Zoe Raven
CEO
Acorn Early Years Foundation
Email: zoe@acornearlyyears.org.uk
Zoe Raven
LONDON
Zoe is the founder and CEO of Acorn Early Years, a social enterprise and charity which operates 13 day nurseries and other childcare services, including training and forest schools, in Milton Keynes, Northants and Bedfordshire. Zoe originally trained as a secondary school English teacher, but set up her own nursery in 1989 and grew the organisation to its current size, with over 330 employees and a turnover of £7m pa. A passionate advocate of lifelong learning, Zoe is currently also a part-time doctoral student at Royal Holloway, University of London, researching the influences on ethical provision in the early years sector. She is an active member within the sector, and as well as writing and speaking, has given evidence to the public accounts select committee on the impact of early years funding policies.
Zoe is also currently the chair of trustees at the Parks Trust, a self-financing charity that owns and manages over 6,000 acres of parks, lakes, woodlands and green space in Milton Keynes. She is also a trustee of Women Leaders UK, and of the Educational Wealth Fund.