AOC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Business Development Executive
Job Titles:
- Principal and Chief Executive of York College
Alison became Principal and Chief Executive of York College in January 2008, having previously been Principal at Nelson and Colne College. Prior to that, she was Deputy Principal at another Lancashire College, Runshaw. She began in FE in 1984 as Music Lecturer at Nelson and Colne College.
Job Titles:
- Nelson and Colne College Group
- Principal and Chief Executive of Nelson
Following a modern languages degree, Amanda worked in international software systems sales and implementation, supporting geneticists in early digital analysis techniques. She became a teacher in IT, business and languages with the arrival of her family - now grown up.
Amanda Melton was appointed Principal and Chief Executive of Nelson and Colne College in March 2012. The College is rated Ofsted ‘Outstanding', and is one of the top five performing colleges nationally, delivering A Levels, technical and vocational training up to degree level, and Apprenticeships. Since Amanda's arrival, the College has expanded to include Lancashire Adult Learning, delivering adult skills education across the County. In 2018, Accrington & Rossendale College also joined the Nelson & Colne College family under Amanda's leadership.
In 2013, Amanda led the creation of the Pendle Education Trust, a multi-academy trust initially set up to address the particular needs of poor-performing schools. The Trust is currently responsible for five academies, of which three have already improved by two Ofsted grades since transferring to the Trust.
Amanda is formerly a Director at the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP Champion for Skills and Technical Education) and Chair of the Lancashire LEP Skills Advisory Panel. She was also formerly Director of the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce.
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Principal and CEO, Bridgwater & Taunton College
Andy's FE experience comes from his 27 year career at Bridgwater & Taunton College. He has been a senior manager for 16 years, holding both curriculum and cross college roles. Andy was promoted to Vice Principal in 2012 and became College Principal and Chief Executive in June 2017.
Andy successfully led the college's merger project team in 2016. His experience now comes from leading the £50m Bridgwater & Taunton College that supports over 20,000 students a year, across all levels and provision types, including A Levels and a rapidly growing apprenticeship programme that will support over 3,000 apprentices this year. Operating over three campuses at Bridgwater, Taunton and Cannington, the College covers every subject sector area, including land-based. The 2019 OFSTED Inspection report confirmed the success of the merger and Bridgwater & Taunton College.
Andy is passionate about the transformational impact that FE can have on people and communities and has formed strong partnerships with key stakeholders including local councils to maximise the positive impact of the college.
Andy has worked in FE for more than 26 years and is currently the Principal and Chief Executive of New College Durham. Andy began his FE career at Newcastle College as a financial accountant, during which time he qualified through the ACCA route and now holds Fellow status. Eight years at Newcastle was followed up with three years as a Senior Service Accountant for Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with responsibility for financial oversight of six directorates across the Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital. In 2004 Andy was appointed as the Head of Finance at New College Durham with subsequent progression through to Director of Finance, Chief Finance Officer and Deputy Principal. Following a campus redevelopment in 2005, Andy was instrumental in raising the college's financial status to ‘Outstanding' in 2008 and maintaining this rating to the present day through some of the most challenging times that have been experienced in the FE sector. In 2020 Andy was appointed as Principal and Chief Executive of New College Durham.
Andy played a leading role in the college's Institute of Technology application which involved working extensively with six regional delivery partners, the DfE capital and finance team, partner university leads and key employer leads. The North East Institute of Technology was approved in 2020, is led by New College Durham and is now in its fourth year of operation. Additionally, Andy has played a key role in the development of a multi academy trust for which the college is a lead sponsor.
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Principal and CEO of the Sheffield College
Angela is the Principal and CEO of The Sheffield College. Her FE journey began as a student. Her work in London, the North West and Yorkshire has focussed on improving colleges, striving for an outstanding experience for learners. Angela has a national profile in English and Maths, chairs the South Yorkshire Principals' Group, is a National Centre for Diversity Patron, and has a long track record championing the role of women in leadership in Yorkshire and the Humber region. She champions our sector by working with local, regional and national decision-makers to ensure FE, and its economic impact, is not only at the heart of policymaking but fully understood and recognised.
