Meet the Governors

Category:

Governor
(Chair)

Profile:

Stuart is Chair of Governors at the Education Training Collective (Etc.). Prior to his retirement, he was the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Board member at Railpen, where he had worked since 2001. He is a Chartered Accountant and was previously Vice Chair of the Railway Housing Association, an organisation which provides approximately 1,500 homes across the North East of England and Hereford. He currently holds a number of Non Executive Board positions, most recently being appointed to the Board of Beyond Housing and Auckland Home Solutions in 2024, who are providers of social and supported housing respectively and based in the region.

Calling Stockton-on-Tees home, with his wife, two sons, and their miniature schnauzer, Alfie, Stuart is a keen believer in education, having attended secondary school in Durham and the University of York where he received a 1st Class degree in Economics and Finance.

In his spare time, Stuart enjoys running, golf and holidaying with his family.

Stuart believes that organisations with a strong purpose, one that is clearly articulated, succeed and says of his appointment to the Etc. governing body: “One of the things that attracted me to the board of governors at Etc., in 2019, was its purpose and in particular the ‘Tone of Voice’ which is an important part of the culture here.

I love to work with organisations with a clear and strong purpose.

The Etc. provides the building blocks that people need in life to succeed – skills, training and opportunities to support them in achieving career aspirations. As a proud North Easterner, I am keen to showcase this area and the talent we have – it is vital everybody has the opportunity to succeed and achieve their best in life.”

Committee membership:

• People Committee
• Remuneration Committee
• Finance, Capital and Resources Committee
• SEND Link Governor 

Profile:

Dot brings to the corporation over thirty years’ experience in the further education sector. Her teaching career began in the 1980s and, over a period of sixteen years, she delivered Business Studies and Teacher Education courses in colleges in the north east and North Yorkshire. As Director of Curriculum and Assistant Principal Curriculum she further pursued her commitment to supporting the development of skills training for young people and adults and for bringing together education and business in local and regional economies.

When the Learning and Skills Council was established in 2001 as a non-departmental public body responsible for the planning and funding of post-sixteen education and training Dot took on the role of Director of Learning, Planning & Performance in the LSC North East. She contributed to curriculum policy development nationally and was subsequently seconded to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to prepare for the transfer of LSC responsibilities to the Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) and the Skills Funding Agency (SFA). She was Director of the YPLA in the north east and Director of its successor, the Education Funding Agency (EFA), in the north of England.

Committee membership:

• Standards Improvement Committee (Chair)
• Remuneration Committee

Category:

Chief Executive, ex officio governor

Profile:

With twenty-five years’ experience in teaching, management and senior leadership in further and higher education, Grant began his career in London colleges; his background is in teaching and teacher training and after working through the ranks to senior management, he went on to take up college Principal roles. In 2018, he moved to Carlisle as the Principal of Carlisle College, and was later appointed to the role of Executive Principal for NCG’s three Northern colleges. In August 2022 he was appointed as Chief Executive and Group Principal for the Education Training Collective. The themes of his career achievements feature innovative, forward-looking curriculum design, significant cultural transformation and the development of deep, impactful partnerships across diverse stakeholders.

Committee membership:

• Finance, Capital and Resources Committee
• Standards Improvement Committee
• People Committee

Profile:

Louise Davies is currently employed as a Business Manager at Linthorpe Community Primary School, part of The Legacy Learning Trust. Louise has worked in primary and secondary maintained schools, academies and multi academy trusts for thirty years and feels passionately that opportunity should be available to all and that there should be no barriers to the best education it is possible to achieve. The students are the absolute priority and their education, experiences and aspirations determine their future.

Committee membership:

• Finance, Capital and Resources (Chair)
• Remuneration Committee

Profile:

Gary is Group Deputy Director of Education & Learning for University Hospitals Tees.

Committee membership:

• Standards Improvement Committee
• Careers Link Governor
• Link Governor for Safeguarding
• Remuneration Committee (Chair)

Profile:

With more than 20 years of experience working in the education, training and skills sector, and 14 years’ senior management experience, Fabienne is Chief Executive Officer of Gateway Qualifications.

Her career in skills and training started as a Jobcentre Plus Advisor, where she found herself working with the long-term unemployed helping them to develop core skills to get back into work. The role saw Fabienne move into teaching English and maths to jobseekers, inspiring her to complete her PGCE.

Going on to work in adult and community learning in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the Tees Valley, she discovered a passion for helping others. Her career has incorporated curriculum management, MIS, quality management and skills for life, working across Hartlepool, Darlington, Stockton, Middlesbrough and County Durham, eventually moving in to business management.

Through her work with the local authorities, including Stockton Borough Council and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Fabienne was no stranger to the colleges of the Education Training Collective.

Mum to two daughters, Fabienne now describes herself as a lifelong learner. She said: “I feel I have skills to give and I am passionate about the Tees Valley. There are some fantastic industries here with good paying jobs, it is about helping people to know where the opportunities are and developing the skillsets to find those jobs.”

Committee membership:

• Finance, Capital and Resources Committee
• People Committee (Chair)

Profile:

Opening people’s eyes to the career opportunities that exist in the Tees Valley is part of the drive that brings Rachel to the Education Training Collective’s governing board. Relatively new to the area, she is Operations Director at PD Ports and has been amazed by the industry that exists in the area and particularly surrounding the port.

Rachel’s own fast paced career in logistics wasn’t something that she planned but a summer job working in a transport office ignited her initial enthusiasm for the sector, giving her a clear sense of direction when it came to making future career choices.

Rachel spent 16 years learning every aspect of her trade, progressing through the ranks with Gist Limited. Gaining an extensive knowledge of both warehousing and transport, she secured her first general manager’s position before the age of 30 and went on to run three depots with 500 colleagues and 50 managers in each.

Having followed a career path that has enabled her to live and work all over the UK, and for a time in France, Rachel is now looking forward to establishing roots in the Tees Valley.

Having regularly coached and mentored others starting their careers, Rachel said: “This is a growing area with investment coming in, particularly at the port. There are so many types of work that young people often don’t know is available, such as logistics. It would be great to show people from all backgrounds, the opportunities that are in this industry for those with the right skillset.”

Committee membership:

• Audit and Risk Committee

Profile:

Coreen is a commercial HR executive leader with a MA in Human Resource Management from Newcastle University and a Fellow Member of CIPD. Coreen has 25 years’ experience of delivering strategic and operational people solutions globally, with extensive leadership skills and specialising in Talent Management, Learning & Development and employee integration.

Married with 2 adult children, Coreen has enjoyed an exciting career in the technology sector and joined North, which designs, builds and supports technology solutions that make networks stronger and places smarter, as their Chief People Officer in 2021.

Coreen was proud to join Etc. as a Governor. An advocate of lifelong learning for everyone, she believes education can change lives as a passport to work, and career progression whilst enriching individuals and communities and is passionate about everyone having the opportunity to learn.

Committee membership

• People Committee

Profile:

Sohaib is a passionate, and resilient career health professional with nearly three decades of experience in complex and dynamic Universal Healthcare System environments internationally (UK, Middle East, and North America), working in partnership with key stakeholders across the public, voluntary and commercial sectors in delivering best care for patients.

Over the course of his career, he has worked in almost every segment of the English NHS (Providers, Commissioners, Regulatory, Strategic & National Governing Bodies) leading, and driving strategic, system and operational business portfolios.

Currently, as the Managing Director of the Black Country Provider Collaborative (BCPC) he is working with the partner trusts to drive improvements to the quality of services, health outcomes, and patient experience through key work programmes at scale across a portfolio of clinical and corporate improvement, and system modernisation and transformation.

It is this wealth of experience and knowledge that he wishes to bring to the role of governor at Etc. to support its leadership team in delivering the aspirations of providing the best possible educational experiences and attainment for the student population it serves.

Committee membership:

Profile:

Amanda works for Redcar and Cleveland Council as Head of Post-16 Progression and Careers. She is married with two adult children, and a granddaughter and lives in Stockton on Tees, with her husband Gary.

Amanda has worked in the education and skills sector for the past 25 years and this is where her passion lies. She is a strong advocate for lifelong learning, and passionate about the region, and this is why she feels it an honour to be a governor for Etc.

She believes that anyone has the potential to achieve their ambitions and there should be no timeframe on this; she sees the impact of education and learning every day in her work when young people (who have not always engaged well in school) grow in confidence and self-esteem, when they are undertaking learning that they enjoy and can connect to their future career goals.

She returned to education as an adult learner and undertook a degree when her children were quite young; managing this alongside part-time work was challenging and Durham University was not necessarily set up for part time learners at that time, but she absolutely loved it. She felt fulfilled, challenged in a good way and developed strong bonds and friendships with her peers on the degree course; it built her confidence and helped with personal development and career progression.

Her early career was in the Hospitality Sector, and she moved quickly into management roles, then progressed to community education and worked very closely with Stockton Adult Education and what was then, Stockton and Billingham College, developing strong partnerships to respond to community education and learning needs to support economic and social regeneration.

