Five new members have joined The Brilliant Club’s Board of Trustees. James Taggart, Jonathan Keil, Paul Kearns, Rita Chudasama and Rob Carpenter all joined the Board, chaired by Dr Josephine Valentine OBE, in September.
Rob Carpenter is the founding CEO of the Inspire Partnership, leading nine primary schools in South London and Medway. With over 25 years in education, he has extensive experience in safeguarding, having served as Child Protection Officer during his tenure as a headteacher. Rob specializes in school improvement, leadership development, and has transformed multiple schools from inadequate to good and outstanding. He is a trustee for several education trusts, consults on national improvement programmes, and authored A Manifesto for Excellence in Schools. Rob frequently speaks on leadership, curriculum design, and education policy at international conferences.
Rob said of his appointment: “I wanted to join the Board of The Brilliant Club after hearing Anne-Marie speaking about her story growing up. My personal story is very similar. Gaining a good education and being able to go to university changed my life. I feel very connected to the mission of The Brilliant Club, including the programmes which make such a transformational difference for young people. I wish we had The Brilliant Club when I was a teenager! My aim is to support that mission and become a positive advocate for the amazing work taking place.”
Rita Chudasama is an accomplished Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) specialist with over 20 years of experience. As Director of GRC at UPP Group Holdings Limited, she has successfully transformed governance, risk, compliance, and ESG strategies, enhancing operational efficiency and significantly reducing risks. She has also held key governance roles at NHS Property Services and JP Morgan Asset Management, where her expertise contributed significantly to each organisation’s governance frameworks. Rita holds a Master’s in Governance, Risk, and Compliance and is a Fellow of the International Compliance Association (ICA). She is recognised for her leadership, receiving accolades including being named one of the Top 50 Most Inspirational Women in the UK by the ASHA Foundation. Rita is also a sought-after panel speaker, frequently sharing her insights on GRC and ESG at industry conferences and events.
Rita said: “I am truly honoured to join The Brilliant Club as a Trustee and to be part of its inspiring mission to open doors to higher education for talented young people from underrepresented backgrounds. I look forward to working alongside this dedicated team to help more students reach their full potential and realise their dreams.”
Paul Kearns is a seasoned banking professional with over 15 years of experience in balance sheet strategy, risk management, and treasury. Currently the Head of Banking & Credit at Kleinwort Hambros, he helps to deliver bespoke banking solutions to their high net worth private clients. He has previously held roles in trading, risk management and treasury management. Paul holds a BSc in Finance from Queen’s University Belfast and is a CFA Charterholder and Chartered Manager.
Paul said: “I have been working with The Brilliant Club through a partnership with my employer for over 5 years, supporting their various initiatives that help build access to the educational and career pathways relevant to the finance industry. I have seen how impactful their work is in improving the opportunities for students, as well as the broader benefits this can have in terms of financial literacy and the diversity of applicants to banking roles. It is a huge honour to increase my personal involvement with the amazing people at The Brilliant Club and broaden my support for the inspirational work that they do.”
Jonathan Keil is a lawyer at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, a leading US law firm and will be our new Legal Trustee. With over 20 years of experience in complex legal matters, Jonathan has gained significant international exposure working in UK and US law firms, as well as in a global financial institution and a fast growing, emerging markets-led fintech scale-up. He has spent his career advising on sophisticated and high-value debt investments and restructurings, and provides strategic counsel to clients on transactional issues, leveraging his deep understanding of debt markets. He spent several years as chair of governors for an underperforming inner city primary school and helped improve its outcomes for pupils and lead its federation with another primary school.
Jonathan said on his appointment: “I am excited to be part of something so special which would have made an enormous difference to me when I was considering university options and going through the difficult settling in period starting studies away from home.”
James Taggart is our nominated board observer from our partners and supporters, The Social Business Trust. He is a partner at Bain & Company, leading operating model transformations globally. With experience across retail, utilities, and financial services, he works closely with executives to drive impactful change. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MA from the University of Cambridge.
James said: “As the first in my family to go to university, I understand the impact The Brilliant Club has on families and students. I’m looking forward to supporting the team at The Brilliant Club to access support from The Social Business Trust and accelerating their important mission.”
Chair of The Brilliant Club’s Board of Trustees, Dr Josephine Valentine, welcomed the new appointments. “It’s a pleasure to welcome these five new faces to the Board of Trustees. Their expertise is wide-ranging and covers governance, safeguarding, education, finance, and legal knowledge. I have no doubt they will all make a great contribution to The Brilliant Club as the charity moves into the last two years of Join the Club, and we welcome their expertise as we plan our next five-year strategy.”