah Strain
TRUST LEADER OF EDUCATION
Deborah, a founding headteacher of the Trust, is an experienced leader in education with a deep-rooted commitment to ensuring all children have access to high-quality learning experiences and achieve excellent outcomes. Leading on the Trust’s school improvement strategy, she has designed and implemented initiatives that drive educational excellence across schools within the Trust.
With a teaching career that began in 1994, Deborah has held impactful roles in both London and Cambridgeshire. In 2001, she became the first Primary Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) in Cambridgeshire. Her career highlights include establishing and leading a Primary Learning Support Unit dedicated to supporting students with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) challenges in Newham, and serving as a Local Leader and then National Leader of Education (NLE), where she has mentored and supported other educational leaders.
A passionate advocate for strategic school improvement, inclusion and leadership development, Deborah is a qualified Executive Coach who actively supports aspiring leaders through the National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), including providing coaching for the NPQ in Executive Leadership (NPQEL). Her extensive experience and proven track record in strategic school improvement empower her to drive impactful change in educational leadership.
Kate Fallan
TRUST LEADER FOR CULTURE & DEVELOPMENT
Kate is passionate about developing and supporting others. She has worked in secondary and primary schools, teaching children from the age of 3–18, and has been an advisory teacher in two local authorities. She led the East London Early Years and Schools Partnership Teaching School Alliance, which was instrumental in training over 40 teachers, delivering over 500 professional development days and 300 school improvement days over a 5-year period.
As the Trust Leader for Culture and Development at Eko Trust, she is able to ensure both the Trust professional development offer and the leadership and talent offer really support and challenge our staff. Her leadership on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion ensures that the Trust is consistently putting staff development at its core.
Kate also partners with the regional Teaching School Hubs and facilitates programmes such as the National Professional Quallifications (NPQs) and the Early Career Framework.
Jill Cameron
TRUST LEADER FOR GOVERNANCE, RISK & COMPLIANCE
Jill joined Eko Trust in September 2020. Prior to this, she worked as a Secondary School Business Manager in Newham and Hackney for 14 years before she moved roles to focus on school governance as part of a governor services team in 2012. During her time as part of this team, she developed an expertise in Academy Governance.
Since joining the Trust she has broadened her remit and now also leads on estate management, risk and compliance across the Trust.
Helen Cunningham
TRUST LEADER FOR PEOPLE
Helen joined Eko Trust in June 2019 and leads a joint HR function shared by Eko and The Compass Partnership of Schools.
Helen previously held a range of HR leadership positions in the NHS, most recently as Executive Director of HR & Organisational Development in a not-for-profit health provider. She has over 30 years' experience of HR, has a Masters in HR Management and is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD.
Helen enjoys combining HR best practice with pragmatism to deliver results and is passionate about ensuring that staff are engaged and involved in solving workplace challenges.
Barbara Sims
EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL
KAIZEN PRIMARY SCHOOL & GAINSBOROUGH PRIMARY SCHOOL
Barbara has been teaching for 28 years. She has been at Kaizen Primary School as SENCo, Assistant Headteacher, Head of School and Headteacher for 14 years. Barbara's new role this academic year is as Executive Principal across Kaizen and Gainsborough Primary School. She is passionate about teaching and learning, curriculum development and leadership. Barbara works across the Trust supporting leaders and teachers to develop their curriculum and develop their leadership skills. She is passionate about being the best leader she can be through self development, employing coaching strategies to grow confidence and skill with all the leaders she works with. She believes children deserve the very best teaching so they can be successful beyond their primary education. She is also commissioned to work with schools outside of the Trust for school improvement projects.
Tom Neave
EXECUTIVE PRINCIPAL
EKO PATHWAYS & PATHWAYS SCHOOL
Tom is a highly experienced and successful school leader who has been Headteacher and Executive Principal of a number of mainstream and special schools. This has included taking two schools to a rating of 'Outstanding' under the Ofsted framework. Tom is also currently an Ofsted inspector and a School Improvement Advisor for two schools in Kent. He has previously contributed to the development of behavioural strategies in secondary schools at a national level.
