The Executive Officers and Trust Office Team
Download the organogram of the Executive Team Structure here.
Hazell Ball
Safeguarding & Wellbeing Manager
Previously employed with the Metropolitan Police Service in a career spanning 34 years, during which time Hazell gained professional HR qualifications: Fellow member of the Institute of Personnel and Development. Hazell held responsibility for managing both the HR and Training functions across a variety of large police departments and operational units at both organisational and national level. Following this period of service, Hazell worked with families and children, as the Family Liaison Officer in a large primary school, where she gained further qualifications in counselling children. Hazell then moved to The Education People, Education Safeguarding Service to deliver safeguarding training in schools across Kent, Designated Safeguarding Lead Training to DSLs, and managed safeguarding Ofsted complaints on behalf of the local authority. Currently, Hazell is Safeguarding and Wellbeing Manager within KCSP and has responsibility for the coordination of safeguarding activities across the Trust; reporting to the Trust Board of Directors and supporting leaders across the Trust in demonstrating our commitment to wellbeing.
Joanne Burford
School Improvement Adviser
Former Headteacher of a Catholic primary school in Medway, Joanne is also Catholic Life mentor to the Trust's non-Catholic leaders.
Rachel Bushell
Policy & Projects Manager
Rachel is a former pupil of two KCSP schools: St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Primary and St Gregory’s Catholic Secondary. Rachel worked for the Department for Education (DfE) for over ten years in a variety of roles from policy making to project & programme management. She works closely with academy leaders, so that academies can be reassured about policy compliance and reduce valuable time previously given over to policy production and review. Rachel also supports academies with safeguarding, HR matters and other cross-cutting projects.
Catherine Fearn
Executive Assistant to the CEO & Central Team
Catherine joined the Trust in November 2018 having worked as a Personal Assistant at Board level for over 13 years. Catherine worked for Time Inc. (UK) Limited, the UK’s largest magazine publisher, for a number of years as Personal Assistant to the Managing Director of Advertising; prior to this Catherine was Personal Assistant to the Finance Director of the British Museum and she also spent a number of years in a senior operational role at The London Dungeon.
Catherine is currently EA to the CEO and Central Team; she is passionate about ensuring the efficient & effective organisation of the Trust and its team.
Sarah Flight
CPD Coordinator
Sarah joined the trust in May 2020 after relocating to Kent in November 2019. Before joining the Trust, Sarah worked for a leading Teaching School and academy trust in the Midlands. In her role as Teaching School Manager Sarah took responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Teaching School, including overseeing the delivery of CPD and large scale conference and events. Prior to this, Sarah worked for the National College of Teaching and Leadership where she managed a number of leadership development programmes before joining the Teaching School team.
Sarah is passionate about ensuring all school staff are able to work to the best of their abilities and strongly believes that this can be achieved by providing outstanding CPD that is accessible for all staff.
Mark Harris
Chief Financial & Operations Officer
Mark joined the Trust in September 2013. Beginning his career with British Coal, where he qualified as an Accountant, and was finance lead on a £500M project to sink the last deep mine in the UK. Moving into the education sector, Mark spent a number of years at Further Education establishments, leading on College new builds and re-location projects before moving to Northamptonshire County Council to work on school support services and Academy transition. Prior to joining the Trust, Mark was Finance Director with an Academy sponsor on the South Coast. Having worked in the Academy sector for over 10 years, from both a local Authority and a Sponsor perspective, Mark is an avid supporter of the advantages that Academy status can bring to schools. Mark was appointed a Fellow of the ICMA.
Julia Gemmell
Finance and HR Officer
Julia joined the Trust's Finance and HR Team in June 2024, having previously held the role of School Business Manager at Our Lady of Hartley Catholic Primary School for 20 years.
Emma Johnston
Financial Accountant – School Support
Emma joined the trust in September 2017 having worked for Kent County Council in a variety of finance roles for 16 years. Whilst at KCC her work included providing finance support to Kent and Medway schools as well as working as part of a project team to support academy transfers. Whilst at KCC she studied for and successfully gained her Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) & Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualifications. Since joining the trust she provides finance support to all our schools and assists with preparing the annual trust accounts.
