Emma is Head of the Academy Ambassadors Programme at New Schools Network, a role which combines her expertise in executive search and corporate recruitment with school and trust governance. After graduating from the University of York, Emma joined Marks and Spencer’s graduate training programme as a merchandiser, before moving into executive search and recruitment at consultancy Penna, followed by corporate recruitment roles at global engineering firm Siemens and, later, the HR SaaS company Lumesse.

Discovering an interest in education governance when volunteering as a Chair of Governors, Emma led Buckinghamshire Learning Trust’s Governor Development Programme for c.3000 governors across the region. She continues to volunteer in school and trust governance and is passionate about the sector impact of connecting highly skilled business leaders and professionals to voluntary non-executive director/trustee roles on academy trust boards.

Since graduating from the University of Chester in 2009, David has worked across a range of sectors, including education, agency, local authority and latterly sports with British Cycling, as Partner Marketing Manager for the ‘Sky Ride’ recreational cycling campaign, in conjunction with Sky and Sport England. This was the biggest sports participation campaign the UK had ever seen, aimed at getting people on bikes for fun and recreation; it received a prestigious ‘Partnership Marketing’ award from The Chartered Institute of Marketing in 2015. With a strong communication thread running through his career, engagement and communication forms a central part of his approach to projects. Having previously worked with large stakeholders including Hewlett Packard, Vodafone, The British Heart Foundation, Ordnance Survey and Transport for London across various roles, David has enjoyed success in delivering high-value campaigns. David maintains a strong interest in and passion for volunteering, holding roles with parkrun UK, formerly as an Area Ambassador for the North West, as well as with local social enterprises with an environmental focus near his home in the North West.

Melanie graduated in 2014 with an honours degree in Law and Business Studies from Warwick Business School, The University of Warwick. Since then, she has worked as a marketing assistant in the legal sector – producing creative marketing copy, conducting in-depth research and analysis of target markets, and organising large-scale projects and events. Melanie has worked with children, as a volunteer, from a young age, and enjoys using her professional skills and experience to engage with qualified business people, and develop academy boards, in order to improve the quality of education throughout the UK’s Northern regions.

After finishing secondary school, Ben went into Field Hockey Coaching at club level for Bradford Hockey Club, and at regional level with a variety of Junior West Yorkshire Teams. Ben realised much of the reason he enjoyed coaching so much was the reward of helping children reach their potential in hockey.

Keen to continue helping children develop, Ben joined NSN to ensure a bigger impact on bettering the lives and opportunities of young people. 

Rhiannon graduated from Loughborough University in 2018 with a degree in Politics and International Relations.

Before joining NSN, she had experience at a Graduate Recruitment Agency in Manchester working with Technology companies and aspiring graduates, conducting interviews, helping candidates reach their potential and establishing relationships with clients. Alongside this, she has experience as a British Heart Foundation volunteer in her community. She also has experience volunteering in primary schools in her hometown of the Wirral.

As a Recruiter for the Academy Ambassadors Programme, Rhiannon combines her passions for recruitment, education and governance.