.tmb-w1920.jpg?sfvrsn=dfa10e6e_1 "Stephen Davis")
Stephen joined United Colleges Group as Principal of the College of North West London in April 2018, before becoming Group Principal of the United Colleges Group and most recently Chief Executive Officer & Group Principal. Previously, Stephen was the Deputy Principal of City & Islington College and was a member of the Senior Management Team that delivered the successful mergers with Westminster Kingsway College and College of Haringey and North East London to form Capital City College Group. A fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and member of the Leaders Council of Great Britain Stephen has worked to inform education policy at both a parliamentary and local level for the benefit of Londoners. An alumni of both Strathclyde University and the University of Oxford with a professional background in Accounting & Economics, Stephen has been an committed educator for 30 years both in England and his native Scotland.
Tony is a journalist who spent 10 years overseeing the strategic management of The Press Association’s journalism and media training business. During this time, he worked with a range of clients including The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, the Daily Mirror in the UK, as well as news organisations in countries including China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Nigeria. He also developed a unique Master’s Degree with Newcastle University.
He is now a consultant providing a range of development programmes and qualifications to leading media companies in the UK and abroad. He has worked with a variety of FE colleges and schools developing and delivering a range of contextualized learning programmes based around the media aimed at delivering employability and literacy skills to young people. Tony was Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber East Lifelong Learning Network Partnership from 2008 to 2012 - a partnership between Hull University and colleges of further education. He has been a Governor of the College of North West London since 2015 and became Chair of Corporation for the United Colleges Group in August 2017.
Ross is a Managing Director for a multinational bank and has over twenty years’ experience in the financial services sector. He has held a variety of senior leadership roles in risk management and internal audit, including Chief Operating Officer and transformation leadership for several global functions. Ross is a Chartered Accountant, a graduate of the University of Glasgow in Accounting & Finance and Harvard Business School, where he studied General Management.
Ross joined as a Governor in August 2020 and is a member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee.
A qualified accountant and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Alex has substantial and broad senior financial management experience from her roles as Finance Director/CFO within both listed international company groups and SMEs in the marketing services sector, as well as in the not-for-profit/charity sector. In addition to the business and technical skills which she brings to the Governing Body, Alex also has voluntary experience of helping adult students with basic skills literacy.
Franklin has over 14 years’ experience in Private Banking dealing with HNW & UHNW clients, specialising with Entrepreneurs based in the UK. As a Director of Coutts & Co Franklin is responsible for providing bespoke lending solutions in both a regulated and unregulated capacity. Following his studies in Communications & Media at Brunel University, his early career included a brief stint as a BBC Journalist and local news editor. In 2017 Franklin was appointed to represent Coutts on the RBS Junior Management team and is currently the Global Co-Chair of the Natwest Multicultural Network which has over 10,000 members. Franklin is also a Board Member for the Charity ‘Goals 4 Girls’ a development program that raises the aspirations of girls and young women through sport and education. He is delighted to be the Vice Chair for United Colleges Group and is Chair of the Finance & Resources Committee.
Beginning his career in the land-based sector, Colin moved into further education first as a teacher and then as a middle and senior manager. He has covered a wide range of curriculum areas including construction, commercial services and provision for learners with additional needs. He has worked with colleges, prisons, independent training providers and local authorities. He has been a senior college manager, on both a permanent and interim basis, working with colleges in London and the South East to develop and manage curriculum, implement quality improvement and deliver staff training. He is also a practicing inspector for Further Education and Skills. Colin chairs the Teaching, Learning and Skills Committee.
Derrick has been working in the education sector for over 15 years. He is currently an Partner in the education practice at EY-Parthenon where he provides strategic advice to investors and corporates across the education sector. Derrick has previously worked at UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) where he supported UK education companies to win commercial opportunities with overseas governments which were looking to transform their education systems. Derrick also spent 5 years as a student managing an educational development NGO in South Africa. Derrick graduated from Oxford University with a PPE degree where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Derrick is chair of the Audit Committee.
Amish has extensive experience of operational and technology risk management, control and governance, particularly in financial services. His career over 35 years includes working in senior positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Deutsche Bank and more recently at the Bank of England. Since retiring in 2017, Amish has focused on doing voluntary work in the health (restoring blindness and eye care) and education sectors. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the (non-profit) Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital based in India, is a Co-opted member to the Audit Committee at United Colleges Group and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Amish qualified is a chartered accountant and holds a degree in Accountancy.
Grainne is an experienced general counsel, executive leader and board member with specific expertise in organisational change, risk management, sustainability and governance. Currently Imperial College’s GC and College Secretary, having held leadership roles in global companies in the UK, France, Switzerland and the USA, she is experienced at leading teams and handling a broad range of projects, transactions and legal issues across multiple jurisdictions and different cultures. Her background is as a cross-border lawyer, trained at Clifford Chance and with particular skills in M&A, IT/Data and IP. Grainne has worked in varied organisational structures including private equity, UK and US public companies, start-ups and purpose-driven non-profits, notably the British Standards Institution, Yahoo!, CBS and Centaur Media, delivering digital transformation and organisational change such as listings, restructures, relocation of operations and transition to private ownership. Her roles have encompassed oversight of Risk, Insurance, Property and facilities, Compliance, Public Policy and Sustainable operations and she sits on the Audit and Property & Infrastructure Committees.
Throughout her career Grainne has been a passionate advocate of inclusion in the workplace, implementing practical solutions as well as mentoring lawyers and students from diverse backgrounds.
Elom Tay is a managing director for a global IT service provider. He began his career in the telecommunications industry working for a number of companies such as Verizon, O2 and Ericsson before moving into consulting, working for PwC, NTT DATA and now Accenture. Elom is member of Accenture’s Technology Strategy & Advisory leadership team. He is experienced in delivering strategy through to execution and consulting into the value and potential of ‘Digital’, Cloud Automation, Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Automation, Big Data and Augmented Reality. Elom is based in the UK but his career has taken him all across the world including South Africa, India, U.S., Netherlands, Finland, Greece, Belgium, Germany, Romania, Poland, Switzerland, Ghana, Tanzania and Congo. Elom is a member of the Property & Infrastructure Committee.
Jessie an RIBA Chartered Architect, and a Registered Architect in the State of New York. She has twelve years of professional experience in London, Tokyo, and New York, with completed projects in three continents including housing, commercial, cultural and education sectors. She studied at Cambridge University Department of Architecture and completed her master's degree at Princeton University.
The ability to communicate complex spatial and social concepts allows her to interact with interdisciplinary international professional and education groups. She is an advocate for women and minorities within architecture and the construction industry, with several years experience as a teacher in architecture schools in the UK and New York as well as ongoing voluntary mentorship roles.
Jessie has been a school governor since 2020 and has recently joined the United Colleges Group board of Governors as a co-opted member of the Property & Infrastructure Committee. She is also a Trustee of the Daiwa Anglo Japanese Foundation and a member of the RIBA Research Development Group.
Desmond began he career as an apprentice in Electronic Engineering achieving a BENG Degree (hons) in Digital Systems at Middlesex University. His career has since spanned a number of decades working for engineering firms and then developing into a teaching career within the FE sector. Desmond joined the College of North West London in 2004 as curriculum manager for computing and is currently Curriculum Manager for Digital Technologies at United Colleges Group following the merger in 2017. He was appointed staff Governor in 2019 and says that it has been an incredible experience so far. ‘I am fully committed to the UCG’s mission and always ready to make positive but challenging contributions. I strongly believe in balance and equilibrium and hope to serve with my colleagues to ensure our Ying and Yang are in equal measures. A change is going to come!’
Laura is an independent business consultant specialising in HR transformation and HR shared services. She began her career in management consultancy, building a broad range of experience with clients from many sectors. She is passionate about making change happen in a positive way and believes businesses work best when they put their people first. Laura chairs the Governance, Search and Remuneration committee.
With a degree in French & Spanish from St Andrews, Alastair has enjoyed an extensive series of international Human Resources leadership roles across the hospitality, entertainment and financial services sectors; he is currently SVP Strategic HR Operations for the Interpublic Group, a global marketing communications holding company, dividing his time between London and New York.
Alastair’s cross cultural exposure has included multiple periods living and working abroad, as well as substantial inner city volunteering within the UK youth work sector. As well as sitting on a number of professional Advisory Boards including the UK & Ireland CHRO Community, he is a trustee of Richmond CVS, an infrastructure charity.
