The GDST Academy Trust

Ann Ewing
Trustee and GDST Council Member

Ann is a senior executive leader with broad experience in general management, change management, and strategic HR. She has worked in the commercial and not for profit sectors, specialising since 2010 in education. After completing her PGCE and PhD at Trinity College, Cambridge, she worked as an Assistant Lecturer in the University of London in the early 1980s, later joining BP where she worked in various positions until 2006.

Ann took up the position of Head of Learning and Development at HSBC Bank in 2006, a post she held for four years. She later worked with Ark, the children’s education charity.

Ann currently teaches on postgraduate programmes with the Open University Business School, and is Vice Chair of Council, Royal Holloway College University of London.  She is founding chair of governors at Ark Soane Academy, a start-up secondary school in Acton, west London.

Cheryl Giovannoni
Trustee

Cheryl Giovannoni joined the Girls’ Day School Trust as CEO in 2016. Born and brought up in South Africa, Cheryl’s first career saw her leading some of the world’s largest companies in the advertising and creative industries in the WPP Group. She was CEO of boutique design agency Coley Porter Bell, European President of global brand consulting firm Landor Associates, and UK CEO of advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather London.

Cheryl has spent much of her career supporting women in the workplace, helping them thrive and push the boundaries, often in male dominated industries. Over many years, she has dedicated time to mentoring people from all walks of life, in the GDST family and through the WACL mentoring programme.

She is passionate about the power of education to solve the world’s most intractable problems, and the role women play in creating an equal and better world for all.

Joining GDST – an organisation dedicated to educating girls – was a dream role for Cheryl. As Chief Executive of one of the UK’s largest charities, Cheryl is responsible for 25 schools and nearly 20,000 students across the UK, leading a talented workforce of 4,000 teachers and support staff, all committed to the mission of helping girls learn without limits.

As the GDST turns 150, Cheryl’s ambition is to build on the organisation’s powerful legacy as the global leader in girls’ education, pioneers in and shapers of the future for the next 150 years and beyond.

A yoga devotee and eternal optimist, Cheryl lives in London and has two daughters; one who has recently entered the teaching profession, and the other who has just graduated and is beginning her own journey into the world of work.

Jonathan Davis
Trustee

Jonathan is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA CGMA) and has over 20 years’ experience in senior positions in a wide variety of organisations.

Jonathan joined the GDST in February 2018 as Finance Director and moved to the CFO role in early 2019. Immediately prior to GDST he was Head of Finance at Cancer Research UK, the largest fundraising charity in the UK. He has also worked in substantial commercial organisations such as Cadbury Schweppes, Whitbread and Magners Irish Cider, as well as spending two years as Finance Director in a US-listed engineering business.

Jonathan brings both a commercial and not-for-profit perspective to GDST and believes that collaboration within organisations brings huge operational and financial efficiencies, which will help GDST to continue to improve the learning environment for everyone.

Judy Simons
Trustee

Judy is emerita Professor of English and former Pro Vice Chancellor of De Montfort University, Leicester, where she headed the academic portfolio. During her 30+ year university career she chaired a number of national higher education bodies, including the Council for Deans of Arts & Humanities and the Higher Education Academy Council. She was also a Research Fellow of the University of London.

Passionate about girls’ education and advancing opportunity, Judy is an experienced non-executive director and school governor. For eight years she was on the board of Sheffield Hallam University, was a longstanding trustee of Leicester Arts and was on the board of the government quango Standards for England. She is currently Chair of High Peak Theatre Trust and a Director of Hanover Talent Solutions, a career development company.

Judy has published widely on literary topics. Her most recent book explores her family’s immigrant history and charts their extraordinary journey to the UK over a century ago. She is delighted to be part of the GDST 21st century journey.

Gary Stewart
Trustee

Gary is a chartered Internal Auditor and qualified IT auditor with a wealth of professional experience gained from a variety of roles spanning the public, private and third sectors.  Gary is currently Director of Audit for Scottish Enterprise and previously held audit roles at the Department for Education and a multi academy trust.