Job Titles:
- Labour Market Economist at the OECD
- Labour Market Economist, OECD
Anja Meierkord is a Labour Market Economist at the OECD, where her work focuses on changing skill needs in the context of longer working lives, accelerating technological change and globalisation, and what governments can do to prepare for these changes. For the past nine years, she has helped different levels of government make evidence-based decisions in employment, education and social policy. Prior to joining the OECD in 2017, she was Associate Director at the research consultancy Ecorys in London where she advised UK and European institutions on education and skill policy. She has also worked for the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in Dublin and the Administration of the Berlin Senate.
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Principal and CEO, Basingstoke College of Technology
Job Titles:
- Principal and Chief Executive, Edinburgh College
Having graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Education, Audrey moved to Bristol University to take up a two-year Graduate Assistant Lecturer post, undertaking research within the field of sports psychology. Following this, she left the higher education sector and moved into private industry before returning to the education sector where she held a number of senior roles. Audrey was appointed to her first principal role in 2010 and in 2012 led the merger of three colleges in the West Region to establish West College Scotland.
Audrey has since taken up post as Principal and Chief Executive of Edinburgh College, Scotland's largest Regional College, in September 2018.
Audrey served two terms on the Scottish Funding Council Board and was appointed a Member of the Government's Enterprise & Skills Strategic Board which was established in November 2017. She is the Vice Chair of Scotland's Colleges Principals Group and was recently appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Job Titles:
- Recruitment Manager
- Executive Recruitment
Job Titles:
- Principal and Chief Executive, Southern Regional College
Brian took up position as the Chief Executive of the Southern Regional College on 1 January 2008.
Prior to the formation of the Southern Regional College, Mr Doran held the position of Deputy Director for Teaching and Learning at Newry and Kilkeel Institute.
Brian has taught in both the post primary and further education sectors.
Brian is a past graduate of Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University and has recently completed a senior leadership programme at the University of Oxford.
He maintains strong ties with the business, education and training sector across Northern Ireland and has served on a number of committees and advisory groups:
WorldSkills UK Board Member
NI representative on the Independent Commission on The College of the Future
NI College Representative on the Four Nations Strategic Alliance Group
Chair of Northern Ireland FE College Principals Group 2017-20
Greater Newry Vision Group - Chamber of Commerce and Trade
Youth Training and Apprenticeship Project Board, Department for the Economy
Interim Strategic Advisory Forum, Department for the Economy
Review Group on GCSE and A Level, Department of Education
CCEA Regulatory Advisory Committee
Accounting Technician Ireland, Education Board
Colleges NI - Director
Governor St Michael's Primary School, Killean, Newry
Job Titles:
- Recruitment Manager - Interim Management and External Board Reviews
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal, Worcester College of Technology
Chris Morecroft was Principal of Worcester College of Technology from 2002 until 2010, having been Principal at Dearne Valley College in South Yorkshire for four years.
Job Titles:
- Senior Policy Manager, Skills & Industry
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Principal and CEO, Loughborough College
Corrie studied business and management at Coventry University. She joined Loughborough College as Principal & CEO in May 2024 and prior to this she held a variety of senior management roles in further education institutions. Corrie is focused on meeting the needs of local communities and employers and giving students an exceptional learning experience. She comes with a wealth of experience in the teaching and learning environment and has a demonstrated history of highly successful leadership in FE.
Corrienne trained as a plumber after leaving school at 16 and by the age of 21, she had completed an apprenticeship and joined her family business in plumbing and heating. In 1996, the opportunity came to join City College Norwich as a sessional plumbing lecturer and over the next 15 years Corrienne moved on to become a full-time lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Director, Vice Principal, and Deputy Principal. Thus, gaining insights into the many different departments at the college. Corrienne then served as CEO and Principal at City College Norwich for a decade, before retiring in July 2022.
