Our Team

It is the people who work here that make Aspire what it is. 

Executive Leadership Team

Debra Rutley, CEO ​
drutley@aspireap.org.uk
Debra is a National Leader of Education, and Aspire has grown in both size and impact under her leadership. Debra has taken on a new Alternative Provision Unit each year since 2012, all five of which have now been judged as Outstanding by Ofsted. She has project managed the development and opening of a brand new school in 2013, including securing the funding and sign up of local head teachers and Buckinghamshire County Council. 

You can read a profile on Debra by Schools Week here. 

Cecilie Gianneri - Chief Finance and Operations Officer and Lead Coach
cgianneri@aspireap.org.uk

 Cecilie is a qualified accountant who supported several commercial companies in all areas of finance (marketing/sales/logistics) and strategy between 2003 and 2013, lastly working as finance lead for Marks and Spencer on a large capital project in the Midlands. In 2013, she completed her Master NLP practitioner qualification and moved into mainstream secondary school finance and leadership. Alongside this, Cecilie coached private clients and ran early morning meditation groups.  
Sarah Jones - Executive Head of Aspire Schools 
sjones@aspireap.org.uk
Sarah is a Politics and Philosophy teacher who has worked as a school leader in mainstream secondary and all-through schools in England and Scotland before moving into Alternative Provision. 

Before coming to Aspire, Sarah worked as an executive leader across two AP schools in Lincolnshire. Sarah opened these two schools under the Free School programme, and successfully took both through the prestigious Trauma Informed Schools Award. Before this, Sarah worked as a Head Teacher in Orkney and London, and opened a new Free School in London as the founder and Deputy Head Teacher.  

Sarah is a Specialist Leader of Education, working in SEND, behaviour and staff development. 
Sarah Holding - Head Teacher of Aspire Medical Needs 
sholding@aspireap.org.uk
Sarah is a History teacher who worked in mainstream schools for 18 years, at middle and then senior leadership level and then joined Buckinghamshire County Council, where she worked for ten years. This role included line management responsibility for teams supporting attendance and inclusion and services such as the Educational Psychology Service, SEN, Specialist Teaching Service, Admissions and Safeguarding in Education (now ESAS) and involved a great deal of partnership working with schools and other services. Sarah joined Aspire in 2015 and is also a Specialist Leader of Education working with SEND and inclusion