Up and Coming Events
🗓️ Three dates available across February, March and April.
This session is designed for:
➡️ COOs and CFOs
➡️ HR Strategic Leads and School Business Managers
➡️ Data Protection Officers (DPOs)
➡️ Board members serving on finance, audit, risk or resources committees
What leaders will gain;
✔️ Clarity on how AI can reduce operational burden and cost
✔️ Confidence to lead AI ethically, compliantly and strategically
✔️ A clear understanding of COO, HR and DPO responsibilities
✔️ Practical frameworks to take straight back to your organisation
✔️ Stronger governance and assurance conversations at board level
Every participant will take away;
🔹 An Organisation-Wide Operational AI Maturity Matrix
🔹 The same matrix ready for RAG-rating
🔹 Role-specific AI handouts for COO, HR and DPO roles
🔹 Role-specific RAG-rating versions for COO, HR and DPO use
This is more than training, it’s an immersive leadership experience designed to help schools and MATs move from curiosity to confident, well-governed AI adoption.
.png)
AI and School Operations
.png)
.jpg)
Rise Leaders Rise Summit 2026
Bold Leadership. Unapologetic Presence. Executive Power
Homerton College, Cambridge University, UK
Saturday 14th November 2026
Who is it for?
This summit is for aspiring, emerging and newly appointed executive leaders from Black, Asian, and global majority backgrounds, including:
-
Senior leaders preparing for roles such as Executive Head, CEO, or Director
-
Middle leaders with executive ambitions
-
MAT or Trust leaders committed to equity-centred change
-
Those navigating the emotional, political and professional realities of racialised leadership
If you’re ready to lead beyond the school gates – with strategy, presence and power – this summit is for you.
Conference Price
£240.00, per person, includes the full programme, excellent speakers & workshops, lunch and refreshments etc.
In the words of Ann Palmer
Rise Leaders Rise Summit
Executive Leadership for Global Majority Educators
The Rise Leaders Rise Summit is a bold, affirming and future-focused one-day leadership conference created to support and accelerate the journey of global majority educators into executive leadership.
This summit has been designed in response to a persistent and deeply felt need: the underrepresentation of global majority leaders at the highest levels of educational leadership in Multi Academy Trusts, Local Authorities, diocesan structures, and national policy spaces. While schools across the UK serve richly diverse communities, the executive leadership of the sector does not yet reflect that diversity.
We believe that must change and this summit is part of that change.
Purpose of the Summit
The Rise Leaders Rise Summit is more than an event – it’s a movement.
It exists to:
-
Inspire global majority education leaders to see themselves in senior executive roles
-
Equip them with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to step forward boldly
-
Connect them with others on the journey – building networks of support and sponsorship
-
Challenge the systems that have historically excluded and undervalued diverse leadership voices
-
Affirm that our communities, our schools, and our children need leadership that is reflective, representative, and rooted in justice
What You Will Gain
Attendees will experience:
-
Keynotes from powerful global majority executive leaders
-
Workshops focused on practical tools for strategic influence, public leadership, confidence and inner belief
-
Courageous conversations about race, power, authenticity and vision
-
Guidance on sponsorship, personal branding and visibility
-
A vibrant, affirming community that recognises your leadership potential
Why Now?
Now is the time for education to reflect the brilliance, resilience and excellence of the communities it serves. Now is the time to challenge the myth that executive leadership must look, sound, or behave a certain way. Now is the time to rise , unapologetically, collaboratively, and strategically.
“Representation is not enough. We need leadership transformation. This summit exists to affirm that you don’t need to wait to be chosen. Your time is now.”
Venue
Homerton College, The University of Cambridge
Confirmed Speakers & Workshop Hosts
The Executive Circle: Education Owners & CEOs Retreat
24th & 25th November 2026 - Dubai
The Executive Circle: Education Owners & CEOs Retreat
By Invitation. By design.
A confidential space for those who decide................
Description
The Executive Circle is a private, two-day retreat created exclusively for education owners, founders, CEOs and executive chairs who hold ultimate responsibility for groups of schools. This is not a conference and it is not open enrolment. It is a carefully curated circle for those who govern education at scale — leaders whose decisions shape institutions, cultures and futures.
