AoC Exams Conference 2026

Claire is JCQ’s Head of Communications and joined the organisation on 1 September 2025. Claire’s role involves managing and advising on all aspects of JCQ’s communications including the website; newsletters; stakeholder relationships; stakeholder surveys; communications committee; and all media handling. Claire joined JCQ from AQA where she had spent 21 years in the PR & Media team dealing with many high-profile media issues and authoring opinion pieces. Before joining the education sector Claire spent the early part of her career working with the Metropolitan Police in roles including Performance and Inspection Team; Complaints Team; Criminal Justice Unit and Press Office.

Lucy Sydney is Director of Strategic Relationships at Ofqual. She is responsible for developing and implementing the regulator’s relationship strategy with a wide range of sectoral bodies and awarding organisations. Earlier roles include Head of Strategic Relationships for the Transforming Public Procurement team in the Cabinet Office, Director of the Commissioning Academy (a cross-public sector development programme), departmental sponsor of the Big Lottery Fund, Policy Advisor including on driving carbon reduction from the government estate and Cabinet Committee Secretary.

Before joining AQA, Jonathan worked as an invigilator and later as Exams Manager at a private candidate centre catering to students outside mainstream education. In this role, he managed examinations across multiple boards every week between the main GCSE and A-Level series and oversaw a continuously growing access arrangements list. The position was highly challenging, giving him a clear understanding when an EO reports difficulties or requests improvements. Jonathan’s goal is to provide as much support as possible, emphasizing the importance of up-to-date feedback. The team’s success over the past 20 months has been built on these collaborative interactions.

Jugjit Chima is the CEO of the National Association of Examinations Officers. He helped to launch and establish The Exams Office, now recognised as the largest exam centre support organisation in the UK. Jugjit has also served as Regional Manager for the DfE’s Exam Centre Support Team, undertaken a secondment at OCR, and served as a member of SLT, Head of Year, Head of History and Exams Manager. In addition to his work in examinations, Jugjit contributed significantly to the award-winning First World War Centenary Battlefield Tour Programme, an initiative developed by the UCL Institute of Education