Our Members
Members of an academy trust are the guardians of the governance of the trust.
The first members are the signatories to the Memorandum of Association drawn up when the trust formed. These members also agreed the first Articles of Association, which includes the trust's charitable objects - i.e. the purpose of the organisation. The Articles describe how the trust will be governed.
Although the members hold the board to account for the effective governance of the trust, they have a very limited role in the day-to-day running of the trust. It is the trust board who are the organisation's key decision makers. The members' role is discrete and distinct; therefore they do not attend regular business meetings or committees. The members have an Annual General Meeting (AGM); usually in February.
Fioretti Trust has five members; as a Church MAT, the majority of members are representatives from the Church of England. Members agree the appointment of any new trustee.
Birmingham Diocesan Board of Finance
Corporate Body
The Diocesan Board of Finance is a corporate member representing the interests of the Church of England and it ensures the school retains its Christian ethos and character.
Archdeacon of Birmingham
Corporate Body
The Archdeacon of Birmingham is a corporate member representing the interests of the Church of England and it ensures the school retains its Christian ethos and character.
Mr Giles Allen – MBA
Chair of the Trust Board
Our Chair of Trustees, Giles, is an expert in Change Management, Strategy, ICT and Communications and is currently a partner in the Nicholas Allen Partnership. Giles specialised in strategic finance as part of his MBA, and brings this strength to our Board, particularly in the areas of Financial and Budget Management. Giles has worked with management teams from organisations including Royal Bank of Scotland, Rolls Royce, HBOS, Interserve, Cadbury, nPower and BT on Strategy Development and Presentation and on Stakeholder Engagement. Giles is currently studying for a masters in Systems Thinking in Practice, where he is developing his knowledge of techniques to solve complex problems and bring about change. Giles brings extensive experience of working with senior management teams to the role of chairing and to the development of people and systems across the Trust.
Mrs Sarah Smith
Director of Education of Birmingham Diocese
Sarah Smith has been Birmingham Diocesan Director of Education since February 2015. She took up this post following her time as Executive Head Teacher of St John’s CE Primary School in Sparkhill, which she led successfully for eleven years. The school was rated ‘outstanding‘ twice under her leadership, by Ofsted. In that role she was a National Leader of Education, and has been involved in supporting schools on their journey of school improvement. During her headship Sarah served as Chair of Birmingham Local Authority Primary Forum and sat on Birmingham Schools Forum. She was a founder member of Birmingham Education Partnership. Since leaving headship Sarah has made a successful application for a secondary CofE free school and set up and now chairs the Birmingham Diocesan Academy Trust. Sarah has an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the importance of good governance in MAT’s.