Prior to joining the Academy Trust Board, Gary served as a Director on the Institute of Internal Auditors Council and chaired its Audit Committee.  

Gary has been a Trustee of the Academy Trust Board since 2019 and Chairs the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

Rachael Radway
Trustee

Rachael is a public finance qualified accountant (CIPFA) with over 20 years’ senior leadership experience in finance, risk and assurance roles. Rachael has held a number of senior positions with the Health and Safety Executive including Assistant Director of Finance. She is currently Head of Business Assurance responsible for providing advice on all matters risk, control and assurance. Rachael previously held a non-executive Directorship of the Weaver Vale House Trust where she chaired the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.

Rachael joined the Academy Trust Board in March 2022 and is also a valued member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

Sharon Weisemann
Trustee

Sharon is a leader in Technology Risk Consulting and brings a wealth of experience across Risk and Audit having worked at top tier firms like KPMG and EY over the last 20 years. She is currently a Director in Technology Risk Consulting and leads IT Risk Transformation for KPMG UK Sectors clients.  She works with clients with large and complex IT landscapes, to transform their businesses by keeping on top of their on their strategic technology (and security) risk.

Sharon is co-creator and lead of KPMG Consulting’s Thriving Together programme, an initiative that focuses on empowering women to thrive in roles up to Partner level.

Sharon joined the Academy Trust Board in January 2024.

Jill Galvin
Trustee

Jill has extensive experience in learning and education and is currently the Head of Learning & Development for the UK’s largest private pension scheme, based in Liverpool.

Across her career she has held a variety of senior learning consultant roles in both the public and private sectors, across the UK, Europe, USA, Canada and India. Alongside this she has also owned three training consultancy businesses.

Prior to joining the Academy Trust Board, Jill worked in an advisory capacity for various Boards in the UK and Europe within the Finance and Retail sectors.

Jill is Chair of the local governing body at Belvedere Academy and became a Trustee of the Academy Trust Board in October 2023.

Kathy Anstey
Trustee

Kathy has over 40 years of public sector experience at national, local and regional levels.  She is currently Chair of Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS FT.

Kathy has a significant amount of leadership and Board experience. From 2006-11, Kathy was Chief Executive of Wirral Primary Care Trust (PCT). She then spent two years as Chief Executive of Cheshire, Warrington and Wirral PCT Cluster from 2011-13.

Since retiring, Kathy has held non-executive and chairing roles in the NHS, housing and the third sector.  Kathy became a member of the Local Governing Body at Birkenhead High School Academy, which she now chairs, in 2017 and has been a Trustee since 2018.

Georgina Paton
Trustee

Georgina is a chartered accountant with extensive experience of finance and operations roles across both the academy and independent sectors.  Georgina is currently the Head of Finance for the National Foundation for Education Research, a charity that is the leading independent provider of education research and insights. 

 Georgina was a member of the governing board at a state secondary school in Oxfordshire where she was chair of the Finance Committee.  Georgina joined the Academy Trust Board in early 2024 and is also a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.

Victoria Walshaw
Trustee

Victoria is an engineer with professional experience gained in the oil and petrochemical industry as well as in the public sector. Her current position at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero enables her passion for energy and the role it can play in delivering a sustainable society for all.

Victoria is an experienced mentor and advocate for the STEM subjects and empowering female candidates to pursue them. Victoria is a former pupil of Birkenhead High School Academy and joined the Academy Trust Board in January 2024. 

Sarah Nardone
Trustee

Sarah is an experienced Children’s Services Senior Leader who started her career as a social worker for Nottinghamshire County Council.  Across her career, Sarah has gained extensive experience as a practitioner and leader and she is currently a member of the Children’s Services Senior Leadership Team for Lincolnshire County Council. 

 Sarah joined the Academy Trust Board in January 2024 as its Safeguarding Trustee.