FCAT Members and Board of Trustees

Kathleen Evison (Chair of Trustees)

An experienced educator, having spent her entire career in teaching and leadership. Kathleen holds a PGCE, Masters in Educational Leadership and Doctorate in Organisational Leadership. She has been a teacher, SENCO, headteacher, and CEO of educational organisations and is currently a Delivery Partner Lead for the Ambition Institute.

Steve Wilson (Vice Chair)

Steve was born on the Fylde Coast and then followed a career in financial services in London and internationally. He is a qualified actuary and risk expert and has held top global leadership positions in a major multinational insurance group. He joined the FCAT Trustee Board, driven by his desire to help the local community in the Fylde. He brings diversity of expertise to the Trust Board, both from his 30+ years professional and executive experience and as an Independent Non-Executive Director in the insurance sector.

Simon Hughes (Trustee)

Vice Principal Quality and Curriculum at Blackpool and The Fylde College with responsibility for most aspects of learning, teaching and assessment. He is also the executive lead for T Levels. Simon has over 25 years’ experience in further and higher education colleges from teaching through to strategic management and inspection. He believes that education and training is a key enabler of social mobility and that it not only helps individuals, but the economy as a whole.

John Berrington (Trustee)

John Berrington is a civil servant who works for the Cabinet Office and is seconded to the Crown Commercial Service. He has spent his whole career in procurement and has a number of procurement qualifications. He began his career in the NHS and went on to work in the utilities industries which involved periods working in Canada and India. All his work has involved the technicalities of procurement and he currently heads-up a small team that creates digital platforms for other public services to use for procurement purposes.

Gareth Elswood (Trustee)

Gareth is currently the Executive Headteacher of two Church of England primary schools in Manchester. He has extensive expertise in the areas of school leadership, budget management, SEND and safeguarding and is well versed in galvanising staff teams and building leadership capacity to drive school improvement. Additionally Gareth has held Governor positions in a variety of roles since 2002, most recently being a member of an Interim Executive Board.

Mark Ascoft (Trustee)

Mark is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and has worked as a Finance Director for over 15 years. He has 10 years’ experience as the Finance Director of a residential special school and independent specialist college which has given him extensive knowledge of SEND requirements in the education sector. During his career he has overseen the planning and delivery of large capital projects and been involved in risk management, IT, business improvement initiatives and school governance.

Jason Flannigan-Salmon (Trustee)

Jason began his career as a nurse and has worked through all layers of management, including being a Senior Lecturer at a Lancashire university. Jason’s work has included the coordination and oversight of 54 teams which have included community health visitors, school nurses, podiatry, frailty and all other community-based services. This has involved the oversight of large budgets and staffing issues. Jason is very keen to give back to the community, ideally in the region where he lives in Blackpool. He has an understanding of the world of education and an understanding of the complexities of children who have experience of the care sector.

Dawood Fard

Dawood has a master’s degree in Business Management and is a successful entrepreneur. He has been the Managing Director of Centurus Limited since 2011, a technology company specialising in the education sector. Dawood is also the treasurer of the local Air Cadet Youth Group.

Marianne Beckett

Clive Barnett

Mark Gutteridge

Mark has a Business Management Degree and is the Business Director of a Lancashire Charity, he is also the Treasurer of a National Youth Charity. Mark has held various Governance roles within FCAT since 2013 at Academy and Trust level.