Emily Burgess

Director - Early Years

Emily brings over 23 years of deep operational and strategic experience in the Early Years sector. She began her career as an apprentice and progressed rapidly into senior leadership, spending 16 years with a major national provider where she led the organisation’s highest-performing nurseries and played a pivotal role in the successful onboarding of new settings. 

Emily later joined another large nursery group, where she spent four years in senior strategic positions overseeing quality, compliance, and commercial performance across a portfolio of 50 nurseries. She has played a significant role in M&A activity, leading integration programmes, driving quality elevation across newly acquired settings, and embedding cultural alignment to ensure long-term operational success. 

A highly people-centred and values-driven leader, Emily is passionate about developing talent, empowering high-performing teams, and creating environments where exceptional outcomes for children, families, and colleagues can thrive. Her leadership ethos is rooted in continuous improvement, organisational resilience, and sustainable growth. 

Outside of Family First, Emily is a proud wife and mum to two girls who fill her world with energy, joy, and the occasional reminder that multitasking is a superpower. As a family, they love travelling and creating the kind of memories that make the chaos absolutely worth it.