Meet The Trustees

I have worked as a teacher in Primary Schools for over 25 years and have always believed passionately in the importance of embedding physical activity into a child’s daily life.  For many years I was a PE coordinator and a Primary Link Teacher for sports and have always fostered the strong belief that an active child is a happy child.

The link between children being physically active and the life long positive impact this has on them to me is obvious.  By fostering positive attitudes towards PE and sport from a young age I believe we can support young people in being stronger and more resilient both physically and mentally.

I am excited and honoured to be The Chairperson of The Manchester PE Association and look forward to giving my enthusiasm and commitment to support them in providing the best possible program of activities for all children across our great city.

Biography coming soon!

Mike is a Member if the Royal Society of Public Health, with over 20 years’ public health experience, through employment within local authorities, NHS primary care, the third sector and the private sector. Mike is currently founding Director of Progress Health Partnerships, a public health consultancy that specialises in increasing the capacity of public, private and community organisations to plan for, design, deliver and evaluate comprehensive public health improvement programmes and strategies.

Mike has led many internationally recognised projects including work with the European Heart Network and the European Public Health Alliance, Nike, European Sports Stadia, Department of Health, NICE and Sport England. More locally Mike is part of the evaluation team for GM Moving and the Local Delivery Pilots and has delivered recent work for clients including NHS England (Greater Manchester), Greater Manchester Cancer Vanguard, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and Greater Sport. 

Having been a keen rugby player in his younger days, Mike now enjoys coaching junior rugby for the Sale Sharks Developing Player Pathway and for Wigan Rugby Union Club.

One of Manchester’s most accomplished teachers, Aaron made the move from mainstream education to head up training and development at award-winning hosting firm UKFast in 2013. During his 12 year career in teaching Aaron became the face of modern education – fronting the Training and Development Agency’s national recruitment campaign ‘Get into Teaching’. He was also recognised as a National Ambassador for Teaching.  Spending seven years as a teacher and Head of ICT at The Dean Trust in Greater Manchester, Aaron played a key role in the development of the computer science curriculum, online learning environments and strengthening links between the schools and local businesses.

Since joining UKFast Aaron has transformed the standard expected of training and education in the private sector. He has created an award-winning and industry-leading apprenticeship and education programme at UKFast that has led to the business developing specialist academy partnerships with some of the world’s leading tech vendors.

As a result of Aaron’s and the team’s innovative approach to apprenticeships and education, UKFast has been highlighted by Ofsted for its exemplary work introducing vendor qualifications into apprenticeship programmes.

Aaron believes that in order to improve the digital skills labour market there needs to be significant investment in the talent of the future. The UK is becoming a rich source of digital talent in Europe and for the country to become a true global superpower in this space, businesses, vendors and educational establishments need to collaborate.

Nigel is a chartered accountant and spent over 20 years with professional services firm Deloitte, specialising in corporate finance.  He recently set up his own consultancy practice to advice UK SMEs in relation to raising finance.  In addition, he sits on the Lancaster University Finance and General Purposes Committee.

A keen sports person, Nigel spent four years at the University of Oklahoma in the US on a tennis scholarship, giving him an opportunity to benefit from the breadth of sporting opportunities available there.

He continues to play competitive tennis and attained a top 50 world ranking in the 45+ age category in 2020.

Nigel is keen to support youth sport development and manages the Cheshire Albion U9 football team.

John Rowlands is Executive Principal of Greater Manchester Academies Trust which includes a secondary, a primary school, a teacher training centre and a Research School. He and the Trust share a simple ethos; that social disadvantage should not be a barrier to success.

John has served Manchester schools for over 10 years and was previously Principal at Manchester Communication Academy within the GMAT Trust which serves an area of significant social disadvantage in North Manchester.  John is recent recipient of the Headteacher Teach Well Award and ensures that wellbeing is a key priority not just for children but for staff too. As a PE teacher of over 20 years and a previous School Sport Co-ordinator, he is passionate about physical education and school sport and ensuring this is high profile in any school curriculum.

John is also a YST Headteacher Ambassador and regularly speaks at regional and national events about the importance of PE and school sport in education and how this can be used as a vehicle for school improvement and opportunity.

David is the Managing Director at Knight Kavanagh & Page Ltd, one of the UK’s largest sport, leisure and open space management consultancy companies. He has over 30 years’ experience in the sport and leisure industry, with his early experience in facility management and sports development.

His experience in the sector includes the delivery of strategic plans for many local authorities, sporting agencies and national governing bodies of sport; including the delivery of local football facility plans for every local authority in England. He has also been involved in the underpinning strategic planning and feasibility for many major and community sports facilities in the UK.

Dave is passionate about sport and physical activity and the wider benefits it brings to young people’s lives and society as a whole. He is a keen spectator of many sports and has just finished a 10 year stretch in coaching his sons’ football teams.