She also worked as a part-time Tutor, delivering training to diverse groups of students (including learners with special educational needs and disabilities) and has managed alternative education programmes and an Education Business Partnership before progressing to senior roles nationally, both in operational management and business development (but all in the education and skills sector).

Amanda returned to work in the Tees Valley in 2018 for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council in the Children and Families Directorate. She thoroughly enjoys her current role and has developed strong partnerships with local colleges and training provider partners to support the participation of children and young people in education, and to identify and respond to gaps in provision. In addition, Amanda chairs the Careers Network in Redcar and Cleveland and is a Foster Panel member.

Committee membership:

• People

Profile:

Hamish is CEO and co-founder of floe, is an award-winning co-working provider based in the heart of Newcastle

Committee membership:

• Finance, Capital and Resources
• Link Governor for Business Engagement

Category:

Governor

Profile:

David is a Chartered Accountant and graduated in law from Cambridge University. In addition to serving on the Etc. board, he is a member of the Council of the University of York and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, and a member of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee of Battersea Dogs’ and Cats’ Home.

David has extensive management and senior management experience in financial services, including in investment banking/corporate finance, private equity and asset management. As a co-founding partner of the asset management firm, Pensato Capital, in 2007, he was responsible for the overall management of the business. These responsibilities included Corporate Governance, Systems and Controls, Compliance and Regulation, Finance/Audit (manager and funds), Legal, Risk and HR. After building a successful and well-regarded business, David then managed the sale of the business to a sector consolidator in 2017 before moving back to North Yorkshire where he grew up in September, 2018.

A key driver for David’s decision to join the Etc. board is his belief that learning and education in a safe and secure environment is integral to the future and aspirations of all our children, teenagers and young adults.

Committee membership:

• People Committee
• EDI Link Governor 

Profile:

Kirsty is Director/ Head of apprenticeships at MEDIPRO, one of the UK’s leading providers of clinical and healthcare training

Committee membership:

• Standards Improvement

Profile:

Gareth is Group Site Manager at the Etc. He joined the Etc. Board as staff governor in July 2024. He is a long-standing staff member at Etc. and its predecessor organisations, having previously worked in IT Services. He is passionate about contributing to the continuous improvement and success of Etc.’s community.

Committee membership

• Finance, Capital and Resources Committee

Profile:

Liz has worked at Stockton Riverside College since 2001. She has worked as an Art and Design lecturer and Course Leader for 14 years. Prior to this she was Quality and Standards Manager for the Prince’s Trust and then Head of Quality for Creative and Service Industries. She then decided to go back to her first love of teaching and art and design. Her art and design specialisms include Textiles, Surface Pattern, Fashion and Illustration. She worked in London for many years in the interior and fashion fabric industry and has exhibited at Surtex in New York. She also produced work for greeting cards, stationery and Fine Art Prints.

Committee membership:

• People Committee
• Standards Improvement Committee

Profile:

Gary has over 25 years’ experience working within the finance sector. Starting his career in local Teesside-based accountancy firms, he completed a Modern Apprenticeship and attained his Association of Accounting Technicians qualification. Gary went on to become a qualified Chartered Management Accountant and has worked in various industries including, healthcare, retail, leisure, catering and chemical manufacturing, building knowledge and experience across different business sectors. Currently working as finance director in the chemical industry, Gary has a wealth of leadership, governance, strategic and business knowledge.

Gary believes that education is important for everyone and that diversity is the key to success. The driving factor for Gary to become a co-opted member is Etc.’s diverse education portfolio, offering a range of routes to education with excellent support for ‘next steps’, whether that be further education or moving into industry. It is about people finding the route that is best for them, including how they learn and make progress to better themselves.

‘Being able to contribute to Etc.’s governance is an honour. It is a great opportunity to share the skills I have learnt in and around Teesside to help Etc. provide the best education for people to learn and grow in Teesside.’

Committee membership:

• Co-opted member
• Audit and Risk Committee

Profile:

Professionally, John is Chief Technology Officer at Railpen, with responsibility for the technology infrastructure, data governance and management, cyber and information security, investment technology and engineering and all technology-related services. He has a background in computing and electronics and has held Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Security Officer roles in a range of organisations including outsourcing and manufacturing as well as hardware and software development.

Committee membership:

• Co-opted member
• Audit and Risk Committee

Profile:

Jane is Chief Executive Officer at the Galileo Trust Multi Academy Trust, a family of ten primary schools all in Redcar and Cleveland.

Committee membership:

• Co-opted member, Standards Improvement Committee