Perdita Fraser, Chair of the Board of Trustees, says: "I am delighted to welcome Hiten, Sandra and Sherry to our team. They each bring an impressive mix of knowledge and skills that will undoubtedly bring additional valuable expertise and perspective to our board of trustees. They are joining National Numeracy at a extremely exciting time as we build on our new strategic plan, and seek to transform the nation's numeracy with a wide range of partners. On behalf of the National Numeracy team, we all look forward to working with them in the coming weeks and months."
Sam Sims, CEO of National Numeracy, says: "We are thrilled to be gaining Hiten, Sandra and Sherry's rich experiences and shared passion for social mobility through numeracy. Their dynamism will undoubtedly help power forward National Numeracy's ambitious mission to address the UK's numeracy crisis and open up brighter futures for all."
News
National Numeracy welcomes three new trustees
24 Feb 2022
National Numeracy is delighted to announce the appointment of three new members to our Board of Trustees: Sherry Coutu, Hiten Patel and Sandra Wallace.
The new trustees will work closely with Chair Perdita Fraser, CEO Sam Sims and the rest of the Board to realise the charity’s vision for everyone in the UK, particularly those in disadvantaged communities, to get on with numbers so they can get on in life.
Sherry Coutu
Sherry is currently a non-executive Director of Pearson plc, London Stock Exchange plc, DCMS, Workfinder, and Raspberry Pi. Sherry has accumulated decades of experience chairing FTSE companies. She has been awarded Honourary PhDs from the University of Bristol, Manchester University and the Open University for her work in Education and the Economy.
She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to entrepreneurship in the New Year's Honours List 2013 and she was commissioned by the UK Government in 2014 to author the ScaleUp Report on UK Economic Growth.
Sherry says: "I am delighted to be appointed as a trustee of National Numeracy and excited to support the charity’s vision for everyone in the UK to get on with numbers so they can get on with life. I believe that building the nation's confidence in maths as a key skill will make a difference in improving the lives and opportunities for millions of individuals every year from which the country as a whole serves to benefit."
Hiten Patel
Hiten is a partner at the global management consultancy Oliver Wyman, and is the Global Head of Financial Infrastructure, Technology and Services. He has spent 15 years at Oliver Wyman, where he is an elected member of the Partnership Committee and leads their Racial and Ethnic Diversity ERG in the UK. Hiten has a degree in Mathematics from Oxford University and was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University where he gained a Masters in Applied Mathematics.
Hiten says: “Social mobility through numeracy is a topic that I’m equally passionate about and indebted to. So when I learnt of National Numeracy’s aim to spread and amplify the social benefits of improving numeracy levels, I felt I’d met my perfect match. I look forward to contributing to and supporting the great work that they do.”
Sandra Wallace
Sandra Wallace, CBE, is on the Executive Board and acts as joint Managing Director, UK & Europe for the global business law firm, DLA Piper, and remains an active employment law Partner handling many international employment law mandates. She served as a Social Mobility Commissioner from December 2018 to October 2021, sponsored by the Cabinet Office, also serving as interim Co-Chair.
Sandra is the Birmingham Chair at TheCityUK, lobbying on behalf of the financial and related professional services industry, and was recently appointed as Co-Chair to a Government-commissioned taskforce, looking at improving socio-economic diversity at senior levels within UK financial and professional services.
Sandra says: “I am delighted to be joining the board of trustees at National Numeracy. As someone who was completely intimidated by maths as a child, I understand why for so many, they only see the barriers that repeatedly present themselves if they do not have the requisite numeracy skills. Improving these skills can be a vital part of the social mobility journey particularly in adulthood. National Numeracy is playing such a significant role in facing and overcoming these barriers in practical and innovative ways to support children and adults alike.”
