Oxfordshire Academies Business Managers’ Group Annual Conference 2026

Chris Loveday

AI Strategist, Education Leader, Best Selling Author on AI Chris Loveday is an education leader and Vice Principal (Business Services) at a large Sixth Form College, where he is driving a transformative shift in how AI is applied to education management. With a background in business services and operational leadership, Chris has spearheaded the strategic integration of artificial intelligence across key functions within the college to enhance efficiency, empower staff, and deliver measurable impact. Chris's journey into AI began with a bold vision: to demystify AI for educational institutions and deploy it not as a gimmick but as a practical tool embedded in the fabric of daily operations. Under his leadership, the college has taken a uniquely internal approach, developing bespoke AI tools tailored to the institution's operational context. These include: AI Agents for Business Services: Custom agents designed for finance, HR, compliance, and estates management, streamlining workflows and significantly reducing manual administrative overhead. Curriculum Support Tools: AI applications that assist in timetabling, marking, and student data analysis, freeing academic staff to focus more on teaching and support. AI Comms: Smart assistants that handle common staff and student enquiries, improving responsiveness while reducing pressure on frontline staff What makes Chris’s work stand out is the values-driven and culturally sensitive framework he applies. He leads with transparency, inclusion, and an emphasis on co-creation, ensuring staff across all levels feel part of the AI journey. This approach is thoroughly documented in his best selling book Leading the Shift: Enhancing Operational Efficiency With AI (due for publication at the start of July) A practical blueprint for educational institutions on integrating AI into core operations. Chris has worked in education for over 21 years in Secondary Education (10 Years as a School Business Manager) before transitioning to leadership at a Sixth Form College. Chris is a serving member of the AI in Education Strategic Committee and Chair of the newly formed CFO/COO Panel. He also sits on the DfE Advisory Board and worked with the Chiltern Learning Trust (on behalf of the DfE) to develop an AI toolkit for teachers and leaders. He is passionate about Digital Equity and the role of AI in education, with a focus on business services as well as teaching and learning.

Dave Cobb

Dave Cobb is School Business & Development Manager at Saint Cecilia’s Church of England School in Southfield’s, London.  Saint Cecilia’s is a Single Academy Trust for pupils and students aged 11-18 years specialising in the teaching of Music and Mathematics.  Saint Cecilia’s is a well-respected and hugely oversubscribed school.  Previously Dave worked as the SBM at Didcot Girl School, School 21 and Rivers Academy West London.  Before becoming an SBM, Dave worked in Local Authority leisure for 18 years managing a diverse range of services including sports development, parks and open spaces, leisure centres, events and a concert hall.

Helen Griffiths

Helen is an HR Consultant in the Browne Jacobsen Education team. She has over 15 years’ experience working in Education HR, working across the sector in academy trusts (to Director level) and in maintained schools and local authorities in both strategic and operational roles. Helen specialises in advising on complex employee relations casework as well as restructures and redundancies. She has designed and delivered training across the full spectrum of Education based HR issues and has particular experience in safer recruitment practices. Helen provides pragmatic, solutions-focused advice to leadership teams and trustees. Serving as a school governor for eight years enables Helen to bring valuable insight to her strategic HR leadership. She is skilled at building strong working relationships with clients and takes a practical approach to problem-solving. Helen is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Jo Marchant MBE

Jo Marchant MBE, author of “The School Premises Handbook” and "Managing School Business Operations", has had responsibility for estates management in schools for the last 16 years, most recently as Head of Estates at a multi-academy trust of 8 schools. Jo has an MBA and an MA in Leadership and is a qualified health and safety officer. She also has the Certificate and Diploma in School Business Management. She is a Fellow of the Institute of School Business Leadership and serves on the steering group of The Trust Network for academy estates professionals. Jo is passionate about developing estates staff to achieve their full potential and presents at national conferences on estates management as well as writing and delivering estates management training.

Julia Harnden

Julia worked for HSBC’s corporate banking division before moving to the education sector. Developing a working knowledge of education funding since 2001, Julia has supported school leaders in both the primary and secondary phase, has chaired the finance committee and been vice chair of governors at Harpole Primary School. As a member of the school leadership team she has been responsible for strategic financial planning and monitoring, PFI contract management, academy conversion and leading capital projects. Julia joined ASCL from Caroline Chisholm School where she was Director of Finance.

