Governance

Dr Claire Barnes is a Chartered Organisational Psychologist whose first degree was in English Literature at King’s College, University of London (1984). She worked subsequently in the advertising and media industry before completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology at London Metropolitan University (2007), an MSc in Organisational and Occupational Psychology at City University (2010) and a Professional Doctorate at Kingston Business School (2019). She is married with two grown up children and practises as a psychologist in businesses and other types of organisation.

Jo Israel started her career as a Secondary School RE teacher before moving into the Civil Service. She spent 16 years at the Department for Education, and now works at the Department for Business and Trade, as a Senior Civil Servant in the Office for the Pay Review Bodies, where she leads on Teacher and Judicial pay. Jo holds an MA Cantab, PGCE and MEd from the University of Cambridge. Jo has over a decade of school governance experience across two different schools (one primary, one secondary). Jo lives locally with her husband and their two sons, who attend local state schools. 

Claire MacGloin is a senior contracts and procurement professional with extensive experience leading commercial strategy, supplier management and governance in regulated sectors. She has a strong connection with the academy as a parent and active supporter of the school aims. Claire is motivated to become a governor to contribute her expertise in risk, finance and value for money, support OF strong leadership and TO help ensure all students benefit from a safe, ambitious and inclusive learning environment.

Rachael is studying law at City University. Previously, Rachael was a Venture Partner at Purposeful Ventures and a Senior Manager at Bain & Company, a strategic consultancy. Rachael has an MBA from INSEAD and a degree in physics from Oxford University.

Dr Simon Radford works for Ark as a Venture Partner, helping Ark's non-profit ventures grow and have greater impact. This builds on a professional career that has spanned across strategy consulting, venture capital investment advisory, and innovation consulting and venture building. Simon got his PhD from the University of Southern California, where he also received awards for teaching. He has a BA/MA from Peterhouse, Cambridge and a Masters of Public Administration from Brown University. He has been a Governor of Stanmore College and a committee member of the Barnet Society.

Alistair is a senior leader in AI and life sciences, most recently heading the life sciences practice at Faculty Science Limited, an Applied AI firm acquired by Accenture. His career spans leadership roles at several global pharmaceutical companies and he holds an MBA from London Business School. Alistair is a parent at Ark Pioneer and is deeply invested in their education and wider school community. He is keen to apply his strategic and commercial experience to support the school's ambitions for every student. 

Emma is currently undertaking a teaching and research Fellowship at the London School of Economics and Political Science after completing her doctorate in 2022. She teaches predominantly on LSEs flagship interdisciplinary course for all undergraduate students, LSE100. Emma also has fifteen years of experience teaching geography in secondary schools in London where she has developed a specific interest in evidence-based pedagogical practice. She undertook several different roles during her time as a teacher, including Assistant Head of Sixth Form and Head of Research. She is very keen to translate her experience in schools within a governor role.