Ruth joined the Board in February 2021. She graduated from Bristol Medical School in 1979, worked in Barnstaple, Bristol, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Manchester before returning to Barnstaple in 1986. She passed exams to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and took a substantive post in Anaesthetics at North Devon District Hospital. She developed and chaired a group for senior doctors working in the hospital and the community, supporting their career development and working terms and conditions. She became chair to the committee negotiating application of contracts and policies for all grades of medical staff in NDDH. Ruth trained as an appraiser for medical staff, and continued with this role for the last 15 years of her career. She also took on Educational Supervisor, teaching and mentoring roles for trainee doctors. Ruth was Chair of Governors of Our Lady's Catholic Primary School for over 12 years until 2005. She is an active member of St Mary’s Catholic Church as safeguarding rep, reader and was chair of the Pastoral Parish Council until the start of the pandemic. She is very happily married to Nick, has four adult children and keeps busy with a walking group, two book groups, piano lessons, exercise classes and cooking for friends.

Graham is a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered Information Technology Professional, a Certified Management Consultant; a Fellow of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management and the Institute of Administrative Management; and a medallist of the World Productivity Congress. He has worked in many management services roles throughout his thirty-five year career with Royal Sun Alliance in Bristol, London, Horsham and Liverpool, along with positions in the USA, Mexico and South Africa, encompassing many roles – project and change management, information technology, quality and customer service management, HR and Talent Management, facilities management, continuous improvement, transformational change, due diligence and office relocations associated with company mergers and acquisitions. Since retirement he has built up a portfolio of University, Further Education and Awarding Body Governorships along with NED and Trustee roles with Housing Associations, University Student Unions and various Charities. Graham also covers Change Management and Facilities Management pro-bono support to Charity, voluntary and not-for-profit organisations in South-West England and South-East Wales.

Deacon Nick joined the Board in December 2021. Nick was ordained for the Permeant Diaconate on the 6th November 2010. Although he has had a career in social care covering children, disabled people and older people in public, private and voluntary organisations, his founding motivation was built on relationships with older neighbours in his street and being in a family of ten children. Nick was a registered Social Worker until the end of 2020, when he retired from paid professional work. His roles have been operational and managerial, where he has learnt to do the ‘science’ of business. Nick continues to consider his perception of service to be simple and humane, focused on the individual he is trying to work with. Nick thinks that is where the ‘art’ of business happens, and the best measure of our service quality is the interaction between the persons we employ and the persons we serve. Nick is a Governor at St Edwards School in Poole and Chair of the Business and Premises Committee. He is a member of Caritas Plymouth Management Committee, the Chair of Prama Foundation and a Trustee of Keychange Charity, where he is the Chair of the Quality and Safety Working Group Nick is inspired by new ideas and trying to see round corners to the next big thing (or problem!) but is fundamentally committed to supporting all of the people we meet in the best way possible and ensuring we do what is needed to stay in business and to be outstanding.

Steve joined the CAST Board in June 2022. He had served as a Devon County Councillor and had been on the Education Committee. He was a School Governor for over 40 years in RC schools and is a parishioner at St Pauls RC Church. Steve has a background in engineering, management, project management, staff development and health & safety, retiring from Babcock International in 2019. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (CFIOSH) and a Member of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Managers (MIIRSM). Steve was appointed to the Board of the Plymouth Charity Trust in 1983 and became the Chair of the Board in 2008. The Charity provides sheltered independent living accommodation for those over 60 years of age in need. The charity is 400 years old and is run by 9 unpaid trustees, and three members of staff. He also supports a large academy with careers, interview and CV techniques, as well as delivering lectures on engineering and health and safety to approximately 300 students. Steve believes this interaction really makes a positive difference. As one student recently commented to him, “there is no chance of falling asleep during one of your lectures”! Steve took this as a compliment. Steve looks after his elderly parents, and they live with him. In his spare time, he has a great circle of friends who he sees regularly and loves going for a walk with his dog.

Alison was born and raised in Plymouth, and has a background in business and finance, having worked in international banking prior to a career in teaching. After moving back to Plymouth to start a family, Alison trained as a teacher, with a specialism in Early Years and Maths and began working at Calstock School. During this time, she completed her NPQH (Headship training) and five years later was appointed as a non-teaching Deputy at North Prospect Community Primary School. Alison took up her headship at Weston Mill after two years and moved the school forward in many areas, but in particular on standards. Alison has trained as an Ofsted Inspector (Primary and Early Years) and continues to work with other trust’s and Plymouth Local Authority in developing collaborative approaches to support children and families. This has led to the development of a city-wide nurture provision to support vulnerable and at-risk children. As Chief Executive Officer/Executive Headteacher of Discovery Multi Academy Trust, Alison works to improve outcomes and opportunities for all of the Trust's children, by leading school improvement across each of the academies. Developing links and working collaboratively across the city is also important to Alison. In her spare time, Alison enjoys gardening and spending time with her family.

John joined the Board in the summer of 2023 and serves on the Finance and Resources Committee. He holds an LLB from Manchester University and has practiced law as a Solicitor for over 40 years although currently trying to wind that down. His work has focused on Trust and Probate Litigation but he has also been involved in a wide range of work in the field of education both for schools and colleges, maintained and independent and also on behalf of parents in relation to admission, disciplinary and SEN issues. He has been involved in governing schools for many years and the Chair of three, most recently a large independent school in Dorset. He is married with four children and six grandchildren. He has been a member of St Catherine’s Parish in Wimborne for 42 years.