Emma Jones
Governance Administrator
Emma began her career within the banking industry, holding various roles in Customer Service, complaints handling, and resource & planning. Emma then moved to Italy where she taught English to students from the age of 8 up to 92 years of age! After returning to the UK, Emma worked remotely as an Account Manager for a coffee vending company, Coffee Nation, who were later acquired by Costa. During Emma’s 11 years with Costa Express she worked in several roles within Operations and Sales, leading many projects and Managing a team of National Account Executives. In 2019, Emma left the corporate world to join the family business as a Company Director, and was responsible for the accounts and all administration for the business.
An opportunity then came to join KCSP in October 2022, with the Governance Administrator role giving Emma the opportunity to use her wide-range of work skills, whilst still offering an excellent work-life balance for her and her young family.
Anouska May
Finance & HR Manager
Sarah McBennett
Executive Director of Education (Primary)
Sarah graduated with a B.Ed. Hons degree from St Mary’s College, Belfast in 1988. She was Headteacher of Our Lady of Victories Catholic Primary School, Kensington, London, where she led the school for almost 9 years taking it from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’ both in respect of Ofsted s5 inspection and s48 inspection of Religious Education. As a committed, practising Catholic, Sarah brings a wealth of teaching and leadership experience and expertise. Sarah held leadership positions in several Catholic primary schools in Kent as well as spending 7 years in senior positions overseas before taking up her headship in London. She has also experience of Executive Headship.
Sarah is passionate about enabling all children to reach their full potential and firmly believes that having the highest aspirations for all, regardless of their starting points, is paramount to achieving better outcomes for all pupils.
Maria Meehan
Data Manager
Sarah Ottembrajt
Governance Officer
Sarah joined the Trust Governance team in summer 2023, having previously held the role of Area Business Manager (ABM) for two of the Trust's primary schools and is a member of St Thomas More Parish, West Malling. Sarah has ten years experience of working within Administration for the Trust, having also gained a number of years of experience as a Parent and Staff Governor prior to her ABM role.
Eloise Pender
Apprentice - Finance & HR Assistant
Charlotte Robinson
Executive Director of Governance & Company Secretary
Charlotte began her career in teaching following completion of a degree in Education Studies at the University of Greenwich. With a passion for the advancement of young people Charlotte worked within maintained Medway Schools and then moved to the SEN Independant sector. Over a period of 14 years Charlotte moved outside of the classroom but remaining within education, utilising skills in leadership and management and managing the operations of a LTD company, with a sole aim to raise funds for charitable purposes in education. Following a path into Governance, Charlotte gained Affiliated status with the Chartered Governance institute (CGI) and joined KCSP as the Executive Director of Governance and Company Secretary in 2022.
Charlotte has enjoyed supporting other charitable organisations such as St John's Ambulance and Age Uk Faversham and Sittingbourne as a Trustee and has recently joined the Catechist team at her local parish to support young people with their Holy Communion journey.
Trish Shingles
Governance Officer
Trish joined KCSP in 2021; beginning her journey with the Trust as a governance clerk, this gave Trish invaluable experience which today enables her to effectively and knowledgably support KCSP's team of Clerks in her current role as Governance Officer. Trish is proud to work in a role which supports schools in providing an excellent education for all children.
Lucie Turner
CPD and SCITT Lead
Mike Walters
Executive Director of Education (Secondary)
Mike has spent his whole teaching career in Kent after graduating in History from the University of Leicester. He has worked in Kent Catholic secondary schools since 2007. He has been a Headteacher for eight years and Executive Principal for five years of KCSP secondary schools. Mike has been an Ofsted inspector, has worked on secondment to the local authority and has been Chair of the Kent Association of Headteachers. He has served on the Management Committee of two PRUs and is Chair of the Board of LLSE, a national NPQ provider. Mike is married and has two children.
Annemarie Whittle
CEO
Annemarie began her career in publishing following a History degree at London University. Later, Annemarie took a PGCE at the Institute of Education and became a Primary teacher in London and then moved to Kent. Annemarie had been a Catholic Headteacher for over 18 years and was an Executive Headteacher within KCSP from 2018 - 2021. Throughout her teaching career, Annemarie has been fortunate to carry out a number of roles including an acting Local Education Officer, Executive and Associate Headteacher supporting Catholic schools in Kent, a coach and mentor, and External Headteacher examiner for Christchurch.
Annemarie is married with three adult children and lives in Kent.
Chris Wright
Primary Lead Expert
Headteacher of a successful two-form entry Catholic primary school within the Trust, Chris then moved to take up the position of Executive Headteacher of a cluster of 3 primary schools. Chris has over a decade of experience in senior leadership positions in the primary sector.