Governance

Mike is an experienced finance professional with nearly 14 years of working experience in the banking and charity sectors. He currently works at Family Office as their Chief Financial Officer. The Family has deep interest in funding organisations in the education sector and through their passion Mike has developed an interest in education as well. Moreover, his experience at Alpha has given him an ongoing desire to devote his personal time to charitable causes. He hopes he can bring a fresh perspective to the Board of Governors, having grown up in Hong Kong and taught Chinese values since he was a child and then educated in the US for university.

Aurore trained at Harvard Business School and worked in strategic consulting and international investment for fifteen years before starting a new career in children’s mental health. She is currently working in schools and studying children’s mental health at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Aurore strongly believes in giving all children access to a good education and allow them to fulfil their potential. She lives in London with her husband and three children.

Tom has been a solicitor for 15 years and for the last four a banker with UBS. He studied geography at Trinity College, Cambridge. During his working life he has acted as a mentor and coordinated mentoring schemes for school children in East London and has benefitted from reverse mentoring through these schemes. Tom has a focus on quality of education, the cultural DNA of organisations, how opportunities can be made more widely accessible and aspirations raised. He has three children, the oldest of whom is an Ark pupil.

Courtney Gainer is passionate about the education sector, having served as both a management consultant to and an executive within schools and universities. Courtney started off her career as a consultant at EY-Parthenon, where she spent eight years working with global education providers and investors. Courtney joined Hult International Business School in 2016 and is currently Senior Director of Operations, running the non-academic side of the London undergraduate campus. During the 2012/13 academic year, Courtney was seconded to Ark Schools and collaborated with teachers to pilot various classroom technologies. She is delighted to be returning to Ark as a governor.

Daniel has 20 years’ experience as a senior member of UK Law Enforcement, leading teams nationally and internationally. He is currently working in a senior role directing a major national digital transformation programme.  Daniel studied Zoology and postgraduate studies including an MBA. He lives locally and has 2 children at Ark Byron.

Ammani trained as a physiotherapist at King’s College Hospital, qualifying in 1981. She specialised in paediatric respiratory care, working extensively in the field of paediatric and neonatal intensive care and respiratory medicine, in particular cystic fibrosis. During her 35 years at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, she was involved in many aspects of health care including clinical care, under- and post-graduate education, research, and management. She has published extensively and has frequently presented at international conferences. In 2009 she was awarded the Fellowship of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists. Recently she was involved in the implementation of significant change following the review of a clinical department and initiation of an ongoing quality improvement programme. She maintains a research interest in Cystic Fibrosis in association with the Institute of Child Health, London.

Jemma’s professional expertise is in business strategy, largely in technology companies, with particular experience leading large teams through periods of change. She studied English Literature as an undergraduate, has a Masters in Chinese Studies, and has an MBA. She lives in Acton with her wife Sarah and their children and has established a charity working with Afghan refugees, focussing on education and employment opportunities.