Farewell to Catherine Bailhache, Director of Partnership Development
After nearly five years as a senior leader at Challenge Partners, Catherine has decided to move on to pursue new professional opportunities. She will leave on 29 March.
In her time at Challenge Partners, Catherine has enhanced the way we work with schools and trusts to understand and meet their needs, increasing the value they derive from being part of Challenge Partners, and the impact this has on pupils’ life chances. She has led expansion of our presence in new regions, and overseen 17% growth in the partnership, despite the twin challenges of the pandemic and economic headwinds.
She has collaborated with school and trust leaders to drive innovation in our offer. She introduced the tiered subscription model, and pricing changes which offer welcome benefits and flexibilities to schools and trusts. Most recently she worked with Bain and Company to develop and implement a strategy to extend the reach of our partnership and ensure that once schools join us, they don’t want to leave.
We’d like to thank Catherine for her strategic input that has helped get us to a point where we are capable of growing our partnership’s reach and impact at a faster rate. Her work with our practitioners to design valued networks is a legacy she leaves which has spawned improvement and development across many schools and trusts. Her talent for challenging orthodoxies and partnering with school and trust leaders to understand their needs is a real strength. We’re sure she will excel in whatever she does next and wish her every success in the next phase of her career.
Wendy Wright, Director of Finance and Operations
After serving as the Director of Finance and Operations at Challenge Partners for over a year, Wendy Wright is moving on. We’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Wendy's exceptional work in embedding strong financial processes and systems, as well as advancing the capabilities of our finance and operations team. Wendy's departure leaves big shoes to fill.
Stepping into this role is Julie Farr, whose wealth of experience in finance and operations promises to bring continued excellence to Challenge Partners. Julie is enthusiastic about joining our charity's mission to positively impact the lives of countless children. We extend a heartfelt welcome to Julie, while also expressing deep appreciation to Wendy for her unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions.