Members and Trustees
Meet our Board
Our board is made up of a wide range of highly experienced professionals who bring challenge and support to the organisation. The board meets regularly with Headteachers and senior leaders from the Trust.
MEMBERS
Glenn Mascord
Glenn was a teacher for twenty three years and a school improvement officer and educational consultant for a further fifteen. He has worked in both primary and secondary schools from Early Years to sixth form and in Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Blackpool. As well as school improvement, he has extensive experience as an examiner, course provider, adviser to the Department for Education, and writer of articles and teaching materials. He has a particular interest in English and literacy and is currently working part-time and independently to advise and support schools
Michelle Morris
Michelle Morris is Chief Executive of The Nicky Alliance and a former governor of Higher Lane Primary School. Michelle is a Trustee on the Board of the Grand Theatre in Blackpool. Michelle was Councillor for Pilkington Park Ward from 2003-2016 and was Mayor of Bury 2014-2015. Michelle brings with her a wealth of knowledge having worked in the public, private and third sectors.
Geoff Toon
Geoff started his career as a computer programmer and progressed through writing, designing and then managing ever-larger systems. He then moved into Management Consultancy with the big accountancy firms, where he ended up as Regional Director for two of them, before becoming an independent consultant. Geoff now specialises in IT Strategy, Selection and Implementation, as well as Business Strategy, Corporate Planning, Business Continuity, and Quality procedures. His clients have included a maverick entrepreneur and major Trades Union. For many years he was on the Manchester Branch Committee, and Regional Membership Panel, of the British Computer Society, of which he is a Fellow. Geoff has been a director of a small, now-merged, junior school in Rochdale, and was chair of the Guild of Parents of BGS(Girls). Geoff has three children, all dyslexic, but they all got good degrees, and one now works providing support workers to FE and HE students with special needs. His interests include walking and archaeology.
Dr Bratati Bose-Haider
Dr Bose-Haider has been a pivotal healthcare figure in Whitefield, Manchester for 36 years. She is currently Locum Consultant Paediatrician and Safeguarding Doctor at Fairfield General Hospital with past roles as Consultant Paediatrician and Clinical Director. A Senior Examiner at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Dr Bose-Haider actively contributes to medical education and research, evident in her lectures and publications. Her leisure activities include walking, gardening and family time. Her membership of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society indicates her love of reading and continuous learning. Dr Bose-Haider is a Trustee of the Bury Postgraduate Medical Trust Fund, supporting medical education and community health initiatives.
Dr Bose-Haider's career and personal interests reflect a life dedicated to the service of others, particularly to the youngest and most vulnerable members of society.
TRUSTEES
Carol McLachlan, NLE, Headteacher/CEO
Carol McLachlan has been a Headteacher for over twenty years. Higher Lane is her third headship where she joined in 2014 after previous headships in Rochdale and Bury. She has also worked in the School Improvement Service supporting and providing challenge to primary schools. Her work with school improvement included developing school leadership. Carol is committed to ensuring that all children have the best possible start to their educational career and believes that all children regardless of their background can achieve great and wonderful things.
Laurence Goldberg (Chair)
Laurence Goldberg is a former hospital pharmacist and part-time academic. He now works as an independent pharmaceutical consultant specialising in patient safety and medication error reduction. He is Editorial Consultant for Hospital Pharmacy Europe. He is a former Non- Executive Director of the National Patient Safety Agency.
He was designated a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in 1989 and has won several awards for his work in pharmacy. He has been an invited speaker at many national and international conferences and has over 50 scientific papers to his name, many of them as sole author.
He was a governor and latterly Chair of Governors at Bury Grammar Schools and is currently a governor at Radcliffe Hall CE/Methodist Primary School.
Darryl Lester
Previously chair of governors of Higher Lane Primary school, Darryl has been involved in school governance for over 10 years. Darryl is able to draw on over 20 years of experience working in education policy and delivery for local and central government during which time he have developed skills in leadership and management, procurement, budget management, data analysis and programme delivery. He is keen to ensure there are high quality staff at all levels that create the right environment for children to flourish in our schools.
Sonja Butterworth (Vice Chair of Trustees and Chair of HR and Standards Committee)
Sonja is an independent consultant with a background in school improvement. Sonja has over 15 years experience in Primary education. Having worked a variety of school settings from inner city schools to small village communities, in both maintained and academy trusts, including schools in the independent sector. Outcomes for children are at the heart of Sonja’s beliefs and her strong moral purpose means that there is always a drive for excellence, particularly in schools where disadvantage is prevalent. As well as being a Trustee of the Vision Multi Academy Trust, Sonja is also a Governor at The Bury Grammar School and chairs the Academic Committee.
