Speakers | HMC Spring Conference 2025

Sue has been Principal of The Grammar School at Leeds since April 2016, having been Principal of the British School of Brussels for five years prior to that. Sue always wanted to teach and, after graduating from Liverpool in English, she studied for her PGCE at Durham, with the NPQH from the IoE and MEd from Buckingham following later. She began her career in the North East, the place of her birth, at Westfield School in Newcastle. She was then approached to join the founding staff at Emmanuel College in Gateshead, one of eight City Technology Colleges established by the government in the late1980s, where she set up the library and was second in the English department before becoming Head of Year. From there, Sue moved to Sutton Grammar School for Boys where she became Head of Key Stage Three, moving to The Holy Trinity CE School as Deputy Head Pastoral in 1998. The family move to Brussels saw Sue appointed to The British School of Brussels, first as a Deputy Head Academic, before moving to Vice Principal and Head of Senior School and then, in 2011, to Principal. Sue is an experienced school governor, involved in several Leeds partnership projects and has served in various roles in the churches she has attended. She was also involved in national politics in her youth and still maintains an (unhealthy?) interest. More edifying – she is an avid reader and loves the theatre, from the toughest dramas to grand opera. She is married to Martin, has two adult children and is also a doting grandma.

Tania is the Founder of We and AI (weandai.org), a UK non-profit focusing on better AI literacy for social inclusion, in order to facilitate critical thinking and more inclusive decision-making about AI. Programmes include betterimagesofai.org – a collaboration with BBC R&D and a global community of academics, activists, institutes and artists. We and AI design non-skills-based education on AI technologies and advise on inclusive and meaningful communication around AI.

Tania is on the Founding Editorial Board for the Springer AI and Ethics Journal and on the Public Engagement and Ecosystem Strategy Advisory Board of The Alan Turing Institute. Tania is a Lead for TLA Tech for Disability, a member of the IEEE P7015 Data and AI Literacy, Skills, and Readiness working group, and was named one of WIAIE’s 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics 2021.

Prior to this, Tania spent 30 years in consultancy, business and marketing management roles in various industries, most recently in tech and startups. She was a CMO at TPX Impact and head of marketing and communications at FutureLearn. Tania is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has an MBA and a Diploma in Digital Business Leadership.

Priya Lakhani OBE is the Founder CEO of CENTURY Tech, the award-winning education technology company that develops AI-powered learning tools for schools, colleges, universities and corporate education providers across the world.

She was named Business Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009 and has received a number of awards for her work at CENTURY, including the MIT SOLVE award (2018), the Economic Innovator of the Year by The Spectator (2019), and The Mayor’s Fund Special Recognition Award (2016). In 2022, CENTURY Tech won the Gold Award for AI in Education at the QS-Wharton Reimagine Education Awards, EdTech Impact’s Top Product, and was named Supporting Associate of the Year by the Council of British International Schools (COBIS).

Priya holds numerous trustee and non-executive posts, and was awarded an OBE in 2014. In 2020, she received an honorary doctorate by Coventry University’s engineering faculty. She is also a regular commentator on AI for BBC News.

Rashik Parmar MBE is Group Chief Executive of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. His team are focussed on the value of professional membership, promoting digital skills and computing education, and building BCS’ reputation for insight on emerging technology like AI and Quantum Computing.

As a former VP Technology for IBM, Rashik helped drive its European technical strategy with a focus on guiding companies through digital transformation.

A Fellow of both IBM and BCS, Rashik was awarded the MBE for services to business and innovation.

Rashik is a Council Member at The Open University (OU), a Senior Independent Member and NERC Council Member at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and a Fellow at Digit Lab.

He is also the Chair of the Board of Trustees at We are IVE, a charity helping young people improve their prospects in the creative industries. He serves as a Research Industry Advisory Board Member at Leeds University Business School.

Rashik is a founder of Rangoli Radio, which serves the Hindu community.

Jason is currently Head of Foundation at The King’s School in Macclesfield, and he has been at King’s since they opened their brand new campus in September 2020. He was previously Head of King Henry VIII School in Coventry. He has also served as a Director of a large Multi Academy Trust. Jason has been a member of the HMC Inspection Committee for the last 10 years and has been Chair of the Committee since 2021. He has also been a practising inspector with ISI since 2009.

