Board and Governance

Group shot of the Board of Management standing in a line.

BOARD AND GOVERNANCE

The Board of Management was established under the provisions of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992. The Board is the governing body of our College, responsible for setting the institution’s strategic direction and for monitoring its performance. Along with the other Glasgow colleges they also deliver the aims and outcomes of the Regional Outcome Agreement for Glasgow.

The Board consists of a maximum of 18 Board members, including the Principal, 2 Student Members, and 2 Staff members (Teaching and Support). The remainder comprise individuals with experience in industrial, commercial, financial, educational, and other professional areas. They bring their expertise and experience on a voluntary basis.

Since August 2014, the Glasgow Colleges' Regional Board is responsible for appointing new board members to the three Glasgow College Boards, and for setting regional strategic priorities.

All Board of Management and Board Committee agendas, minutes and papers will be published and available in this section in due course.

 

Alisdair Barron MBE

Alisdair Barron MBE

Alisdair Barron is the Chair of our Board of Management. He has a wealth of experience as a human resources and industrial relations specialist in the avionics, brewing, leisure and soccer industries, civil service and NHS. He is also a director of two national youth employment and skill development charities and chair, chief executive and president of three European pediatric palliative care charities. Alisdair is the longest serving member of Scotland’s Children’s Panel and received an MBE in 2006 for his work with sick children in Romania.

David Cullen

David is Associate Dean for Languages and ESOL. He has worked in further education in Glasgow since 2001, specialising in the delivery and management of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Prior to that, he was an after-school sports coach and youth leader, working in various locations including Scotland, Denmark, France, Iceland and Lithuania.

David’s key interests in professional life are: innovative pedagogy (including technology in learning); lifelong learning for staff & students; Internationalisation; Equalities, Diversity & Inclusiveness and Healthy Working Lives.

David’s work in the college has always involved partnerships with local government and community organisations in the city, and he played a key role in the development of a city-wide information system which tracks demand and delivery of ESOL learning opportunities. He sees creative collaboration with industry, community and third sector increasingly vital for the college, and believes that the concepts of in-work training, up-skilling, re-skilling and future workforce development are crucial for students of the college and for existing staff members.

David feels honoured to join the College Board as representative from the support staff and looks forward to contributing to the strategic direction of the organisation.

Lorna B Hamilton

Lorna B Hamilton

Lorna has recently retired from the construction industry. She graduated as a Quantity Surveyor and has worked for some of the largest building contractors in the UK and has been involved in the development and construction of some of our key infrastructure in particular within the healthcare, education and aviation sectors.

She is keen to promote the benefits of the construction industry both to society and as a career path, particularly for women. She has previously served on the Scottish Boards of the RICS and Women in Property.

Lorna has been a lifelong advocate of the Girl Guiding movement and the benefits it can bring to the development and confidence of girls and is currently the County Commissioner for Dunbartonshire supporting 2000 girls and 450 volunteers."

Paul Little

Paul Little

Paul Little is the founding Principal and CEO of Scotland’s largest technical and professional skills college.  A Harvard Business School graduate and distinguished academic, Paul brings a wealth of experience in tertiary sector transformation, curriculum innovation and performance excellence.  

He has for the past 28 years successfully led and reshaped five UK colleges earning a national and international reputation as a visionary reformer, successful change agent, merger specialist and thought leader in redefining college education. He has successfully pioneered the merger of Glasgow’s specialist colleges into a world-class super college for 40,000 students.

As a qualified yacht skipper, Paul enjoys sailing. He served with HM Coastguard as a part-time search and rescue Officer for 30 years, completed several tours of duty with the US Coastguard and was decorated three times by the Queen.  

Graham Mitchell

Graham Mitchell

Graham is a chartered surveyor with a background in facility and project management, including a variety of development types and values. He is currently MD of a family-run property investment company based in Glasgow. Before this, he was director of a property service business for 18 years, overseeing its growth into a multi-disciplined organisation with offices across Scotland.

Stuart Patrick

Stuart Patrick

Stuart Patrick is Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, committed to the business success of Chamber members and championing the economic growth of the Glasgow city region.  Stuart joined the Chamber in 2009 having previously spent 17 years at Scottish Enterprise specialising in urban economic development and the transformation of Glasgow where he led Scottish Enterprise Glasgow. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young, has an MBA from Strathclyde University and an accountancy degree from Glasgow University.  He is a member of the Glasgow Economic Leadership board, chair of the Wise Group and sits on the boards of Clyde Gateway, Scottish Opera and Glasgow Science Centre.  

Ronnie Quinn

Ronnie Quinn

Ronnie is Chief Executive of NECCUS, a membership organisation supporting and representing members through the challenge of industrial decarbonisation through Carbon Capture and Hydrogen. He has over 30 years experience in general management, with speck experience in the renewables and electricity industries. Ronnie’s professional career began as a solicitor where he worked both in private practice and in local government. He then moved into the electricity markets’ sector where he was Managing Director of the company administering the market in Scotland. In 2009 he began work for The Crown Estate where he led the transfer of its functions in Scotland to Scottish Ministers, being Crown Estate Scotland’s first Chief Executive. More recently he has been the Interim Chief Executive for the Scottish Council for Development and Industry.

