Governance

All Governors were appointed by Saracens Multi-Academy Trust.

The Clerk to the Governors can be contacted via email at clerk@saracensbl.org

All Governors attend Local Governing Body meetings.

Register of Business Interests

Nigel Denison, Chair of Governors
Trust Appointed Governor

Governance Link: Link Governor Coordinator

After graduating in French and German from Cambridge University, Nigel spent 35 years working in the City.

He spent 15 years at the Barclays Group trading interest rates and foreign exchange, before moving to the German Bank WestLB as Head of European Sales in the Global Financial Markets Division. In his last role, he was a founder director of the Bank of London and the Middle East, which became the largest standalone Islamic Bank in Europe.

Nigel combines an interest in languages with a love of travel and is an enthusiastic, if incompetent, golfer! He is also a long term season-ticket holder at Saracens Rugby Club.

Term of Office: 1st August 2024 – 31st July 2028

Caroline Gerstein, Vice Chair of Governors
Trust Appointed Governor

Governance Link: School culture, behaviour, discipline and wellbeing

Caroline recently retired from her role as Head of First School (EYFS-Y2) and Deputy Head (Junior School) at North London Collegiate School. She has over 25 years’ experience as a primary school teacher in both the independent and maintained sector.

Caroline’s experience includes 20 years in school leadership and 10 years in international consultancy. She has worked on the development of, and curriculum programmes for, international junior schools in Asia and the UAE and has undertaken inspection and monitoring visits to them.

She has an excellent working knowledge of the British curriculum and the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. Caroline has a BEd from the University of London and is a PSHE subject specialist.

Caroline is also a trustee for the charity Apart of Me which provides a safe and supportive place for young people to explore their feelings and experiences of grief.

Caroline has a wide range of interests, but her preferred form of relaxation is cooking, and she particularly enjoys a culinary challenge!

Term of Office: 1st August 2024 – 31st July 2028

Ruth Abrahams
Trust Appointed Governor

Ruth has 30 years’ experience as a primary school teacher in both the maintained and independent sectors.

Initially qualifying with an BA Hons in Textiles, she undertook her teacher training at UCL and completed her first trainee placement at Bell Lane School.

She spent 22 years at North London Collegiate School where she held the post of Junior School SEND Advisor. In addition, she delivered a programme of professional development training for teaching assistants, acted as a staff appraiser, led on the art and design curriculum and edited the school magazine.

Following her teaching career, she qualified as a child and adolescent
psychotherapeutic counsellor and has worked in both primary and secondary school settings. She is a registered member of BACP.

Ruth enjoys volunteering for her community Meals on Wheels programme and is a lifelong supporter of Chelsea Football Club.

Term of office: 6th February 2025 – 5th February 2029

Eleanor Bennett
Trust Appointed Governor

Governance Link: Safeguarding

Eleanor has been a governor at Bell Lane Primary School since 2023. She currently works for the Law Commission of England and Wales, advising the UK Government on issues of law reform. Before this, Eleanor completed her undergraduate and postgraduate legal studies at the University of Oxford and University College London respectively. Eleanor will begin training as a barrister in autumn 2025 specialising in public, planning, and property law.

Originally from Sheffield, Eleanor attended a comprehensive state school and is committed to ensuring children of all backgrounds receive the best education possible. While at university, she volunteered and worked for a number of organisations supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds to apply to university and now works to promote diversity in the legal profession.

Term of Office: 1st August 2024 – 31st July 2028

David (Mark) Beveridge
Trust Appointed Governor

Subject Link: Digital Learning/IT

Mark is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 35 years’ experience in commercial finance roles, focussing on business development, financial management and corporate governance to drive sustainable profitability in the leisure, travel, hospitality and real estate sectors.

More recently, Mark has run his own portfolio CFO consultancy where he provides strategic finance support and advice to a range of small and medium enterprises across a range of different sectors as well as mentoring adults in varying stages of their business growth cycles.

Mark has a keen interest in sport, having been a competitive swimmer throughout his time at school and university, and subsequently as a Masters Swimmer. He is a keen supporter of Saracens Rugby Club and their values, and a firm believer in the value of sports and activities to the lives of young people.

Term of Office: 1st August 2024 – 31st July 2028

Yanily Bonilla
Trust Appointed Governor

Subject Link: Literacy and Humanities

Yanily graduated in Modern Foreign Languages (English and Spanish) in Colombia. While studying, she taught in primary and secondary schools in the private sector. In 2000 she took a gap year to the UK and decided that this was the place where she wanted to make a difference.

Since training to be a teacher at the University of Bristol, she has worked in two inner London schools, where pupils’ progress in languages was regularly far higher than the national average. She has taught Languages, been Head of Department, a Head of Faculty overseeing three departments, an Advanced Skills Teacher and a Learning and Teaching coach, supporting other colleagues to improve their practice.

For the last six years she has been part of the Saracens family and is currently an Assistant Principal at Saracens High School. She is very excited to become a Governor at Bell Lane and is keen to see the Saracens Family grow.

Term of Office: 1st August 2024 – 31st July 2028

Roger Coral
Trust Appointed Governor

Governance Link: Pupil Premium and Looked After Children

Roger is a solicitor of over 40 years. He specialises in all matters property, including lending and bars and restaurants (on the legal side that is!). He has also had involvement in running cafe/bars and restaurants commercially. He has been a partner in several law practices but is now working as a consultant with a firm in the West End of London and as such has experience in managing professional organisations.

