Tom Maddision Chair of Trustees
Nikki King CBE
Formerly the CEO of Isuzu Truck UK, Nikki is passionate about Education in the 21st Century. As Chair of the Skills for Life Trust’s 5 academies since 2014, her focus is on ensuring that all children learn measurable skills, both academic and soft skills including sales, customer service, communication and presentation skills, setting them up for life as the adults they will become.
She is a passionate believer in the schools academy trust system and has helped to achieve the 100% distinction of every student leaving the two SFLT secondary academies going on to further education, apprenticeships or jobs. Nikki was awarded a CBE for Services to Education in 2020. She is also passionate about helping women worldwide and providing web based support, especially in poorer countries, to help them receive an education and the skills they need to work and develop as people.
Nikki was appointed to one of the 8 Head Teacher Boards, a DofE Initiative. As a result, Nikki has worked pro bono with the DofE as a “troubleshooter” acting as Interim Chair of a number of “Rogue” Trusts regularising and rebrokering schools where necessary. Nikki has been on BBC 1’s Question Time and BBC 2 Daily Politics. She debated at the Oxford Union and has featured in numerous newspapers including The Times and the Daily Mail. She has been a frequent panelist on Radio 4’s Any Questions, The Bottom Line, Saturday Live, and Woman’s Hour. She has also been on ITV’s Tonight and the Lorraine Show.
Peter Horton
Simone Miles
Lee Miller MBE, FCCA BSc (Hons) PGCE
As Deputy CEO of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust Lee is responsible for the strategic operational functions of the organisation. He is an experienced Business Manager/Finance Director with nearly 15 years of experience, supporting both primary and secondary schools.
Recently, he has been working as a Specialist Leader of Education and, as result, has been deployed in a number of Trusts that have required support or intervention and was recognised in the 2020 Queens Birthday Honours for his services to Education. In addition to his Business Management experience, Lee is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has completed a PGCE in Business Management. Through his work he has become well versed in some of the challenges that face the education sector in areas that include: financial planning; HR management; legal issues; site and IT strategies. Lee has now created a traded subsidiary, Thinking Solutions for Education, that provide these services to other schools and MATs in a cost effective way providing schools an opportunity to outsource but for the funding to be retained within the sector.
