Matt Hamnett & Associates
This project will explore different perspectives on, and approaches to, the transformation of further education institutions – particularly those which require urgent action to address poor performance and other organisational challenges.
Through discussion with interested, relevant, colleagues within the sector and beyond – including e.g. lenders, regulators, advisors and those with experience in different sector contexts – the project will explore the importance of different thematic factors in the delivery of effective, comprehensive, transformation. In particular the project will consider: the formation and implementation of a clear, compelling mission, strategy and set of organisational values; the use of programme management and process excellence techniques to define and drive change; the importance of simplicity in the communication of expectation, setting and monitoring performance; the management of commercial imperatives alongside curriculum priorities; and, the role of the leader in the definition and delivery of change. These themes are outlined in a TES article which marked the commencement of the project.
Matt Hamnett is a versatile, experienced chief executive who has experienced the further education sector from a range of different perspectives. He started his career as a civil servant in the Department for Education, where he worked on successive strategy and spending projects in relation to adult skills and apprenticeships. After a short stint as head of strategy at the Football Association, he joined the strategy practice at big four firm PwC. There he led an award-winning project to create higher apprenticeship routes to careers in the professions – and, led work to create PwC’s own apprenticeship programme. In 2012 he joined Capita in a strategic development role – from which he launched Capita’s apprenticeship business, securing and delivering large, national, apprenticeship contracts with clients including Barclays, HSBC and the UK Civil Service. In 2015 he was headhunted to lead what is now the Hart Learning Group (HLG). Over the three years to November 2017 he led a comprehensive transformation culminating in a very successful Ofsted inspection which commended ‘inspirational leadership’ and the ‘rapid and significant’ improvements delivered. At HLG he also lead the creation of a discrete new commercial business, Hart L&D, which quickly garnered national attention and client contracts with e.g. Co-op. He is now the Director of Matt Hamnett & Associates, helping interesting clients to address their most difficult problems and exciting opportunities. He is also a visiting fellow at the Manchester Metropolitan University Business School.
