
Trust Board
Meet the Team
Trust Board
The Trust Board are the company directors and charity trustees who sit on the board of an academy trust. They are also known as trustees in recognition of the charitable, non-profit-making status of academy trusts.

George Beveridge
Chair and Trustee
George has worked in the nuclear energy industry for the past 30+ years in a variety of roles, including an 8 year assignment as Deputy Managing Director of Sellafield Ltd from 2008-16. George’s experience includes plant and project management, R&D, business management as well as general management of several businesses, including major international joint ventures.
George has played a key part in the socio-economic development of the areas in which he has worked. He was a founding Director of the Cumbria Inward Investment Agency as well as founding Chair of the Cumbria LEP; member of the Transport for the North Board; Chairman of Inspira Ltd and former Regional Chair of CBI NW. George has also acted as sponsor of an outstanding Academy secondary school in Cumbria and is an NED on the DfE Northern Regional Board. George was appointed Chair of Business North in April 2018 and has served on its Steering Group since inception in 2015. He has lived in Cumbria for 32 years and enjoys walking and mountain biking in his spare time.

Lorrayne Hughes OBE
Chief Executive and Trustee
Lorrayne is the Chief Executive of Cumbria Education Trust, the county’s largest multi-academy school trust.
Lorrayne took up her first Headship at William Howard School in Brampton in 2007 and in 2014 was commissioned by the Local Authority to bring about rapid improvement in two special measures schools in Workington. One of the schools was removed from Special Measures within 20 weeks.
She has led CET since inception to its current position where it is responsible for the education of more than 4,000 children across three secondary schools, eight primaries and West Coast Sixth Form.
Lorrayne passionately believes in inclusion and that all young people deserve a high-quality education. Children are firmly at the heart of all her strategic decision-making.
All schools work closely together following Lorrayne’s lead that collaboration can make a difference to all involved, from pupils and students to staff and their communities.
Lorrayne is a board member of the Confederation of School Trusts, the sector body for school trusts.

Richard Berry
Trustee
Richard was born, brought up and went to school in rural Oxfordshire before joining the British Army at 16 as a soldier, specialising in Payroll before qualifying as a Chartered Management Accountant, specialising in project accounting and Business Case financial modelling.
Following a successful 30-year career in the Forces, serving all over Europe and beyond, he and his wife Janet moved to Cumbria from the North East, where they still live.
Since retiring from the Army, Richard worked for an international IT company as the European Middle East & Africa Lean Transformation Finance lead for over 3 years before taking the plunge and setting up his own company some 7 years ago.
This has enabled him to gain experience contracting for various industries from perfume distributors to cruise ships to energy providers to Central Government departments. His current contract is working in the nuclear industry involved with transformation and benefits realisation.
Richard is a volunteer for the Alston Moor Business Association, where he is currently deputy chair. The aim of AMBA is to promote Alston Moor and its surrounding areas on business & tourism related matters to attract visitors as well as strengthening & improving the local economy.
Richard & Janet have two grown up sons, who both live in the Northeast with their partners, and a Grandson.

Michael Donnelly
Trustee

Matt Hood OBE
Trustee
Matt is a co-founder and the Chief Executive at Oak National Academy. He is also Chair at Bay Leadership Academy in Morecambe .
He was co-founder at Ambition Institute, the UK’s larger provider of teacher and school leader professional development and a founding trustee at The Brilliant Club, the UK’s largest widening participation charity.
He was awarded an OBE for services to education in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Jeff O'Neill
Co-opted Trustee
Jeff is a Chartered Accountant and an experienced Non-Executive Director.
Following a career in financial services based in the North-east, Jeff relocated to Cumbria in 2015 and retired from executive employment in 2017. He lives in Eamont Bridge near to Penrith.
He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Justships Ltd. which is a wholesale marine insurance broker; and for the three years to September 2021 was a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of a local NHS Trust.
With involvement as a non-remunerated Non-Executive Director between 2006 and 2018, Jeff was for several years Chair of RASCALS Ltd which was an OFSTED regulated community social enterprise providing affordable childcare in the economically deprived area of South-East Northumberland.
In his executive career, Jeff was employed for 25 years by North Group, a marine mutual general insurance group of companies where he was Finance Director and a member of the senior leadership team.

Margaret Payne
Trustee
Born and brought up in Northern Ireland, Margaret read Law at Nottingham University before completing her training as a solicitor in Nottinghamshire and London. She has worked in a high street legal aid firm in London before moving to Carlisle in the 1980s. She established her own practice specialising in crime and mental health law in 1998 and having recently retired from private practice, Margaret now sits as a Fee-Paid Judge specialising in mental health and social entitlement law.
Margaret was a Governor of her daughter’s primary school and then became a Parent Governor when she moved to William Howard School about 16 years ago. When she left for university Margaret stayed on! She has lived through many of the changes in education with the school, and worked with 3 Headteachers in that time. In many ways, joining the Trust Board was a natural progression.
Margaret’s working life brings her into contact with young people who face a range of challenges including difficult family circumstance and mental health issues. That has given her an insight into the many pressures that young people and families face, and the context in which education takes place.
As someone who benefitted from a good state education, Margaret is committed to equality of opportunity for all, so the involvement of the Trust in raising standards and aspirations both at primary and secondary level in Cumbria is a very exciting development in which she feels she is privileged to be involved with.

