We’ve appointed four new Trustees

Published: Friday 11 Sep 2020

Amina Modan, Isabel Sutcliffe, Shabnam Shahani and James Dahl have joined AQA’s Board of Trustees.

AQA’s Board of Trustees help shape the overall strategy, policy, educational initiatives and development, ensuring AQA to fulfils its educational and charitable objectives. The new members will serve for a period of three years.

Amina is Assistant Principal at Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School in Lancashire. She began her career in education in 2004,teaching A Level Psychology, after graduating from the University of Manchester with a First Class Honours Degree in Psychology and she completed her Master’s in Education with the University of Cumbria in 2013. Amina is a passionate educationalist, has been a Senior Examiner for AQA in Psychology and was appointed as a Specialist Leader of Education in 2019.

Isabel is an independent consultant working in the education and skills sector. She was formerly Pearson's International Standards and Quality Director and before that their Education Regulation, Standards and Research Director. Isabel is a member of multiple regulatory groups and committees and is passionate about assessment, accreditation and the role of awarding organisations in supporting lifelong learning.

Shabnam is Managing Director for Edscale.io, a management consulting service for global education publishing and technology companies, and has worked with leading brands such as Macmillan, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the University of Cambridge and Discovery Education.  She began her career in finance working for Price Waterhouse Coopers and Deloitte, and has a wide range of experience in commercial and international education. Shabnam holds an MBA from London Business School, a Master's in Education and Technology from the Institute of Education UCL, has a degree in Chartered Accountancy and a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce and Economics from the University of Mumbai.

James is Master at Wellington College in Berkshire. He has taught at a number of leading independent schools and held several positions at Wellington College prior to be being appointed Master in 2019. James has taught GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and IB Diploma throughout his career, and is a passionate advocate of holistic models of education. James also sits on the Board of Governors at three other schools.

Amina Modan said:

“I feel privileged to be appointed as a Trustee for one of the leading exam boards and in my role as an Assistant Principal, I can provide a ground level ‘lens’ and advice to AQA."

“AQA has been sincerely welcoming, and I have already joined a panel for International Women’s Day and taken part in discussions on Equality and Diversity. I feel the professionalism and passion threaded into the practice and decision making at AQA is something I will really enjoy working with.”

James Dahl said:

“I’m thrilled and humbled to have been appointed as a Trustee for AQA. Their commitment to supporting the personal and intellectual development of young people and helping them to realise their potential, resonates with my own personal values."

“I’m particularly passionate about the development of assessment and academic qualifications which are fit for the 21st century and addressing the attainment gap issues that have emerged following the Coronavirus outbreak. These causes are central to the work which AQA is currently doing and I could not be more proud to join the team.”

Chair of AQA’s board of Trustees, Justin Van Wijngaarden, added:

“I’m very pleased to welcome these new members to AQA’s Board of Trustees and look forward to working with them for many years to come."

“Their knowledge and experience of assessment and the education sector will be fantastic asset to AQA and benefit all of the students and teachers who engage with our qualifications.”

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