Corrienne was appointed an OBE in 2020 and was Vice Chair of Norfolk's Children and Young People's Strategic Alliance and FE Board member of the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (NALEP). Corrienne is Chair of the NALEP Agri-Food Industry Council.
Job Titles:
- Senior Recruitment Manager
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive / Principal, St Helens College
Pat was President of AoC through a time of significant political and economic change with both the recession and the 2010 General Election dominating her period in office.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the AoC Board
David Hughes became Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges in September 2016.
Before that he was CEO at Learning and Work Institute, a leading think tank, research and policy organisation which was formed in 2016 from a merger he led between NIACE and Inclusion.
From 2000 to 2011, David worked in senior roles at the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). At the LSC and SFA David led the funding and improvement relationships with colleges and providers and successfully took on trouble-shooting roles to rescue crises in capital funding and Educational Maintenance Allowances.
Prior to that, David worked in the voluntary sector across a wide range of roles and organisations in the UK and Australia, in social housing, co-operatives, welfare, regeneration and community development.
David has held many Board and Committee roles, including a few years as Vice-Chair of the East Midlands Regional Assembly in the 1990s. He played a leading role in establishing the new Education and Training Foundation in 2013 and has established and supported several third sector organisations.
David Jones' is the former Chief Executive of Coleg Cambria.
Born in Aberystwyth and brought up in Ceredigion, David has studied or worked across all regions of Wales.
A Chartered Engineer, David has over 30 years of experience working in Further and Higher Education. He was first appointed as Principal/Chief Executive of Deeside College in 2004 and has since led the three mergers which led to the creation of Coleg Cambria in 2013. Coleg Cambria is recognised across Wales and the UK for its innovation, its strong partnerships with schools, and the strength of its links with its community and local economy.
David's current external appointments include chairing the Deeside Enterprise Zone Board, the newly formed AMRC Cymru Board, the CBI North Wales Committee and he is vice chair of the Collab Group of leading UK colleges. He is also a member of the Welsh Government's European Advisory Group.
David was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Clwyd in March 2010 and was awarded an OBE in the 2015 New Year's Honours List in recognition of his services to education. David also won the TES UK FE Leader of the Year Award in 2017.
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Principal of Herefordshire, Ludlow and North Shropshire College
David has worked in the FE sector for more than 25 years and is currently the Principal of Herefordshire, Ludlow and North Shropshire College. The college serves a large, predominantly rural geographical area and includes two GFE centres in Hereford and Oswestry; a dedicated sixth form college in the market town of Ludlow; and two agricultural campuses in Walford and Holme Lacy.
David began his career in FE as a part-time music lecturer and has since worked in a number of colleges across the North West of England, the West Midlands and Wales.
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Chief Executive of West Suffolk College
- West Suffolk College, CEO and Principal
Dr Nikos Savvas is both the Chief Executive of West Suffolk College (a large General Further Education College), and Suffolk Academies Trust (an innovative post-16 Multi-Academy Trust), consisting of Abbeygate Sixth Form College in Bury St Edmunds (which he founded in 2019), and the recently awarded Ofsted Outstanding One Sixth Form College in Ipswich.
Nikos has been on the board of the New Anglia LEP, the founding board of the University of Suffolk (one of the newly created Universities in the country). He has also been Chair of the Association of Colleges in the Eastern Region, (which preceded AoC) and successfully led the merger into the AoC to support a single strong voice for the sector.
He has a PhD in High Energy Particle Physics from Manchester University.
Nikos passionately sees education as the main factor that he can influence to transform people's lives for the better.
Job Titles:
- Member of Parliament for North Down and Former Minister for Employment & Learning, Northern Ireland
Stephen Farry is the Alliance MP for North Down and was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly since 2007 representing the cross-community, centrist Alliance Party.
