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.

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