After 10 years serving as The Brilliant Club’s Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dame Sue John has stepped down from the role and will be succeeded by Dr Josephine Valentine OBE. Dame Sue has been with The Brilliant Club since its inception in 2011 and has provided invaluable insight and leadership as the charity has grown from delivering its first placements in 2011, to supporting over 14,000 pupils across the UK. The Board of Trustees and Leadership Team at the charity thank her for her hard work and dedication.
The Brilliant Club are pleased to welcome Dr Josephine Valentine OBE as the incoming Chair and look forward to working with her as the charity reaches its 10-year anniversary in 2021 and establishes its next five-year strategy. Josie is CEO of the Danes Education Trust, an experienced school leader and former research scientist, and joined The Brilliant Club Board of Trustees in early 2019.
‘Dame Sue John has been a key part of helping The Brilliant Club become a successful and thriving charity. Thanks to her dedication as chair of trustees thousands of children across the UK have been helped to access university. We thank Sue for her decade of service and look forward to welcoming Dr Josie Valentine as our new chair.’
Anne-Marie Canning MBE, CEO of The Brilliant Club
‘I am so very fortunate to have been associated with this amazing charity. The organisation has grown from strength to strength as a result of the outstanding leadership of the original founders, Jonny Sobczyk and Simon Coyle, and more recently Dr Chris Wilson. I know that Anne–Marie Canning will continue to lead the charity with the same passion and commitment.
The relentless focus on evidence and impact of our Scholars Programme and Researchers in Schools programme is something we can all be proud of and I would like to thank the exceptional Board of Trustees for their support over the years. I am delighted that Dr Josephine Valentine has agreed to take on the role of Chair of Trustees.’
Dame Sue John, outgoing Chair of Board of Trustees
Russell Hobby, also a long-serving trustee with The Brilliant Club, and currently CEO at Teach First, has stepped down from his trustee role after a decade on the Board. While the charity is sad to see him go, we thank him for his support over the years and wish him the best for the future.
To view our full board please visit our Trustee webpage.