Bev Matthews is the CEO of Minerva Learning Trust, founded in 2014. The trust is made up of four primary schools and six secondary schools across Sheffield and Derbyshire.
Tell us about your career before becoming CEO
My career path before becoming CEO was varied. I began in the leisure industry, managing sports centres and developing an early understanding of team leadership and operational delivery. From there, I moved into the local authority, gained my Further Education (FE) teaching qualification, and spent some time working within the FE sector.
My transition into schools came when I joined Handsworth Grange Community Sports College to lead the school sports partnership, alongside some teaching responsibilities. Over the years I progressed through several roles there, eventually becoming deputy headteacher. I later moved on to become headteacher of Thornhill Community Academy for about four years.
It was after that period that I returned to Minerva Learning Trust, the trust where I first began my mainstream teaching career, taking up the role of Director of School Improvement. Within months of joining, the then-CEO informed me she would be stepping down and encouraged me to consider the role. Becoming a CEO wasn’t something I had set my sights on; it was more a case of stepping forward when the opportunity arose. I applied and was appointed, and I am now in my seventh year in the role.
