Meet our leadership team
Leadership with children at heart
Chalk Nursery Group is led by a team with decades of combined experience across the early years sector, united by a shared commitment to putting children and people first.
Our leadership team
Sinead Johnson
Sinead has spent over 20 years in early years, and she still believes the best moments in a nursery are the everyday ones: a child settling in, an early educator growing in confidence, a family feeling at home. She has held senior roles at kidsunlimited and Asquith Nurseries. As Chief Executive of All About Children, she led a significant period of growth, bringing nurseries together as one group with shared standards and support. She has been with Chalk since it was founded, and you will often find her in our nurseries, getting to know the children and early educators who make the group what it is. Caring for children is a privilege and a trust she never takes for granted.
Andy Dean
Andy is a Chartered Accountant with 20 years' experience. Chalk is his first role in early years, but he brings with him experience from the social care sector, where the people being cared for always come first. He is responsible for finance and data across the group, and he focuses on making life easier for our nursery teams so that more of their time is spent with the children. As a parent of two young children who have both been to nursery in recent years, he understands what families look for in a nursery.
Kirsty Ibbot
Kirsty has worked in nursery acquisitions and growth across the UK and Ireland. She has built strong relationships with nursery owners, supporting them through what is often one of the biggest decisions they will make. At Chalk, she leads our mergers and acquisitions, getting to know owners, their nurseries and what matters most to them as they consider the future of their setting. She believes the best relationships are built on trust, openness and doing what you say you will do.
Clair Drury
Clair started out as a practitioner and, over more than 30 years in early years, has worked her way up to guiding nursery organisations through growth and change. She holds a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies and Early Years Professional Status. Clair and Sinead first worked together at Asquith Nurseries, then at All About Children and now at Chalk. She works closely with nursery leaders and their teams as an advocate for children, doing the right thing for every child, every time.
Laura Holmes
Laura is a Chartered Member of the CIPD with over 20 years in HR, including seven years in early years. A constant champion for our team, she spends much of her time in our nurseries, listening to the people who work there. What she hears has helped shape the support we offer, from our employee assistance programme and wellbeing policy to our trained mental health first aiders.
Bethany Patrick
Bethany began her career as a practitioner and has since been a Nursery Manager, a Chief Operating Officer and an Ofsted inspector. She holds an MEd in Psychology of Education and has led the development of our curriculum and the way we approach children's learning. She is responsible for quality and operations across the group, and sits on the NDNA Policy Advisory Board, helping to shape policy for the wider sector.