We’re excited to share some news that marks a new era for the Teacher Development Trust. We’re proud to announce that Gareth Conyard, formerly Director of Education at the TDT, has been appointed as Co-CEO (Impact & Delivery) while David Weston will become Co-CEO (Research & Innovation). This decision, initiated by David, reflects our commitment to fostering a collaborative, innovative, and dynamic approach to leadership. Both of us remain full time.
While the concept of shared leadership might be seen as novel in the world of education, it is gaining traction. A number of schools, charities and public bodies have been creating models where leadership at the top is much more shared and collaborative. The idea of the single, ‘heroic’ leader is becoming increasingly inefficient and unsustainable. The effect of the pandemic has shown how more flexible, collaborative, and distributed models of working can benefit individuals and organisations. Ultimately, we’ve pursued this model to allow us to play into our respective strengths and experiences and to be more agile, responsive, and effective in pursuing our mission to create schools where staff develop expertise and thrive so that students succeed.
The board’s decision to appoint us as Co-CEOs rests on our complementary skillsets. Gareth has extensive experience in policy and delivery stemming from his long career in the civil service. Drawing on his experience of developing and delivering huge programmes in teacher and leadership development, he is uniquely positioned to lead the TDT’s impact and operational work. His dedication to improving educational outcomes for students and fostering a culture of continuous improvement aligns perfectly with our mission.
