Governance

Ruth Stone

Ruth Stone has been Chief Executive of Community Action: MK for the last twelve years. Community Action provides information, advice and training to more than 1200 voluntary and community groups in Milton Keynes.

Ruth is currently a member of the MK Higher Education Strategic Board, the newly formed Business Council and the Economic Development Forum, the Children and Families Partnership and the Local Infrastructure Partnership for Voluntary and Community Groups amongst others. She has lived and worked in Milton Keynes for 28 years.

David Young

Chairman of Governors

Mr. David Young Hon FCGI, FCA, is the Chairman of Governors of The Milton Keynes Academy. He is also non-executive director of:

• Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Ltd
• Flagstone Syndicate Management Ltd

Since 1993 he has been non-executive chairman or director of a number of companies, including Asprey & Garrard, Groupama Insurance, Wates City of London Properties, North Herts NHS Trust, Nomura Bank International and Capita Syndicate Management. In addition he was a Trustee of City & Guilds of London Institute and Chairman from 1999 to 2006.Until 1993, he was a practising Chartered Accountant based in London albeit travelling on firm or client business to many parts of the world.

Brian Rabe

Co-opted Community Governor

Kevin Wilson

Local Authority Governor

Cllr Kevin Wilson is Milton Keynes Councils representative on the governing body. He is Chair of Woughton Parish Council and has been an elected local representative for over 30 years.

Uthel Laurent

Parent Governor

Mrs. Uthel Laurent (CE) (BSc) (PGCE) (MRes) is currently a full time PhD student in Educational Research. She has been in the teaching profession from 1990, taking breaks in between to complete her studies. She is a parent of two teenagers, both currently students at the Academy.

Nicolas Heslop

Trustee and Public Affairs Manager, Edge

Nicolas Heslop is Public Affairs Manager at Edge, joining the Foundation in February 2006. He was previously Public Affairs Manager at SEMTA (Science, Engineering, Manufacturing Technologies Alliance), a Sector Skills Council. He was a special adviser to the then education secretary, Baroness Shephard between1995 and 1997 and also has experience of working in the House of Commons.

Dr Philip H Smith

Governor from the business community

Dr Smith is a former senior executive of a number of multi-national businesses, including major food retailer Asda Group Plc (now part of the Wal-Mart group) and National Power Plc, the UK’s largest electricity generating company.

A qualified accountant, Dr Smith has since retiring from National Power ten years ago, built a portfolio of non-executive director positions primarily in the renewable energy sector.

He is currently chairman of waste to energy company, Intercontinental Utilities Group Plc, tidal power company, Pulse Group Holdings Ltd, and the UK's Landfill Community Fund regulator (Entrust). He is also a director/stakeholder of other renewable energy businesses in the UK and overseas.

Dr Smith is retained as a mentor by LIFIC renewable technology incubator centre in Sheffield and was until recently the "Business Champion" of the Milton Keynes Enterprise Hub for start up businesses -- he is now a board member of the succeeding area Innovation and Growth Team.

A former chairman of Leicester City Football Club, Dr Smith is Pro Chancellor of De Montfort University in Leicester and a board member of the MK Higher Education Strategic Development Board. Dr. Smith has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration for "outstanding service to the University over nine years".

He is also a key business figure in the development of the City of Milton Keynes, where he is a non executive director of the NHS Hospital Trust, chairman of the MK Business Leaders Partnership and a member of the MK Economic and Learning Partnership board. He has also recently been elected to the Bucks and MK Young Enterprise.

Dr Smith was until recently chairman of the Milton Keynes Branch of the Institute of Directors.

Diane Taylor

Data and Management Information System Manager

Diane is the Data and Management Information System Manager for the school. She looks after and oversees all Student and Staff Data, including analysis of all data for SLT and Governors. She is also responsible for Support Staff Training. Diane has been working with our students for seven years and she has seen her own daughter through the education system

Rachel Kellett

Edge Governor

As a chartered accountant I worked for Deloitte and Touche, for a Finnish paper company and for Edexcel before joining Edge. I am responsible for all its financial, IT, personnel and legal matters. I joined Edge in search of a new challenge and love the range of opportunities and ideas that have been developed to influence the education system.