Paula Holbrook, who supports our schools based in Devon with a variety of transformative projects, received the accolade for Exceptional Contribution to School Business Leadership at the Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) Awards last week.
The award acknowledges her outstanding work on transformative projects and her commitment to fostering strong collaborations within the education sector, resulting in positive outcomes for students and staff.
Reacting to the honour, Paula expressed both surprise and gratitude. She said: “I’m humbled to have received the award. It means so much to me. I’ve worked hard on some challenging and rewarding projects, so whilst it was a surprise to win, I am deeply touched that someone thought to nominate me. It makes me stand a little prouder.
“I was surprised and delighted to hear I was nominated, though on the night I didn’t give my chances of winning another thought. I was pleased to be nominated in itself and didn’t expect to win.”
Paula credited much of her success to the mentorship and trust of her colleagues. She extended special thanks to Lee Miller, Deputy CEO of TSAT, who played a supportive role in her career.
“Without doubt, the person I have to thank most is Lee Miller. Many times, his faith and trust in me has given me interesting and challenging work to do that has given me experience that I have grown from. He was responsible for giving me a break in the school sector and then the opportunity to work in TSAT, where I’ve been fortunate to be under the wing of Dan High and alongside impressive, dedicated, and professional people.”
Paula’s projects in the South West and her work on systems change have been instrumental in driving operational excellence at TSAT.
She highlighted the importance of collaboration in achieving success, emphasising the shared commitment of her colleagues to student outcomes.
Her passion for teamwork and leadership was evident in her reflections on the award. She said: “I’d like anyone aspiring to leadership to know the feeling of working together towards a common goal and the buzz you get from knocking problems down through the power of working together. It is about having opportunities to be the best that you can be.”
Commenting on LinkedIn, Lee Miller praised Paula’s achievement, saying: “Having worked with you over the past few years now, I can say this is 100% deserved. Congratulations and thank you for all you do for the Thinking Schools Academy Trust and across the wider sector.”