Welcome to the show about all things Multi-Academy Trust leadership.

If it affects how a trust operates, improves or grows we will be talking about it here!

Strategy, governance, operations, finance, culture, central teams, risk, collaboration, rebrokering and everything in between... plus the bits no one warns you about, the moments where you hope you're not the only one and the stuff that sometimes we're just afraid to say out loud.

Each episode I sit with someone who knows this world inside out whether that's a leader, a specialist or someone supporting trusts and together we dig into what it really takes to run and grow a trust today.

If you're a CEO, COO, CFO, Director, Trustee, Governor or Senior Leader and you want space to reflect, compare notes and hear how others navigate the MAT landscape then this podcast is for you.

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📩 Get In Touch with Laura & Schools Advisory Service

This podcast is hosted by me, Laura Williams, and sponsored by the amazing team at Schools Advisory Service who are the UK’s largest provider of staff absence insurance and comprehensive whole school wellbeing services.

⭐️ Laura's website: https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk

⭐️ Schools Advisory Service website: https://schooladvice.co.uk/

In our very first episode, I’m joined by Dominic Broad, Deputy CEO of a MAT in the Midlands, to explore three big Cs: culture, capacity and change.

We reflect on the greatest asset we have as leaders, why we can’t afford to leave culture to chance, how to balance accountability with empowerment and ways we can create a safe environment for leaders to make mistakes.

▶️ This episode at a glance:

[1:19] – Dominic shares what culture means to him through lived experience

[3:49] – How Dominic builds culture intentionally as a leader

[9:07] – Why being deliberate matters when shaping culture and leading change

[11:20] – Bringing leaders with you and maintaining alignment over time

[17:52] – Human leadership vs hero leadership and why the difference matters

[19:44] – Dominic’s leadership lens explained through a live on-air test

[24:58] – How Dominic approaches succession planning and grows future leaders

[31:27] – Tackling the loneliness of leadership and building safety and support

[36:28] – How developing capacity has shaped Dominic’s own leadership role and systems

[43:10] – Advice on where leaders can find personal support and guidance

[45:30] – Leadership lessons and insights Dominic has learned from hosting the Olympic Mindset Podcast

[48:27] – Audience Q&A from the original live webinar recording

📚 Related content:

The Olympic Mindset Podcast: https://www.olympicmindsetpodcast.com

Contact Dominic via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-broad-18384951/

🎙️ Be a part of MAT Chat:

Want to be a guest? Click here --> https://ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/podcast-guest-application/

Enjoyed the episode? Follow, share with a colleague or leave a rating so more leaders can find it!

🎧 Subscribe:

If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes!

📩 Get in touch:

This podcast is hosted by me, Laura Williams, and sponsored by the amazing team at Schools Advisory Service who are the UK’s largest provider of staff absence insurance and comprehensive whole school wellbeing services.

⭐️ Laura's website: https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk

⭐️ Schools Advisory Service website: https://schooladvice.co.uk/

In this episode I’m joined by Alice Gregson, CEO of Forum Strategy, to dig into the shifting landscape of MAT leadership. We unpack what the latest ‘Being the CEO’ report reveals about the role right now, the pressures and priorities CEOs are naming, how leaders can stay grounded in an increasingly complex system and why succession planning needs to become a far more intentional part of trust strategy.

▶️ This episode at a glance:

[1:41] – Alice introduces Forum Strategy and sets out who they are and the work they do

[6:06] – How the Being the CEO report began, why it exists and the difference it aims to make

[8:37] – Alice shares the key themes and patterns emerging across five years of the report

[15:10] – A look at what the data tells us about growth from a CEO’s point of view

[21:05] – We explore the rise of the COO role and why strong operational foundations matter

[25:22] – The ongoing tension between strategy and operations and what the CEO role should truly hold

[27:13] – Changing attitudes towards whether MAT CEOs need a teaching background

[32:18] – What the report reveals about where CEOs turn for support

[40:04] – How Boards can strengthen CEO leadership and why diversity at Board level is crucial

[43:30] – Alice walks us through Forum’s Being the CEO programme and what it offers leaders

[46:42] – Audience Q&A from the original live webinar recording

📚 Related content:

Forum Strategy: https://forumstrategy.org/beingtheceo-report-2024/

Contact Alice via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-gregson-32336139/

🎙️ Be a part of MAT Chat:

Want to be a guest? Click here! https://ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/podcast-guest-application/

Enjoyed the episode? Follow, share with a colleague, or leave a quick rating so more leaders can find it.

