ESCAT Directors

Foundation Director & Chair of Trust Board – Marc Evans

Marc is a former Royal Navy Officer with an extensive background in operational logistics, resource and programme management and is now the Chief Executive of a national charity. He was a Foundation Governor at Oaklands Catholic School & Sixth Form College for 10 years, 6 as Chair during which he was dual hatted as the Chair of the Catholic Academy Trust in Havant before that was rebranded as the Edith Stein Catholic Academy Trust. He oversaw the governance elements of integrating Corpus Christi CPS into the Trust in 2021 and has been solely focussed on the Trust since stepping down from the Oaklands’ LGB in July 2023.

Foundation Director – Elizabeth Holford

Liz  has over 12 years of experience as a governor. Currently she is Chair of Governors at St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, Waterlooville and in March 2023 was appointed by the DfE to an Interim Executive Board to support a Hampshire school under an academy order. Liz is a Careers Adviser working at the University of Portsmouth where she supports students and graduates to realise their career goals. She is a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee and the Curriculum and Standards Committee. She is also a validator for the Oscar Romero Award.

Foundation Director – Gaynor Rennicks

Gaynor Rennicks is a relatively new Hampshire resident, having relocated from the West Midlands in 2021. She was previously the Chair of a growing Multi Academy Company in the Birmingham Diocese for 10 years, having been involved in local governance since 2003. This role provided her with extensive experience in managing and developing a growing Trust. Gaynor also recently took on the role of Chair of Frassati MAT, working closely with Mother Teresa MAT to incorporate the Frassati schools into the new Trust as part of the Portsmouth diocesan vision. Gaynor also has a managerial background in the Civil Service, Finance sector and 13 years working in Secondary education as a SEN specialist. Now semi-retired, Gaynor works as a registrar for Hampshire County Council as well as being a Director for Mother Teresa MAT and validating for the Oscar Romero Award.

Foundation Director – Nick Parker

A Christian Businessman who has spent 20 years managing customer services among other factors for a family business Experienced in Health & Safety, Auditing, HR, contracts, negotiations, financial planning, budgeting, economic planning, change management and consultancy. Nick aids Property Managers to get value from their premises, pursuing zero accidents week in and week out, delivering H&S training, COSHH, Environmental Assessments and tool box talks. Nick has significant experience as a  Foundation Governor in Catholic Education most recently as  Chair of  Business and Collaboration Committee and  as a Vice Chair of Governors. He became a Director  in September 2023 and has recently relinquished his school governance responsibilities to focus on the Trust.