Audrey Sullivan

Audrey has extensive experience in career and employability development. This has included 17 years as Deputy Director and then Head of the award-winning University of Strathclyde Careers Service, where she ensured that services to students constantly developed to meet changing employer needs and recruitment methods. At Glasgow Caledonian University Audrey was responsible for the design and implementation of the institution-wide Employability Strategy, aligned to the Student Experience Strategy and Learning and Teaching Strategy.

As an active member of her professional body, Audrey contributed to many UK and Scottish Government consultations and publications and to employer and labour market fora. She led a significant development to join up all Scottish HE graduate vacancy systems, resulting in a massive increase in access to vacancies for final year students and new graduates.

On retiring - early - Audrey was presented with the ‘Significant Influence on the UK HE Careers Profession’ award.

Dr Rebekah Widdowfield

Rebekah is former Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s National Academy, an educational charity established in 1783 for the advancement of learning and useful knowledge. Rebekah worked in academia for a number of years researching homelessness and social exclusion, before joining the Scottish Government in 2001 to pursue a more applied research career. She became a senior civil servant in 2008 in which capacity she supported a number of strategic advances including establishing and then working with the Commission on Widening Access to support a more holistic approach to enhancing access to university for students from deprived backgrounds. Committed to social justice, Rebekah is a trustee of the Scottish Book Trust and Centre for Homelessness Impact.

Lesley Woolfries

Lesley Woolfries

Lesley is the Vice Chair and Senior Independent Member and has served on the Board since appointment in 2011. Her remit has included the Finance & Physical Resource, Development, Learning & Teaching, Performance & Nomination and Remuneration Committees. She has worked in the Construction Industry for 20 years, initially as an Architect after graduating from the Mackintosh School of Architecture then as a Capital Projects Manager and now Curtis Moore’s Pre-Construction Manager. Lesley served on the Central Scotland branch of Women in Property for 5 years and was branch Chair in 2008 and continues to be a keen supporter of mentoring young talent in construction. She is passionate about sport, in particular Netball where she represented Scotland at the World Championships in New Zealand and Jamaica.

Ewart Keep

Professor Ewart Keep is emeritus chair in Education, Training and Skills at the Department of Education, Oxford University, and a board member of the Scottish Funding Council.  He has been researching issues to do with skills and the labour market for nearly 40 years and has advised governments, government bodies, think tanks, and charities across the UK and beyond.  He has also acted as an advisor to parliamentary inquiries at Holyrood and Westminster.  He has been a member of the 4 Nations College Alliance’s independent commission on the college of the future.

Paul Hillard

Paul is a management consultant specialising in governance, risk, organisational development, and strategic planning in the social housing sector. This follows a thirty year career in housing, working in a range of senior management positions.  He has an MBA from the Open University and has previously served on the boards of voluntary organisations and professional trade bodies. He has particular expertise and enthusiasm for people engagement and is a previous recipient of the Sunday Times Best Leader of a Not For Profit Organisations award.

Nicola Cameron

Nicola is currently the Director of Property Development & Investment for the University of Glasgow where she has worked since 2014, with a remit to develop and deliver a transformational, world changing campus. Nicola has developed a wide range of skills over nearly 20 years in property and has most recently been working on the development of several strategic initiatives, which enhance the experience of all who engage with the University and the wider environment.

In her career Nicola has worked for a major European retailer, a leading Scottish commercial developer and was the Head of Estates at the National Trust for Scotland prior to joining the University.

In addition to an Honours degree in Geography, from the University of Glasgow, Nicola has postgraduate diplomas in Environmental Policy, Surveying and Change Management & Transformation from the Universities of Strathclyde, Reading and Brighton. Nicola is a chartered member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, and undertakes a non-exec role for a local afterschool care charity board.

Megan McClellan

Megan McClellan

Megan is the current Student President at the City of Glasgow College Students' Association and the previous Vice President of Learning and Teaching. Megan has a background in studying Sociology and International Relations and recently completed her HND in Practical Journalism at City of Glasgow College.

Josh Taylor

Josh studies HND Media and Communications at City of Glasgow College and is the Student Association's Vice President for Learning and Teaching. Before returning to education and joining the College, Josh worked in hospitality and previously completed a HND in Hospitality Management.

Dr Thora Hands

Dr Thora Hands joined the Board of Management as the elected teaching staff Board member in February 2023. Thora is a lecturer in Social Sciences and joined the College in 2015 whilst completing her PhD in History at Strathclyde University. In addition to lecturing, Thora works as an independent researcher and has an interest in health and medical history, and the history of alcohol and drugs.

Board Papers