TRUSTEES
Download and view the current board of Trustees
Susan Hellman
TRUSTEE
Sue is the former Director of UK Consultancy and Knowledge Transfer at UCL Centre for Educational Leadership – the UK’s largest university-based centre for research, teaching, development and innovation in educational leadership. Sue has a wealth of experience within the education sector, providing support and leadership development to schools across the UK. Over a career of 40 years, she has held various roles within the education sector, including as a Headteacher of a primary school with a specialist unit for pupils with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, a local authority advisor, school improvement partner, consultant leader and leadership coach.
Daulat Sen
TRUSTEE
Daulat studied Aeronautical Engineering and became a software engineer in the aerospace industry. He has worked with technology and operating model design and management for a number of major organisations across energy, engineering, public sector and financial services for fifteen years. Currently, Daulat is with KPMG consulting where he is leading a large banking operating model transformation.
Mehreen Ara
TRUSTEE
Mehreen is a clinical hospital pharmacist and Master of Pharmacy.
She has represented pharmacy services to local college students interested in pursuing a degree in pharmacy, and undertaken undergraduate interview and examinations at the UCL School of Pharmacy.
Alex Davison
TRUSTEE
Alex’s involvement in governance started in 2012 when he joined the Rushmere governing body as a parent governor. During his time as a governor he served as Chair of Finance, Vice Chair, and as Chairperson. He was instrumental in Rushmere’s journey from 'Requires Improvement' to 'Good'. He has been a member of the Suffolk Governors Forum, including a period as Chair.
His career in educational ICT support has given him a clear understanding of how support functions are crucial to the teaching and learning taking place in schools, which he applies to his governance role.
Helen Horsley
TRUSTEE
Helen worked in primary and secondary for many years as both as a teacher and a leader.
Her passion for developing others in order that children can be led by the very best teachers and leaders culminated in her role as Head of primary school.
Helen then developed and led a successful Teaching School Alliance.
Helen is a trained facilitator and leads development of Headteachers and teachers on the National Professional Programmes.
Anne Reece
TRUSTEE
Anne is a retired chartered accountant. She has had many years' experience of setting, managing and reviewing budgets within an engineering environment for various large (multi-million pound) projects and for central service elements of related businesses. As project controller she has experience of related disciplines & procedures such as internal control, audit requirements, procurement processes and HSE requirements.
She has experience of accounts
preparation, VAT, spreadsheet development and software selection.
Philippa King
CHAIR OF TRUSTEES
Philippa has 30 years’ experience in voluntary sector fundraising, communications and leadership, with national, local and international charities. She is currently Co-Director of a community anchor charity in Newham and Project Manager for an innovative co-housing development.
Philippa’s skills include premises & capital projects, strategic planning, data analysis, communications, community engagement, fundraising and marketing.
Yvette Stander
TRUSTEE
Yvette trained as a chartered accountant and completed her articles at KPMG, giving her a good grounding in finance and audit. She then worked as a consultant specialising in change, and working with businesses to make this change.
In her career she has led large change programmes and led teams to deliver against these programs. It was the collaboration with the teams that she enjoyed the most.
Her last role for a corporate was in risk, where challenge of the business was key to mitigating key risks and moving the business in the right direction. She was Co-Chair of the Business Risk Committee and a decision maker at the Business Acceptance Committee.
Julian Robinson
TRUSTEE
Previously the Chair of Governors at Earlham Primary School, with over 30 years' experience of governance in Newham, Julian is Director of Estates at the London School of Economics.
Professionally qualified in Town Planning and Surveying, Julian specialises in master planning, design and construction, and property and facilities management.
He is a Trustee and former Chair of the Higher Education Design Quality Forum and Vice Chair and Director of the Northbank Business Improvement District in Westminster and a Director of London Heritage Quarter.
Paul Robinson
TRUSTEE
Paul is a skilled, conscientious and professional corporate banker with over 30 years’ experience in corporate restructuring, risk management and stakeholder management.
Paul is a father and grandfather, with some experience of the education sector through family connections and client/voluntary work in schools.
