Five Rivers Multi Academy Trust: Who We Are
Board membership reflects the skills from external partnerships that deliver impact for pupils – including a unique Independent – State school partnership with Birkdale School (bringing curriculum enhancement and scholarships) and collaboration with the National Education Trust (including projects on effective strategies for the Pupil Premium group and meta-cognition).
All academies in the MAT will be directly accountable to the Board of Trustees who will delegate operational powers to the Executive Leadership Team. Click here to see the governance structure diagram. For information on academy local governing bodies, please visit the websites of the individual academies.
Decisions on expanding the Trustee Board will depend on the skills required for each phase of growth. Consideration will be given about recruiting Trustees from convertor schools, but this will not be automatic.
Where academies join the trust under sponsorship arrangements, a member of the Executive Leadership Team and / or a Trustee will have a place on the local governing body and a small, skills based Academy Intervention Board formed. This arrangement will be in place until each Academy’s performance is securely improved.
Each academy is subject to a review of governance at the onset of the conversion process, and annually thereafter. Where necessary new governors are appointed by the MAT. This is led by an NLG and overseen by a Trustee with this particular portfolio.
The Trust Leadership Team monitors standards at an operational level, with a Education, Inclusion & Standards Committee overseeing progress across all of the Trust’s Academies.
A record of Trustee attendance at Board and Committee meetings over the past year may be found at the bottom of this page.
Our Members:
Their key responsibilities include appointing the trustees and holding them to account for the successful governance of the trust.
Dr Sarif Alrai
Chair of Trust Board - link member
Date of appointment: January 2023
Darren Pearce
Formerly Finance Director at Meadowhall, Sheffield, Darren is now working as Centre Director in the shopping mall. Darren has been incredibly influential in creating lasting and fruitful partnerships between Tinsley and Meadowhall and he brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise to help hold the academy to account.
Business Interests declared: Current employment: Broadgate Estates People Management Ltd. Businesses of which I am a partner/proprietor: Americas 5 LLP, Perfect World 1 LLP. Charity Trusteeships: The Source Charitable Trust.
Nathan Ray
Date of appointment: 10 November 2023
Nathan is the Senior Innovation and Research manager at NIKKEN Kosakusho Europe Ltd and is responsible for the site and staff based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham. Nathan has been working in the advanced engineering sector for a number of years and maintains strong links with the University of Sheffield following his PhD studies. He is passionate about teaching and opening opportunities for young people to access the vast levels of technology at their doorstep.
Business Interests declared: Current employment – Nikken Kosakusho Europe Ltd, Senior Research & Innovation Manager
Marc Rowland
Date of appointment: 5 June 2019
Marc is the adviser for improving outcomes for disadvantaged learners for the Unity Schools Partnership.
Marc was formerly the Head of Rosendale Research School in Lambeth. He has worked with many LAs, numerous Multi Academy Trusts, Teaching School Alliances and groups of schools nationally on long-term projects to support better outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. He has also worked with the Department for Education and over 500 individual schools to support them with their strategies to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
Business Interests declared: Pupil Premium Adviser, Unity Schools Partnership
Our Trustees and Executive Directors:
Dr Sarif Alrai
Chair of Trust Board
Non-Executive Director
Date of appointment: 30 August 2021; reappointed 2025
Appointed by Members
Sarif is an experienced Educational Psychologist and Man of Colour. He has worked with various organisations across the public, private, and voluntary sectors, including primary and secondary educational provisions in both mainstream and specialist environments. He has also qualified as a Cognitive-Behavioural Therapist, supporting students to understand their reactions to stimulus, triggers and their responses. Other areas of his work include supporting the emotional wellbeing of looked after children (LAC). He is becoming increasingly active in training in areas including anti-racism, mental health, working therapeutically, learning difficulties, and speech and language needs. He is working with various organisations to help support learners who have grown up experiencing legacies of racism, including racialised trauma. His other areas of interest include social justice and decolonisation, solution-focused consultation, and social media use and impact.
Geoffrey Kwateng
Non-Executive Director
Date of appointment: 3 February 2026
Appointed by Members
Geoff has a background In healthcare science and managed a lab before moving into business consultancy. He now runs his own company advising on business transformation and sales. He brings expertise in financial diligence and strategy to the board as well as experience in marketing and comms. He is a keen advocate for education with a desire to support young people and give back to the community.
Brian Martin
Non-Executive Director
Date of appointment: 5 May 2026
Appointed by Members
Brian is a seasoned industry Chairman and Chief Executive, Advisor, and mentor with over 38 years of experience. He has built one of the world’s largest independent management consulting firms as well as creating and building the first truly independent industry think-tank forum, he is a noted and respected champion of good corporate governance. He has a deep-rooted desire to see quality education being available to everyone, especially those from disadvantaged or special needs groups.
Julie Parry
Non-Executive Director
Lead trustee: Inclusion
Lead trustee: Safeguarding
Date of appointment: 17 December 2024
Appointed by Members
Julie is a retired Headteacher with extensive experience of bringing about transformative change within schools facing challenging circumstances. She has been the co-owner of a successful consulting company, specialising in providing professional services to both Academy Trusts and local authority run schools.