Lorraine Ashover

Lorraine is Managing Director of Minerva Procurement Consultancy Services Limited. Fulfilling a long-standing ambition to be her own boss Lorraine set up Minerva in 2010 in direct response to feedback from the school bursar community. Lorraine and her team help schools reduce cost, streamline procurement practices, save time and stay compliant. The company looks after many free, academy, MAT and maintained schools and manages significant spend on behalf of clients. In the past five years Minerva has tendered over £145m of contracts for our clients and made savings, refunds and generated revenue of more than £3m. When not working Lorraine find excuses to visit her daughter at University, escapes into a good crime or spy novel, and ‘enjoys’ watching her beloved Nottingham Forest in the Premier League (for now)!

Samira Sadeghi

Samira is Director of Trust Governance at the Confederation of School Trusts. She has been involved in school governance for over a decade. Prior to joining CST, she served as Head of Governance and Company Secretary at Academies Enterprise Trust (now Lift Schools), a trust with 57 schools. She started her career in governance with Ark Schools, as a regional governance officer, overseeing governance at 17 schools in London. Before she moved to the U.K. with her family in 2010, Samira was a criminal defence attorney in California representing men on death row on their habeas corpus petitions for almost 12 years. At CST, Samira draws heavily on her firsthand experiences working in trusts, both on company secretarial matters as well as the usual wide range of governance areas including exclusions, complaints, data protection and admissions. While at Lift, she managed a complete overhaul of board and committee processes, as well as putting in place at all 57 schools a new local governance model focused on localism and community partnering. While at Ark, she managed governance across all of Ark's 17 London schools. Samira is a dynamic speaker, inspiring trust leaders to reimagine governance and pursue a more nuanced approach as stewards to delivering high quality education to our children and young people. She also has a particular expertise in suspensions and exclusions, having been involved in hundreds of cases in various capacities and making use of the knowledge she gained on death row of the impact of trauma and adverse childhood experiences on behaviour. She is also an affiliated member of the Chartered Governance Institute.

Sir Steve Lancashire

Steve Lancashire, founder and former CEO of REAch2 Academy Trust, the largest primary academy trust in England, has over 35 years of experience in the education sector. His career includes 20 years as a headteacher in challenging contexts. As a National Leader of Education, Steve has extended his expertise nationwide and internationally, notably serving as the lead adviser for the UK Department for Education’s London Challenge. Knighted in 2016 for his significant contributions to education, he excels in executive coaching, mentoring, and the bespoke development of Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs). In collaboration with Forum Strategy, Steve is the author of the recently published book "Reflections on Being the CEO", a candid exploration of his journey to leadership. The book delves into the challenges and rewards of the role, the impact of politics on leading large public sector organisations, and the profound opportunity to effect change in communities and society at large. Currently, Steve serves as an educational leadership consultant, collaborating with MATs and business leaders across the UK to enhance their knowledge and aptitude in leadership. His work focuses on refining strategic capabilities and developing impactful leadership qualities among professionals.

Stephanie Davies

Stephanie is Laughology’s founder and CEO. Stephanie has over 20 years’ experience working in the public and private sector which has gained her an unsurpassed reputation for designing and delivering laughter and humour interventions for young people and adults in various settings. Recognised as one of the leading voices in the UK on happiness, humour and laughter, Stephanie is increasingly in demand in the world of education and development. In the last 20 years, she has worked on community projects to enhance wellbeing and happiness, helped design spaces more conducive to learning and healthy living, used humour and laughter to communicate public health messages and is the founder of the Happy-Centred School programme. A programme that puts happiness at the heart of the curriculum and has seen schools who take part increase outcomes and results on every level. On leaving the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts in 2002 she began performing stand-up comedy, and is an award-winning comedian. Her years of experience on the comedy circuit make her the perfect speaker and presenter, with delivery that is witty and informative she has worked her way round some of the most prestigious events and venues including speaking at Whitehall,the world famous Gesundheit institute USA and recently sharing a stage with Dr Martin Seligman at the International positive education conference in Dallas. Stephanie has developed and advised on government initiatives to promote healthy communities and delivered long term solutions to building community relationships in challenging areas. The unique approach of Laughology founded and developed by Stephanie Davies looks at how individuals can be resilient human beings and live lives that flourish and are happy and healthy.

Stephen Morales

Stephen is the Chief Executive Officer, ISBL. He has a 20-year career history in operations and finance, working at a senior level in the public and private sectors, both in the UK and abroad. Stephen presided over the development and implementation of nationally recognised school business leadership professional standards and led the transition from the National Association of School Business Management to the Institute of School Business Leadership. Stephen works closely with the Department for Education in areas of policy reform, and his commitment to research to aid our self-improving system includes ongoing engagement with international jurisdictions including Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the US.