Carmen Rodney
TRUSTEE
Carmen, formerly Her Majesty’s Inspector, also worked as a lead team Ofsted trained inspector. She has specialist interest in school improvement. Her inspection experience covers mainstream and independent schools as well as local authorities and initial teaching training.
She has held various roles as a senior manager.
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George Malouf
TRUSTEE
George is a highly qualified and experienced interpreter, with an extensive background of living, studying and working in a conflict environment. This led to him working with prosecutors and courts, initially as an interpreter for the International Criminal Court. He now serves as a magistrate of England and Wales, and is a mentor for new magistrates. He is Chair of the North East and East London Magistrates Association, as part of which he is particularly focused on community initiatives.
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Alex Oma Pius
MEMBER
Founder of IROKO Theatre-in-Education Company, Alex has 20 years’ experience providing practical creative arts activities in schools and higher institutions all over England. He has worked, and continues to work, as a consultant for renowned British institutions like the BBC, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Victoria & Albert Museum, Horniman Museum & Gardens, the British Museum and the Museum of London. Alex is a member of the Steering Committee of the British Museum's Supplementary School Programme and Community Steering Group for Object Journeys.
Vivienne Porritt
MEMBER
Vivienne Porritt OBE is a leadership consultant working with school leaders on impact, vision, strategy, professional learning and development, and women’s leadership. She is a former Vice President of the Chartered College of Teaching in England and was also a secondary Headteacher, Director for School Partnerships at the UCL Institute of Education and a Chair of Governors in London.
Vivienne is also a co-founder and a Global Strategic Leader of WomenEd, a global charity that connects, supports and empowers women educators and leaders in education.
She is the co-editor, with Peter Earley, of Effective Practices in CPD, Lessons for School (2009). Vivienne is also co-editor of 10% Braver: Inspiring Women to Lead Education (Sage, 2019), Being 10% Braver (Corwin, 2021), and Disruptive Women: A WomenEd Guide to Equitable Action in Education (Corwin, 2024).
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Natalie Gross
MEMBER
Natalie is Managing Partner of one of the UK’s most respected digital agencies. Natalie is an industry spokesperson and mentor, with a specific focus on digital talent & skills and women in leadership.
She has extensive experience working on mergers and acquisitions, and with start-ups. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and an advisor and Fellow of the WWF UK.
Tony Oteh
CHAIR OF MEMBERS
Tony is a long-standing member of both the Kaizen and Eko Pathways schools governing bodies, a member of the safeguarding panel for Newham, and an advocate for supporting families in need in Newham.
Christopher Owens
MEMBER
Following a career in teaching, Father Owens served for 37 years as a Parish Priest in the Church of England and is a member of SEA. He has 11 years of school governance experience.
TRUST BUSINESS LEADS
Jan Gillard
TRUST LEAD FOR FINANCE
Jan has over 24 years of experience in education finance and started as a school receptionist for a local authority.
One of Jan’s previous roles was Senior Business Manager for the SEN department of the local authority, where her expertise of SEN and High Needs funding grew. She then moved on to Eleanor Smith Special School (now known as Eko Pathways) and is proud to say she was a key player in the conversion of the first 3 schools to convert to Eko Trust in November 2016.
As Trust Lead for Finance, Jan strategically manages and reports on all the budgets across the trust.
Having come from specialist school and an SEN background, Jan is proud to be part of an organisation that recognises and has strong ambitions that all children have the right to have their needs met and to be the best they can be.
Teresa Rowland
TRUST LEAD FOR FINANCE, BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS
Teresa is a qualified School Business Manager and has been involved in the education business for over 20 years, working across a range of schools from those with only 70 pupils to those with nearly 700. Teresa has been in the Trust Hub Team since 2022, having joined Eko Trust with Rushmere Hall in 2021, where she was the Business Manager.
Teresa has previous business experience in the financial industry as a commercial underwriter, and this understanding has been invaluable in her transfer roles and skills with risk and premises management.
In her role with the Trust, Teresa strategically manages budgets, contacts and trust-wide procurement, together with supporting School Operations Managers across all the schools. Teresa is fully committed to securing best value and using best practices, enabling our schools to provide all our pupils the best education we can provide and they deserve.
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