Dr Farry served as Minister for Employment and Learning on the Northern Ireland Executive between 2011 and 2016, and had responsibility for Further Education, Higher Education, Apprenticeships, the European Social Fund, the Employment Service and Employment Law. In this role, he developed the further education strategy for Northern Ireland, ‘FE Means Success', and also put in place new strategies for Apprenticeships, Youth Training and Careers. He has participated on a number of trade missions to the United States to showcase how NI further education colleges can provide training and retraining to address the skill requirements of investing companies.
He has participated in Northern Ireland political negotiations since 1996, including high-level engagement with the UK and Irish Governments, alongside the European Commission and successive United States Administrations. He also holds a PhD in International Relations from the Queen's University, Belfast and was a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace, 2005-06.
Job Titles:
- Partner, BH Associates
- Professor
Steph McGovern has been working in financial journalism for over 15 years and has been part of the BBC Breakfast family for the last eight, both as the business correspondent and main programme presenter. Steph also presents primetime BBC One consumer shows Watchdog and Shop Well For Less. In 2018 Steph made her debut as the host of long running comedy panel show, Have I Got News For You, having successfully appeared twice as a panelist. Steph also launched a new show for BBC Two; Made in Great Britain and became the host of the Dragon's Den spin-off Pitches to Riches.
Steph travels all over the UK to cover economic and business stories for the BBC and since joining Breakfast has broadcast live from over 600 businesses. Whether she's talking to workers in factories or interviewing FTSE 100 chief executives in the studio, Steph makes it her mission to find out what's going on in the real economy. As part of her BBC News work Steph has also interviewed several world leaders, including Donald Trump.
Originally from Middlesbrough, Steph's first taste of BBC life came aged 19, when she made a guest appearance on a programme about women in science. Steph had just won the title of Young Engineer for Britain, after saving Black & Decker money on a design she created for their Leaf Hog product. Following her appearance, Steph secured work experience on Tomorrow's World and not long after, made it on to the payroll as a part-time researcher, while studying at University College London.
After graduating she became the main producer for daily financial news on the Today programme on Radio 4, securing interviews with top business leaders and running a number of foreign projects, including a stint in Chicago covering the trial of Conrad Black and a series from Brazil investigating the biofuels industry.
Two years later, within weeks of becoming the producer for the then economics editor, Evan Davis, the financial world was in meltdown. Steph has covered its developments ever since. For three years Steph was the lead producer of business news on the BBC's main news bulletins working with the then business editor, Robert Peston.
Never shy of putting in the hours, Steph also spent time building up her own on-air profile, which included working as a business presenter on the Chris Evans show on Radio 2 and on BBC 5 live.
Along with her daily news duties, Steph is also involved in BBC community projects, such as BBC Young Reporter and BBC School Report. Steph is passionate about education and is a mentor for young people in Teesside, running workshops for schoolchildren around the North East.
And when she's not talking money or media, Steph is a former champion Irish dancer and often attends international competitions to help coach dancers.
Professor Ewart Keep holds a chair in Education, Training and Skills at the Department of Education, Oxford University. He has a first degree in modern history (London) and a PhD in industrial relations (Warwick). He has previously worked at Warwick Business School and at Cardiff University's School of Social Sciences. He is director of the Centre on Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE).
Keep has undertaken research and published extensively on the formation of skills policies in the UK, managerial attitudes towards investment in skill, lifelong learning, apprenticeships, workplace training and development, recruitment and selection; higher education policy, youth transitions to the labour market, the different incentives to learn that act upon individuals, the role of skills and work organisation in workplace innovation, and more latterly the marketization and partial devolution of funding for FE. He has advised the UK Cabinet Office; the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills; the NAO; the Scottish and Welsh governments; UK Commission for Employment and Skills; the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development; the OECD; the Government Office for Science (Foresight); two House of Commons select committee inquiries, and one Scottish Parliament committee inquiry. He has also undertaken work for the Australian Commonwealth Government, the governments of New South Wales and Queensland; and the government of New Zealand.
