Our Team
Paul Jones
Chair of The Trust Board
Paul has developed a skill for business improvement, managing change and growth. He is highly experienced, commercially aware and an adaptable executive, with a proven track record in delivering success over the past 25 years. As a result of his efforts to improve the performance of companies, Paul was shortlisted for the Director of the Year Award by the Institute of Directors. He began his career as a qualified engineer before gaining substantial Managing Director and CEO experience in the aerospace, property, construction, automotive and defence industries.
Brendan Loughran
Chief Executive Officer
Brendan has worked in education for 35 years as a teacher, senior leader, Headteacher of a Community School, Academy Principal, CEO of a SAT and Executive Principal of a cluster of academies. He has wide experience of leading entrepreneurial community focused schools and through this, securing improved outcomes and improved Ofsted judgements. Brendan brings a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience to Great Academies Education Trust where he has been involved with the principals in developing their school improvement strategies, and supporting them to meet the challenge of the pandemic on education provision.
Lucy Bowman
Director of Finance and Estates
As a qualified accountant Lucy spent six years at Deloitte working in the public sector advisory team, supporting clients including Multi Academy Trusts, the Department of Education as well as other central government departments. In 2018 Lucy left Deloitte to join a Multi Academy Trust in London and worked as their Chief Operating Officer where she oversaw, amongst other things, the transformation of the financial model at a special secondary school and the transfer of a 14-19 alternative provision into the Trust.
Alys Finch
Director of Education
Alys has worked across the education sector for the past 20 years, with senior and executive leadership roles at local, regional, and national levels. Starting her career as a Secondary English and Drama specialist, Alys has worked and led cross-phase for most of her career, including as a middle and senior leader in Secondary schools, Teach First’s National Secondary English Lead, Executive Primary Head Teacher, and Senior Education Lead in a MAT Executive Team. Alys brings her experience as a teacher, coach and leader to GAET: it is through this that she has secured excellent outcomes for children, staff and communities, including securing excellent Ofsted outcomes in Primary, Secondary and ITT, successful accreditation bids, and significant pupil achievement. Alys is also a published author on assessment in schools, a certified coach, and a Founding Fellow of the OLEVI Professional Alliance for Learning (OPAL).
