In an inspiring ceremony, the MAT Excellence Awards celebrated the exceptional contributions of multi-academy trusts and educational organisations across the UK. The event was a night of recognition, joy, and heartfelt reflections from winners who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to education. Here are some highlights from the evening.

Hear from our 2024 winners!

Lifetime achievement award - Dame Maura Regan DBE OBE, Formely CEO of Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust

Dame Maura Regan, formerly CEO of Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Reflecting on her journey, Dame Maura expressed, 'I think it’s wonderful. I mean you know it’s with humility that you actually kind of get that recognition. I am having a lovely evening, it’s remarkable that I have come this far and I have got to thank Optimus Education for everything they’ve done and to CST who I’ve done a lot of work with because it’s just incredible. My Father was a miner and to become a Dame and then to be presented with a lifetime achievement award like this is just phenomenal.'

CEO of the Year: Emma Wigmore, Vine Schools Trust

Emma Wigmore, CEO of Vine Schools Trust, was awarded CEO of the Year. She shared her excitement, 'I am really elated; I just can’t believe that such a great award came to me. I accept the award on behalf of all the CEOs that are here tonight and beyond. It is a tough job and we do it because we really care for the future of our children. Thank you so much for this award, I am very grateful.'

Company of the Year: iAM Compliant

Joshua Mitchell-Smith, Sales Director of iAM Compliant, expressed his joy, 'We are elated, we were up against companies that have made a huge impact in the sector. We have grown so much in the last couple of years and this is a great way to cap off a strong 12 months for us so we are very happy.'

Digital Innovation Award: Chiltern Learning Trust

Nadine Cotton, Deputy Director of Teaching and Learning at Chiltern Learning Trust, highlighted the significance of their win, 'This award means a lot to us as a trust, we work in Luton and we work in schools in quite tricky circumstances. A big driver for us is about equity of opportunity in our schools for the young people and digital technology is one of those equalisers. We make real efforts to make sure that all of our schools are at the same level to ensure nobody is left behind. This award means so much as it's recognition for a lot of hard work, we are really proud.'

Environmental Trust of the Year: Astrea Academy Trust

Jonathan Timmis, COO of Astrea Academy Trust, shared his excitement, 'We are genuinely thrilled and what’s so great is it’s just had a wonderful impact on the schools and the kids. From investing in solar, LED, eco committees, planting trees, saving energy and food waste reduction. It’s just been brilliant.'

Governance Professional of the Year: Cathy Brown, The Mead Educational Trust

Cathy Brown, Director of Governance, was taken aback by her award, 'I am shocked. I was convinced I wasn’t going to win it because there are so many other great governance professionals around but I think it just confirms how important governance professionals are to trusts and what a great job we do. It really confirms faith in our CEO, eight years ago, in our very early days, she decided we needed somebody who led on governance, and I am so proud.'

Inclusivity Award: Oasis Community Learning

Gemma Bolton-Hale, Gender Equality Advocate at Oasis Community Learning, expressed pride in their win, 'We’re very proud to have just won the inclusivity award. We are overwhelmed but really, really proud and justified as well because this is absolutely what we do all day, every day. Oasis has a passion to include and so it feels right that we have won this award tonight.'

MAT of the Year: North Star Community Trust

Marino Charalambous, CEO of North Star Community Trust, shared his delight, 'We are absolutely delighted and can’t believe it’s happened. Everyone will be so happy when we go back and celebrate with all our colleagues, our students and everyone that makes it happen every day at the Trust. This award means the world to us, we serve a very disadvantaged community and aspirations are very important for our children to believe that they can achieve so this is recognition for them that all their hard work demonstrates that we can succeed and I’ll be so delighted to share this with our students and colleagues.'

The Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Donald Graham, added, 'Winning the MAT of the year award is a fantastic achievement that recognises the hard work of our staff, children, parents, trustees, governors, and the communities we serve. Our journey has been about breaking down barriers, driving up standards, and empowering families and individuals through innovation, dedication, and a deep understanding of local needs. Marino and the whole team at North Star have an unshakeable conviction in the power of education to transform lives.'

Product of the Year: The Student Voice

Stephen Willoughby, Founder of The Student Voice, remarked, 'We’re absolutely speechless that we’re recognised for giving young people a voice, an authentic voice. Thank you so much. This award shines a light on how important it is to give young people a voice in all aspects of their education.'

Staff Development Award: Albany Learning Trust

Peter Mayland, CEO, and Linda Burrows, Executive Headteacher, expressed their joy, 'We are overjoyed with the recognition. Win or lose, it has been a great day with the other fantastic, shortlisted trusts. It’s lovely to get recognition for our hard work and being a small trust we are proud to be championing the great work smaller trusts are doing.'

Transformation and Impact Award: Flying High Trust

Chris Wheatley, CEO of Flying High Trust, expressed his delight, 'Really pleased, delighted for the team and for all the changes we have made over the last year on creating ambition and inspiration in the communities within which we work. A lot of the communities we work in are deprived and to get recognition for trying to make every day count for our kids is massive for us. It’s something we do as our DNA and we are delighted tonight.'

Trust Collaboration Award: Bedrock Learning

Aaron Leary, Founder and CEO of Bedrock Learning, shared his thoughts, 'Fantastic and well deserved I believe, Harris Federation have been with us since the very start of our journey and I know that they care passionately about making sure that children are able to leave school with the skills they need to flourish in society.'

Trust Executive Team of the Year: Windsor Academy Trust

Dan Owen, Director of Education at Windsor Academy Trust, shared his excitement, 'So excited to win this award, I think the whole sector is doing an amazing job at the moment. There’s a lot going on in the lives of our families, our communities and our pupils right now and we’re really proud to be making a difference to those lives.'

Wellbeing Trust of the Year: ASSET Education

Representatives from ASSET Education shared their emotions, 'I am completely overwhelmed, for the last three months I have been convincing myself we wouldn’t get this so to have it in my hands now is a real shock and surprise. I would say that it is totally for the whole ASSET family of schools. For valuing the complete human strategy and most importantly for valuing every member of our school community.' They added, 'I think this trust is authentic, we stay very true to our values and that shines through in everything that we do. We really want to look after our people and this award is just a testament to all of our people and all the work we do.'

Get ready for the 2025 awards

Nominations for the MAT Excellence Awards 2025 are open!  Which category will you enter?