Richard is the Chief Executive Officer of the Red Kite Learning Trust. He started his career teaching geography in Leicester before moving to Leeds where he taught at the City of Leeds School and became a father of two boys. As a Deputy Headteacher in Bradford, Headteacher at Temple Moor in Leeds, then at Harrogate Grammar School, Richard has been a school leader for 25 years. Richard has served as a National Leader of Education and Ofsted Inspector and has twice been the President of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL). He became the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Red Kite Learning Trust in 2015, an organisation that was built on the values and principles of the Red Kite Alliance which he pioneered with other school leaders over 14 years ago. His commitment to ethical leadership and the importance of strong collaboration has been central to much of his work. Richard serves as a Trustee for ASCL and for the Professional Teaching Institute. In 2023, Richard was honoured with an OBE for service to education.