SEEAT Executive Team (ID 1035)

• Andrew Cooper
  CEO
  Andrew Cooper

  Andrew has a strong track record of raising standards across organisations of varying size and complexity for nearly 35 years: as a Headteacher, he successfully led four schools and, for the past ten years, he has led groups of schools with provision ranging from nursery to sixth form.

  Andrew has previously worked in a diverse range of schools, from Cumbria to Suffolk and in schools and Trusts serving areas of high deprivation in Sheffield, Luton and Bolton. You can find out more by going to his Linkedin Page.

  Andrew fulfils the statutory role of Trust Executive Leader and Accounting Officer. His key strengths are:

  • Strong track record of delivering school improvement in Academy Trusts

  • Skilled at providing mentoring, challenge and support to Headteachers & Senior Teams

• Jade Blackburn
  Director of People
  Jade Blackburn

  Jade joined the Trust in November 2022 as Director of People to lead the development and delivery of SEEAT's People Strategy. Jade is an experienced HR leader having worked in the education sector for over a decade, most recently as Director of HR in an East London FE College and having previously worked in the NHS and legal recruitment sector. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and holds a postgraduate qualification in employment law and practice.

• Nigel Brunning
  Chief Operating Officer
  Nigel Brunning

  Nigel is a Chartered Accountant with a MBA. He is also a Trustee of the Institute of School Business Leaders (ISBL), a School Resource Management Adviser (SRMA) for the DfE and a Trustee of Chelmsford Learning Partnerships. He fulfils the statutory role of Chief Finance Officer for SEEAT, as well as being the Data Protection Officer (DPO). Nigel's role oversees:

  • Finance
  • Estates
  • IT, networks and systems
  • Communications and marketing
  • Risk
  • Compliance
  • Operations (e.g. catering, sports centres)

• Rebecca Geoghegan
  Director of Education
  Rebecca Geoghegan

  Rebecca has been a teacher since 2000. Her work in several schools includes a variety of roles such as Lead Practitioner, Advanced Skills Teacher and senior leader.

  In 2011, Rebecca moved to a system leadership role working across primary and secondary schools throughout the UK for the largest MAT in the country: firstly, as a regional Education Leader and later as National Lead for English.

  Rebecca is a published author for Oxford University Press and moderator for the SSAT.