He is currently a member of Quality and Qualifications Ireland's Policies and Standards Committee; HEFCW's Student Opportunity and Achievement Committee; the Scottish Government Strategic Labour Market Group; DfE Skills Policy Analysis Academic Panel; and the Greater London Authority's London Skills Strategy Task and Finish Group.
Job Titles:
- Principal, Bridgwater College
Fiona was Principal of Bridgwater College between 1994 and 2011 and under her leadership the college was designated as 'outstanding' by Ofsted in 2004.
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Principal & Chief Executive of New City College
Gerry is Group Principal & Chief Executive of New City College, following the merger of Hackney Community College and Tower Hamlets Colleges in 2016 and Redbridge College in 2017. He became Principal of Tower Hamlets College in April 2013 following almost four years as the college's Vice Principal - Curriculum & Standards. Gerry is a qualified business studies teacher who has worked in the sector since 1993.
He holds business degrees from the University of West of England and Aston and a PGCE from Manchester Metropolitan University. Gerry has worked in sixth form and FE colleges in Birmingham and London, leading on business development, mergers, curriculum improvement, inspection and culture change. Gerry is also a Director of London Capital Colleges (representing London's largest colleges) and the college's recruitment company, TowerSkills Recruitment Services. He sits on the college's Corporation as an ex-officio member and also serves on Finance and General Purposes, Search and Curriculum & Quality sub-committees. Gerry is a co-opted committee member of AoC London following his election to the main AoC board in December 2014. He also serves on the AoC's national Employment and Audit Committees.
Ian Ashman was previously Principal of Hackney Community College, London. Prior to this, he worked in private practice, colleges, local government and the voluntary sector.
Job Titles:
- Director for Sustainability, Health and Care, AoC / AoC Charitable Trust
- Director for Sustainability, Health and Care, AoC / Sustainability & Climate Change Reference Group
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Principal and CEO, Waltham Forest College
- Strategic Leader
Janet is an experienced strategic leader with a commercial background who has a successful track record of transformational change. Since moving into the FE sector, Janet has worked in senior leadership roles within diverse and complex FE colleges across London and was appointed as Principal & CEO of Waltham Forest College in 2020.
Janet is passionate about promoting equality of opportunity and has led on several regional and national projects in collaboration with partner organisations to support hard to reach pockets of the community. Janet co-chairs the GLA Anchors' Network Hiring and Skills Group, supporting the Mayor of London's Recovery Board, is a member of the AoC National Employment Group and is the AoC London Regional Representative on the national board.
Job Titles:
- Principal and CEO of Walsall College ( Chair )
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Principal, Walsall College
Born in the midlands, Jatinder attended the local comprehensive school before going on to study financial management and was awarded his Masters Degree at the University of Dundee. Before entering into FE, Jatinder worked and qualified as an accountant in Public Practice before joining the logistics sector.
Job Titles:
- Principal and CEO of Loughborough College
Job Titles:
- Principal and Chief Executive, New College Durham
John Widdowson joined New College Durham in August 1998, having previously worked as Vice Principal at Cambridge Regional College for 10 years. Prior to entering further education, he worked as a lawyer in Local Government.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Executive ( Policy, Curriculum and Funding )
Job Titles:
- Research and Policy Analyst, Resolution Foundation
Job Titles:
- Recruitment Administrator
Job Titles:
- Director, WORK ADVANCE
- Is Director of Work Advance
Lesley Giles is Director of Work Advance, where she undertakes analysis and evaluation, and provides policy advice around workplace innovation, skills and the world of work.
Until recently she was Director at the Work Foundation where she continues to work as an associate, offering insights to drive their work programme seeking to champion Good Work.
Prior to this, Lesley was Deputy Director and Company Secretary at the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, where she provided guidance on skills and employment issues to Industry and Government. In addition, Lesley has worked in a variety of other roles across government undertaking skills and/or employment research and policy advice including: Acting Director for Strategy and Research, and Head of Research, at the Sector Skills Development Agency; and a senior researcher for the Department for Education and Employment, the Employment Service, and the Cabinet Office.
