The White Horse Federation has appointed the current deputy CEO of Cabot Learning Federation as its new CEO.
Dr Dan Nicholls will formally take up his new post from 1 September, taking over from its interim chief executive Simon Cowley.
The White Horse Federation has 31 schools across the South West in Reading, Swindon, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, including primaries, secondaries and two special schools.
Dr Nicholls was previously executive principal for secondary academies at Cabot, and prior to that had been principal of Bristol Brunel Academy for three years.
Before that, he was deputy head at Devizes School, part of the White Horse Federation.
The advert for the role said it would come with a “generous six-figure salary”.
Tes previously reported that former White Horse Federation CEO Dr Nicholas Capstick earned £265,000 to £270,000 in 2021-22 before he retired.
His successor Paul Smith was paid between £210,000 and £215,000 as CEO for 2022-23, according to the trust’s published accounts.
Simon Cowley took over from Paul as the trust’s interim CEO last year.
“The trust has a long history in the sector and there is currently a unique opportunity to do something important for children, families and the communities that the trust serves,” said Dr Nicholls.
“The foundations are already in place and the conditions exist that will enable the trust to move forward with confidence and into a successful next phase,” he added.
White Horse Federation chair of trustees Ninna Gibson said: “I am delighted that we have appointed someone of Dan’s calibre as our new chief executive - he brings a wealth of leadership experience and has a particularly impressive track record in the South West.”
She added that the trust aimed to become the “best in the region” by moving forward with its “strategy to unleash the potential of every child”.
Ms Gibson said she also wanted to “put on record the board’s sincere gratitude to Simon Cowley as our interim chief executive”, who she said had led the trust with “a calm and reassuring authority”.
