MK Academy Governors
The following information is available on the MK Academy's website. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information and have made it available here for ease of access.
Dr Ann Limb
Higher Education Governor
Dr Ann Limb is a businesswoman and charity entrepreneur who has lived in Milton Keynes since 1986. After a 30 year full-time career in education, including fifteen years as Principal of Cambridge Regional and Milton Keynes Colleges, Ann now undertakes a number of Non Executive Director roles in the private and public sectors, including the position of Chair of Milton Keynes Partnership, the statutory body responsible for the long term growth and expansion of the city.
Lesley King
Vice Chair of Governors, MK Academy and Friend of Edge
Lesley King is a former director of The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, the secondary schools’ network aimed at supporting schools to raise achievement. She has nineteen years’ experience as a secondary school principal in two comprehensive schools and has lived in Milton Keynes, where her two sons were educated, for the last 17 years.
David Young
Chairman of Governors
Mr. David Young Hon FCGI, FCA, is the Chairman of Governors of the 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.