LANDEX - Key Persons
Alex has been Chief Executive of Landex ‘Land Based Colleges & Universities Aspiring to Excellence‘ since January 2021. Prior to that, Alex was the Director Of Quality Enhancement at Landex. She has an extensive background in the Land Based sector which has included managing and developing a full range of curriculum including Higher Education, as well as driving and monitoring quality improvement. She has managed a number of specialist land-based centres and associated staff and resources. Her current industry involvement in Agriculture and Equine ensures she is in touch with current developments and challenges within the sector.
Alex brings to the role a significant understanding of land based industries, in addition to her experience as a manager in further education colleges, and more recently with Landex. In her spare time she farms with her husband in Yorkshire.
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- Further Education Quality & Curriculum Committee Chair
- Principal, Myerscough College & University Centre
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- Assistant Director of Student Services, Moulton College
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- Vice Chancellor / Principal, Hartpury University & Hartpury College / South West
‘Baroness Byford of Rothley attended Moulton College as a student and is an honorary graduate of Harper Adams University College: she is an arable farmer in Suffolk and a member of the House of Lords. Lady Byford DBE was the Conservative spokesman for Food, Farming and Rural Affairs from 1997 until 2008, having been made a life peer in 1996.
Lady Byford is a Canon of Leicester Cathedral; President of LEAF; a member of the court and Under Warden of the Worshipful Company of Farmers: a patron of the Women's Food and Farming Union, and a former patron of the National Farm Attractions Network and the Institute of the Agricultural Secretaries & Administrators. In 2007, she was elected President of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers; and in 2008, she received an Honorary DSc from Nottingham Trent University in recognition of her outstanding contribution and commitment to agriculture and rural life
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- Principal, Bishop Burton College
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- Director, Brixworth Farming Company
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- Vice Principal, Hartpury College and Hartpury University
- Vice Principal, Hartpury University and Hartpury College
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- Principal and Chielf Executive, Moulton College / East and East Midlands
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- Chairman of Governors, East Durham College / Landex Representative on AoC Governors' Council
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- Managing Director, City & Guilds
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- Principal, Brooksby Melton College
Donald Curry is married has two sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and lives in Northumberland. Since January 2010 he has been Chair of the Better Regulations Executive (BRE) based in BIS.
In 2009 he was appointed Chair of the Leckford Estate Management Committee - the Waitrose Farm and in August 2012 was appointed Chair of the Royal Veterinary College.
Gerald Davies provides advice and training for members in health & safety, with particular emphasis upon college farms and other land based practical resources that present specific challenges and opportunities, less common in the wider education sector. With many years experience at a senior level in a land based College with responsibilities including Health & Safety and Estate Development, he has experience of both excellence and a turn around journey. Passionate about providing safer futures for students though culture change.
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- Governor, Hartpury College
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- Principal and Chief Executive, Wiltshire College and University Centre
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- Director of Quality Enhancement
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- Principal, Plumpton College
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- Principal and CEO, Sparsholt College Group
Liz has been a Quality Advisor for Landex for several years. Prior to joining Landex Liz spent 6 years in the Land-based sector lecturing in HE & FE along with working as an Advanced Teaching Practitioner for Agriculture & Countryside. During this period she has led programmes at both FE & HE and is a Fellow of the HEA. She has worked as a teacher, assessor and moderator for the current technical qualifications. Prior to this Liz worked in Access to Higher Education managing a successful programme alongside general studies (GCSEs in English, Maths & Science). Liz began her career in education working in disability support, initially as a dyslexia specialist, then leading the Learning Support Team in Adult Education with additional responsibility for Safeguarding & EDI. Alongside an interest across land subjects, Liz has recent classroom experience, and considerable skills in VLE development.
‘Lord Boswell is an Oxford classics graduate and has a diploma in agricultural economics: he is a partner in the family farming business near Banbury, and was MP for Daventry from 1987 until 2010.
