Saqib Bhatti
Calvin Eden
Kathryn Gorman
Arun Kanwar
Jess Lewis-Bell
Gemma Woodhouse
Saqib Bhatti MBE is the Member of Parliament for Meriden and Solihull East. He currently serves as Shadow Minister for Education, appointed by the Leader of The Opposition, Rt Hon. Kemi Badenoch MP.
Saqib studied Law at the London School of Economics before training as an accountant. In 2018, he made history as the youngest-ever President of the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, championing business growth and regional development.
A committed advocate for Brexit, Saqib played a vocal role in the Vote Leave campaign and later advised the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe on policy matters. Elected for Meriden in 2019, his parliamentary career reflects a breadth of experience across government departments and party leadership. He has served as Private Parliamentary Secretary to Rt Hon. Liz Truss at the Department for International Trade and to Rt Hon. Sir Sajid Javid at the Department of Health and Social Care.
In 2022, Saqib was appointed Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party for Business, followed by a Ministerial role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy under the then Prime Minister, Rt. Hon Rishi Sunak MP. Throughout 2024, he held successive shadow ministerial posts in Health and Social Care, Science, Innovation and Technology and Culture, Media and Sport.
Known for his business acumen, policy insight and commitment to public service, Saqib Bhatti continues to be a prominent voice in shaping the future of the Conservative Party and the UK’s education landscape.
From personal tragedy at the age of 15 to becoming one of the UK's most renowned CPD and youth development speakers, Calvin's inspiring journey is a testament to resilience.
His captivating presence and ability as a speaker have not only transformed thousands of lives, but also led him to collaborate with esteemed organisations such as the Chelsea FC Foundation, Prince's Trust, and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation. He also hosts a range of prestigious events and appears regularly on national television talk programmes.
Calvin is also the host of the Bigger Than Blackpool podcast, where he shares powerful conversations and insights designed to inspire ambition, broaden perspectives, and encourage individuals to think beyond perceived limitations.
As CEO and keynote speaker, Calvin brings authenticity, energy, and lived experience to every stage—inspiring audiences not just to overcome adversity, but to redefine what’s possible.
Kathryn is the founder of Clarion Education and speaks on leadership, governance and complexity.
She spent thirty years working in schools as a teacher, a Deputy Head and Headteacher, before founding Clarion to work in the space that much leadership development overlooks: the relationship between the people who lead, the people who govern and the system, and the human and systemic cost when that relationship doesn't work.
Her argument is simple and perhaps uncomfortable. The qualities that complexity demands - relational intelligence, curiosity, the capacity to hold uncertainty well rather than resolve it prematurely - have been systematically undervalued, underpromoted and designed out of the structures built to develop so called heroic leaders. We have called them soft. We have called them feminine. And we built systems that reward something else entirely and which is arguably not fit for the times that we are leading through.
Kathryn holds an MEd from the University of Cambridge in Educational Leadership and School Improvement, is a Level 7 accredited executive coach and mentor, a Level 5 accredited workplace mediator, and a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching. She currently serves as Chair of Governors at a primary school and Chair of the Education Committee at a leading independent performing arts school. She co-hosts Beyond the Status Quo, a podcast for senior leaders navigating complexity, whose guests have included Adam Kahane, Professor Megan Reitz and Dr Eve Poole, OBE.
Arun Kanwar is a Partner at Cairneagle, a strategy consulting firm specialising in the education sector. Cairneagle supports institutions and investors with their critical commercial decisions - bringing structure, insight and judgement to situations of uncertainty and material consequence. The firm has deep roots in the independent schools sector, operating across both the charitable and for-profit space, and has built a reputation based on a research and data-driven approach, analytical audacity and a determination to add value for its clients. It has won the EducationInvestor award for consultants eight times, most recently in June 2026.
Arun joined Cairneagle in 2015 and brings twenty-five years of experience spanning both advisory and industry roles. He has worked across multiple education sub-verticals - including early years, UK schools, SEND, skills and education services - drawing on both UK and international experience. Beyond his consulting work, Arun serves as a Director of HMC (the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference). In December 2025, he was won in the Consultant category at the inaugural EducatioInvestor Power List, and in April 2026 he won in the Consultant category at the inaugural NMT (Nursery Management Today) Power List. He holds an MChem in Chemistry from the University of Oxford.
Partner, Employment & Education at Penningtons Manches Cooper
Gemma specialises in both contentious and non-contentious employment law and has a keen interest in all aspects of discrimination law. Since her qualification in 2007, she has been involved with a significant Court of Appeal decision, a number of tribunal hearings and appeals to the Employment Appeal Tribunal. She has also provided corporate support in relation to business transfers and reorganisations and advised on the terms of compromise agreements, employment contracts and employee handbooks. In addition, Gemma has provided guidance to clients on the implications of TUPE and the terms of commercial outsourcing arrangements. Gemma advises independent schools and academies on a number of HR and education specific issues, including safeguarding responsibilities and compliance requirements. She regularly writes in the ISBA Bursar’s Review and provides training to schools on employment updates, safeguarding requirements and management of staff including performance management. Gemma hosts several forums for HR directors, managers and Bursars within independent schools. Listed by Chambers UK as 'up and coming', Gemma has been described as having a 'good tactical approach to dealing with HR issues', being 'very swift with her advice' and as an adviser who 'acts in the client’s best interests'. She is a member of the Employment Lawyers’ Association and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.