Graham Fairclough (Chair of Finance, Audit, Risk and Resources Committee)
Graham is a fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants and ACCA. He trained with PwC in London, mostly working on audit of financial institutions, but also with work in litigation and the hospitality industry.
He has worked in the training industry since the 1990s in various management roles in London, Prague and Amsterdam. He was the lead consultant to the Singapore government for the redesign of the Singapore accountancy qualification. He is a life long learner - currently studying for an MSc in Epidemiology with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Graham comes from a family of factory workers and was the first member of his family to go to university. He attributes this largely to some outstanding primary school teachers. His job within Vision MAT is to help ensure that the finances and risk management of the Trust are sound, so that schools can go about their vital work of helping children achieve their full potential and grow into happy, kind adults.
Mark Barnes-Moran
Mark Barnes-Moran has a varied background within education, spanning more than a decade, ranging from supporting teaching and learning, teaching, union representation and his current role as school business manager. He has been in this role since 2017 and brings with him a wealth of knowledge, expertise and skill having worked in a variety of settings both within the public and private sector. Mark has a particular interest in the strategic leadership of schools, particularly in the areas of finance and HR.
Neil Manfred
Neil has worked for General Physics UK Ltd for over 20 years starting as a Network Administrator and, through many promotions, was promoted to their Senior Director of Global IT Operations. He has just taken on a new role as Group IT Director, of Airswift a Global recruitment company in the Energy sector, this is a higher strategic level position at a 1 Billion $ organisation, and sits on the overall Operations Board for the organisation. This role brings a range of strategic and operational challenges and means that Neil has direct reports based in various countries all over the world. His clients are varied covering both the public and private sectors, including the UK and US military. Neil is frequently involved in preparing new tenders as well as visiting clients and his team abroad. Whilst he is an IT specialist, much of his work involves general strategic management / Leadership and he also gets involved in many large scale procurement projects and thus he spoke confidently about reviewing financial papers, Neil is currently engaged with the Institute of Directors and has Passed two exams to date, to give qualifications in company directorship. Neil is hoping to apply some of this learning to a role with an academy trust. In time, he hopes to develop a small portfolio of roles (some paid and some voluntary (he is fully aware that roles with academy trusts are pro bono)). Neil’s interests lie in extreme sports including sailing, parascending and paragliding as well as his first love, rock climbing. Neil lives in Stockport.
Jackie Harland
Jackie has worked in Primary Education for 30 years. Having started her career working in Inner London she has worked in a range of challenging schools in London, Sydney, Bury and more recently Rochdale. She has been head of a large primary school in Rochdale since 2009, is a Local Leader of Education and chair of the PiraMidd collaborative of schools. She has a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills in strategic school leadership and is committed to ensuring that children attending Vision schools are provided with the high quality opportunities required to ensure that they thrive and reach their potential.
Sue Colbeck
Sue Colbeck is Chief Procurement Officer for Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board and North West Regional Coordinator for Health Care Supplies Association. Sue has over 25 years experience within Procurement and Supply Chain Management and has a wealth of commercial knowledge across both private and public sectors. Having grown up in the Bury area, Sue is keen to share her knowledge and support Vision in becoming a leading MAT.
Allen Hall
With over 17 years of teaching experience, including more than a decade as a senior leader in diverse educational settings, Allen is currently the Assistant Director of Education for a growing Multi-Academy Trust. Allen has successfully led initiatives in leadership and management, teaching and learning, curriculum development, and behaviour standards. His expertise lies in driving school improvement through strategic planning and system optimisation.
Committed to putting mission and values into practice, Allen fosters an evidence-based learning culture, promotes a strong team ethos, and cultivates a climate conducive to innovation and creativity. His leadership skills have been instrumental in implementing effective strategies that enhance educational outcomes. Allen’s dedication to continuous improvement and professional development has created an environment where both students and staff can thrive and realise their full potential.
Diversity
The Governors/Trustees of Vision Multi-Academy Trust believe it is important that Governing Boards/Trust Boards reflect the diversity of the school communities they serve. Diverse Boards promote inclusive school environments and provide diverse role models for staff and young people. Vision MAT has a diverse Board and a wide range of perspectives around the table to support robust decision making. At the present time, we do not publish this diversity data online, as individual Governors/Trustees could be identified, and we have a legal obligation to protect their personal data.
