How to succeed in your first 30 days as a MAT CEO

Becoming a multi-academy trust CEO for the first time can be an intimidating prospect - not just because of the scale of running multiple schools, but also because the scope of the job is now incredibly broad. 

Unfortunately, there isn’t a huge amount of time to adjust: the first 30 days in post can be make or break, not just in terms of how others see you, but how you see yourself, too. 

Here we speak to three MAT chief executives who started out in recent years to get the lowdown on the best way to navigate those early days: David Atter, CEO of Keys Academies Trust since autumn 2026, soon to be CEO of Deacon Keys Trust if a planned merger with Thomas Deacon Education Trust is approved; Claire Heald, CEO of Cam Academy Trust since summer 2024; and David Hatchett, CEO of Anthem Schools Trust since autumn 2025.

They tell us how actually doing the job in that first month compared with their expectations, what they learned and the advice they’d give to the next generation of CEOs.

What was one thing that was harder than expected?

For Atter, transitioning from a “highly structured school improvement role” where he followed a strict timetable, with every minute mapped out in order to best serve schools, to a “relatively blank canvas” where he had to prioritise for himself was initially difficult.

“Shifting away from a reactive, schedule-driven day to giving myself permission to read up on wider educational policy and spend dedicated time purely strategising was a challenge,” he explains. “It felt strange at first to realise that deep thinking and reading is the work.”

Heald, similarly, found the sheer scale of tasks on her to-do list initially overwhelming. Learning to be patient and recognising that she would have to leave some tasks for later was key.

“You can’t tackle everything all at once, and everything can’t be a top priority. I knew that - but it was still tough,” she says.

Prioritisation was also an issue for Hatchett, who found it hard to balance all the “immediate, competing priorities” that hit him in the early days of the CEO role.

“For example, managing the immediate task of getting to know the executive team, central team colleagues, trustees and school leaders, alongside getting to know key external stakeholders,” he says.

What was one thing that was easier than expected?

Hatchett says having a planned, four-week handover with his predecessor meant that getting up to speed with the trust’s recent history, successes and priorities was much easier.

Meanwhile, Atter expected “some degree of resistance or cynicism” when he started and had to pitch a new vision to five schools and two sets of central teams, but actually found he got very positive engagement.

“I made sure to do my homework beforehand, taking time to understand each school’s unique context and data so I could build directly on what they were already doing well,” he says.

“Crucially, I was also open about who I am and where my core values stem from. Being vulnerable and sharing your authentic story helps people see the human behind the title, making genuine buy-in happen far more quickly than I had imagined.”

For Heald, it was easier than she thought to move from a mainly education-focused role to this broader one that required her to have oversight across all functions of the MAT.

“I have really enjoyed developing and optimising the links between a trust operating model and the school improvement model,” she says.

Was there anything that you were surprised by?

Heald knew there were big differences between MATs. But when she took on the CEO role in a trust that was new to her, she was still surprised by just how different it was to the MATs she’d worked in before.

However, she says: “That was a great opportunity to build what was distinctive.”

Atter, meanwhile, was surprised by how quickly he realised that the principles of leadership go beyond phase boundaries.

“Core leadership, pedagogical understanding and school improvement frameworks are fundamentally universal - you don’t need to be an expert in every phase to lead it effectively,” he says.

But for Hatchett, what surprised him was simply getting an almost universally positive and warm welcome from his new colleagues - the best thing that any incoming leader can hope for.

What’s one bit of advice you had that helped those 30 days go more smoothly?

A good friend of Heald’s, who is an experienced CEO in the charity sector, advised her to be clear on her boundaries and to fiercely protect her time to think and reflect. “That has been invaluable advice,” she says.

Additionally, Hatchett says the most helpful advice he got was to avoid the temptation to make immediate changes in those first 30 days, and instead take the time to understand why things are the way they are before changing them.

“Just because you’ve become a CEO, don’t forget that you come from a strong background in school improvement,” Atter was reminded.

“It empowered me not to abandon my core strengths when visiting schools, but to actively use those skills to provide both support and rigorous challenge from day one.”

What advice would you give to other new CEOs?

According to Hatchett, it is crucial that new CEOs take their time to really get to know their trust, schools and people. This, he says, “will pay dividends later”.

Building on that, Heald recommends establishing a network of trusted people you can lean on for advice, and not being afraid to ask for help. Doing this has allowed her to really get the most out of not just her first 30 days but her first year in the role.

“It’s a brilliant job - I absolutely love the chance to make a real difference,” she says.

Atter agrees that the CEO role comes with huge potential to make an impact.

“If you want to enact systemic change from the top and shape an organisation’s vision, the CEO role provides the platform to do that,” he says.

And while that sense of possibility might initially feel overwhelming, Atter stresses that you should be confident your skills are transferable.

“Trust in the expertise that brought you to this point,” he advises. “You don’t have to reinvent yourself overnight to lead a trust.”

What was the most important thing you learned during the first 30 days?

Presence and visibility are “everything”, Atter says. You cannot lead from behind a desk; the community you’re serving needs to be able to see and access you.

“I quickly adopted a mindset of saying ‘yes’ to as much as possible - attending awards ceremonies, school open evenings, visits to local mosques, and regional CEO networks,” he says.

For Heald, meanwhile, the most important takeaway has been how critical it is “to build a great team” and work with people who are aligned in values.

People are at the heart of the role for Hatchett, too - that is what his early days in the job have confirmed for him.

“Keep coming back to the pupils and schools,” he concludes. “That’s why we exist.”