Teach First chief executive Russell Hobby will become CEO of The Kemnal Academies Trust from September.
The former general secretary of the NAHT leaders’ union announced plans to leave the teacher training charity last year.
Now TKAT has announced he will replace Dr Karen Roberts after she retires in August.
Hobby was a management consultant who helped set up the Hay’s Group’s education practice before becoming general secretary of the NAHT in 2010. He joined Teach First in 2017.
He is a member of the Education Policy Institute’s advisory board.
‘Excited about the opportunity’
Hobby said he was “excited about the opportunity to lead The Kemnal Academies Trust.
“The trust’s commitment to ensuring children of all backgrounds achieve their potential resonates with my own values. This role can bring me even closer to what truly matters: improving outcomes for young people.
“A trust of TKAT’s scale can make a significant impact in areas that connect with my vision for education, focussing on leadership quality, recruitment of the best talent, curricular and extra-curricular excellence, and community engagement—all of which can be transformative for young people.”
Gaenor Bagley, the trust’s chair, said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming Russell to TKAT.”
She also paid tribute to outgoing chief executive Roberts.
“Under her tenure, the trust has made enormous progress in raising the quality of education in its 45 schools and has developed a strong culture of working together to ensure that disadvantage should never be a barrier to any child achieving their potential at school.
“She leaves the trust in excellent health with a strong foundation for Russell to use his passion for education to take the trust to the next level.”
Roberts said she wished “Russell and team TKAT every success as they look forward to the next, exciting, phase of their journey”.
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