Governance

I am Executive Director of Facing History in the UK. I am a passionate and committed leader, with over 18 years of experience managing education and youth-oriented charities. Prior to joining Facing History, I was the CEO of the Aldridge Foundation, an educational organisation which supports a network of 10 schools in underserved communities. I have also run my own management consultancy, and worked in business development and operations for two other youth-oriented charities, the Communication Trust and Youth At Risk. I hold a B.Ed Hons in Secondary Education.

I joined Ark in 2018 as International Finance Manager. At Ark I support the International ventures. I joined Ark from KPMG, where I spent over six years specialising in statutory audits of medium to large organisations and pension schemes across numerous industries, whilst studying towards my bachelor’s degree and Chartered Accountancy qualification. I received a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from Durham University and am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ACA). I am keen to use my financial expertise and professional experience to contribute to the betterment of schools as they played a huge role in my development.

I am a Teaching Assistant, Assistant Phonics Lead and SEN Support at Ark Academy Primary in Wembley. Over the past twenty years, I have worked in a variety of settings in the public and private sectors, but I have spent the last 10 years working in the education sector. I currently specialise in the teaching of Phonics and Reading, delivering Speech and Language therapies, and SEND assessment. As an alumnus of Ark Elvin Academy (when it was Copland Community School), I understand the value of the school to the community and am dedicated to ensuring its success.

Danielle is an Assistant Educational Psychologist with a strong passion for working with children and young people in education, particularly those with SEND needs. Danielle has previously worked in a variety of roles in various educational settings over her career: Early Years assistant in nurseries, Teaching Assistant and Inclusion Assistant in a pupil referral unit, Learning Support Assistant in a secondary mainstream school and an Education Outreach practitioner for a Local Authority family support service.

I am the Head of Performing Arts at Ark Elvin Academy. I have been a passionate Music teacher for 10 years both in a primary and secondary setting. I care deeply about making a difference to the lives of young people and inspiring them for the future in a creative way. Prior to becoming Head of Performing Arts at Ark Elvin, I have worked as a head of department setting up my own Music department from scratch as well as teaching Music internationally in Spain. I hold a B.Mus degree from the University of Sheffield and a master's in leadership from the University of College London. I trained to be a teacher through the Teach First graduate programme.

I am the Head of IT at Ark Schools. I have enjoyed a successful and progressive career in service delivery management, project/programme management and operational delivery within the education sector. I am inspired most when working within fast paced, pressurised environments where my extensive change management capabilities can make the difference between success and failure. I have a genuine passion for using IT to support and improve schools and look forward to contributing to Ark Elvin's journey to becoming an Outstanding school.

Irene Kwok is a CIMA member and Chartered Global Management Accountant, with several years of experience in a range of commercial and finance based leadership roles as a civil servant in the Department for Transport. She has experienced a number of education systems and firmly believes that education is a powerful tool that can transform students’ lives, whatever their starting point, background or circumstance. She is passionate about championing an inclusive culture and the needs of pupils with SEND as well as being a critical friend to ensure limited resources are maximised to deliver the best outcome for students.

Eloa Melo is Deputy Head of Year at Ark Elvin Academy. She has worked in UK in education for the last 6 years including working as an LSA with SEN pupils and with EAL pupils. After studying for a degree in Production Engineering, Eloa worked for 3 years as a Line Manager in a Global Corporation before deciding to change careers and move into the education sector.

I am currently a Venture Associate with the Ark Ventures Team (currently working with Now Teach & Ark Start). I am on secondment from McKinsey & Co. where I have served a variety of clients across the public, private and third sector focusing on strategy/finance, organisation/governance and transformation topics. Here I was ranked in the top 3-5% of my cohort and completed an internal rotation as the deputy chief of staff to the EEMA Managing Partner.

I have a passion for driving educational equality especially in higher education access initiatives having been involved in Rare's Target Oxbridge Program since 2018.