Paul Whiteman has been announced as the preferred candidate for the role of general secretary of the NAHT heads’ union.
The union is writing to its 29,000 members to inform them that Mr Whiteman has been selected by the NAHT’s national executive committee as the preferred candidate to succeed Russell Hobby as general secretary.
Mr Whiteman is currently the NAHT’s director of representation and advice, with responsibility for advising members on management, legal and employment issues.
‘On the front line of protecting school leaders’
Prior to joining the NAHT in 2012, he spent nearly 11 years working for the First Division Association - the trade union which represents senior civil servants.
Kim Johnson, the NAHT’s immediate past president, said that following “an exhaustive and rigorous recruitment process” Mr Whiteman’s selection was a unanimous decision by the recruitment panel, and the pick had also been “unanimously endorsed” by the executive committee.
He continued: “Mr Whiteman has extensive experience. For the last five years he has been on the front line of protecting school leaders, leading our regional officer team. I am confident he will make a success of the general secretary role.
“At all points in this process we have been following the association’s governance structure to guarantee that the recruitment process is fair and rigorous, as you’d expect for a post of this significance.
“The next step is to update the wider membership, with information about the selection process and the candidate we are proposing.”
There will now be a two-week window during which other candidates will be allowed to come forward to challenge for the NAHT leadership. If there are no challengers, then Mr Whiteman will be confirmed as Mr Hobby’s successor on 17 May, and will take up the reigns as general secretary in September.
Mr Hobby announced his intention to stand down in January, having been the NAHT’s general secretary for the last seven years.
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