September 2026 will see a change to the chairing arrangements of the two Boards that govern the Foundation as certain terms come to an end.
Professor Hywel Thomas will step down from his role as Chair of the Foundation Board and from his board-level positions. Hywel has been a school governor, Foundation governor and Academy Trust Board member for many years, including time as the Chair of King Edward VI Five Ways School and Chair of the Academy Trust. He has been a strong advocate for widening access to the Foundation and close collaboration between schools. He will remain a school governor at King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy.
Sharon Roberts will hand over the chairing of the Academy Trust Board as her term ends, while remaining a trustee. She will also take on the role of Vice Chair of the Foundation and continue to sit on the King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls SGB. As Chair of the Academy Trust, Sharon has driven professionalisation and improved standards of the entity’s operations and been involved in supporting a large number of Ofsted inspections. Her tenure as Academy Trust Chair followed many years of contributions to governance, including being Chair of King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls, a member of a wide range of committees, including Finance, Audit and the Independent Schools’ Governing Body, and the first person to hold the Bailiff position twice.
Erica Conway has been elected as the incoming Chair of the Foundation Board. She is currently Vice Chair of the Foundation, Chair of the Foundation Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee and a member of the Independent Schools’ Governing Body. She was previously a governor at King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy. She has previously been Chair of the King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls SGB. In her day job, Erica is the Chief Financial Officer of the University of Birmingham, a member of its executive board and a director of a number of the group’s subsidiary companies. Erica said: “I am extremely honoured to be taking on the Chair role from September. Since its Royal Charter in 1552, the Foundation has been delivering education in Birmingham, my adopted city for over twenty years. I am looking forward to taking on contributing to the next few years of this historic organisation in my new role.”
Lynda Roan will become Chair of the Academy Trust following her election by the Board. Lynda is Chair of King Edward VI Balaam Wood Academy and King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy, as well as the Safeguarding Trustee for the Academy Trust. She is a qualified teacher, teaching in Birmingham schools throughout her career and was Headteacher at Hillcrest School and Sixth Form Centre. Lynda was also a National Leader of Education until her retirement. Lynda said the following: "Being elected to serve as Chair of our Academy Trust is something I feel deeply humbled by. I am honoured to be given the opportunity to contribute and support the dedicated people who make our schools what they are. It’s a privilege I hold with real sincerity."
David Wheeldon will continue in his role as Vice Chair of the Academy Trust. David was previously Headteacher of King Edward VI Five Ways School and also Interim Executive Director of the Foundation for six months in 2016. He is currently Chair of Governors at King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls, Chair of the Foundation and Academy Trust Education and Safeguarding Committee and a Foundation governor. He was previously a governor of King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys and has also completed two terms as Bailiff and Deputy Bailiff.
The new composition of these senior, non-executive roles in the Foundation and Academy Trust marks an important development of wider representation in governance. For the first time, three of the four posts will be occupied by women. Lynda will be the second female Chair of the Academy Trust following Sharon’s tenure as the first, while Erica will be the first female Chair of the Foundation in its history of almost five centuries. Along with recent appointments of Foundation governors from traditionally underrepresented groups, this shows the commitment of the organisation to being reflective of the city it serves.