Dr Millan Sachania is presently Head Master of Immanuel College in north London, a position he took up in 2022.  Previously he served for 10 years as Head Master of another HMC school in south London, Streatham & Clapham High School.  A graduate and Bachelor Scholar of Christ’s College, Cambridge, Millan Sachania obtained Double First-Class Honours and subsequently a doctorate in musicology. He was a tutor in musicology at the University of Cambridge from 1993 to 1998.  Millan Sachania is a member of the HMC, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Freeman of the City of London, and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.  He has held a number of influential positions, including serving on the UCAS Council (representing the nation’s independent schools in this forum), as Co-Chairman of the HMC/GSA Universities’ Committee, as Chairman of the London Region of GSA schools for six years, as a Director of the GSA, and as a Trustee of the Royal Society of Musicians.  He is a Governor of Halliford School, Shepperton, and a Reporting Inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate. A music scholar with an international profile, Millan Sachania has published widely, including over 30 scholarly editions and surveys of music by Chopin, Poulenc, Stravinsky, Godowsky, Philip Glass, and others, as well as regular pieces in the national broadsheets.

Chris Townsend has been Head of Felsted since 2015, having previously held the role of Deputy Head at the same school.  He previously worked at Stowe and Dean Close, and has experience as a teacher of Classics, Head of Cricket, Day and Boarding Housemaster and Head of Boarding.  He is a school Governor, on the Board of Essex Cricket and an ISI Inspector.  He is married to Melanie with two grown up children.

Chris Whiteley is an award-winning leadership coach, whose career has spanned over 39 years. His unique brand of humour, compassion and mentorship has positively influenced the careers of Executives, Senior Management, Directors, Business Owners, and CEO’s.

His ethos is simple and yet highly effective. People are more interesting than spreadsheets! He has dedicated himself to exploring individual’s mindsets, thought processes and aspirations to accelerate personal development.

Chris is a charismatic coach who brings out the best in people. Whether that be raised self-esteem, greater confidence, improved performance or simply the ability to chase a dream with purpose. His engaging, fun, sometimes direct and inspiring coaching style has helped to nurture high-performing talent and teams across many fields of business. Clients have included Siemens, Ramboll, Shell, The Co-op, Chubb, Vinci, and many in the education sector.

Before stepping foot into the coaching arena, Chris spent 21 years in a complex multinational organisation as Financial Director of their Major Projects Division. Here he enjoyed extensive success in frontline business, while gaining significant leadership experience that extended across divisions and countries.
As someone who is dyslexic and found studying for exams challenging, his journey from apprentice at 18 years old, up the corporate ladder and through to successful business owner, is an immensely proud achievement.

He now shares all this experience with those who need it most The next generation of Leaders!

Nick Robinson has been reporting and presenting on radio and television for over thirty years. He is the only broadcaster to have been Political Editor for both the BBC and ITV News.

Nick has presented a range of programmes across radio and television, chaired a party leader election debate and hosts Radio 4’s flagship Today programme.

With a talent for getting under the skin of the political leaders he’s questioned, at Camp David President George W Bush once asked him testily ‘you still hanging around’?

Career

Nick’s broadcasting career began with work experience at Piccadilly Radio in Manchester before joining the BBC in 1986 as a production trainee. He worked as a television and radio producer for a variety of shows including Newsround and Crimewatch before becoming assistant producer for the Sunday political programme On The Record.

From 1993 Nick was deputy editor of Panorama for three years before moving to become a political correspondent presenting Radio 5 Live’s Weekend Breakfast and Late Night Live. He covered the 1997 general election for BBC Radio.

In 1999 Nick became Chief Political Correspondent for BBC News 24 and presenter of Westminster Live. During the 2001 general election Nick started publishing a daily diary The Campaign Today later renamed Newslog as it continued beyond the election.

In 2002 Nick left the BBC to become ITN Political Editor for three years before returning to become BBC Political Editor after the 2005 general election. Nick worked across the BBC’s news output on radio and television as well as being a guest on Children In Need, Have I Got News For You and Top Gear. He has also presented a number of TV documentaries and a 16-part Radio series The Prime Ministers.

In 2015 Nick became a presenter on Radio 4’s Today programme.

Books

“Live from Downing Street’ is both a personal account of life as BBC Political Editor and a wider examination of how the relationship between politicians and the media has developed over centuries. Published in 2012.

‘Election Notebook’ tells the story of the 2015 general election and the year leading up to it with a behind the scenes account of Nick’s encounters with leading politicians of all sides.

Awards

Royal Television Society Specialist Journalist of the Year in 2007.

Political Studies Association “Journalist of the Year” 2007

House Magazine “Commentator of the Year’.

Editorial Intelligence’s Comment Awards “Blogger of the Year” in 2010

Personal Life

Nick attended Oxford, University where he met his wife Pippa, a relationship counsellor, they have three children. Nick enjoys sailing, the theatre and, sometimes, supporting Manchester United.