Catherine Reeves
Co-Opted Trustee
Catherine has over 20 years of secondary school senior leadership experience with the last 11 years as a Headteacher and Head of School. She has worked across three neighbouring local authorities and in a range of contexts.
Catherine has wide-ranging experience in local secondary schools from schools facing challenging circumstances to those graded Outstanding; from fully comprehensive settings to selective grammar schools.
With a particular focus on behaviour for learning and inclusion, Catherine is experienced in working with leadership teams to develop and enhance provision. She has led on this area of school improvement in a range of schools and has a wealth of experience in school-to-school support, professional learning and development.
With a strong background in SEND provision and support, Catherine has also worked with schools to establish and develop both in-school and alternative provision.
Committed to a coaching approach, Catherine has also led on a range of NPQ programmes, as well as facilitating research-informed leadership training and development for teaching and support staff.
As a school leader and experienced Designated Safeguarding Lead, Catherine understands the current challenges facing schools in relation to securing excellent behaviour for learning, pastoral care and student support. She is currently part of the Education Improvement team within a Local Authority.
Catherine lives in the Dales with her husband and enjoys staying fit, reading and travelling.

Dr Bill Snaith
Trustee
Bill has enjoyed a diverse career, from IT, senior management development, organisational development, HR, Board appraisal and development, multiple Director roles, and Consultancy. From his first Director role responsible for IT integration, Bill moved to Durham University Business School, becoming Director of the Management Development Centre.
At Durham, Bill led Executive Education, and designed, authored, and delivered Masters degrees in Education Leadership & Management, and in Business Management. Bill also wrote a business financial management book published by the Financial Times, and two financial management textbooks for the Chartered Management Institute, as well as many other academic publications.
After Durham, having developed best practices in organisational and people development, Bill became an owner/partner of a consultancy firm working with companies in UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia, USA, and Australia.
More recently, Bill has focused on the education sector, supporting Multi-Academy Trusts in their strategic development, and coaching senior staff as their trusts have expanded. Bill is currently working with 8 trusts to support their growth and development.
For relaxation, Bill develops apps for the Apple Mac Store and Microsoft Windows Store.

Brian Webster-Henderson OBE
Trustee
Professor Brian Webster-Henderson is the Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Cumbria, where he holds a strategic portfolio that covers learning and teaching, research and knowledge exchange and is the executive lead for equality, diversity and inclusion.
Prior to joining the University of Cumbria in 2018, Brian held a number of senior academic leadership positions throughout the UK, including Edinburgh Napier University, Robert Gordon University Aberdeen and University of Southampton and has been a professor since 2009.
Brian is both a mental health nurse and an adult nurse and has been a registered nurse for 39 years. He has worked in substance misuse community services, as well as inpatient care, specialising in supporting those with alcohol dependency, and leading services in gastroenterology, hepatology and emergency medicine.
Brian has been leading on the creation of the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine, a partnership with Imperial College London, which will open in 2025 as a joint venture, providing a graduate entry medicine programme with a focus on public and community health as well as rural health based in Carlisle, Cumbria.
Brian has an extensive national and international profile and previously held the post of Chair of the Council of Deans of Health UK for 6 years. He has provided evidence to the Health Select Committee and a number of other national and strategic organisations in relation to workforce issues, education and innovative solutions to education, training and skills.
Brian was recognised as a Fellow of the Queens Nursing Institute in 2022 and awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2024 for services to the NHS and education. Brian has served as a governor of University Hospitals Morecambe Bay from 2019 – 2024, a Trustee of the Fells Academy Trust from 2023 – 2024 and was an adjunct Professor at John Hopkins University from 2016 – 2022.
Members
The Members are the founding and/or subsequent members of an academy trust. They have a general duty to exercise their powers to further the academy trust’s charitable purpose. They form part of the academy trust’s governance structure.

Margaret Payne
Founding Member
Born and brought up in Northern Ireland, Margaret read Law at Nottingham University before completing her training as a solicitor in Nottinghamshire and London. She has worked in a high street legal aid firm in London before moving to Carlisle in the 1980s. She established her own practice specialising in crime and mental health law in 1998 and having recently retired from private practice, Margaret now sits as a Fee-Paid Judge specialising in mental health and social entitlement law.
Margaret was a Governor of her daughter’s primary school and then became a Parent Governor when she moved to William Howard School about 16 years ago. When she left for university Margaret stayed on! She has lived through many of the changes in education with the school, and worked with 3 Headteachers in that time. In many ways, joining the Trust Board was a natural progression.
Margaret’s working life brings her into contact with young people who face a range of challenges including difficult family circumstance and mental health issues. That has given her an insight into the many pressures that young people and families face, and the context in which education takes place.
As someone who benefitted from a good state education, Margaret is committed to equality of opportunity for all, so the involvement of the Trust in raising standards and aspirations both at primary and secondary level in Cumbria is a very exciting development in which she feels she is privileged to be involved with.

Nick Polmear
Chair of Members
Nick has been part of CET since its inception, before retiring in 2024. He led the Central Services Team, overseeing Business Operations, Estates, Finance, HR, ICT and Governance. He was also the Safeguarding, Health & Safety and Data Protection Lead.
During this time, Nick was also a governor at William Howard School for nine years and worked closely with the Trust Board, alongside the Chief Executive.
Prior to his move into education, Nick served in the Royal Air Force for 25 years, both in the UK and overseas, including the Falkland Islands and during both Gulf War conflicts. Latterly, following spells at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, he played a lead role in Joint Cyber Security Collaborative Exercises, working in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US.

Debbie Francis OBE
Member

Kevin Phillips
Member
Kevin Phillips has recently retired from William Howard School where he was a teacher for well over 40 years. Kevin would love to give something back and looks forward to being part of the Trust in a different capacity.
Resignations in the last 12 months
- Martin Simpson – 20/01/2025
- Jane Routledge – term of office expired 18/07/2024
- Deborah Shaw – term of office expired 18/07/2024
- Cliff Lewis – 10/06/2024
To view the Meeting Attendance Records and Registers of Interest for the Trust Board, click the button below.