Brought up in Plymouth, where he was a pupil at Holy Cross Primary and then St Boniface’s College, John now lives in West Cornwall. Married, with five children and eleven grandchildren, he was a teacher for forty years, has held leadership roles at both primary and secondary level and served as head, or acting head, of three different Catholic primaries. John has a strong interest in Special Educational Needs and is firmly committed to Catholic Education and delivering the very best opportunities and outcomes for every single child entrusted to our care. The author of four books he has also written dozens of articles published in the national press, mostly about schools and teaching.

Nick Baldwin FCA is a Chartered Accountant and experienced business leader with over 40 years' experience in finance, governance and strategic leadership. Throughout his career he has worked with businesses of all sizes, helping organisations grow, improve performance and navigate periods of change. He currently runs his own accountancy and business advisory practice and has extensive experience in financial services, regulation and corporate governance. Nick is a practicing Catholic and has been a member of his local church, St Catherine’s, Wimborne for over 50 years. Nick is passionate about using his commercial and financial expertise to support education and ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive. Having previously served as Chair of a school governing board, he has first-hand experience of school governance and understands the importance of strong leadership, effective financial stewardship and a clear strategic vision. Outside work, Nick is married, a proud father of three and grandfather of four. He enjoys keeping active through cycling, tennis and running, and values spending time with his family.

With almost 10 years of prior experience as a school governor and Non-Executive Director for another Academy Trust, Matt has spent much of his working life in the NHS. He started in the Pharmacy Department as an apprentice Technician, and worked up to delivering projects at national level. One of his proudest career moments was designing a bespoke Quality Management Framework to encompass all the medical training for junior doctors in the South West of England, and then being asked to present it nationally by the UK Training Regulator. After leaving the NHS, Matt worked for ASDA as a Section Leader for Home and Leisure, and then joined a Pharmaceutical Manufacturer to work in Regulatory Affairs and Medical Information. Matt is a qualified and experienced project manager, holds an Advanced Postgraduate Professional Diploma in Employment Law, maintains accreditation as a Workplace representative for Unite the Union, and advocates for Neurodivergent families. Matt also advises on complex job evaluation cases for the National Health Service when required. As part of his union work, Matt led the negotiations for terms, conditions and pay for all the non-medical staff in the NHS in North Devon, as well as being called upon by officers across the South West to step in when they were unavailable. This culminated in supporting the Department of Health’s contracting team in their negotiations for a computer system for the health service across the United Kingdom. Matt is married to Naomi, with two grown up children, two step children, and a grandson. Matt has lived experience of life with disabilities, having suffered significant lung disease, airway collapses and mental health challenges. His neurodivergence allows him to look at issues from a range of viewpoints, and he values that greatly. Matt was born in Plymouth and has family there still. He now lives in North Devon, and loves a wide range of music, films, and family time.

Ingrid joined the Board in December 2025. She studied at King’s College London and graduated with a degree in German and French. With over thirty years of experience in education as a teacher, senior leader, governor, union workplace representative and within local authority roles, she brings a breadth of knowledge and understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing schools today. Her roles have included whole school strategic planning, management of teaching and learning standards, pupil assessment and school data and performance tracking. Her professional background has been in the state and independent sectors. Ingrid is a member of the parish of Our Lady of the Portal and St. Piran in Truro. She is a catechist for the RCIA programme and is on the parish finance committee, as well as being a member of the church choir, cantor and reader.

Alison has over 30 years experience in Education in a variety of settings as a Class Teacher, Head of School, Headteacher and Executive Headteacher achieving a Post Graduate diploma in Leadership; the National Professional Qualification for Headship and the National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership. Alison is also a qualified Special Needs leader having achieved the Post Graduate certificate in Special Educational Needs. Alison has worked for a Local Authority (Cornwall) large infant school; a small Federation of two schools and prior to joining Plymouth CAST as Headteacher, she was Head of School of a small school teaching in mixed aged classes in a Church of England Trust. She retired from her substantive position as Headteacher at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Bodmin in August 2025 after joining in September 2017. Prior to working in Education, Alison worked in hospitality after studying Art and Design at Falmouth School of Art. She later attended the College of St Mark and St John in Plymouth studying a BEd (Hons) in Primary Education. Alison has also been a governor in a number of education settings and is currently a non-executive Director with Plymouth CAST and a Trustee with Lostwithiel Education Trust which serves to support young people in Lostwithiel, Cornwall. Alison lives in Cornwall with her husband; she has two sons, one who is traveling the world working on superyachts and the other works for Babcock in Plymouth on bigger boats! Alison enjoys anything to do with the sea; swimming or boating. She also enjoys photography, visiting art galleries, creating art and walking her dog, Ted.

Emma joined Plymouth CAST in July 2026 and is a Chartered Accountant with over ten years' experience in the education sector. Having trained with a Big Four accountancy firm, she brings significant expertise in financial management, governance, and strategic leadership. Emma is currently Chief Financial Officer of a Catholic Multi-Academy Trust within the Diocese of Westminster, a Fellow of the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) as well as an accredited School Resource Management Adviser (SRMA). Emma is passionate about using her knowledge, strong accounting background, and extensive sector experience to support educational organisations in making the best use of their resources. She is committed to ensuring that financial and operational decisions contribute to improved outcomes and opportunities for all pupils, enabling every child to benefit from a high-quality education.

As the Governance Professional for Plymouth CAST, please contact me if you have any questions regarding governance across the Trust using the email asktheboard@plymouthcast.org.uk