Meet the Directors

Clare Wingrave

Director

Information will be added soon

Dapo Obatusin

Director

I am currently a Civil Servant and have been in the public sector for over 10 years. Prior to joining the public sector, I worked in the private sector in infrastructure delivery firms, and in commercial roles for an American advertising media firm. In my first few years in the public sector, I worked closely with Academy Trusts across the country to deliver the government's £2bn Academy building programmes during the early years of the Academy roll-out period. I believe in the transformative power of strong education delivery by professionals as well as the immeasurable benefits of curiosity and continuous learning.

I am a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. I also gained an Masters in Business Administration degree from Henley Business School.

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Dipa Patel

Director

I was born in India and came to the UK on my first birthday in the 70s. I grew up and went to school in the Crystal Palace area and moved to Coulsdon in 2012.

I’m a Civil Engineer by profession and work for an international professional services firm who provide technical, professional and construction services.

My husband and I have two young daughters at a trust school and I have a passion for education hence have been a governor (parent governor, vice-chair and now chair) for some time now.

In my spare time I love to play netball, I play for a local team in a local league.

Additional roles: Joint Chair at Keston Primary School.

Business/Profession: Civil Engineer and Operational & Business Management.

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Kevin Bright

Chair - Director

I have strong personal connections with Croydon and Merton and have a passion for education. My mother, sister and aunt were hard working primary school teachers, and my wife worked as part of the support team at a primary school. My children attended Chipstead Valley Primary School, as do my nephews today. I have served as a school governor since 2008 and have been involved in the set up and expansion of the PACE Multi Academy Trust. I feel strongly that I have a responsibility to support our local communities through volunteering. I hope my career as a business psychologist and director of a management consultancy brings useful perspectives to our school leadership and governance. I am constantly impressed by the expertise, dedication and brilliance of all the teams across our schools. It's a wonderful community to be part of. We've come a long way but there is much more for us to do.

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Linda Hall

Vice Chair - Director

I have held governance roles in PACE schools since 2009 following a career in education including twenty years as a Headteacher, latterly of Keston Primary School. After my time as a Headteacher I worked both as a School Improvement Partner and as an Education Advisor facilitating the performance management of Headteachers. I am both a Director of PACE and a governor at New Valley Primary School.

I am a strong advocate of school improvement and of an inclusive approach for all children. I have a long-standing personal interest and commitment to the inclusion of children with special educational needs. I chair the Board’s ‘Educational Excellence’ committee where Directors review all aspects of school life and progress in our schools. My ambition is that these meetings enable Directors to both celebrate the diverse and stimulating work in schools in the Trust and to gain a deeper insight into the particular challenges each school faces. This enables us as a Board to provide informed direction to the Trust overall.

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Micon Metcalfe

Director

Micon Metcalfe is an experienced School Business Professional and Multi-Academy Trust executive leader. She has worked in finance and operations in a range of schools and academy trusts and is currently the Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust. Prior to this Micon was Chief Operating Officer for inspiration Trust. Micon was a member of the DfE Expert Group which authored the Standard for Teachers’ Professional Development and contributed to the new specification for the National Professional Qualifications. Micon is also a member of the Children’s Commissioner’s Audit and Risk Committee.

Micon holds the Advanced Professional Qualification in School Financial and Operational Leadership and is DfE accredited School Resource Management Adviser.

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Mike Fuller

Director

I am the Company Secretary for a major national Housing Association which provides housing for older people across England. Prior to this I spent 21 years in Banking where I had a number of management roles in operations and credit.

I became a governor at Chipstead Valley soon after my son entered Reception in 2008 and have served since then on various governing bodies and committees. I currently Chair the Finance and Audit Committee and am a Governor of New Valley Primary School. I have also recently been appointed a Governor at St Bede's School Redhill where my son is now in year 9.

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Mike Howarth

Director

I am an Executive Director leading a major asset management, utilities infrastructure and critical services business across England and Wales. I am a qualified engineer by background with over 30 years of experience in businesses delivering and supporting technology and engineering solutions. I am keen to share my knowledge, experience and insight in operations, business strategy and governance, often in heavily regulated industrial sectors, for the benefit of our schools’ leadership teams.

I have three children - one in further education, one in secondary school and one at junior school in the local area. As an engineer by background, I am passionate about engaging children at an early age in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) based subjects and inspiring the next generation of engineers within our communities.

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Zoe Harris

Chief Executive - Director

I have recently been appointed as PACE Academy Trust’s Chief Executive Officer. I feel privileged to be leading such a flourishing trust, where the schools work so closely in partnership, whilst remaining vibrant and creative settings in their own right. At PACE, we value the opportunity to work in collaboration with each other, rather than being uniform in our approach. Our schools are diverse in size, context and locality and we use this diversity to learn from each other: this is what makes PACE a special place to work.

I have worked as a senior leader in a range of schools across Croydon, Surrey and Sutton, including roles within other MATs. This breadth of experience has provided me with insight into the vast achievements that are accomplished by schools, as well as the challenges that different settings face. My role as an executive leader for a local multi academy trust provided an opportunity to see ‘first hand’ what can be achieved by a group of schools working in partnership towards the same goals; the NPQEL qualification that I achieved in 2019 embedded this further.

I am passionate about inclusion, the UNICEF rights of the child and ensuring all learners appreciate the value of diversity and understand the importance of equality. As the CEO of PACE, I aim to ensure that every child receives an excellent educational experience that helps them to achieve their potential and be the best that they can be.

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