Central Team

Richard was appointed by the Board as the Trust’s first full time CEO in January 2024. He has supported the development of Leeds Diocesan Learning Trust from its earliest days in 2021 and in September 2022 was seconded to the role of part-time CEO alongside his work as Director of Education for the Anglican Diocese of Leeds.

Richard has worked in education all his professional life. He moved from middle leadership roles in secondary schools to pursue a career in primary and secondary teacher education and academic subject teaching and leadership at York St John University. He spent ten years as Head of Theology, Religion and Philosophy and Director of the Centre for Church School Education, through which he worked with church school leaders and Diocesan Directors of Education. At York St John Richard taught across a range of degree programmes in the areas of education, Religious Education and the study of religion and theology. He has also been a governor and a chair of governors in church primary schools.

In 2014 Richard took up post as the first Director of Education for the new Diocese of Leeds, having statutory responsibility for the learning of over 64,000 children across some 250 Church Schools and 11 Church Multi-Academy Trusts. He has operated at Member and Director level in a number of Church Trusts and has completed the Church of England’s programme for Trust CEOs. Richard has supported the work of the Church of England in Education at a national level through membership of the National Society’s Reference Group for Higher and Further Education and was an inaugural member of the first National Advisory Group for SIAMS.

As a regional system leader Richard has worked closely with multiple stakeholders, including the DfE, local authorities, Church of England and Roman Catholic Dioceses, Ofsted, and National SIAMS. These experiences and opportunities have equipped him well for life as our Trust CEO, a role which he feels privileged to fulfil to the best of his ability.  He feels passionate about the role that education and schooling plays in the life chances of children and young people. At its best education should be a liberating experience and teaching a vocation. There is little more important than enabling children to learn how to learn and to nurture a love for learning in all those in our care. Supporting our children and our colleagues to flourish through their time in our schools and Trust is what the job is all about.

Richard is married to Shirley a secondary English teacher. They have three grown up children.

Mark began his teaching career over 20 years ago in North Yorkshire. Since then he has held senior leadership positions in Leeds and Calderdale where he oversaw areas such as Teaching & Learning and Assessment. During this time he began offering support to other schools and quickly became a System Leader culminating in him leading a nationally accredited Teaching School operating across West Yorkshire and based in a highly performing Multi Academy Trust in Calderdale.

Mark is committed to the principle that all children should have the opportunity to succeed regardless of background and has worked collaboratively throughout his career to ensure this is realised. Through his role as Director of Teaching School he has been heavily involved in school improvement, leading and administering projects for schools, Local Authorities and the DfE. He was instrumental in the roll out of the Calderdale and Kirklees Teaching School Hub in 2021 bringing together over 300 schools across the region.  Mark joined LDLT as Director of School Effectiveness in January 2024 and relishes the chance to work collaboratively with such a talented group of leaders who are all committed to the shared vision of the Trust.

In his spare time Mark enjoys spending time with his family, reading, cooking and following a number of sports.

After three years working for the NHS, Leanne began her career in practice accounting, where she specialised in audit and not-for-profit clients, including academies. It was during this time that Leanne gained her Chartered qualification with the ICAEW, also obtaining two prizes for the best result in the region.

Leanne is passionate that children from all backgrounds are given the opportunities to thrive and in 2020 Leanne decided to leave practice accounting and became the CFO of a three school multi-academy trust in an area where over 50% of the school children were eligible for free school meals. Leanne expanded to also lead in operations and support the schools with their Covid-19 response.

In 2021 Leanne was recruited to support a five school MAT that had been issued with a Notice to Improve (NtI). Leanne led the schools to resolve all twenty issues and five months later the notice was lifted. This was the quickest turnaround reported by the ESFA.

Leanne has worked with small and large primaries, all through settings, special schools and large secondaries across six local authorities and gained experience in both the Catholic and Church of England Dioceses.

In February 2022 Leanne became the CFO of Leeds Diocesan Learning Trust and has supported the Trust through its rapid growth to fourteen schools across three geographical areas.

At home, Leanne keeps active by looking after her four young children, including boy-girl twins.

Marc joined LDLT as Estates Manager in October 2025, bringing nearly two decades of expertise in new build construction and building maintenance operations. With a diverse background, Marc has previously led estates teams in the NHS and educational environments, gaining a comprehensive understanding of managing complex and challenging facilities and ensuring their long-term sustainability. His career has also taken him internationally, where he has worked in Spain and New Zealand, further expanding his expertise in different regulatory environments and approaches to estate management.

At LDLT, Marc is focused on overseeing the development, maintenance, and continual improvement of the LDLT estate, ensuring that all facilities meet the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and operational effectiveness.

In his spare time Marc enjoys DIY, vehicle mechanics, and walking his dog.

Jo joined the Central Team in September 2025, having worked in Education for 16 years as a School Business Manager in Leeds. Throughout her time in Education, Jo has been involved in all aspects of School Management and has accrued a solid and detailed understanding of the Education Sector, through its many changes.

Jo believes that the children are at the heart of everything we do – providing safe and nurturing school environments, coupled with exceptional educational opportunities.

In her spare time, Jo loves to run - competing in races across the UK and has recently branched out into Europe! Jo has one grown up son, who is currently at University.

Talitha joined the trust in October 2022 and is an experienced finance and business support professional who manages a range of finance functions, budgets and cost centres. The demands on her role and her responsibilities have developed as the trust has grown. She is currently studying toward her AAT level 4.

In her spare time Talitha is a keen runner and member of her local running club, regularly competing in races across the north of England. She is also a prize-winning baker with awards from various shows and the central team can certainly vouch for the quality of her delicious baked goods!

Having worked as a PA for 10 years, Lisa moved into education 14 years ago working as an administrator at a Ripon primary school. Lisa lives with her husband, teenage son and 2 crazy cats, and is passionate about contributing to the smooth functioning of educational governance within LDLT.

Jenny began her career in the legal profession and started working with school governors in 2025 having gained experience of governance in different sectors. She believes that the work of school governors provides a strong social benefit and is committed to supporting this within LDLT schools.