Duncan Murphy
Chief Strategy Officer, MTM Consulting
Duncan is an experienced, well-respected educationalist with a successful track-record of leadership and governance in the independent sector. In recent years, Duncan has established an outstanding reputation as a discerning strategic consultant and assisted a diverse range of schools and groups about their potential for positive change.
Current market trends are increasingly seeing Duncan chosen to act as a respected facilitator in Merger & Acquisition discussions as well as a trusted project manager for strategic evolution on behalf of senior leaders and governors; using data, an enviable network and topical experience, he offers credible suggestions as to how an organisation’s business model can be successfully diversified.
Duncan espouses that the well-publicised threats to the independent sector can best be addressed by adopting creative and enterprising solutions, including sourcing additional revenue streams to supplement fee income, whilst maintaining a pragmatic approach to costs and ensuring that each institution’s value proposition is articulated effectively; consequently, he advocates that although the current climate is an exacting one, it can also be considered as a great opportunity if approached with ambition and care in equal measure.
In recent months, Duncan has featured in The Telegraph, LBC and BBC Radio 4 as a voice of authority on the sector and its challenges in light of the Labour manifesto, including the VAT debate. He was a finalist for the Education Investor Strategic Consultant of the Year Award in 2023, 2024 & 2025 and nominated for the inaugural Education Investor PowerList in 2025. He is a regular contributor to the educational press, including the Independent School Management magazine, and has chaired, or participated in, strategic panels for IAPS, HMC, AGBIS, ISBA, GSA, Education Investor, HCR Law and the Commission on the Future of Independent Schools at the House of Commons. He is an articulate and charismatic ambassador for independent schools and all related stakeholders – not least the children, who, he advocates passionately, should be at the forefront of all educational policy.
Events Duncan Murphy has attended as a speaker:
