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Contact us today and find out how we could help your school or trust to excel.
Born out of Cambridge County Council in 1993, we saw how schools needed real, education-specific advice away from the Local Authority. So, in a small Huntingdon office, EPM was founded with a key goal in mind:
Provide adaptable, bespoke guidance catering to the specific needs of those in education.
30+ years on, it remains the driving force behind everything we help schools and trusts achieve.
Spun out of a small HR team from Cambridge County Council, our focus was simple:
Build relationships with school leaders, deliver personal, responsive advice, and stay ahead of sector changes affecting our customers' working lives.
As headteachers moved between counties, they’d take us with them, expanding our borders and providing scope for us to grow our team of education specialists.
By 2000, it became clear that many schools needed one source of truth for their data entry- so we gave them a system, and service offering to match!
Adding Payroll and Pensions to our repertoire gave schools control and visibility over their monthly process, integrating alongside our HR Service for an all-in-one solution.
With the introduction of new legislation, the early 2000s saw schools stepping away from LA control for the first time, leading to rapid expansion in academisation... and our growing team!
By the late 2010s, we’d built a strong reputation in the education sector as a trusted education services provider- testament to the glowing word-of-mouth reviews and trust placed in us by our customers!
So when the opportunity to join The Citation Group presented itself, we jumped at the chance to work with like-minded people who shared our service-led vision.
Having the firepower of a larger organisation gave us resources to scale up our central team and accelerate technology developments that we knew our customers (and the sector) needed!
By 2019, the face of education had changed rapidly form our early days, with schools and trusts facing challenges beyond HR and Payroll... so we brought in reinforcements.
Acquiring Avec widened our expertise with specialists in education finance and trust development, giving leaders a broader support network, whatever the challenge.
The big 3-0: A chance to reflect on how far we’d come since those early days.
While our size and offering had evolved with the needs of schools and trusts, our sole dedication to education has never changed.
So, in true EPM style, we 'raised a glass' to those we’ve supported throughout the decades (be it colleagues and customers... some with us from the very beginning!) and refreshed our brand to take us forward!
(...A 2023 highlight? Marking the milestone with a 90s-themed party!)
After 6 years with The Citation Group, 2024 saw the start of an exciting new chapter: a management buyout of EPM.
With a 200+ strong team committed to building on our value to schools and trusts, EPM was in its strongest ever position to steer the business into its own future.
Now as an independent business once again, the ability to respond to sector and market changes with agility lies solely with our team...
...and, with a team who eat, sleep, and breathe education behind us, we’re confident in a stronger future for everyone!
As education continues to evolve, so will EPM. We’re committed to:
Chief Executive Officer
Having joined the company in 1995 and worked her way up through the business, Jen was appointed CEO in 2017. She has been instrumental in growing the organisation, joining the Citation Group in 2017 and acquiring a like-minded business to enhance EPM's services. Jen brings considerable experience of working within the education sector, having worked with some of the UK’s largest MATs. She has supported academy leaders and CEOs with complex staffing issues and worked with the DfE on some of the first MAT conversion projects.
Chief Operating Officer
Andy has over 25 years’ experience running operational teams and delivering technology-enabled change across a wide range of sectors. He most recently ran a 2-year transformation programme at Azets, a top-10 UK accounting firm, which consolidated over 70 businesses and created a platform for further growth. Andy has held numerous director-level positions, including IT Operations Director, MD and divisional Chief Information Officer.
Chief Financial Officer
Lisa was appointed CFO in 2019, bringing vast experience from a number of sectors including communications, legal, engineering and construction. She has significant experience in financial planning, the management of financial risks, and financial reporting. She has supported EPM and previous employers through significant growth plans and acquisitions.
Director of HR
Having worked in the education sector since 1995, Alex provides strategic leadership to our HR advisory, consultancy and contracts administration teams. She manages relationships with some of our largest MAT clients, supporting CEOs and academy leaders with HR solutions including complex staffing issues, TUPE transfers, harmonisation, and complex case management through to employment tribunal preparation. Alex also has significant experience supporting trusts with negotiating changes to terms and conditions.
Director of Customer Success
Amy has worked in education payroll since 2009. She has been involved in numerous projects to support EPM’s strategic growth, enabling us to continually adapt to the evolving landscape and to ensure statutory compliance with the HMRC and pension reforms. She has been influential in the development of our IT system for payroll, ensuring it can efficiently service the needs of our customers. This includes the move to ePayslips, which offers enhanced customer reporting, system automation and improvements.
Director, Operational Excellence
Keren joined the company in 2023 as an experienced operations director. With over 25 years of experience in the education sector, in both public and private organisations, she's committed to delivering high-quality, customer-focused software and support services. Keren is dedicated to supporting internal teams across the company to be the best they can be - delivering excellent, high-quality services and ensuring that the internal operating model supports quality delivery.
Director of Sales and Marketing
Brett leads our Sales and Marketing division, driving customer engagement and strategic growth. With over 13 years of experience in the education sector, he is deeply committed to making a meaningful difference for schools and academies. At EPM, Brett has played a pivotal role in shaping both our commercial and procurement strategies that directly support the evolving needs of our clients. His hands-on approach has strengthened partnerships with a wide range of schools and academies.
Director of HR Services North
Lisa has a remarkable background in transforming HR within education, with 13 years of experience supporting multi-academy trusts, particularly with trust boards, utilising data in decision making and securing better outcomes for those working in education. As Director of People at The Education Alliance, Lisa worked alongside the CEO to weave strategic people initiatives into the Trust's overall strategy, impacting on culture - improving recruitment, reducing staff workload, enhancing benefits, and creating flexible career development opportunities that invested in high-quality CPD.
Director of People
Dana leads the people & culture agenda at EPM. Having worked in HR since 1998, she has built up a wealth of experience in a number of HR, reward, and learning & development roles, spanning telecommunications, travel, foods & beverages, and insurance. She has led teams across the UK, Ireland, and Western and Eastern Europe. She has a deep interest in talent and development, has launched global wellbeing programmes and coaching programmes, and has led on senior leadership development. She is a certified practitioner in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, SHL and Heartstyles.
Head of People Services Operations
Having joined the company in 2006, Georgie has extensive HR experience and specialises in academies and MATs. She is skilled in advising on large-scale change programmes, TUPE transfers and complex changes to terms and conditions. She develops and delivers training and development programmes for HR leaders in the education sector. Georgie has strong experience working with trades unions in negotiating changes to employment policies.
Head of Product
Eve manages our internal HR Advisory Team, having joined EPM in 2011. She has extensive experience of HR in the education sector and is particularly skilled with complex issues, trust-wide policy development with complex negotiations. She also develops and delivers training and development programmes for HR leaders in the education sector.
Contact us today and find out how we could help your school or trust to excel.