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Principal and CEO of Nelson
- Principal and CEO, Nelson and Colne College Group
Lisa O'Loughlin is the Principal and CEO of Nelson and Colne College Group. She has a wealth of experience within the FE sector having joined NCCG from The Manchester College, where she was Principal and Deputy CEO at LTE. Lisa has an impressive array of experience within the sector, particularly in strategic leadership, cultural and organisational development, stakeholder management, quality systems, and curriculum development.
Lisa previously worked in East Lancashire, as Deputy Principal of Blackburn College between 2007 and 2013. Lisa is dedicated to ensuring that all learners, at all levels and ages, are able to access only the very best skills and experience throughout their education.
Maggie Galliers was Principal of Leicester College between July 2002 and 2012. Before that, she was Principal of Henley College Coventry for five years, having previously held a wide variety of management positions in FE and taught in all sectors of education: primary, secondary, further and higher.
Job Titles:
- Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Metropolitan College
Marie-Thérèse was appointed Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Metropolitan College in 2009. She worked closely with the Governing Body in ensuring the efficient and effective management of the College. This included its financial performance and the quality of its teaching, learning and assessment.
Marie-Thérèse began her career as a teacher in further education. In the 1990s she moved to develop policy for the Youth Service in Northern Ireland and in 1995 joined the Civil Service as a secondee to the Urban Regeneration Initiative, Making Belfast Work. She was appointed Director of Development at Belfast City Council in 1999 and has spoken all over the world on the issue of urban regeneration.
Marie-Thérèse has held numerous advisory, visiting and honorary posts. She is a member of the CBI Council for Northern Ireland, a member of the Association of Colleges World Skills Portfolio Group, a board member of the Titanic Foundation, a non-executive Director of the Strategic Investment Board, a Director of the Collab Group and is a Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute.
She has received a great many awards over the course of her career, with the most recent being Outstanding Business Woman of the Year Award (Women in Business, November 2017). Other accolades include the IOD UK Public Sector Director of the Year Award (2015) and the Women in Leadership Network's Inspirational Leader of the Year award (2013).
Job Titles:
- Principal and CEO of Lincoln College Group
Job Titles:
- CBI
- Chief UK Policy Director, CBI
Matthew is CBI Chief UK Policy Director. As Chief UK, Policy Director Matthew is responsible for developing and shaping the CBI's domestic policy agenda, including on People and Skills, Infrastructure and Innovation. He also leads the CBI's work on industrial and regional policy.
Matthew is the CBI's key spokesperson and has responsibility for political relationships and influencing across these areas of UK policy.
Matthew joined the CBI in 1999 and has covered a range of business sectors including manufacturing, small business and financial services. As director for competitive markets Matthew led the CBI's work on competition, regulation and corporate governance as well as campaigns to champion the UK's mid-market and the "Great Business Debate" to build public confidence in business. Immediately prior to taking up his current role, Matthew was Chief of Staff with responsibility for the CBI's strategy, people and governance.
Matthew has considerable experience of engaging with government, regulators and senior business leaders. He is a member of the CBI's senior leadership team and sits on its Executive Committee.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Principal
- Principal and Chief Executive, Bradford College
Michele Sutton became Principal and Chief Executive of Bradford College in August 2004 and was AoC President between 1 August 2013 and 31 July 2014.
Job Titles:
- Head of Recruitment & Consultancy
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- President of the Association of Colleges
- Principal and Chief Executive, BMet College
Pat Carvalho is President of the Association of Colleges, the national voice for England's colleges. Pat took up the role in October 2024 and has been a senior leader in the FE sector since 2009.
Pat has been the CEO and Principal of Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet) since June 2021 having worked in further education for over 30 years and as a senior manager for 15 years. Further education has always played a part in her life, providing the training for her first career as a medical secretary at a local Birmingham college, then helping her enter university as a mature student where she majored in philosophy and then an MSc in artificial intelligence before going on to do a PGCE.