With a postgraduate diploma in Coaching, as well as an early career specialised in Learning & Leadership Development, Alastair has a strong interest in education and supporting the professional growth of others – as such he is delighted to be working with the United Colleges Group.
Nadia is the Marketing Executive at United College’s Group based at the College of North West London. She has over 20 years of experience working in FE and within the Marketing department. Nadia studied at the College of North West London back in 1995 and then successfully went on to complete an undergraduate degree in Marketing and Management at Middlesex University. Shortly after graduating she was employed at the college as a Marketing Assistant. Her journey has been a great one and she feels the time is right to ‘give back to the college’ as a co-opted Governor. Nadia currently works across the Group and supports the delivery of the marketing strategy, with specific responsibility for day to day management of integrated marketing campaigns. Nadia is a member of the Finance & General Purposes Committee.
Max is an ex professional academy football coach. He began his coaching career in amateur youth football in 2006. In 2009, Max earned a UEFA ‘B’ Diploma from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and became a junior development Coach for Millwall FC. He Joined the academy of Sport Club Internacional in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2010. Max worked under the tutelage of Brazilian football manager Enderson Alves Moreira, one of the leading football managers in Brazilian Football. After his return to the UK, Max worked as first team and academy coach with several semi-professional clubs in England. In 2017 Max joined the City of Westminster College as a trainee teacher in the sports department and a Sports and Exercise Science lecturer. Max holds a LLB (Hons) Law degree from London Metropolitan University and a MA in Education Management from King’s College London. Max is a member of the Teaching, Learning and Skills Committee.
Liz recently retired as the Executive Headteacher of a southeast London Pupil Referral Unit, which is specialist provision for students who have been permanently excluded from school. She has over 20 years’ experience of Alternative Education and students with complex needs. Liz also has expertise in developing successful strategies to support young people who are alienated from conventional learning. She has been a senior leader in an F.E. College, a specialist private college, a voluntary organisation, and an 11-16 secondary school. Liz is an experienced strategic leader with significant insight into governance across a range of settings. She gained a Doctorate from the UCL Institute of Education, her thesis focussed on student voice for students permanently excluded from school. Liz served as a Governor of both an Inner-City secondary school and a large FE college, she was also a Magistrate. She is currently Chair of Trustees at a London university students’ union and a local youth employment charity. Liz has an absolute commitment to social justice and a belief that education should be both emancipatory and empowering.
Grethe has extensive knowledge and experience of the Further Education sector starting as a lecturer in computing in Hertfordshire and East London. She then became a lecturer at the College of North West London before moving into management and focusing on the quality of teaching becoming Vice Principal at United Colleges Group. Grethe led many subject areas outside of computing including maths, science, business, hair and beauty, catering, A’ Levels, supported learning and higher education. More recently she led on student services, safeguarding, quality of education and professional development. Grethe retired in January 2022, is a member of the Teaching, Learning and Skills Committee and is the safeguarding governor.
Stephen is a chartered accountant with extensive experience of leadership roles in large regulated financial services businesses in the UK and Europe and for the last 12 years he was Finance Director for Tesco Underwriting Limited, Tesco’s UK Motor and Home insurance company. He has been responsible for achieving high-quality outcomes within a wide range of areas including governance, regulatory compliance, outsourcing, operational resilience, financial management and strategy. He is passionate about the benefits of education to individual and community and has seen this demonstrated through the work of other members of his family in the sector. He is determined to use his business skills to assist in driving forward the strategy of United Colleges Group.
Andrew is an Audit Manager in Ernst & Young’s Banking and Capital Markets team and an armed forces veteran. He has over 10 years’ experience in providing a range of audit and assurance services, with particular focus on external audit, internal controls assessment, group audits and financial reporting under IFRS and UK GAAP. He currently works with a range of clients across Europe, Norther American and the Middle East.
Originally from Newcastle, Andrew has lived in London since 2012, studying at Kings College London with a semester at the University of Toronto, Canada. After completing his ACA qualification at both EY and Mazars, Andrew spent time in Deloitte’s BCM audit division before returning to EY in 2021.
Outside of his day-to-day role, Andrew serves on number of other charity boards including the Certified Chartered Accountants Benevolent Fund, and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, working to empower individuals and strengthening the communities the charities serve.
Andrew is a keen cyclist having undertaken many long-distance trips including appearing on the Global Cycling Network in 2022.