Eastleigh College has appointed six new governors, complementing and strengthening an already successful existing board only two weeks after launching its ambitious 2020-2024 strategy.
The governing board, which guides and monitors the strategic direction of the college, now boasts additional expertise from a range of corporate areas as well as the public sector.
The appointees include Rupert Goodman, Deputy Director of HR (Business Change & Transformation) at Public Health England who has 18 years of HR experience, including time working in FE. Phil Harris-Bridge has a successful 30 year IT career before retiring to continue using his experience and expertise in non-executive roles within the health and education sectors.
Financial acumen will be brought to the board from Colin O’Donaghue, who has worked globally with governments and Fortune 100 companies, and Sophie Annett who spent the majority of her career working in financial analytics, investor relations and transformation with BT.
James Heaton-Smith, Defence Manager with a defence infrastructure organisation has over 25 years’ experience in both commercial and public sectors. He brings expertise in compliance, governance, programme management and leadership, while Kerry Matthews, Director of Student Services at University of Southampton, has invaluable experience in strategic learner focus and perspective.
Kerry, who’s passion for education started at the start of her career when she was involved in the graduate recruitment scheme with multi-national investment bank JP Morgan, said: “This is an amazing time for Eastleigh College and an exciting journey to be embarking on with the new strategy for 2024. Education is such a fundamental part of someone’s experience, and it makes me hugely proud and excited to be involved in shaping the lives of so many learners as we move forward as a college together.”
Chair of Governors at Eastleigh College, Jonathan Sendell, said: “It’s a pleasure to welcome our new governors who bring an injection of talent which will complement an already robust and knowledgeable board. We have a breadth of experience from key sectors including education, health, finance and audit which will work together to guide, challenge and support the College.”
Eastleigh College’s Chief Executive and Principal, Paul Cox, added: “We had a great deal of interest in our governor vacancies which became available when a number of governors reached the end of their tenure. I’m delighted with the overall strength of the board as we seek to deliver all the ambitions of our strategy for the benefit of learners, families, communities and employers across South Hampshire and the Solent.”
Discover more about who’s who on our governing board.and read more about 2020-2024 strategy.