🎧 Subscribe:

If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes!

📩 Get in touch:

This podcast is hosted by me, Laura Williams, and sponsored by the amazing team at Schools Advisory Service who are the UK’s largest provider of staff absence insurance and comprehensive whole school wellbeing services.

⭐️ Laura's website: https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk

⭐️ Schools Advisory Service website: https://schooladvice.co.uk/

In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Chris Whitmore, CEO at The Schools People and HR Director within the Schools Advisory Service Group, to talk about the legal side of MAT growth and rebrokering. We get into the practical do’s and don’ts of employment law when trusts expand, how to put the right legal foundations in place early and what can go wrong when a rebrokering process doesn’t quite go to plan.

▶️ This episode at a glance:

[1:44] – Chris shares the problem-solving framework he uses to understand what level a trust is really operating at

[5:40] – How to think about growth when it starts to feel stretching or misaligned

[7:40] – Setting risk boundaries during growth and knowing when missing information should trigger a pause

[11:16] – Putting systems in place to support due diligence and objective decision-making

[17:30] – Why culture belongs in due diligence and how qualitative insight strengthens the data

[22:40] – Making sense of liability, future risk and how to protect the organisation

[26:05] – Managing stakeholders, competing agendas and external pressure during growth

[33:00] – Using intelligence to surface future issues early and reduce risk over time

[35:42] – Key differences between schools joining from local authorities and those moving between MATs

[40:37] – Risks and miscommunications trusts often cannot control and the wider system impact

[42:22] – The one thing Chris says trusts should never do when it comes to growth and rebrokering

[44:10] – Audience Q&A from the original live webinar recording

📚 Related content:

The Schools People: HR Consultancy & GDPR Compliance: https://schooladvice.co.uk/the-schools-people

Contact Chris via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-chris-j-whitmore-ma-phd-keele-ilm-l7-mcct-f-afc-fiol-23a80834/

🎙️ Be a part of MAT Chat:

Want to be a guest? Click here! https://ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/podcast-guest-application/

Enjoyed the episode? Follow, share with a colleague, or leave a quick rating so more leaders can find it.

🎧 Subscribe:

If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes!

📩 Get in touch:

This podcast is hosted by me, Laura Williams, and sponsored by the amazing team at Schools Advisory Service who are the UK’s largest provider of staff absence insurance and comprehensive whole school wellbeing services.

⭐️ Laura's website: https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk

⭐️ Schools Advisory Service website: https://schooladvice.co.uk/

In this episode I’m joined by Jonny Coates, now a CFOO in a large MAT in Cumbria, to unpack what it really takes to evolve a business function in a growing trust. We explore how structures and line management shift over time, how to lead change without losing sight of school context and how to strengthen communication, collaboration and succession planning across business teams. Jonny also shares honest reflections on mistakes, balancing organisational need with individual strengths and what he’s learned along the way.

▶️ This episode at a glance:

[2:15] – Jonny shares how the business function in his trust has evolved since he took up post

[5:23] – How line management structures across the business function have developed over time

[7:33] – Leading change while staying grounded in individual school context

[10:10] – Creating better communication, collaboration and CPD across business teams

[15:04] – Jonny outlines his approach to succession planning within the business function

[19:11] – Balancing organisational need with individual strengths and personalities

[21:40] – Why mistakes are inevitable and how learning from them supports innovation

[26:42] – Jonny explains why he chose not to take the obvious route when reshaping teams

[30:08] – Supporting teams to balance school-level needs with central responsibilities

[33:04] – The role of the Regional Business Manager within the wider trust structure

[35:45] – How Jonny’s education business background shapes his perspective and influences board-level conversations

[38:11] – Jonny’s key do’s and don’ts for trusts looking to evolve their business function

[42:12] – Audience Q&A from the original live webinar recording

📚 Related content:

Contact Jonny via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnycoates/

🎙️ Be a part of MAT Chat:

Want to be a guest? Click here! https://ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/podcast-guest-application/

Enjoyed the episode? Follow, share with a colleague, or leave a quick rating so more leaders can find it.

🎧 Subscribe:

If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes!

📩 Get in touch:

This podcast is hosted by me, Laura Williams, and sponsored by the amazing team at Schools Advisory Service who are the UK’s largest provider of staff absence insurance and comprehensive whole school wellbeing services.

⭐️ Laura's website: https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk

⭐️ Schools Advisory Service website: https://schooladvice.co.uk/