OUR EXPERT TEAM

As we move through our various projects, The Kilmahew Education Trust will look to engage with experts in those fields and, we anticipate our team will grow in response to this. But for now here is our small but perfectly formed team.

ALLY COTTON

Executive Chair and Co-Founder

I have a dual B.Ed Hons in Education and History. I have taught as a Special Education Needs practitioner and developed key skills that I am transferring to this project.
Throughout my professional life I have led multi-disciplinary teams whose objective is an holistic approach to a specific tailored educational programme for each child. I am well versed in patience, seeing the over arching picture, planning and achieving small steps and working with a wide variety of agencies to achieve a single goal.
I believe that I bring enough passion and management skills to guide it through the necessary steps.

STUART COTTON

Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder

I am a trained Complex Financial Investigator with 16 years at HMRC culminating in several years within their National Intelligence Unit recruiting whistleblowers.
I pioneered multi-agency intelligence work and have led very complex counter terrorism and organised crime investigations on an international scale and developed complex litigation in Tax, Fraud and Intellectual Property Rights. 
As a result I can project manage large complex problems involving detailed financial modelling.

DAN PEARSON STUDIO

Photograph Credit to Eva Nemeth

Dan Pearson is a British landscape designer, horticulturalist, writer and gardener.

His work is characterised by an innate sensitivity to place, an intuitive and light-handed approach to design, bold and painterly naturalistic plantings and deep-rooted horticultural knowledge.

Dan trained in horticulture at RHS Gardens’ Wisley, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He has been practising as a landscape and garden designer since 1987.

Dan has designed a number of award-winning show gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show. His 2015 show garden for Chatsworth and Laurent Perrier was awarded a Gold Medal and Best Show Garden.

He is a member of the Society of Garden Designers (MSGD), an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (Hon FRIBA) and a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI). Since 2014 he has been a Garden Advisor to the National Trust at Sissinghurst Castle.