Simon is a Partner and Head of the charities and not for profit team at PKF Cooper Parry, a leading Midlands accountancy firm with 36 Partners and a 450-strong team.

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Simon has twenty years’ experience in the accountancy profession having trained and qualified with a Top 10 national firm, HLB Kidsons before joining Tenon and then Birmingham based Clement Keys where he was a Partner for 9 years before its merger with PKF Cooper Parry.

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Simon works exclusively with clients in the charity sector including several local and regional academy trusts and multi-academy trusts. He is responsible for leading the firm’s audit work with its academy client base and provides regular training for directors and trustees on governance matters ensuring all are up to date with legislation.

 

His work in the sector enables him to bring best practice experience to Community Academies Trust. Simon was also nominated to join Academy Ambassadors which is an organisation that works in bringing business professionals together with multi-academy trusts to build strong and innovative governance arrangements.

 

Simon joined the local governing body of Birchwood Primary School just prior to its conversion to an academy back in 2012 and was a founding member and director of Community Academies Trust. After chairing the audit committee, he became Chair of the Trust in September 2015 and has been Chair throughout the growth of the Trust from a six school multi-academy trust to the size that it is today.

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Simon is passionate about excellent community education and firmly believes that schools in the Trust should preserve their local identity whilst supporting each other to share best professional practice.

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Simon has lived in the community of Polesworth all his life where he attended both Birchwood Primary School and The Polesworth School before studying mathematics at the University of Warwick. He is married and his two sons now both attend The Polesworth School.