Our Trustees

• Date of Appointment: 10/12/2020 appointed by the Members
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2024/2025: [5/6]

Member of the Finance and Audit CommitteeRajesh is a former student of Upton Court Grammar School.  After leaving, Rajesh studied for degrees in Politics, Economics and Law, culminating in being called to the Bar. His experience spans the fields of manufacturing, business, technology and law at a senior level.Rajesh credits the high quality and inspirational teaching and guidance he received at Upton Court Grammar School for much of what he has achieved and for enhancing the quality of his daily life. 

• Date of Appointment: 10/12/2020 appointed by the Members
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2024/2025: [6/6]
• Committee Membership: Pay & Conditions Committee

Mark has been on the Pioneer Trust Board of Trustees since 2016 and Chair since 2020. Previously, he was a Parent Governor at Trevelyan Middle School from 2011 to 2023 and Chair from 2015 to 2021, overseeing Trevelyan’s academisation and its transition into the Pioneer family of schools in 2016.

As a long-term school governor, Mark has undertaken many governance-specific courses, including the Chairs of Governors’ Leadership Development Programme from the National College of Teaching & Leadership, the DfE/Entrust Governance Leadership Programme, and the Ambition Institute’s Governance Leadership Programme. He is currently completing a part-time MBA at Imperial College London.

Mark has additionally served as a co-opted governor at a Maidenhead school, having been approached by RBWM to help model good governance, and is currently co-opted to the RBWM People Overview and Scrutiny Panel as a borough education governance representative.

Since completing his PhD in Mathematics, Mark has worked in mathematical modelling and computing across the full value chain — from hardware and software product definition, to leading research and development teams, to driving business development.

Mark has lived in Windsor since 1997 and has three children who have enjoyed happy and rewarding journeys through Trevelyan Middle School.

• Date of Appointment: 06/02/2023 appointed by the Members
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2024/2025: [6/6]

Lucy Hegarty has been a Trustee since 2019. She currently works in Human Resources, with the last 10 years spent managing graduate and apprentice recruitment for Vodafone, Virgin Media and now GSK. This current role leads to a particular interest in developing young people’s employability skills and understanding of future career opportunities. Lucy also holds a Board Director role with the Institute of Student Employers..

• Date of Appointment: 01/09/2022 appointed by the Members
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2024/2025: [6/6]

Mercedes Hernández Estrada is the Head of the British Council School in Madrid. Previously she worked in education in the UK for almost thirty years.Born and educated in Spain she developed an interest in Languages and she completed a BA in Modern Foreign Languages and an MA in Anglo Germanic Philology at the University of Oviedo in northern Spain. She moved to the UK in the late 80s and worked in schools in the South of England since.She was a Lead Practitioner for Curriculum Design and Leadership for three years working with schools and Local Authorities in the South of England, from Plymouth to Kent.She joined Slough Grammar School in 2010  overseeing a period of growth at the school and the establishment of the Pioneer Educational Trust.She was a National Leader in Education and, in that capacity, she worked with Governing Bodies and Heads to design school improvement programmes.

• Date of Appointment: 20/07/2020 appointed by the Members
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2024/2025: [5/6]

Shirin has over fourteen years of experience in data and platform strategy, with a focus on ensuring information serves as a strategic asset. A technology enthusiast, she has built data and platform enablement functions from the ground up, improving return on technology investment and delivering cross-functional transformation that strengthens analytics capabilities and business outcomes.

Shirin currently works in the Technology team at Hg, a leading European and transatlantic technology investor, where she is responsible for platform strategy, architecture, adoption and governance across enterprise systems, CRM and market data. She has led selection, enablement and governance across complex, multi-stakeholder environments, connecting the technology ecosystem through change management, automation and AI-driven workflows. She has contributed to industry thought leadership through panels, published case studies and programme ambassadorships.

Shirin is passionate about education and has been a Board Member at Pioneer Educational Trust since 2020 and is a member of its Diversity, Equality and Inclusion committee. She started her career in education, teaching English and delivering Cambridge University Press courses. She has a keen interest in the wellbeing of women and children and empowerment through education.

Shirin holds an MBA in Marketing (First Class) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Distinction) from the University of Calicut, and completed the Oxford Finance Executive Series for Fintech Executives: Fintech Entrepreneur programme at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, covering AI, Fintech, Blockchain Strategy, Open Banking, and Digital Disruption and Platforms.

