Appointment of Interim Chief Executive Officer

The Directors of Christ the Redeemer Catholic Education Trust are delighted to announce the appointment of Mr John Conway as their Interim Chief Executive Officer, with effect from 1st April 2024. He will lead the Trust, with its schools, in delivering and developing our vision of being a beacon of exceptional Catholic education.

John is an experienced school leader with both primary and secondary school experience in a wide variety of settings, including for many years as Headteacher at La Retraite Catholic Girls School in Lambeth and also the Executive Headship of two all through schools in the UAE. After returning to the UK, he has taken on the Interim Headship at St Mary Magdalene Catholic Primary School in Mortlake.

The Directors wish to thank the Governors and staff of St Mary Magdalene for their generosity in releasing him part-time to take on this role and look forward to welcoming the school into the Trust in the future. Their selfless contribution to the Trust’s development is greatly appreciated and a living example of working towards a greater good.

John brings to the Trust a passion for Catholic education and leadership and the Directors believe he will enable the Trust to grow and flourish.

John says

‘The development of the Christ the Redeemer Trust is a truly exciting venture and a cause for great optimism for the future development of our Catholic schools. I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with our Trust schools and their fabulous teams, as we embark on this new journey’.

There will be opportunities for both Headteachers and Chairs of Governors to meet John over the summer term and dates will be confirmed later this month

The Directors are also pleased to announce that Lee Miller, has been contracted as financial consultant for the Trust and is overseeing the establishment of Christ the Redeemer, he will combine this role with his current role as Deputy Chief Executive of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust in Kent.

Lee is a very experienced CFO and he and his team will provide the expertise to support our schools and to ensure the Trust is ready for the opening on 1st April 2024. The team will include Sarah Stone, their Head of Finance providing the day-to-day support for schools and many of you will have worked with her already during the recent due diligence process.

These two appointments will provide the necessary infrastructure and leadership to move the Trust forward with confidence and will assist schools to transition to becoming academies within our Trust.