Teacher Training Opportunities – Open Evening (Drop in)
We are holding an open evening on a drop in basis for people interested in teacher training opportunities in our Ipswich academies on March 22nd (6.30 – 8.00pm) at Ipswich Academy. Please come along to find out more about the opportunities we offer.
Paradigm Trust appoints new Chief Executive Officer
The Board of Directors of Paradigm Trust today announced the appointment of Bill Holledge as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Trust. Bill has been Chief Operating Officer and acting CEO for the last nine months.
David Willis, Chairman of the Board, said, “The Trust has undertaken a thorough search for our new Chief Executive, and we are delighted to be appointing Bill to the role. In a field of strong candidates, his vision for the future of the Trust and how we should get there was a compelling proposition. This, combined with the contribution that he has made while in the interim role, made him the unanimous choice for the position.”
Bill Holledge commented “I am delighted to have been asked to take on the CEO role on a permanent basis. I am a passionate advocate of Paradigm Trust’s vision of giving children the educational opportunities they deserve, and a firm believer that the key to improving standards is great teaching. Everything we do is about improving outcomes for our students and I am very much looking forward to working with students, staff, parents/carers and our local communities to continue doing just that.”
Media enquiries
For further enquiries, please contact the Paradigm Trust media team on 020 7618 9194, or email paradigmtrust@luther.co.uk.
John Helleur – Member
John became a member of Paradigm Trust in February 2020.
John is a retired senior manager who spent his career at the leading edge of developing and supporting software solutions in the challenging environment of global telecommunications. He blends experience of organisational transformation, culture change, and project management with a very strong awareness of the challenges in Primary and Secondary schools.
John was a governor at Ipswich Academy’s precursor schools for over 40 years, with roles including Vice-chair and Chair of the governing body, and chair of the Finance Committee. He was also a governor at his children’s primary school, St Helens, from 1980 for over 30 years, many as Chair of Governors. He was instrumental in working to transform Holywells High School to Ipswich Academy and was a founder of the ASSET (IPAT) Multi-academy Trust. Although no longer a governor, John continues to help Ipswich Academy as Chair of the Community Forum and leading a team of maths mentors.
In order to tackle embedded low literacy in disadvantaged areas of Ipswich, in 2016 John set up the Let’s Talk Reading charity, which he chairs, and which now works with 15 schools, 40 early years settings and a number of partner agencies and charities. He also set up sister charity, Read Easy Ipswich in 2018 to help to deal with adult literacy problems. He has interests in an educational project involving 16 disadvantaged schools in Delhi.
John worked for BT for over 30 years, leading software engineering research and development related to new telephone exchanges, network management systems, software architectures and latterly leading BT’s UK network strategy unit. He retired from BT in 2000. In 1995, he was appointed a non-executive Director of the Indian BT joint venture company, Mahindra-BT; then became its COO in 2000 and CEO between 2001 and 2004, positioning it for its public flotation as Tech Mahindra.
John is a strong advocate of carbon reduction and is rapidly changing his lifestyle appropriately. Apart from his family, his main interest is music: playing in a woodwind quintet and a saxophone quartet.
David Willis
Director and Chair of the Board of Directors
David joined the board of directors of Paradigm Trust in January 2014 and became the chair in July 2016. He is a member of the operations and finance committee and is the trust’s link director for Old Ford Primary Academy.
David is a solicitor and, prior to his retirement, he was the joint CEO at international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, where he was a member of the board and co-chaired the executive committee concentrating on the implementation of the firm’s strategy.
Prior to becoming managing partner of Herbert Smith in April 2008, he held a number of senior management positions, including leading Herbert Smith’s Asia operations (1997–2001) and Herbert Smith’s financial institutions group.
David joined Herbert Smith in 1981 and became a partner in 1989. Before working in Hong Kong, he advised on a series of major privatisations in the United Kingdom, including in the electricity and coal sectors. He also advised the UK government on the restructuring of British Nuclear Fuels plc and the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
David is also a member of the council at Queen Mary University of London and chair of its audit and risk committee; a member of the board of the Solicitors Regulation Authority and chair of its finance and audit committee; and a vice-chair of the board of trustees of United Response, a learning disabilities charity, and chair of its finance and resources committee.
David was first appointed as a director by the members on 15 January 2014 for a four year term. He has since been re-appointed for a further four years. Under Paradigm Trust’s Articles of Association, David is a member of the Trust while he is the chair of the board of directors.
Alesa Rahman – Parent Director
Alesa joined the board of Paradigm Trust as parent director in November 2017.
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 eldest daughter has since left Culloden with outstanding SATs results and credits this success down to the outstanding teaching and care that she received whilst there. Her youngest daughter is still a pupil in the school.
Alesa has worked in East London schools for over 16 years and is currently Women’s Officer 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, 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 cha
Pauline Wallace – Director
Pauline joined the board of directors of Paradigm Trust in October 2013. She is also the chair of the audit and risk committee. She was a governor at Solebay Primary Academy until the trust’s governance structure was revised in September 2015. She also acts as the trust’s link director for Solebay Primary Academy.
Pauline is a chartered accountant who recently retired as a senior partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers. In her last role with the firm she was head of public policy and regulatory affairs, responsible for representing the firm in discussions with government, regulators, media and other stakeholders.
She is vice chair of the ICAEW’s professional standards board, a member of the financial reporting council’s accounting council, a member of the financial conduct authority’s regulatory decisions’ committee and an affiliate of FTI consulting. She is also a community governor of Middleton School, a special needs primary school in Ware, Hertfordshire.
Pauline’s term of office is four years. She was originally appointed as a director by the members on 10 October 2013. She has since been re-appointed for a further four year term.