• Date of Appointment: 10/12/2020 appointed by the Members
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2024/2025: [6/6]

Mr Yanambakkam holds a Bachelor’s in Engineering, a Master’s in Business Administration and a Leadership qualification from a prestigious Henley Business School in the United Kingdom. Having travelled extensively throughout his career, he has a deeper understanding of various cultures, business processes and practices across the globe.Mr Yanambakkam is currently the Chair of Governors at Foxborough Primary School and the Chair of School Governors at the TLC Nursery Federation (Chalvey Nursery School & Slough Centre Nursery School). He has been voluntarily supporting multiple social causes through direct/indirect involvement with social concerns. He is married with two young daughters.

• Date of Appointment: 12/10/2023 appointed by the Board
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2024/2025: [5/6]

Jo is currently the Director of Education for Liberty Academy Trust. Jo has worked in the field of autism for over 20 years. Her roles have included Principal, Executive Principal, Head of Educational Standards. She was proud to be part of the pre-opening education teams for 3 specialist free schools.She has significant experience in school improvement and carrying out quality assurance reviews. She enjoys working collaboratively alongside school teams to support them to continually raise standards. She has been in SEND education for over 25 years and has worked with many partner schools supporting them through outreach, training and consultancy. She is an experienced educational leader with proven ability to lead specialist day schools, residential schools and children’s homes. And has experience as Responsible Individual of large Children’s home.She has a Master’s degree in Special Educational Needs and has completed the National Professional Qualification for Headship. She is currently completing her National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership.

• Date of Appointment: 22/03/2024 appointed by the Board
• Terms of office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2024/2025: [5/6]

Steve is Deputy CEO of Learn Academies Trust in Leicestershire. Previously he has held leadership positions in six schools across Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. Steve has a BA in English and completed a Primary PGCE, going on to teach in the East Midlands. As Headteacher at Church Langton, he successfully led an application for Teaching School Status. He went on to lead the Associate Research School for the region and the successful application for the Trust to become an Associate College with the National Institute of Teaching Steve completed his Masters in Educational Leadership in 2021, has served on the Board of Education for Leicestershire County Council and Leicester Diocese. 

• Date of Appointment: 06/10/2025 appointed by the Members
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2025/2026: [0/0]

Paul is a qualified accountant and experienced CFO with 35 years of financial experience with Johnson and Johnson, and most recently, Centrica. He joins the trust with significant operational experience in local, regional and global roles and has previously lived and worked in the USA and South Africa, delivering finance and business transformations.  Paul has also held a previous trustee role of a large company pension scheme and is a former student of Desborough.

• Date of Appointment; 06/10/2025 appointed by the Board
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2025/2026 [0/0]

With more than a decade of experience as a senior leader and qualified teacher, Katie has dedicated her career to driving educational equity and championing social justice. She has led the design and delivery of teacher training programmes at both Ambition Institute and Teach First, shaping high-quality content and learning experiences for new educators. She has supported trainee teachers at every stage of their development, offering guidance and mentoring to help them succeed in the classroom. Katie has also built strong partnerships with schools and universities, working closely with national organisations to improve training and support across the sector. She brings deep knowledge of curriculum development, quality assurance and continuous improvement, alongside first-hand experience of Ofsted inspection and governance. As a previous Chair of Governors, Katie has seen the difference that strong leadership and collaboration can make for vulnerable learners. She is excited to join Pioneer as a trustee, where she hopes to use her expertise and passion for inclusive education to help shape opportunities for pupils and educators alike.

• Date of Appointment: 06/10/2025 appointed by the Board
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2025/2026: [0/0]

Reza Schwitzer is a strategic leader with deep expertise in education policy, communications and government affairs. With a strong foundation from years in the civil service and consultancy, he brings a rare blend of policy depth and media-savvy engagement. His leadership at AQA - the UK’s largest provider of GCSEs and A levels - demonstrates a clear focus on influencing policy to improve educational outcomes, and his published work shows clarity of thought, persuasive writing, and a commitment to meaningful reform. He’s particularly skilled at framing complex issues accessibly - especially for ministerial and public audiences - and brings a thoughtful, pragmatic voice to public discourse.

• Date of Appointment: 06/10/2025 appointed by the Board
• Term of Office: 4 years
• Trust Meetings Attendance 2025/2026: [0/0]

Sandeep is a Partner of BSO Multinational at BDO UK LLP, where he leads large international projects covering global statutory compliance, accounting, tax and payroll across multiple sectors. With over ten years’ experience in the audit profession, he holds Fellowship status with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and a Global MBA from Oxford Brookes University Business School.

He serves as BDO’s global relationship lead, working with member firms in 167 countries and trusted third-party providers to strengthen governance, build strategic relationships and manage risk. Sandeep is also part of the Firm’s Indian Advisory Service Team and is the Global Outsourcing stream leader, supporting cross-border business opportunities between the UK and India.

Alongside his professional work, he is committed to rural development and education in South India, and is the founder trustee and treasurer of a Vedic Ashram established in 2005.