The Cam Academy Trust (CAT) has chosen Claire Heald as its next chief executive.
Ms Heald will join CAT from Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), where she has held the position of national director of education for two-and-a-half years.
She will take up the role in June, replacing Stephen Munday, who is set to retire after leading the trust since it was formed in 2011.
Before joining AET in 2021, Ms Heald was deputy chief executive at Inspiration Trust, a multi-academy trust of 16 schools based in Norfolk.
Ms Heald was at Inspiration for more than seven years, working as a principal, director of school improvement and the director of standards.
She also founded and led a free school in Norwich, and has held several senior leadership roles in Norfolk schools.
Claire Heald to lead Cam Academy Trust
Speaking about her appointment, Ms Heald said that CAT has the “potential to be an exceptional group of schools”.
“As a values-driven leader, their six core principles resonate deeply with me, particularly around standards of excellence and inclusion. It’s also very important to me that the trust’s schools continue to be at the heart of their communities,” Ms Heald added.
Sue Williamson, CAT’s chair of trustees, said Ms Heald “has an impressive track record - both throughout her time at AET and prior to that at Inspiration Trust”.
“She very much shares in our values at CAT, and I have every confidence that our trust will go from strength to strength under Claire’s leadership, as we move into this next phase of our development,” she added.
“Claire will be joining us at an exciting time for the trust: our new sixth form will be opening, and we have a healthy pipeline of schools expressing an interest in joining our family.”
CAT currently has four secondary schools, two sixth forms and seven primary schools. The trust said its future growth plans include another primary school set to join this spring, and it reported that a number of other schools are also interested in joining.