Job Titles:
- Assistant General Secretary of the TUC
- Deputy General Secretary, Trades Union Congress ( TUC )
Paul Nowak was appointed Assistant General Secretary of the TUC in 2013, and subsequently confirmed as Deputy General Secretary in February 2016.
He leads on a number of key policy areas including public services, transport and industrial policy. In addition he has responsibility for the TUC's organisation in Wales and the English regions, annual Congress, union organising and inter-union relations.
Paul has previously served as the TUC's regional secretary in the North East & Cumbria and as the TUC's national organiser.
He was appointed a member of the ACAS Council in November 2011.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Member of the AoC Board
- Ex Officio
Having trained as a Chartered Accountant, Peter worked in the private sector for 15 years, the final role being in a Group of 10 Companies, with a turnover in excess of £600 million. He was appointed to all Boards and specifically as Finance Director to a number of the subsidiaries. Peter has also successfully passed the IoD Certificate in Company Direction.
Peter is the chief executive of the CIPD, the professional body for more than 150,000 HR and people development professionals around the world. He writes and speaks widely on the development of HR, the future of work, and the key issues of leadership, culture and organisation, people and skills.
Peter is a visiting Professor at the University of Lancaster, and sits on the Advisory Board of Bath University School of Management. He holds honorary doctorates from Bath University, Kingston University, and is a Fellow of the CIPD, AHRI (the Australian HR Institute) and the Academy of Social Sciences. He's also a Companion of the Institute of Leadership and Management, the Chartered Management Institute, and the British Academy of Management.
Prior to joining the CIPD in July 2012, he was Chairman of the Institute of Leadership and Management and a member of the Council of City&Guilds. Up until 2009 he had a long career at Accenture holding various leadership positions and culminating in a seven year spell as Global Managing Director for the firm's human capital and organisation consulting practice.
Job Titles:
- Senior Charitable Trust Manager
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Principal, Exeter College
Richard Atkins has been a college principal for 19 years, initially at Yeovil and, since 2002, at Exeter College, which was rated as outstanding by Ofsted in 2012 and 2014. Richard was appointed a CBE in 2016 for this services to further education.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, UK Further Education and Skills, Jisc
Sally Dicketts, who has worked in further education since 1985 and is a tireless campaigner and advocate for the learning and skills sector, took over from former President Steve Frampton on 1 August 2020.
Job Titles:
- Charitable Trust and Membership Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the AoC Board
Job Titles:
- Head of Student Experience of Rose Bruford College
- National President of the National Union of Students UK
- National Union of Students ( NUS )
Shakira Martin was formerly the National President of the National Union of Students UK, first elected in 2017. She was previously the Vice President Further Education, representing learners in the UK's technical colleges, apprenticeship programmes and other forms of vocational education. She is only the second NUS President not to have attended a university, having attended Lewisham and Southwark College, where she studied leadership and management.
Shakira's focus as president has been on student poverty and the barriers to working class students in accessing and succeeding in education; securing a people's vote on Brexit; and major reforms to NUS's democracy and governance.
Following her presidency at NUS, Shakira is now the Head of Student Experience of Rose Bruford College. Her role is to bring together student experience and journey. Shakira recently joined the board of Lambeth College as part of the South Bank College group and also sits on the Office for Students panel.
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Barnsley College & Chair of Governors' Council
Job Titles:
- Principal and Chief Executive, Bridgend College
Simon is Principal and Chief Executive of Bridgend College, rated as ‘excellent' by Estyn (March 2016). Estyn commented that "the Principal provides inspiring leadership that has had a significant impact on the transformation of the College".