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- Board Member of the NFU Mutual Insurance Company
Lord Curry was appointed as a board member of the NFU Mutual Insurance Company in 1997 and was Chairman from June 2003 to December 2011.
He Chaired the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food reporting to Government in January 2002 and was responsible for overseeing the Government's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food until March 2009: he served as a Crown Estate Commissioner from January 2000 until December 2007.
He was a founder, of ‘At Home in the Community' in 1990, a charity providing care and support for people with learning disabilities, and has continued to Chair the company since then. A trustee of Clinton Devon Estates and also Anglican International Developments (AID).
Lord Curry was awarded a CBE for his services to Agriculture in the 1997 New Year's Honours list, a Knighthood in the Birthday Honours in 2001 and was appointed as a cross bench peer in The House of Lords in October 2011.
In 2004 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (DSc) by Cranfield University, an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Gloucestershire in 2005 and a Doctorate of Civil Law by Newcastle University in 2008.
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- Principal, Kingston Maurward College
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- Principal, Derby College Group
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- Chairman of the Membership Committee
- Chairman of the Remuneration Committee
- Learning Materials & Technology Committee Chair
- Principal and Chief Executive of Reaseheath College
- Principal, Reaseheath College / Vice Chair
Marcus is the Principal and Chief Executive of Reaseheath College and University Centre, appointed from 1st August 2018. Marcus previously spent nearly four years as Principal at Northumberland College, with another five years as Vice Principal and Head of the Colleges land-based provision at Kirkley Hall. Marcus has a wealth of experience in further education, apprenticeships and higher education partnerships, much of it spent in land-based and rural education. Marcus has represented land-based Colleges on a number of regional and national groups, and currently Chairs the Landex Board. He also sits on the National Land-based College Board and Chairs the Land Based Learning Ltd Board. Marcus is also author of Horse Business Management. Marcus joined the Board on 1st August 2018. He is Principal of the College, a member of the Finance and General Purposes, Quality and Standards, Higher Education and Search and Governance Committees and a member of the Estates Development and Property Group. I look forward to working with the Landex team and Alex Payne, CEO.
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- Director, CAFRE, N. Ireland
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- Personal Assistant to CEO
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- Group Principal and Chief Operating Officer
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- Farmer and Chair, AgriSkills Forum
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- Executive Director Quality and Standards, Askham Bryan College
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- Employer / Industry Sector
Steve worked as an independent consultant in the FE Sector for two years prior to him joining Landex. He has held senior management posts in General FE Colleges in London and West Yorkshire. He is an accomplished manager in the FE Sector, with extensive experience of business development, employer engagement, apprenticeships and employability programmes. Steve's key priorities since joining Landex in June 2017 are: developing an high quality and cost effective end point assessment service; enhancing the online learning materials provided to members by Land Based Learning Ltd; and offering a bid writing resource for members who wish to exploit collaborative opportunities.
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- Principal, East Durham College
- Principal, East Durham College / Landex Representative on AoC Board
Tim Boswell MP entered John Major's government in 1990 as an Assistant Government Whip, and following the 1992 General Election was promoted within the Whip's Office and became a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury. Later in 1992, Tim Boswell was appointed Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Department of Education and then moved to a similar role at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food until the 1997 General Election. In opposition he was variously a spokesman at the Treasury, Trade and Industry, and then Education and Employment. He also spent periods as the spokesman for Work and Pensions and Constitutional Affairs before announcing his retirement from the Commons. He was raised to the peerage as Baron Boswell of Aynho in the County of Northamptonshire in 2010'.
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- Higher Education Committee Chair
- Vice - Chancellor, Writtle University College
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- Director of Horticulture, Education & Communities RHS
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- Principal, Askham Bryan College & University Centre
Wendy Dick provides support for members by sharing her knowledge and skills, working pragmatically together in partnership to develop teaching and leadership practice that has the student at the centre. With many years experience at a senior level in two successful Colleges in both Wales and the South West she has a passion for excellence in education and training, with expertise in quality assurance, creating health cultures and dynamic teams, middle manager coaching and leadership development.