Our Trustees

Helen retired in December 2025 following a lengthy career in the charity and public sectors, initially in marketing and communications and more recently as a director in the NHS, running a variety of local, regional and national programmes. Her experience includes 10 years as Director of Communications for the Oxford University Hospitals Trust and four years as a Deputy Director for NHS England South East. Her experience includes large scale change management, assisting new NHS organisations to develop their operating models and governance processes, and providing oversight for health systems. She has considerable experience of working with Boards and Trustees, and was a Trustee for Asthma UK for two years. She has a Masters in Business Administration. In addition Helen has the Oxford Brookes University post graduate certificate in executive coaching and continues to coach NHS employees, on a voluntary basis. She currently works part time for Cirencester College as a coach for business apprentices. Helen has been a Cirencester resident since 2018.

Chiquita has been Trust Lead (CEO) since 2018, initially combining this post with her substantive role as Headteacher of Cirencester Deer Park School until September 2022 when she moved into the executive position fulltime. With over 30 years of experience as a school leader, including 19 years as a Headteacher, Chiquita remains deeply committed to education and working collaboratively in the best interests of children, young people and school staff. She has a strong understanding of education developments and wealth of expertise relevant to trust development and school improvement. She is currently a member of the Schools’ Forum and the Gloucestershire Education Forum. She is also involved in regional academy trust networks. Until July 2023, Chiquita was the long serving Chair of the Partnership Board of the Gloucestershire Initial Teacher Education Partnership (GITEP) which secured a second ‘outstanding’ judgement from Ofsted in May 2023. Chiquita has been recognised as a National Leader in Education and trained as an Ofsted inspector. Since the early 2000s Chiquita has been a member of national steering groups, including Applied Learning (Specialist Schools and Academies Trust) and the DFE’s Leading Edge programme.

Kate brings to the Trust a passion for education and a wealth of public sector experience from her career as a senior civil servant working in Whitehall and Edinburgh.

Now retired, Kate has expertise in leading and managing change, governance, assurance and scrutiny of public bodies and of what it takes to be personally accountable for delivering public services where outcomes really matter for people’s lives.

Responsible for large teams delivering high profile programmes, Kate has first hand knowledge of leadership at times of change and uncertainty and is a passionate believer in creating working environments which provide the opportunity for everyone to flourish and grow.

With her career anchored in public service and creating the conditions for organisations to succeed, Kate’s senior public policy experience brings fresh insights to support delivery of the Trust’s goals.

A resident of Kemble Kate enjoys the easy access to great walking and the beauty of the countryside and with a Masters in Horticulture is trying to put that knowledge to good use in building a new garden.

Claire Graham became Chief Executive Officer of Corinium Education Trust in January 2026, bringing a wealth of experience across primary, secondary, and special education. Over her distinguished career, Claire has held senior leadership roles including Headteacher, Executive Headteacher, and Director of School Improvement within a large multi-academy trust.

A locally recognised leader in education, Claire has driven significant school improvement, securing ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted inspection ratings across multiple settings. She also collaborates with the Department for Education as lead for the Southwest Sustainability Network, championing innovative approaches to environmental responsibility in schools.

Her commitment to partnership and system leadership has been evident throughout her career – from her early work as a Leading Teacher for the local authority to her role as a Local Leader of Education – reflecting a deep belief in collaboration as a catalyst for educational excellence.

Graham has lived in the Cotswolds for nearly fifty years and has developed a deep and lasting connection with the area and its communities. After a career as a Chartered Surveyor working across property, project management, change management and general management Graham has always felt it important to give something back to the local community.

For the past eighteen years he has been involved, as a trustee and governor, with a range of organisations, from local charities supporting community projects to those providing health and welfare services. He has also served as a governor within both education and NHS organisations, gaining valuable insight into how effective governance supports strong leadership and accountability.