She is also vice-chair of Whitewoods Multi Academy Trust and chairs the committees focused on ensuring effective safeguarding and promoting high academic performance across all the schools.
Julie is a keen wildlife photographer and can be found most mornings on foot patrolling the lanes of North Derbyshire on the lookout for that perfect sunrise picture as well as the more photogenic amongst the local wildlife.
Mark Parry
Non-Executive Director
Lead trustee: Finance
Date of appointment: 3 February 2026
Appointed by Members
Mark has gained over 30 years’ commercial experience in the UK financial services sector and within multinational strategic marketing consultancies. Starting in business and financial analysis, he has enjoyed a wide-ranging career encompassing operational management, programme and project management, and development of decision support systems
In 2010, Mark founded a consulting company advising clients in the public and private sectors on such areas as cost saving initiatives, technology investments and improving the quality of information available to senior leadership teams.
When not glued to a spreadsheet, Mark enjoys catching up with his long list of unread books, listening to jazz and walking in the nearby countryside.
Sharnika Reid
Non-Executive Director
Date of appointment: 26 February 2026
Appointed by Members
Shanika is a solicitor specialising in commercial property and corporate law. She is active in promoting law as a career to young people and is involved in mentoring. As a trustee she is keen to inspire and support young people, to encourage diversity and inclusion, and make a difference to children in local communities.
David Sandilands
Non-Executive Director
Date of appointment: 25 September 2017; reappointed 2021; 2025
Appointed by Members
David has been involved in education for just over fifty years, initially as a teacher. He was then appointed as a headteacher, firstly in a multicultural inner city school, and later in a school serving a large area of social housing. On retiring from headship he initially ran a Learning Support Unit, supporting three schools in a deprived area, before joining one of the newly formed Multi Agency Support Teams. He also runs a small business dealing in historical ephemera and artefacts which supports the history curriculum in schools with loans and presentations. In addition to this he works on a freelance basis for a local World War 2 Living History Centre putting on displays and giving presentations to children and adults.
Dr Richard Senior
Vice Chair of Trust Board
Non-Executive Director
Date of appointment: 3 January 2023
Appointed by Members
Richard comes from a family of teachers and so education has always been a topic of conversation in his household; he has a particular interest in encouraging participation in STEM subjects as he believes the younger generations will have a lot of global issues to contend with in future, and many of them probably have the potential to develop creative solutions. Having a background in IP law, and over 10 years experience in the commercialisation of academic research-derived intellectual property, Richard currently supports business activities at several start-up companies in the life sciences and biotech sectors in both executive and non-exec roles.
Emma Farmer
Executive Director (non voting) – Business Strategy
Date of appointment: 20 July 2016
Appointed by Members
Emma is the Director of Business Strategy for the Five Rivers Multi Academy Trust. Emma began her employment with Tinsley Junior School in September 2011. Prior to this she worked as Head of Unplanned Care within Doncaster Primary Care Trust; overseeing the commissioning, procurement and performance management of key NHS services. Having spanned 15 years in the public sector, Emma has brought valuable HR, leadership, strategic finance and business skills to the school. She is now a recognised SLE (Specialist Leader in Education).
Rebecca Webb
Executive Director (non voting) - CEO
Date of appointment: 20 July 2016
Appointed by Members
Becky Webb is the CEO for Five Rivers Multi Academy Trust and a National Leader of Education. She has many years of experience in school improvement in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and Opportunity Areas nationally. Becky is passionate about educational research informing policy and practice, and investing in teams using coaching and mentoring to bring about cultural changes that focus on the individual’s professional development within a whole school improvement strategy. She strongly believes that schools can only improve if staff are supported and empowered to make change happen.
Becky first joined Tinsley Junior School (prior to the creation of Tinsley Meadows an amalgamation of the infant and junior schools) in 2009 as Lead Headteacher and led the school to achieve a ‘good’ Ofsted judgement in 2014. Becky also provides consultancy support to a number of schools and trusts to establish school improvement strategies.
Committees of the Trust Board
HR, Pay and Operations Committee
Members:
- Sarif Alrai (Chair)
- Julie Parry
- Mark Parry
- Sharnika Reid
- Richard Senior
Finance & Audit Committee
Members:
- Mark Parry (Chair)
- Geoff Kwateng (Vice Chair)
- Sarif Alrai
- Julie Parry
- Richard Senior
Education, Inclusion & Standards Committee
Members:
- Julie Parry (Chair)
- Sarif Alrai (Vice Chair)
- David Sandilands
MAT Growth, Partnerships & Sustainability Committee
Members:
- Julie Parry (Chair)
- Sarif Alrai
- Mark Parry
- Richard Senior
Terms of Reference for the Committees may be found in our Scheme of Delegation.
Agendas and papers from trustee meetings and committees are available by request from the Clerk: enquiries@fiveriversmat.uk
Additional information about the trust board:
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Trustees’ attendance at meetings in the academic year 2024-2025, and 2025-2026
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Directors’ declarations of interests (March 2026)
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Demographic breakdown of our trust board (Sept 2025)
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Trustees who have resigned: appointment/resignation dates and interests declared