When our founding CEO told me he was stepping down after 10 years in post, I felt this presented both a challenge and an opportunity.

For example, we asked ourselves big questions like, did we need a new CEO, or should we partner with another multi-academy trust (MAT)? And if we did need a CEO, what sort of person did we want to hire? A like-for-like replacement or someone totally different?

After much discussion, we moved to appoint Claire Heald as our new CEO in June 2024, and we are now approaching 18 months of her in the role.

Making space for each other

A big part of this process was ensuring she would have space to operate independently, but with support and direction from the board as required.

The chair’s role is, of course, a strategic one, and it was also important for Claire to know that, as CEO, she would have the space to lead as she needed.

To this end, in the first year, we set out principles of transparency and agreed reasonable targets for progress - but these were set by Claire based on what she thought our immediate priorities should be, not our view.

That means resisting the urge - however strong! - to delve into operational details and get involved in the day-to-day decisions that rightly sit with her and her team.

I know from experience that this is a real challenge for many CEOs and, for us, it was important to set the ground rules from the get-go.

As part of this, we also set clear parameters for how often we’d meet and how this would work - with a rhythm established of meeting every one to two weeks and face-to-face wherever possible.

When we meet, we take time to reflect together on what’s working and whether there are things we’d do differently if we did them again.

Ensuring real conversations

We have very honest conversations - this is not some type of governance performance art - this is a real conversation, characterised by candour and care. And that’s because we have established trust.

Claire has worked with a coach for a number of years, and coaching is something I believe in as well.

Working with Claire’s coach is an additional way in which we’ve been able to have effective feedback conversations. Before each session, the coach will give us “homework” - prompt questions to refine the feedback we give each other.

She encourages us to think deeply about things that have gone well and why, and also what things haven’t gone as well. The coach supports the conversation, but it’s Claire and I doing the talking.

We started and ended last year with an extended coaching session and are continuing with the sessions this year.

One thing that has come from this is talking about how the CEO and executive team have to work together to “peel the onion” to get underneath what’s working well in the trust and what improvement priorities are.

This leads to really open, strategic conversations.

The CEO’s perspective

When I took on the CEO role at The CAM Academy Trust, I was very aware of the context I was entering into. My predecessor had been in the post for over 12 years; the MAT system was entering a new phase, with many first-generation leaders moving on.

These first-generation CEOs have been very successful, building a model of trust leadership based on their personal management style.

However, those of us stepping into the shoes of those early trailblazers need to be very clear on our own leadership approach. It can’t - and shouldn’t - be about simply doing an impression of those who went before us!

It requires a new kind of leadership. I think boards across the sector are grappling with this challenge and the need to be really clear about what their trust needs and the kind of leaders they’re looking for. It’s not easy, and we probably don’t talk about this challenge enough.

The CEOs taking on these roles also need to be clear about the kind of leaders they want to be.

Agreeing to disagree

Therefore, from day one, I knew I needed to be upfront with Sue about that issue and one of the first things Sue said to me, which I really appreciated, was that “we won’t always agree - and that’s OK”.

What we did agree on, though, was how we’d work, and it’s important to do that in a CEO-chair relationship. I know that from experience, as I also chair another MAT myself. And it normally looks different in each context.

Sue and I meet every one to two weeks and also catch up on the phone when we need to. At regular intervals, we make sure we set aside time for a longer, more reflective strategic conversation.

Sometimes, if we’re exploring “knotty problems”, such as how to support a priority school or an area where we need to drive cultural change, we might revisit a topic over several conversations so we have time to reflect deeply.

We have worked together on improving our trust governance model. We needed to separate tiers of governance and think hard about approaches to reporting and assurance.

Raising principal voices

We’re also focused on giving principals more of a voice at board level. That’s something Sue and I were particularly keen to do.

Being clear on what we need to do to sharpen our work has required high levels of openness and collaboration between Sue and myself.

This year, we’ve grappled with complex issues at board level. We’ve talked about growth strategies - in instances where there wasn’t necessarily an immediate right answer, with different views around the board table.

Being able to be honest about what’s working and what isn’t is critical. I have worked with a leadership coach for a few years now and find it invaluable.

Sharing a coach

As noted above, I invited Sue to join our coaching sessions periodically, at key points such as the start and end of academic years, and we use these sessions to reflect on recent issues, offer feedback to each other and commit to the actions we’re taking forward.

Last academic year, there were times when we both had to manage complexity at board level. We reflected on what had gone well and what hadn’t in a coaching session.

This meant we naturally continued the conversation in our routine catch-ups.

Building an effective professional relationship has been critical to the work we’ve needed to do at CAM. Next, we need to think about what high-impact board-executive relationships might look like.

Getting that right is critical to next-gen governance. I think we’ve made a good start.

Sue Williamson is the chair of the board of trustees and Claire Heald is the CEO of The CAM Academy Trust

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