AO of the year

English Speaking Board (International) Ltd. offers high quality Oracy and English language qualifications in the UK and internationally.

It aims to promote clear communication at all levels, stretch the most able and support the least confident and to recognise the potential of all.

Over at the Head Office

Meet the team!

Office of the Chief Executive

Tina Renshaw (Chief Executive), Carolanne Leary, Abdul Miah

Educational Delivery

Ben Jackson (Senior Manager/Chief Assessor), Anna Domaszek (QA Manager), Nicola Rose (Senior Assessor, Language), Alexis Thompson (Senior Assessor, ESOL International)

Communications / HR

Fiona Rushton (Manager), Liam Morton, Sheena Singleton, Cassie Anderson

Customer Experience

Sue Roberts (Manager), Jacqui Lee, Georgie Anderson, Tom Wilson, Isaac Hart

Finance and Premises

Matthew Hannaford (Manager), John Mcloughlin

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Product Development

Anthea Wilson (Manager), Suzanne McKittrick, Lauren Kearney

Who we are

The support and strategic leadership of our Trustees/Directors is central to the business and for fulfilling our charitable aims.

Sami Mirza, Chair of Trustees

BA (Hons)

Sami is an accredited Senior Project Manager with over 12 years’ expertise leading various business transformation programmes and managing high profile projects across a variety of sectors. He is a registered MSP, Lean Six Sigma and PRINCE2 Practitioner and with his background of Banking and Financial Management has an excellent knowledge of managing complex budgets. He also has Board/Trustee positions across other companies in the Private and Public sectors as well as a Magistrate all in an effort to help those in need.

Frances Richardson, Vice-Chair of Trustees

BSc (Hons) FCIM

Frances joined The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) 20 years ago, rising to Deputy Chief Executive. Her wide-ranging expertise in strategic development and planning of training resulted in the successful creation of the Ofqual recognised Awarding Organisation, RoSPA Qualifications. She has been the Artistic Director of the Lichfield Folk Festival since 2000 and became a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in January 2018.

Stephen Norton, Honorary Treasurer

BSc (Hons)

Stephen has an extensive career in banking, corporate trust and corporate services. As director of over 50 companies and an experienced mentor, he offers considerable corporate governance and strategic experience. He is a former President of The Association Corporate Trustees and served as Chairman of Wimbledon Round Table and 41 Club and President of the 62 Association. He brings his enthusiasm and personal integrity to ESB.

Julia Ward

Trustee

Julia has spent her life in education. She co-founded Articulacy UK Ltd. in 2012 followed by TalkTastic CIC, both companies being dedicated to giving people the basic skills they need to become more effective communicators. She is also an ESB assessor and moderator. She first delivered ESB qualifications to students in 1980, and having witnessed their effect, has been an ESB supporter ever since.

Simren Priestley

BA (Hons)

Simren has 12 years’ experience working in corporate communications across the UK, European and Asian Markets. She has a personal interest in championing equal access to literacy and education and is eager to leverage her skill set to support in the advancement of education. She believes the values of ESB align with her own. She currently volunteers on the Board of Governors at a local primary school and supports Compassion London.

Andrew Cumiskey

Trustee

Andrew is experienced in operational training, learning and development and apprenticeships with a passion for learning, strong commercial focus and an ambassador for change and innovation. With a philosophy of continuous improvement, both through CPD and as a wider learning function, he drives change and improvement in the organisations he works for, laying foundations with structure, policies and procedures to enable a high-performing team that demonstrates a positive return.

Daniel Brown

Trustee

Daniel has over 17 years’ experience gained within various organisations across the broad spectrum of Financial Services. He has an excellent track record of delivering significant complex change and improvements for large national and international businesses, using clear, innovative and ambitious solutions. Truly passionate about education, he is focused on inclusion, driving diversity, community cohesion and accessibility to learning.

Dr Jim McAtear

(MSc MA MEd MPhil GDL PhD)

Jim is a Designated National Leader in Education. He has served as a Lead Inspector with Ofsted throughout England over a number of years. He is currently Chief Executive of the Hartismere Family of Schools and has served as Headmaster in several schools leading Hartismere School in becoming England’s first Academy and to successive Outstanding Ofsted judgements in every category. Jim was appointed a Fellow of the Chartered College of Teaching in 2018. 

Joanna Jarjue

Trustee

Joanna's background and experience is in marketing and media; having worked as an agency development manager on behalf of Google, as an independent digital marketing consultant and currently as co-founder of digital marketing agency, 'So 93'. She remains a weekly current affairs commentator for national television and radio broadcasters and was a Final 5 candidate of the BBC business programme, The Apprentice in 2017. Born in The Gambia and raised in the UK, Joanna understands the value of ESB's vision and mission for quality education and social mobility.

Damian Low

Trustee

Damian is an experienced strategy consultant with 10 years of experience in advising global clients like Meta, Netflix, Shell, and Google. He specialises in developing brand positioning and reputation. Damian currently holds the position of Senior Director at FTI Consulting, leading market positioning for a financial institution, transforming communication strategies for an automotive brand, and developing new narratives for a legal brand. He received both a Masters of Science and Bachelors in Politics and International Relations from Royal Holloway University of London. 

Jason Vit

Trustee

Jason has worked in the charity sector for most of his professional life, focusing initially on oracy and communication skills for children and since 2012 on literacy. Currently he manages a nation-wide network of place-based programmes tackling intergenerational low literacy with the National Literacy Trust. He attributes many of the opportunities he has had, both personally and professionally, to the communication skills he was supported to develop while young and is proud to support ESB so others can achieve their goals.

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