Roger is a keen rugby supporter but (would you believe) supports Harlequins. (How come we let him in?!)

Roger has been a Governor of Bell Lane for over 12 years and was vice chair for the last 3 years and is hoping that his enthusiasm for education and for the school will enable him to contribute towards its future progress.

Term of Office: 1st August 2024 – 31st July 2028

Andrew Harris
Trust Appointed Governor

Governance Link: Saracens Multi-Academy Trust Audit and Risk Committee

Subject Link: Early Years and Foundation

Andrew is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 30 years’ experience in senior financial roles, mainly in the financial services and technology sectors.

More recently, he co-founded and sold a fintech startup that developed bespoke software for some of the UK’s largest fund managers.
Andrew is a Trustee and the Treasurer of North London Hospice where he is also Chair of the Finance & External Audit Committee and the Retail Committee.

Andrew is married with 2 children and is a keen supporter of Sale Sharks Rugby Club and Manchester City.

Term of Office: 1st August 2024 – 31st July 2028

Victor (Vic) Luck
Trust Appointed Governor

Subject Link: PE and Sports Premium

Building on a 40-year senior leadership career in the European professional services and automobile industries, for the past 15 years Vic has been a Non-Executive Director in the sports and public services sectors, including his current Board membership in the Saracens Group. His focus is on strategy, organizational development, financial management and corporate governance.

As an advisor to UK Sport, Vic’s passion is to improve how sport is applied to the benefit of society. A social golfer, he is also a UK Masters 800m track athlete. Married to a retired primary school teacher, Vic has some inkling of the challenges in education!

Term of Office: 1st August 2024 – 31st July 2028

Mayank Panchal
Parent Governor

Mayank is a highly skilled Senior Civil Enforcement Officer with extensive experience in regulatory compliance, team leadership, and operational strategy. With a strong background in human resources and administration spanning over 10 years, he has successfully led teams in maintaining public order, ensuring adherence to traffic and parking regulations, and fostering a customer-focused approach in enforcement operations.

Currently serving as a Senior CEO at NSL (Marston Holdings Ltd.) in Barnet, Mayank oversees strategic enforcement operations, manages resource deployment, and liaises with key stakeholders to enhance service delivery. He has a proven track record in training and mentoring enforcement officers, optimising processes, and upholding public safety standards.

Mayank holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Anand Institute of Social Work, Gujarat, India, and an MSc in Management from BPP University, London. He is also a certified expert in Advanced Excel and Labour Law Practices.

With his diverse experience in leadership, compliance, public engagement, and administration, Mayank is keen to contribute his expertise as a Parent Governor. His ability to strategically plan, mentor teams, and ensure adherence to governance policies makes him well-suited to supporting the educational environment and fostering a strong partnership between parents, students, and the school administration.

In his free time, he enjoys exploring innovative solutions for traffic management and community engagement.

Term of Office: 25th October 2024 – 24th October 2028

Megha Panchal
Parent Governor

As the founder of Nilkanth Littles, an educational support service specializing in programs such as Midbrain Activation and Vedic Maths, Megha is deeply passionate about child development and innovative learning methods. An internationally certified trainer in Midbrain Activation, Megaha has worked with children and young adults to enhance cognitive abilities and learning potential.

In addition to her work in education, Megha has extensive experience in human resources, administration, and civil enforcement. Her background in management has strengthened her leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills, which she aims to bring to the role of parent governor.

She is committed to collaborating with the school, parents and the governing board to foster an inclusive and supportive learning environment where every child can thrive.

Term of Office: 25th October 2024 – 24th October 2028

Sean Robinson
Trust Appointed Governor

Subject Link: Numeracy and Science

Sean is a retired independent school Headteacher who spent ten years at Belmont, Mill Hill and twenty seven years at St John’s in Northwood, part of the Merchant Taylors’ family of schools. His subjects are mathematics and PE. He is interested in promoting learning of mathematics and currently is part of the action tutoring group who provide volunteer support to children as they prepare for GCSE. Sean enjoys playing golf and cricket and is Chair of Hawridge and Cholesbury Cricket Club. He is also a long term season-ticket holder at Saracens and played for the team back in the 1980s!

Term of Office: 1st August 2024 – 31st July 2028

Oana Shega
Trust Appointed Governor

Oana has been associated with Bell Lane School for the past 13 years and originally joined the governing body in 2022 as a parent governor and a link between the children’s centre and the school.

She has a degree in Business and Law and is currently pursuing a postgraduate course in International Project Management. She has an academic interest in leadership, which is complemented by practical leadership training in a diverse range of voluntary roles, demonstrating her dedication to fostering collaboration, effective communication, and resilience.

Her experience includes conducting in-depth research, managing student societies, and acting as a liaison between students and university boards. Having had two children who have graduated from Bell Lane, she has seen many changes, especially since the pandemic. She is excited about the improvements being made under Saracens MAT and looks forward to witnessing further progress.

Term of Office: 5th November 2024 – 4th November 2028

Violeta Tudorache

Ex-officio Governor

Former Governors

Natalie Berg resigned with effect from 8th October 2024
Olesegun Akande resigned with effect from 11th November 2024