Appointment of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills Contents
Appendix 5: Details of the preferred candidate
1. CV
Amanda Spielman
Employment
2011– Chair, Ofqual (national independent regulator of qualifications and assessments)—(half-time) and Interim Chief Regulator
- Overseeing major reform programmes in both A level/GCSE and vocational qualifications, which are on track despite significant sector resistance to the underlying policy
- Maintaining independence from government in making key regulatory decisions
- Overseeing strategic shift to make Ofqual an outward-facing organisation with a risk-based regulatory approach built on strong research and evidence
- Sustained Ofqual’s position through a critical period when GCSE English was widely believed to have misfunctioned in 2012, defending it in media (and subsequent judicial review outcome vindicated this defence)
- Representing Ofqual externally to many audiences including schools, teachers, media, ministers and select committees and others such as learned societies
- Advising and working with chief executive
- Reshaping and developing the board
2014– Consultancy work
- Steering group chair for a cross-government review of regulators (in progress)
- Triennial review of three government postgraduate scholarship schemes,: secured support for recommendations from Foreign Office, DFID and Cabinet Office ministers
- External reviewer for a strategic review of TeachFirst
2013– Education Adviser, Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) (now 1 day pw)
- 2012– Member, International Education board
- Advice on development of international education strategy including public-private partnership models in Uganda, India, Pakistan and elsewhere
- 2011– Member, Finance and audit committee: established and handed over to incoming COO.
- 2013– Member, Mathematics Mastery Advisory Board
2004– Research and Policy Director, ARK Schools
- Member of founding management team of leading academy operator which now has 30+ schools and £140m revenues: with Lucy Heller built the organisation from scratch, part of senior management team throughout
- Responsibilities included establishing education policy and model, strategy and planning, and all legal and regulatory affairs, including government relationships (jointly with MD) and leading on development of academy policy
- Advised ARK Schools board on development of ARK Schools model
- Member of Sykes Review Group (2008-2009) which reviewed the nature and use of external assessments in schools and their regulation.
2001–2004 Part-time study, consultancy and voluntary work and maternity leave
- Completed MA in Comparative Education
- Freelance strategy consultancy to educational organisations
- Voluntary work for Pilotlight, Saving Faces and St Paul’s, described below
1997–2001 Nomura International plc, London
- Transactor, Principal Finance Group, reporting to group head, making large equity investments (£250-500 million typical size) through corporate acquisitions (effectively a private equity fund but employing Nomura’s own capital)
- Strategy/business planning director (on secondment) at a $2.2 bn portfolio company, AT&T Capital (Morristown NJ, USA), then the second largest commercial finance company in the US ($30bn of lease assets), reporting to the Chief Executive
- At AT&T Capital, co-ordinated group-wide analysis and strategy project, identified principal reasons for business under-performance, developed and began implementation of turn-around plan until business was sold
- Subsequently responsible for acquisition, financing and post-acquisition management and control of acquired companies
- Projects managed included bidding in mobile (3G) licence auction and in the Millennium Dome competition, initial development of the Terra Firma fund structure and marketing plan, and pub-related deals (Nomura owned some 6,000 pubs)
1995–1997 Mercer Management Consulting, Inc, Boston, Mass., USA
- Principal (partner), Communications, Information and Entertainment practice
- Projects mainly involved bringing rigorous financial and market analysis techniques to assist corporate strategy and marketing strategy development: clients included AT&T, Reader’s Digest
1994–1995 Bridgewater Business Analysis Ltd, London
- Director of a strategy consultancy, specialising in media, telecoms and business services: clients included Reuters, Cable & Wireless, Booker, Tarmac
1992–1994 Newstead Capital, London
- Co-founder and director of a financing boutique, advising on asset-backed finance
1986–1992 Kleinwort Benson Ltd, London (now DKB)
- Manager, Corporate Finance in top-ranked M&A firm
- Mainstream corporate finance work on all types of M& A transactions, domestic and international
- Seconded to divisional chief executive for a year to develop marketing strategy
- Seconded to group chief executive and finance director for various special assignments
- Established telecoms sector specialisation within corporate finance
- Two years in loan workout and mezzanine investment: restructuring troubled companies and evaluating potential investments
1986–1986 Lloyds Bank plc
- Corporate strategy work in head office
1982–1986 Thomson McLintock, Bristol (now KPMG)
- Assistant to corporate finance partners and senior partner working on acquisitions/disposals, valuations, corporate investigations, share option schemes and other non-standard assignments
- Qualified as chartered accountant 1985 (all first-time passes)
Directorships and voluntary work
- 2016– Council and audit committee member, Brunel University
- 2015– Director, Floreat Education, a multi-academy trust
- 2014– Trustee, STEMNET, a charity working to encourage participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in schools
- 2011–2015, Council member, Institute of Education, University of London (now merged with UCL); member of Finance and General Purposes Committee; chaired Investment Committee, advised Director on aspects of merger.
- 2004–2011, trustee/director of Wales Millennium Centre, a new opera house, theatre and arts centre in Cardiff, completed on time and on budget (£107m); member of Finance and General Purposes Committee; chair of Remuneration and Appointments Committee.
- 2001–2004, trustee and operating committee member of Pilotlight, a charity promoting and managing active philanthropy among senior executives and successful entrepreneurs.
2001–2002 Institute of Education, London University
- MA with distinction in Comparative Education
1979–1982 Clare College, Cambridge University
- MA Class II.i (Part I Mathematics, Part II Law)
- Entrance Exhibition in Mathematics
Professional membership
Member of Institute of Chartered Accountants
2. Conflicts of Interest and previous conduct
Ms Spielman declares that she has no personal conflicts of interest. She recognises potential conflicts of interest presented by her non-executive roles at Ofqual, Floreat, Brunel University, and STEMNET, her consultancy work, and adviser role with ARK. If confirmed as HMCI she will step down from these positions.