SEA Team

The SEA is led by Dorothy McLaren, Founder of the SEA, who is ably supported by two wonderful team members, Adèle and Gemma, who work part time to ensure that members’ needs are met and that our events, activities and training run smoothly.

Please address any questions you may have to sea@the-sea.org.uk or to one of the team members and we will get back to you promptly.

  • Dorothy McLaren, Chief Executive Officer

    Dorothy McLaren is the founder and current strategic advisor to the Schools’ Enterprise Association and is delighted to be able to help schools through the work of the SEA supporting their commercial and enterprise teams as they develop and grow the increasingly important co-commercial offer.

    Dorothy has led organisations in a variety of senior leadership roles in marketing, communication and general management across a wide section of industry in the UK, Asia and Africa.  For the past 10 years, Dorothy has focused on the schools’ sector, initially as the founder of School Trunk, which provides a modern professional storage solution for boarding schools. Having consulted widely across the schools’ sector Dorothy has the unique advantage of both an in-school and broader industry perspective. Dorothy is a Governor of Ernest Bevin College in South London.

  • Gemma Gardner, Manager: Membership and Marketing

    Gemma’s career started out in Sports and Legal Marketing in London and Oxford; following a break to focus on her two children she went into the education sector and worked in schools both in supporting roles and as sports coaches.

    Following the closure of schools due to Covid, Gemma decided it was time to update her marketing skills and was delighted to start working for the School’s Enterprise Association in 2020, responsible for their social media.  This role has now expanded and includes website and database management, marketing, events, dealing with enquiries as well as the day to day liaising with members.

  • Adèle Greaves, Manager: Professional Development, Training and Partnerships

    Adèle has over twenty years’ experience of promoting and managing various companies. More recently at The Mill Hill School Foundation in North London, as Marketing Director from 2010-2012 and then Director of Commercial Operations until the end of 2023.

    Adèle has been a great supporter of the SEA since its inception and strongly believes that the sharing of information and experience within this unique sector will ensure that best practices are developed to give schools the confidence to maximise the commercial return from many underused school buildings, whilst balancing this with the educational needs of the pupils. Having served as Chair of the SEA Committee from 2019 to 2021, and then as a Special Advisor until 2023, she continued to inspire us with her invaluable advice and guidance.

    We are delighted that Adèle has now joined us as our Professional Development Manager, sourcing and running SEA commercial specific courses and training for those of all levels working in this sector as well as supporting us at Advisory meetings and Conferences. As the focus on Commercial activity increases as a necessary part of school use, we are excited to have Adèle as part of the team in an industry that she knows really well.