Bournemouth, England, United Kingdom, June 2025 – Leaana Hill has taken on the pivotal role of Chief People Officer at Authentic Education, marking an important milestone in her accomplished career as an HR and operations leader. In her new role, Leaana will oversee all aspects of the people agenda across the Trust, focusing on talent strategy, staff engagement, and leadership development to further Authentic Education’s mission of delivering outstanding outcomes for pupils and staff.
Leaana most recently served as Head of People at Bellevue Place Education Trust, where she was responsible for talent acquisition and development, succession planning, and strategic workforce initiatives across the London Area. Her work ensured the Trust’s people strategy was aligned with its long-term goals and educational vision.
Prior to that, Leaana undertook a five-month consultancy as Human Resources Project Manager at Marjory Kinnon School, providing specialist guidance for HR and operations projects during a critical phase of organizational development.
Earlier, Leaana spent almost 12 years with St Christopher’s School, Bahrain, where she held progressive roles culminating in Director of Operations. She led cross-functional teams, implemented professional development programs, and drove initiatives in employee engagement, compliance, and risk management, while overseeing major HR and operational functions.
Leaana’s career began in South Africa with STA Travel, where she held combined HR and business management roles for nearly nine years, building expertise in recruitment, training, and compliance, and shaping people-centric strategies for organizational success.
Authentic Education is dedicated to providing outstanding education and improving the life chances of children and young people across all sectors—primary, secondary, and special education. The Trust is committed to delivering a broad and balanced education that prepares pupils for success, supporting and challenging its academies to ensure excellence for all. Recognized as a Teaching School since 2014, Authentic Education has a strong focus on professional development, outreach, and collaborative learning, benefitting both staff and students. The Trust prides itself on inclusivity and active engagement with parents and carers to build a thriving educational community.
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