Our Directors
John Waszek (Chair) – John is a School Improvement Advisor with St Helens LA, working in particular with school governing boards and leadership teams to advise them on steps to take following their receipt of a 'poor' inspection report. During his 24 years (1992-2016) as Headteacher at St Edward’s College, John secured three consecutive Outstanding Ofsted judgements. He was also Executive Headteacher of St Cuthbert’s High School in St Helens from 2015 to 2016 which moved from RI to Good. From 2019 to 2023 John was the Executive Principal at Rydal Penrhos School in Colwyn Bay leading the transition of the school from boarding/day to a day school, and overseeing significant improvements in value added at GCSE and A-level. Following the organ retention revelations, John was appointed a Non-Executive Director of Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital (Alder Hey).
Stephen Horsman (Vice Chair) – since 2012, Stephen has been a Section 48 inspector (Lead and Associate) and inspector of independent schools under Canon 806 of the Catholic Church. He is a fully trained Catholic Schools Inspector under the new National Framework for Catholic Schools Inspection. As an assistant Director of Education for the Westminster Diocese, he was responsible for the Catholic life and Religious Education of all the schools in the Diocese.
Helen Rose (Vice Chair) – Helen is a procurement specialist who has been running her own consultancy business for the past 18 years, while also serving on several boards as an independent Non-Executive Director. She is a Fellow of Institute of Directors (FIoD), Chartered Director- Institute of Directors (CDir) and Member of Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (MCIPS Chartered). Helen has held various senior roles, including Interim Procurement Director at Manchester Airport Group and Executive Director of the FTSE 250 company De Vere Hotels and Leisure Ltd. She is passionate about education as an enabler. She has been a Governor/Trustee at other schools for the past 16 years and brings a strong understanding of how schools operate and how they can deliver the best outcomes for their students. Helen is also Vice Chair of Governors at St Ambrose College
Jane Beever – Jane is Headteacher at Loreto Grammar school, Altrincham. In May 2017 she became a member of the inaugural cohort of the National School of Formation (EducareM), a network of leaders in Catholic Education. She has served as a governor at both primary and secondary level and currently is a director of St Joseph's MAT Liverpool. She is Vice Chair of Council of Liverpool Hope University and a serving Inspector for the Catholic Schools Inspectorate.
Delia Byrne – Delia is an educational coach in a large number of schools and Colleges of Further Education across the North West and the Midlands. She was a teacher of English and Drama for 34 years and was designated as an SLE at the very beginning of Teaching schools, supporting teachers throughout Stoke and the Midlands. Delia has served as a Governor in many schools at both primary and secondary level.
Helen Gill - Helen is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, qualifying in private practice in 1992. Since qualifying, she worked in industry specialising in financial management information and management accounting project work, which is applied to her current role as Chief Financial Officer at Loreto Grammar School. Responsibilities of the role include all aspects of the development and effective operation of the finance function of the school. This covers strategic financial management and reporting; contract negotiation and management; risk assurance; maximisation of all funding opportunities; provision of student financial assistance and leading the finance team in the operating and monitoring of school accounts, budgets and cash flow. Helen is a committed supporter of Catholic Education and in particular the education led by religious orders and their unique charism whereby the value of each individual is recognised and celebrated, stretching hearts as well as minds.
Mary Gobbi – Mary is Emeritus Professor University of Southampton, Member of the Institute of Learning and Teaching: Higher Education & Fellow of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery in Ireland. In 2014, she was nominated by the then Chief Executive of the International Council of Nurses for the position of International Commissioner with the American Nurses Association and is now serving her third term of office. She has also chaired the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland’s Professional Competence Steering Group. In addition, she has assisted with a range of confidential activities as an expert advisor.
Ian Hopkins – Ian is a former Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police from 2011 to 2015 where he had responsibility for Corporate Communications, Force Change Programme, External Relations and Performance. He oversaw the extensive transformation programme to drive out £183m budget savings. Ian was also Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police from 2008 to 2011 where he had responsibility for Specialist Operations (Firearms, Public Order, Air Support, Command and Control) taking Command of a large number of high-profile events, such as Political Party Conferences, Premier League football matches and the 2012 Olympics in the North West of England. He was part of the Manchester Team working on the FA bid for the FIFA World Cup.
Monica Mwanje – Monica is the founder of MM Creative Solutions which provides strategic consultancy services for organisations seeking growth and transformation in nuclear and other regulated sectors. She is a STEM Ambassador and in 2021 she co-founded Grassroots Graduates and organisation that supports internships, apprenticeships and graduate positions with the aim to connect employers and employees with a particular focus on underrepresented communities She is Board Director and Steering Group member for Northern Nuclear Alliance and has extensive experience and knowledge of principles and processes in equity, diversity and inclusion.
Chris Parker – Chris is a Governor and Chair of Finance at two schools as well as Trustee of ERBT (Edmund Rice Bicentennial Trust) which manages a fund of £30 million which supports the living cost of Christian Brothers in Africa. He worked in Lloyds Bank for over 42 years in a variety of roles in London, Liverpool and Manchester with responsibility for a team of 12 managers, with 3000 SME business with turnovers between £2-£25 million. He managed a debt book of £50 million, an asset book of £200 million and had a £5 million personal debt sanctioning discretion.