Alex Mayes - Payroll Administrator Expand (Alex at 3-years-old) Alex joined us in September 2021 and brings payroll and accounts experience gained in a variety of sectors including manufacturing, local authority and accountancy practices. In her spare time, Alex enjoys holidays with her family (preferably somewhere sunny with good restaurants nearby, although her two boys love camping during thunderstorms!) playing tennis and watching a good film!
Amuary Watanabe - Facilities Assistant Expand Amaury brings a wealth of practical experience to his role as Facilities Assistant, where he focuses on caring for and enhancing Acorn’s gardens and outdoor spaces. His deep-rooted passion for plants and nature inspires both his work and his hobbies. Outside of work, Amaury enjoys gardening, woodland walks, mushroom hunting, and growing rare tropical plants. He loves sharing his interests with his children to spark their own appreciation for the natural world. Before joining Acorn, Amaury gained experience in personal training, childminding, woodwork, and precision engineering, but has now returned to his true passion: creating beautiful, natural environments.
Aysha Yarsley - Training and Development Manager (Internal) Expand (Aysha at 6 years old) Aysha is our Internal Training and Development Manager, supporting our staff with their professional development and to achieve their career goals within Acorn. She started at Acorn as a Nursery Administrator in July 2023 before joining us at the Central Support Office in January 2024. Aysha comes to us with a background in nursery management with Qualified Teacher Status and a Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Otago in New Zealand. She side-stepped into administration after taking an extended break when she had her first child in 2021 and then stepped up to the Training and Development Manager role in early 2024. Aysha is originally from New Zealand but has been living in the UK since May 2017, settling down to start her family here. Aysha also volunteers remotely as the Treasurer for Queenstown Playcentre which is an Early Childhood Education charity based in New Zealand. In her spare time Aysha enjoys spending time with her husband, son, dog, and cat as well as knitting, cross-stitch, and doing jigsaw puzzles.
Becky Watanabe - Early Years Manager Expand Becky (Becky at 4-years-old) Becky is both an Early Years Manager and a very popular early years trainer and consultant. Having previously worked at one of Acorn's nurseries, we were delighted to welcome Becky back to Acorn in 2017 after several years working as a childminder and trainer/consultant. As well as supporting Acorn's nurseries and being one of Acorn's Mental Health First Aiders, Becky devises and delivers Early Years training courses across the country, and supports local settings to continually improve their early years provision. With over 5 years’ experience delivering training nationwide, Becky has a wealth of knowledge to share. If you would like an informal chat about how Becky can support your setting please get in touch.
Charlotte Kent - Training and Development Manager Expand Charlotte is our External Training and Development Manager looking after our apprentices and external training courses. Charlotte has worked in childcare since leaving school, completing her Level 3, working in Nurseries, then moving on as an apprenticeship assessor and teacher in a further education. Charlotte loves spending her time with family in the park for a big game of rounders accompanied by the sunshine!
Daniel Southern-Ajagbe - Digital Marketing Designer Expand Meet Daniel, our Digital Marketing Designer in Castlethorpe. He joined Acorn in April 2025, bringing expertise from his role as a 3D Designer in Milton Keynes. A creative at heart, Daniel enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, and learning languages. In his free time, he loves designing toys, sculpting, and spending time with family.
Elaine Linnie - Health & Safety Manager Expand (Elaine at 6-months-old) Elaine is our Health and Safety Manager. She has worked in childcare for over 20 years and is qualified to Level 4 in Early Years. Elaine joined Acorn in 2014 as an Early Years Practitioner at our Burton Latimer Nursery, progressing to Senior Practitioner and Health & Safety Rep in the same year, then became the Deputy Manager from 2015 to 2021. From August 2020 to August 2021, Elaine joined our Central Support Office as Health and Safety Officer on a part-time basis, working alongside Steve before taking on the role full time from September 2021. Elaine has completed varying Health and Safety qualifications since moving to the Central Support Team and was appointed as Health and Safety Manager in 2023. Having a childcare background means Elaine is able to adapt her role to suit the needs of each of our sites and works closely with all staff, ensuring high standards of Health and Safety are embedded into everyday practice to create a safe environment for everyone. When she's not at work, Elaine loves nothing more than to spend time with her family, going on dog walks or exploring the outdoors!
