Our leadership team

Hilary has held a range of senior positions in the Civil Service, including more than a decade at the Department for Education, and leading the transformation of Civil Service Learning.

Melanie has worked for nearly 25 years in education in the public and voluntary sectors. Before joining Ambition in 2011, she was Education Director at Business in the Community and Head of ‘Science Year’, a DfE STEM programme for schools. She is a former trustee of Teach First and is currently trustee of a primary multi academy trust. 

Matt leads all programmes at Ambition Institute. He is a former teacher, school leader, government policy advisor and the founder and CEO at the Institute for Teaching. Matt is also a trustee at The Brilliant Club, a school governor and a member of the DfE’s expert advisory group for teacher recruitment and retention. 

Ian has worked in non-profits for over ten years, managing programmes to address disadvantage for children and communities in the UK, India and East Africa. Before joining Ambition in 2015 he worked for Ark and the Gatsby Foundation. He is a former strategy consultant and has been a school governor since 2007.