Michael McCarthy is the CEO of Consilium Academies, founded in 2015. The trust is made up of eight secondary schools across three hubs in Salford, South Yorkshire, and the North East of England.
Tell us about your career before becoming CEO
I first realised I wanted to work in education when I spent time supporting my Mam in the special school where she worked. I was about 17, and what began as informal help quickly grew into a real interest in teaching. That led me to complete a four-year education degree with QTS.
I realised early on in my teaching career that I enjoyed contributing beyond my own classroom, when just a few months into my first permanent post, I was asked to lead maths. From there, I moved through a series of leadership roles, taking on subjects, then key stages, and eventually stepping into deputy headship.
My first substantive headship was in a very difficult context and we transformed it; the school became the most improved in the country, moved to really good Ofsted outcomes, and became oversubscribed. I knew from then on I wanted to work in challenging communities where strong leadership could make the greatest difference.
From there, I became Director of Primary within my trust, then Deputy CEO, and then I took on my first CEO role at a trust in central Bradford. I became CEO of Consilium Academies in January 2024.