Emily Hepden - Head Of Finance Expand Emily joined Acorn in March 2023 as our Head of Finance. Emily is a chartered accountant with ICAS, and has 11 years of auditing experience. Her role at Acorn Early Years includes providing insightful analysis of financial information, as well as identifying improvements to help optimise future performance. During weekends Emily enjoys spending time with her young children, which usually involves going for walks, swimming and growing vegetables in the garden.
Gabbie Brandon - Head of Brand and Projects Expand Gabbie (Gabbie at 3-years-old) Gabbie joined Acorn in March 2018, bringing over 20 years of experience in strategic marketing and PR, backed by a BA (Hons) in Marketing and her CIM qualification. As Acorn’s go‑to person for all things marketing and brand, Gabbie helps shape how Acorn looks, feels and communicates across our nurseries, forest school and training department. From big‑picture strategy to the little details that make our visuals shine, she’s the marketing mind keeping everything on track and true to who we are. Working closely with Daniel, she makes sure our social media, website and marketing materials are fresh, engaging and unmistakably “Acorn”
Ian Cleary - Facilities Assistant Expand Ian (Ian at 18-months-old) Ian is our Facilities Assistant - working alongside Steve - Acorn's Facilities and H&S Manager. With a background in engineering, painting and decorating, Ian has a passion for maintaining and keeping our settings running smoothly and safely.
Jen Southern-Ajagbe - Accounts Assistant (Sales Ledger) Expand (Jen at 1 years old) Jen is one of our Accounts Assistants and is based at the office in Castlethorpe. Jen joined Acorn in July 2023 and her previous role was in Finance at a Recruitment Company in Milton Keynes. Jen’s Hobbies include badminton and yoga when she gets a chance to be child free. During weekends Jen enjoys spending time with her sons, partner and dog, which usually involves going for walks, swimming, parks and growing vegetables and fruit in the garden.
Kim Langstaff - Senior Early Years Manager Expand Kim has over 20 years’ experience working within the childcare sector and brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Kim holds a BTEC qualification in Early Years along with a 1st class Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors and a Master of Arts. Kim also holds an A1 assessor award which enables her to deliver qualifications. Kim has a real passion for inspiring children’s learning and aspires to deliver the very best learning opportunities within the highest standards of care for all children through providing high quality and enjoyable learning experiences through play and exploration. This, she believes will allow each child to reach their full potential. In her spare time, Kim enjoys reading and spending time with her 4 children, including her twin boys.
Laura Tingey - Head of Operations Expand Laura (Laura at 2-years-old) Laura is Head of Operations and oversees the management of our Early Years Team. Since joining in 2013 Laura has completed her Masters in Early Education through the Centre for Research in Early Childhood. Her experience in management and Early Years continues to serve us all well. In her spare time Laura enjoys to work off some steam in the boxing ring…so beware!
Nataliia Zagrebelna - Accounts Assistant (Purchase Ledger) Expand Nataliia is one of our Accounts Assistant and supports the finance team with accurate, well‑organised work. She brings a thoughtful, detail‑driven approach to everything she does. Outside of work, Nataliia loves travelling with her family and friends, discovering new places and exploring new experiences. She also enjoys creating edible bouquets, a hobby that brings joy and memorable moments to those around her.
Neil Hignell - Facilities Officer Expand Neil is our facilities officer looking after the facilities team and grounds maintenance manager Neil has worked in facilities and more recently grounds maintenance since leaving school gaining all the necessary experience that he has acquired will help him in his role with Acorn. Neil loves spending time with his family and watching Chelsea fc and playing golf.
Reg Long - Facilities Assistant Expand Reg is our Facilities Assistant - working alongside Steve. Reg has a background in Engineering and is always keeping busy with some DIY at home for his family. He brings this skill to our settings and helps maintain them, keeping them running smoothly.