Designed for a maximum of 10 –12 participants at each retreat only, The Executive Circle offers a confidential, unhurried space to step away from operational pressure and engage in the conversations that rarely find room in board papers or performance dashboards.
A retreat for leaders who carry the whole
Participants are those who understand that leading a group of schools is not simply about growth or financial return, but about stewardship of people, purpose, quality and reputation.
Across two days, the retreat focuses on:
-
Education as both institution and investment
-
Governing quality and culture at scale
-
Holding senior leaders to account without eroding trust
-
Navigating growth, complexity and risk responsibly
-
The role of owners and CEOs as long-term stewards of educational legacy
The programme is highly facilitated, shaped by the experience in the room, and grounded in honest peer-level dialogue, presentations and performance.
“Stewardship is the quiet work of leaders who understand that what they hold today must be stronger tomorrow.”
What makes The Executive Circle different ?
-
Invitation-only participation
-
Small, senior-only cohort (10 –12 leaders)
-
Confidential by design
-
Conversation-led, not content-heavy
-
A deliberate balance of strategic challenge, reflection and relationship
This is a space for leaders who value depth over display and discernment over noise.
Who this retreat is for?
The Executive Circle is designed for:
-
Founders, owners, CEOs and executive chairs of school groups
-
Leaders with direct governance and decision-making authority
-
Those operating in, or investing across, the Middle East
-
Leaders committed to long-term educational value, not short-term expansion alone
It is not suitable for consultants, service providers, or leaders without group-level accountability.
This is a retreat for those who understand that leadership at scale is not simply about growth — it is about stewardship.
Invitation Criteria
Participation in The Executive Circle is intentionally limited and extended only to those whose roles carry direct responsibility for governing education at scale.
This retreat has been designed for leaders who hold consequence, not delegated authority.
Eligibility
Invitees are typically:
-
Founders, Owners, CEOs, Executive Chairs or Group Managing Directors
-
Leaders with responsibility for a group of schools (normally three or more, or a clearly defined growth trajectory)
-
Individuals with ultimate decision-making authority, rather than operational or advisory roles
Accountability
Invitees hold direct accountability for:
-
Strategic direction and long-term vision
-
Executive leadership oversight
-
Educational quality and standards across multiple schools
-
Organisational sustainability, reputation and legacy
Regional Relevance
The Executive Circle is designed for leaders who are:
-
Currently operating in, or actively investing across, the Middle East
-
Strategically aligned with Saudi Arabia for the inaugural retreat
Leadership Orientation
Invitees demonstrate a clear commitment to:
-
Governance maturity and effective oversight
-
Leadership accountability at board and executive level
-
Sustainable, responsible growth, rather than short-term expansion
-
Viewing education as both an institution of purpose and an investment of consequence
Participation is by personal invitation only.
All expressions of interest are reviewed carefully to preserve the trust, depth and integrity of the retreat.
Places are intentionally limited to preserve the depth and trust of the conversation.
Selection Principles
Final invitations are issued based on:
-
Strategic alignment with the purpose of the retreat
-
Diversity of experience and perspective (ownership models, scale, geography)
-
Willingness to engage confidentially and contribute generously
-
Peer credibility “people others want in the room”
How Participation Works
Participation in The Executive Circle is intentionally selective.
A small number of leaders are invited into the Circle through a considered process designed to protect the depth, trust and integrity of the retreat.
)%20(1).png)
)%20(2).png)
)%20(3).png)
Cancellation & Transfer Policy for the Executive Circle
Participation in The Executive Circle: Education Owners & CEOs Retreat is intentionally limited and places are reserved individually.
For this reason, all participation investments are non-refundable once a place has been accepted and confirmed.
Should a confirmed participant be unable to attend, a request may be made to transfer the place to an alternative eligible leader, subject to prior approval and alignment with the retreat’s invitation criteria.
In the unlikely event that the retreat is postponed or cancelled by the organisers, participants will be offered the option of a full refund, or the transfer of their place to a future Executive Circle retreat.
Costs/Investment
£12,000 per participant (≈ SAR 59,000)
Includes:
-
Full 2-day retreat participation
-
All facilitation and materials
-
Hosted lunches and private stewardship dinner
-
Pre-retreat briefing
-
Post-retreat peer connection pathway (e.g. triads)
-
One night of accommodation (24th November 2026)
Excludes: Travel
