Sandwell College is governed by a Corporation (Board of Governors) under Statutory Instrument and Articles of Government.
The Board of Governors is an independent body but must always act within its powers as defined by statute.
Sandwell College is governed by a Corporation (Board of Governors) under Statutory Instrument and Articles of Government.
The Board of Governors is an independent body but must always act within its powers as defined by statute.
The Board comprises 17 Members as follows:
The Staff Members and the Student Members are elected by the staff and students respectively. The Principal is a member ex officio. The remaining 12 Members are appointed from a variety of public and private sector backgrounds.
Ken is a retired Sandwell Head Teacher. During his career Ken has worked in a number of teaching roles and has extensive educational experience particularly in the schools sector, as well as serving on a number of governing bodies. Ken joined the Board of Governors in August 2015 and serves as Chair of the Board of Governors and as a Chair of the Learners, Quality and Curriculum Committee and is a member of the Finance & Strategy Committee, Remuneration Committee and Search and Governance Committee. Ken is the Safeguarding Link Governor.
Member of the Finance and Strategy Committee
Chair of the Learners, Quality and Curriculum Committee
Member of the Remuneration Committee
Member of the Search and Governance Committee
Nominated Governor for Safeguarding
Graham was appointed Principal and Chief Executive of Sandwell College in January 2014 and was appointed to serve on the Board of Governors from that date. Graham serves as a member of the Learners Quality and Curriculum Committee, the Finance and Strategy Committee and the Search and Governance Committee. Prior to joining Sandwell College, Graham was Deputy Chief Executive of Salford City College. Graham has significant experience of working in further education, particularly in relation to the development of skills, community and adult provision, employer engagement, financial and estates management.
Member of the Finance and Strategy Committee
Member of the Search and Governance Committee
Member of the Learners, Quality and Curriculum Committee
Nisha has been working in the education sector for 12 years and has a wide range of teaching experiences from A Level and GCSE to BTEC. She has been part of Sandwell College for eight years, where she started as a lecturer and has progressed to different management roles across sites, ensuring that we provide a high-quality education and inclusion for all learners. Nisha has made valuable contributions to the EDI group and plays an important role in the pastoral support of both staff and students as a trained Senior Mental Health Lead. Nisha’s experience has given her the opportunity to work closely with Student Council at Cadbury Sixth Form College, and to strengthen the curriculum through direct involvement with Employer Board engagement activities.
Noel is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) with over 25 years of extensive leadership experience in financial management, audit, business planning, company secretarial and treasury.
Noel’s current role is as Finance Director for an international charity whose mission is working with partners to develop affordable housing in Africa and Asia. Noel is responsible for finance, IT, governance and the risk and assurance functions. He reports to the Chief Executive, the Board and the Audit Committee. Prior to his present role he has worked in the housing association sector, charities, local authorities and in the audit profession at Ernst & Young. Noel joined the Board of Governors in May 2019. Noel is Chair of the Audit Committee.
Chair of the Audit Committee
Tony believes strongly in the transformational impact of education, and is proud to have become a member of the Sandwell College community. He settled in the Midlands over 22 years ago, and is married with a school aged child. He is a student of Wolverhampton Polytechnic and Hull University, and is the Chief Financial Officer at Newman University Birmingham.
Tony is a qualified accountant with around 30 years’ experience in the education sector (including further and higher education), and has been part of the Newman University leadership team for 18 years. In his current role Tony has responsibility for Planning & Systems Development, Finance, Estates & Campus Services, and Digital & IT Services.
In his leisure time he enjoys walking, watching too much TV, and being with his family.
Tony was appointed an Independent Member on the Board of Governors in March 2022.
Member of the Audit Committee
Neil’s career has progressed mainly in the food manufacturing sector, much of it at board level in human resources, public affairs and corporate responsibility. His early training was with Pilkington Glass; he then moved to Kellogg’s, becoming HR Director. Neil joined Cadbury as Personnel Director at Bournville (1988-97), then External Affairs Director at Cadbury Schweppes until 2008, leading the Group’s engagement at Westminster, Brussels and Washington. In more recent years he was Chair of the Cadbury Foundation, and has extensive experience of Education from a range of public, voluntary, consultancy and trustee positions, with an emphasis on education and business links, including the Birmingham and Solihull Education and Business Partnership; Business in the Community; Young Enterprise; Teach First; and the Adult Learning Inspectorate. Neil was awarded the OBE for services to adult learning in 2005. Most recently he became a trustee of the charity Employability UK in 2020.
Previous Governor positions include those at Bournville College of FE; Brooke House Sixth Form College, Hackney; and Chipping Campden School Academy Trust. He became a Governor of Cadbury Sixth Form College, and then on merger of Sandwell College in 2018. Neil is a member of the Learners, Quality and Curriculum Committee, and Chair of the Remuneration Committee. He is also Chair of the Cadbury Sixth Form College Advisory Forum.
Chair of the Remuneration Committee
Member of the Learners, Quality and Curriculum Committee
After gaining a degree in Economics at the University of Leicester and an MA at the Nuffield Institute for Health in Leeds, Paul qualified as a CIPFA accountant. Paul then had a variety of roles in the NHS sector providing financial advice and support including to Community and Mental Health services and medical specialties, before progressing to his current role of Associate Director of Finance, looking after the Financial Management support to the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.
Through his role as Governor, Paul is keen to support links between the College and the NHS and the development of the local workforce. Paul has family links to the area so is delighted to be part of Sandwell College.
Paul was appointed to the Board in December 2020 and is a member of the Finance & Strategy Committee.
Member of the Finance & Strategy Committee
Alan is the Owner and Managing Director of a Sandwell based manufacturing company specialising in decorated glass.
He has been Chair of Sandwell Business Ambassadors for five years working across Sandwell to support the local community and Council to help improve the Inclusive Wealth and success of the region.
For two years Alan has also been Chair of Smethwick Local Towns Fund, which has successfully attracted £23m of funding into the area in a number of projects in education, community building, transport and housing – each of which is important to the development of Smethwick and Sandwell as a whole.
Alan explains that his motivation for being a Governor is “being a local employer and actively involved in the area for a good number of years, I understand the benefits that you can get from working with a successful, high quality local College. It is important that our communities are well supported in their education at all ages, in order to be able to achieve ambitions and life goals. As a proud Governor I am pleased to be able offer my skills, knowledge and enthusiasm to help the College be the best it can and ensure excellent governance”.
Alan joined the Board in March 2020 and is Chair of the Finance & Strategy Committee.
Chair of the Finance and Strategy Committee
John is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and retired Managing Director of a West Bromwich based insurance brokers. He has extensive commercial and financial expertise gained over many years on boards of various organisations including education and charities.
A past President of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce he now combines his outward facing time as a governor with work with a substantial local charity as a co-opted member focussing on governance and with Sandwell Local Authority as an Independent Person dealing with complaints.
John originally joined the Board of Governors in November 2007 and served as Chair from May 2008 until July 2017.
John rejoined the Board in March 2019 and is Chair of the Search & Governance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee and the Remuneration Committee.
Chair of the Search and Governance Committee
Member of the Audit Committee
Member of the Remuneration Committee
Jalal was appointed to the Board of Governors with effect from July 2014, having previously served as an External Co-Opted Member of the Learners, Quality and Curriculum Committee. Jalal is a member of the Search and Governance Committee. He is currently employed as an Education, Health and Care Plan Officer (EHCP) within the Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. He is also a governor of a local school and a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).
Member of the Search and Governance Committee
