Within the parameters of our 3 key strategic business objectives, the following are areas of support we offer to all our academies:

Nicola licata

Chief Executive Officer

Nicola was designated as a National Leader of Education in 2018. Nicola Licata is the Chief Executive Officer of Amethyst Academies Trust (AAT). Nicola is the Accounting Officer and a Local Leader of Education for AAT. As an experienced Executive Principal she has led and supported a number of local schools including New Park BESD School and Dunstall Hill Primary School.
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Nicola was also Principal of the founding school: Aldersley High School in Wolverhampton. Having worked in a number of schools. Due to the success of the school she formed the Amethyst Academies Trust in 2016.
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Nicola has had a varied career that started in Primary education; she then went on to become a SENCO in Secondary school and an English teacher. Passionate that the trust places students first she is focussed on raising standards and transforming lives.

laura armato

Assistant CEO – Trust Business and Finance

Laura brings significant financial experience to the Trust and contributes to the corporate, strategic and operational leadership management. In particular Laura is responsible for leading the Trust’s finance team, accounting and delivering a financial strategy to support the Trust’s objectives.

Laura worked for the Local Authority for several years as a Schools Finance Support Officer providing and monitoring multiyear budget plans, and offering professional advice in a consultancy capacity on budgetary matters to around 19 schools and then progressed to becoming a Bursar for a Cluster of schools including, primary, Secondary and Special.

Laura was appointed as a Business Director for one of the Amethyst Academy Trust Academies schools and continues with this function at academy level. Laura has achieved the AAT Level 4 Diploma in Accounting, Certificate of School Business Management through the NCSL and the CIPFA Financial Reporting for Academies.

Lauren Jones

Executive Director – Governance, Legal and Compliance

Lauren Jones is the Executive Director of Governance, Legal and Compliance at the Amethyst Academies Trust. Lauren has worked at the trust for over 10 years, having previously gained a law degree at the University of Liverpool, graduating with her legal practice qualifications from the college of law in Birmingham in 2009. Lauren later worked as a criminal and private motoring solicitor for a regional law firm.

As an academic at heart Lauren is proud of the Educational qualifications she has acquired as they were built from the foundations of a robust, high quality, purposeful education, and Lauren’s personal values fully align the wider Trust vision, of ensuring a broad, ambitious and stimulating education for all the students in which it serves. 

Lauren’s role within the Trust centres around providing high quality advice to headteachers, governors and senior leaders, thus ensuring both statutory and regulatory compliance across school policy and procedure. Lauren audits the operational effectiveness of Trust school’s, including the provision of advice and guidance in areas of health and safety and data protection.

The Trust provides a clerking service to all schools within the MAT, Lauren oversees the effective management of this service, providing advice as the governance professional. Lauren’s role as Executive Director of Legal, Governance and compliance supports joining schools, by offering consultation support and guiding leaders through the Academy Conversion process, advising governing board on their duties and responsibilities as the school changes to academy status.

Jenny Jackson

Executive Director – Human Resources

Jenny has worked in Education HR for over 15 years. Jenny’s career has followed an upward career trajectory to her current role as Executive Director of HR at Amethyst Academies Trust, responsible for all aspects of Human Resources including staffing, employee relations, benefits, training and development.

Jenny specialises in executing talent strategies which effectively meet and enhance business performance through recruitment, development and retention of our most valuable assets, our Staff.

Prior to joining Amethyst Academies Trust Jenny worked for Wolverhampton City council and then a private company providing a wide range HR specialist advice, guidance and support to schools and Academies (Primary’s, secondary’s, Special Schools and PRU’s) across the west midlands. Jenny holds a Post graduate diploma in Human resource management.

Jenny manages the Trust’s HR function delivering advice and providing support to Headteachers, Governors and managers on all aspects of employment issues within the legal framework and education context and to ensure the Trust is compliant with the duties and responsibilities placed on it by Statute. Jenny has a proactive approach to all HR matters and has extensive experience with absence management, disciplinary, grievance, performance management, pay and terms and conditions of employment.

Jenny loves being part of people’s career journeys and is dedicated to amplifying the human element of HR, inspired by helping people grow and develop.

Hannah Creamer

PA to the CEO and Central Team

Hannah has worked for the Trust in a variety of roles for 11 years and she currently holds the positions of Clerk to the Trust boards, HR administrator and PA to the CEO and Central Team. Before joining the Central Team, Hannah held the position of MAT Examination’s officer and PA to the Headteacher.

This school-based experience allows Hannah to support admin staff within the schools, as well as advising them on HR processes and procedures.