Meet the Team 

Arnikah Brown is a mother of two, an experienced Teacher of P.E. and an aspiring senior leader, having recently completed the National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL). 
Arnikah believes schools in the South West need to see more leaders who look like her, who reflect diverse backgrounds and experiences and therefore actively seeks change in the South West education sector. 
Outside education, Arnikah enjoys playing netball when she can and being her boys' number one supporter when they play sport.  

​Julie Fossey is Headteacher of West Exe School in Exeter and Director of Education with The Ted Wragg Trust.
Julie leads on Trust-wide professional development, and the Ted Wragg Charter with a pledge to ensure that all stakeholders are happy, cared for and can flourish both personally and  professionally, with DEI and sustainability at the core of this work.
Julie is also an elected member of the Devon Schools Leadership Group, and represents the Academy sector on Devon’s Education Forum.  She is passionate about improving the quality of education for all young people in the South West. 
As an ex-Head of English, and with a deep love for literature and theatre, Julie firmly believes in the power of education to transform lives and is committed to ensuring that all students have the opportunities they need in order to succeed in inclusive and welcoming schools.

Maz Foucher is a former Assistant Headteacher and Key Stage 2 lead with over two decades' teaching experience.
After moving on from school-based roles, she studied for an MA in Education Leadership, specifically researching teacher retention and now works in education publishing and writes regularly for a range of education publications.
She is also the Devon Regional Representative for The MaternityTeacher PaternityTeacher Project, a charity which supports teacher-parents and carers through workshops, coaching and networking.
Maz is passionate about the retention of women within the teaching workforce, particularly those with the protected characteristics of pregnancy and maternity.

Krisha Gandhi is Head of Primary and Deputy Head of Cranbrook Education Campus. An experienced Primary Headteacher, Krisha is also former Director of Education at an IB World School.
With a wealth of international experience, Krisha has lived and worked in multiple countries, speaking several languages, and is deeply passionate about supporting schools in their mission to create a better world.
Outside of education, Krisha enjoys playing football and swimming. Based in Exeter, she actively networks with DEI specialists and educators across the South West and beyond, always striving to contribute to a more inclusive and impactful global education community.
Krisha is Co-Chair of the SWIFT DEI Partnership Group

​Caroline Leigh is the Assistant Headteacher at The Maynard School in Exeter where she leads on personal development, initial teacher training, and pastoral care.  
Caroline has a range of senior leadership experience in both state and independent settings in the South-West, and has extensive experience in change management having experienced first-hand the challenges of balancing leadership roles with parenthood.
Caroline is passionate about retention in education and using mentoring and coaching to support both trainee teachers and working parents, in particular females in leadership roles so they can progress their careers.
Caroline is a Governor at her local secondary school and a Mentor for the Leaders Plus Fellowship.
Caroline is Co-Chair of the SWIFT DEI Partnership Group.

Sarah Whalley is co-Headteacher at Exminster Community Primary School with over ten years' leadership experience.  Previously Sarah worked as a Deputy Headteacher at Exminster and as Headteacher, before which she worked in Manchester and Salford. 
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion have been central to Exminster's school development over the last year and continues to be so.  A sense of everyone belonging is central to wanting to attend and work at school and being part of the community.  Being part of the DEI Partnership Group also allows a contribution to the Devon-wide picture, collaborating, listening and developing practice together.