Retired Members and Directors

Alesa originally joined the board of Paradigm Trust as parent director in November 2017.

She served two terms as a co-opted director, before stepping down in 2026.

Her first connection with the Trust was in 2009 when her eldest daughter started in Culloden’s nursery.  Soon after, Alesa was elected as parent governor, serving two terms of office before Culloden converted into an Academy and the Trust was formed.

Alesa was then involved in setting up Culloden’s Academy Council and was voted in as Chair by council members; a position which she still holds today. Over this time Alesa has worked closely with the Principal and staff, trying to improve parental engagement and responding positively to feedback received.Alesa’s daughters left Culloden with outstanding SATs results and credits this success to the outstanding teaching and care that they received whilst there.

Alesa has worked in East London schools for over 16 years and is a teacher at a local Tower Hamlets secondary school. Not only has this experience given her an understanding of the challenges that face local children and parents, but it has also shown her how the Trust’s ethos of having the highest of expectations for children and being committed to their education can dramatically change their lives.

She has seen for herself the importance of laying down a good foundation of teaching and learning at primary school which then enables children to thrive and be confident when making their transition into secondary education.

Ben joined the board of directors of Paradigm Trust in May 2017, having been a member of the Trust’s Education Committee and a governor within the Trust over the past four years. Ben originally visited Old Ford Primary School in 2013, as part of his work in the Department for Education in 2013 and, having kept in touch with the school, became a governor later that year. Ben held the position of governor for two years, and moved to take up a role on the Trust’s Education Committee when the Trust’s governance structure was changed in 2015.

In his day job, Ben is a Director of Isos Partnership, an independent research and advisory organisation specialising in strengthening strategic planning and delivery across public services, including education, special educational needs and children’s services. Before joining Isos, Ben was a civil servant in the Department for Education for five years, where he held key roles leading policy on the pupil premium, special educational needs, and funding. Away from his professional work, Ben co-founded and is a trustee of a charity that uses football to support young people from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds in London.

Ben’s term of office was four years. He was appointed as a co-opted director by the Trust Board on 23 May 2017.

He stepped down as a Director on 31 August 2019.

Christopher became a member of Paradigm Trust on 2 April 2013. He attended the audit and risk committee.

He joined the governing body at Old Ford Primary School in 2004 and went on to become chair in 2008. Christopher was also a governor at Culloden Primary School, before it converted to an academy in September 2013. Christopher was chairman of the Paradigm board until July 2016.

Christopher is the chief risk officer of Permira, a European private equity firm with global reach. He focuses on improving and standardising Permira’s risk management function globally. Christopher’s role covers key areas including reputation, conflicts, compliance, litigation and regulatory matters. Prior to joining Permira as a principal in 2008, Christopher was the chief administrative officer for emerging markets (EMEA) at Morgan Stanley where he was responsible for a number of compliance and risk matters including helping the firm establish its middle east offices.

Prior to this, he practised law at Freshfields and Simpson Thacher. Christopher has a degree in law from Oxford University, England, and a degree in international relations from Brown University, USA. Christopher is a solicitor (England and Wales) and an attorney (New York).

Christopher served as a director of Paradigm Trust from September 2013 until 19 July 2016. His term of office was four years. He was appointed as a director by the members when the company was formed on 2 April 2013.

He stepped down as a member on 2 September 2019.

Marian became a member of Paradigm Trust on 2 April 2013.

Since 1998 Marian was a governor of Old Ford Primary School with intermittent and shared responsibility for chairing the governing body, SEND & looked after children, the finance/premises/PFI Committee and the personnel/curriculum committee. Marian was a governor of Culloden Primary School before it converted to an academy in September 2013. Marian was also chair of the local governing body at Old Ford Primary Academy until the trust’s governance structure was revised in September 2015. As a director of Paradigm Trust, Marian was a member of the operations and finance committee and was also the trust’s link director for Old Ford Primary Academy.

Marian was born and educated in Tower Hamlets and continues to be a resident. After serving as a clerk in the Public Health Department of London County Council, Marian went on to work as an accountant in the investments department of ICI, which was set up to invest pension fund money.   During this time she was involved in the company’s joint (management/staff) consultative committee including chairing the head office committee and central staff conference and member of the pensions committee. She retired in 1996.

From 1998-2006, Marian was an elected member of Tower Hamlets council.   Her committee membership included: education, pensions/investment, scrutiny, disciplinary appeals, licensing and housing benefit appeals.

Marian served as a director of Paradigm Trust from September 2013 until she stepped down on 1 April 2017, at the end of her four year term of office. She was appointed as a director by the members when the company was formed on 2 April 2013.

She stepped down as a member on 10 March 2020.

Mark was appointed to the Board as a parent director on 18th June 2020.

Following a career spanning over 23 years, Mark is the holder of various electrical and safety qualifications. For the first 8 years of his career, Mark undertook onsite electrical installation works in residential and commercial settings. He then successfully moved his career forward into managerial roles within the electricity metering industry. It was during this time that Mark developed a sound knowledge of authoring safe systems at work. This includes the authoring of risk assessments, project planning and delivery, and contract management, with due consideration to industry regulation and compliance, and HR processes. He stepped down as Director in September 2022.

Alan became a Director of Paradigm in June 2024.

He is a qualified Solicitor with a strong record of senior management in both the public and private sectors.

His primary career was in local government, where he rose to become a Chief Executive and spent the majority of his working life in Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. On leaving local government he was appointed Chairman of Essex Probation Service where he served for six years.

Alan moved into the Health Service and was appointed Chairman of West Essex Primary Care Trust for 4 years before being appointed Chairman of Southend Hospital Trust in 2011. Uniquely, in 2019 he was also appointed concurrently to Chair Mid Essex Hospital Trust. When those hospitals merged with Basildon Hospital to form MSE NHS Trust in 2019 Alan was appointed Vice Chairman.

Along the way, Alan also sat on the Springboard Housing Trust, served as a Trustee to Leyton Orient Charitable Trust, and was a Director of a PLC and an IT Company.

In 2004 he was awarded an OBE for services to the Probation Service and service to community relations.

He stepped down as a Director on 6th May 2025.