Graham’s professional background has given him a solid understanding of strategic planning, risk management and financial management, and these skills along with his experience as a trustee/governor will add value to the Trust’s operational sustainability and long-term development.

Graham is a strong believer in supporting education as it provides the opportunity to strengthen local communities by helping children and young adults gain the knowledge, skills and confidence that are important for their growth and development.

Martin is the Chair of the Corinium Education Trust. Martin is a retired Headteacher, now working as an educational consultant with a number of organisations focused on school improvement. His last substantive post was as Headteacher of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Wimborne Minster. He has extensive experience of school improvement working as an Associate with Partners in Excellence and a Lead Headteacher Ambassador with the Youth Sport Trust. Martin has worked and governed in a range of schools and academy trusts, as well as gaining trustee experience with Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education. Martin has always been involved in charitable work and is currently Chair of the Oxfordshire Branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Martin stays active by walking in the Cotswolds almost every day, swims regularly and is a keen golfer.

Martin had a career as a Finance Director for a number of public and private bodies and joined Cirencester Deer Park School as Director of Support in 2003. He then gained extensive experience of the state education sector through leadership of all the support functions within the school for many years. Together with Chiquita Henson, Martin led the process of gaining Foundation status, then Academisation of the school and finally the formation of the Corinium Education Trust. Martin is a Chartered Management Accountant and holds a Diploma in School Business Management. Martin chaired the Gloucestershire Association of School Business Managers for a number of years and developed a benchmarking process for secondary schools in the county which was acknowledged by the Department for Education. Martin has provided training to many schools and school business managers on finance, governance and assessment data. Martin retired from the post of Director of Finance at the Corinium Education Trust in 2021 after 18 years with Cirencester Deer Park School and the Trust.

Mark has recently retired as a primary school teacher/headteacher after 44 years in the profession. He led teams across a variety of primary schools in Gloucestershire and Cornwall and was twice appointed as a MAT CEO. Mark is passionate about developing an exciting curriculum for primary age children within a stimulating and creative learning environment. The quality of Mark’s leadership was recognised in 2008 when he was awarded the NCSL ‘Headteacher of the Year’ in a South West primary school. He has also worked for Cornwall County Council as a Primary Advisor leading on EYFS, primary leadership, governance and remodelling the workforce. Mark has wide experience of supporting school improvement as a School Improvement Partner and adviser and is a registered school inspector. Mark has extensive experience as a Governor and Trustee, having chaired an academy trust board and served as a Trustee and member of trusts in Cornwall. Mark is proud to become a Trustee at the Corinium Education Trust and looks forward to supporting and challenging the Trust and its schools.Bio to come!

James is a chartered accountant with 15 years’ experience in both practice and Industry. One of his first roles was in practice setting up a team to support academy schools with their statutory accounts and audits. James moved to St. James’s Place in Cirencester in 2015 where he was a financial controller for the investment side of the business for 6 years. With a keen interest in data and technology, James now manages financial data for the group with responsibilities ranging from data governance, through to overseeing financial modelling.

Outside of work James has keen interests in cycling and wood work. He has built his own workshop, and is moving on to making some cabinets and a waterfall desk.

Doug has worked in Commercial and Procurement in both the public and private sectors for over 20 years and is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS). He currently works for the consultancy firm Turner & Townsend providing commercial expertise for Defence clients in the South West.

Commercial experience has included procurement and supply chain management for Mitie Group for FM clients across the UK and Ireland as well as setting up a supply chain in Norway for an international company, to commercial management for the UK Health and Security Agency through the pandemic managing a range of contracts for health goods and services.

Doug’s values in these roles has been to build solid relationships with all key stakeholders, seek efficiency where possible to drive better value and develop sustainability and social value initiatives which benefits the community. The opportunity to volunteer as a Trustee for CET and support education was warmly welcomed.

Originally from Aberdeen, Doug now lives near Gloucester with his wife and family, is a season ticket holder at Kingsholm and is a passionate golfer.