Sam Jones - Recruitment and Onboarding Manager Expand Sam joined Acorn in 2025 with over 18 years of recruitment and management experience, working across education, medical, and IT sectors. She began her career in medical recruitment and quickly developed a passion for building strong relationships and matching people to the right roles. Outside of work, Sam enjoys travelling, live music, and following boxing and Formula One. She’s also a busy mum to two lively daughters.
Santa Svike - Sustainability and Governance Lead Expand (Santa at 2-years-old) Santa is our Sustainability and Governance Lead. She supports nursery teams to embed sustainable thinking into everyday practice, helping children develop lifelong sustainable habits and a strong connection to nature. Working closely with Umaa, she leads organisation-wide initiatives to reduce Acorn’s environmental footprint and strengthen its positive impact, while also supporting governance alongside the CEO and Board of Trustees. Santa joined Acorn in 2021 through the Charityworks graduate programme after completing a degree in Sociology at the University of Warwick. She is also co-author of Sustainability in the Early Years: An Essential Guide for Educators, reflecting her passion for making sustainability accessible and empowering others to contribute to a more sustainable future.
Sarah Austin - Special Educational Needs (SEND) manager Expand Meet Sarah, our Special Educational Needs (SEND) manager with 20 years of experience supporting children with SEND and their families. She has previously worked for the NHS Complex Needs Team as a Speech and Language Associate and held several local authority roles, including Portage, Area SENCo, Inclusion Practitioner Lead and Deputy Team Leader for the Inclusion and Intervention Team. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys spending time with her family.
Steve Petty - Facilities and Health & Safety Manager Expand Steve (Steve at 6 Months) Steve is responsible for Health and Safety plus Facilities for the Acorn group. He started as a BT engineer and progressed into service management for BTs finance systems. From there Steve jumped into education, first as a Network Manager and Governor and then School Business manager. After 14 years in education it was time for a change and he joined the Powell-Cotton Museum on the south east coast as the Head of Operations. Steve relocated to Northampton to be closer to family and joined the Acorn Early Years Foundation in March 2019.
Sue Bland - Head of People and Talent Expand (Sue at 1-years-old) Sue is responsible for leading Acorn’s People and Talent initiatives and ensuring the function runs smoothly. Sue is MCIPD qualified and has a wealth of experience in HR, including in education, insurance and highways. Her first experience in education was as an HR Manager in a newly formed Academy Trust and has also worked in a further education college. Her experience will ensure Acorn’s people strategy is in line with the future needs of the organisation. At the weekend, Sue enjoys walking with like-minded friends across the Beds or Bucks countryside, which normally ends with much needed refreshment in a local pub.
Umaa Mistry - Sustainability Data and Insights Officer Expand Umaa joined Acorn Early Years in 2026 as our Sustainability Data and Insights Officer, based at our Castlethorpe office. She has a degree in Environmental Science and is passionate about sustainability, with a strong focus on using data and insights to support environmentally responsible practices across the organisation. In her spare time, Umaa enjoys spending time with her family, as well as practising yoga and meditation to relax and recharge.
Zané Smith - HR and Training Administrator Expand Zané joined the Central Support Office team as a HR and Training Administrator in November 2025. Prior to joining, Zané worked as a Nursery Administrator at the Jubilee Wood nursery for a number of years. Zané provides administrative support to our Head of People and Talent and Training and Development Manager. In her spare time Zané enjoys swimming, yoga, reading fiction and baking. She spends most weekends being outdoors with her three young boys and cheering them on at various cycling events and races.
Zoe Raven - CEO Expand Zoe The oldest member of the team, and the longest serving! Zoe started Acorn in 1989 when she opened the first nursery in Castlethorpe and lived upstairs with her family. She is passionate about retaining a personal touch in the organisation, and for Acorn to lead the sector in being a learning organisation and a model of ethical practice. Alongside her role as CEO Zoe completed her doctoral studies in 2023 and has published a book based on her thesis: A Care Manifesto for the Early Years – The Need for an Ethic of Care in Childcare Policy and Practice. She has also co-written a guide to sustainability for early years educators, published in May 2026.