Simon is the winner of the 2018 Institute of Directors (UK) Director of the Year for the Public Sector. Bridgend College has achieved a number of prestigious awards including WhatUni UK FE College of the Year for Higher Education (2018); a UK AoC Beacon Award for Leadership and Governance (2018) and Apprenticeship Provider of the Year for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (2018). Bridgend College is the highest ranked FE College in the UK in the Times 100 Best Companies (not for profit organisations) to work for in both 2017 and 2020. In 2019, Bridgend College was named Times Educational Supplement College of the Year and in 2021, Bridgend College was awarded an AOC Beacon Award for its work on mental health and wellbeing.
Simon received an OBE in the 2020 New Years Honours list for his services to FE and HE. He has worked in the education sector for over thirty years. This includes work in the Higher Education, Further Education and School sectors. He has also worked as a Head of Department in Los Angeles, USA on a year long Fulbright Scholarship.
Simon sits on the Advisory Board for Academi Wales and is a Board member of National Theatre Wales.
Simon lives in Ystradgynlais and is married to Kelly and has three children.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive / Principal, South Cheshire College
Sir David Collins CBE was AoC's first President during his final year as Principal of South Cheshire College, which was awarded an ‘outstanding' grade by Ofsted.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond FBA FRSE FAcSS became National Statistician on 22 October. Sir Ian previously served as a non-executive member of the UK Statistics Authority Board from June 2018 to August 2019.Sir Ian was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen from 2010 to 2018. He was previously Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research (ESRC) Council and, from 2004 to 2009, Chair of the Research Councils UK Executive Group (2004-2009).Before joining the ESRC, Sir Ian was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Southampton, where he had been for most of his career. Sir Ian is Chair of British Universities and Colleges Sport, Chair of Edinburgh College of Further Education, Chair of Plan International UK and a Board member of UK Research and Innovation. He chaired the Welsh Assembly Government of the Higher Education Review for Wales reporting in 2016.Sir Ian was elected to the UK Academy of Social Sciences in 1999, is a Fellow of the British Academy (2005), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2009) and holds honorary degrees from the universities of Cardiff, Glasgow and Curtin.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Partner and Head of Education, Shakespeare Martineau
Smita is a recognised leader in her field, specialising in constitutional, governance and regulatory advice which helps educational institutions thrive in a rapidly changing landscape. She has helped institutions to innovate and develop, to widen their reach, build institutional resilience, and deliver the best outcomes for students and other stakeholders.
Smita has also been recognised in this year's Legal 500 2020 as a leading individual in Education.
Her approach is best summed up by Chambers & Partners: "She is very knowledgeable about the sector, very well informed about the challenges the sector faces, and insightful about how we could change and adapt." Smita is a member of the Higher Education Commission and an enthusiastic contributor to sector debate through the firm's education blog, Going Further & Higher and her Twitter feed. She has an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Warwick.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive of Learning and Work Institute
Stephen became Chief Executive of Learning and Work Institute in 2016 after two years as Deputy Chief Executive, where he was responsible for Learning and Work Institute's research and development work. He joined from Working Links, a leading provider for employment and skills services, where he led on policy, strategy and business development. Prior to this, he worked for the London Development Agency as Director of Employment and Skills, commissioning programmes and leading the work of the London Skills and Employment Board; was Chief Economist at the Social Market Foundation; and spent six years as Senior Policy Advisor in HM Treasury.
Job Titles:
- University of East London - Chief Marketing Officer
Job Titles:
- Member of the AoC Board
- Principal at BHASVIC
William became Principal at BHASVIC in 2016 after 15 years at Godalming College where he started as a Psychology teacher and moved up the ranks to Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Quality. He was Vice-Chair of the Independent Monitoring Board at Feltham Young Offenders institution between 2006-2012 and is also Governor of a local Primary School.
Job Titles:
- Coleg Cambria - Principal
Job Titles:
- Principal and CEO, Barking & Dagenham College
Yvonne has been Principal and CEO of Barking & Dagenham College since 2016, offering vocational, technical and professional education and training, from entry to level 7 to prepare young people and adults for work or for university.