Richard Hester is the Director of Misk Schools Academy and a Chartered Management Consultant specialising in strategy, leadership development and organisational change.  

Richard’s work focuses on how leaders navigate complexity, build psychologically safe cultures and strengthen collaboration across educational and operational teams. He is particularly interested in the leadership implications of artificial intelligence: how organisations can adopt emerging technologies thoughtfully, develop the necessary human capabilities and avoid mistaking technological activity for meaningful progress. 

Richard also serves on the Advisory Board of the University of Warwick’s Centre for Teacher Education. 

Combining pragmatism with optimism, he encourages leaders to approach AI with curiosity and ambition while remaining focused on purpose, professional judgement and the human relationships on which successful change depends.