Meet our Governors
Click below to learn more about our Governors.
After growing up in Birmingham, Andy completed his teacher training in Manchester and began his career as a secondary school English teacher before moving into further education by joining Manchester College. His first senior management role was as Director of Widening Participation at Oldham College and he went on to be Vice Principal of Blackpool and the Fylde College. He has since served as Principal of four colleges: Hertford Regional College, the College of Haringey Enfield and North East London (CONEL), City & Islington College, and most recently City of Bristol College. He is a Board member of Manchester Metropolitan University and a Trustee of educational charity Ambitious about Autism.
He is Executive Director of the Lifelong Education Institute, chaired by Dame Ann Limb CBE. In addition, he works part time as an Apprenticeship Champion for UCAS.
Andy has a degree in English from Cambridge University, and a PGCE and Diploma in Management Sciences from the University of Manchester.
'The Chair can be contacted via the Chief Governance Officer, Victoria Eastwood (victoria.eastwood@bdc.ac.uk).
Charles Tennant grew up in Forest Gate, in the east-end of London. He took an alternative route into the world of work, pursuing a business administration apprenticeship rather than A-levels, before being hired full-time by his then employer.
Now Charles is an experienced leader and changemaker in UK Higher Education, having amassed over a decade of experience in the sector within both private and public providers. He currently holds the position of Vice Principal at the London School of Science and Technology looking after Student Success and Outcomes. Prior to this, Charles served as Head of Business Operations in the University of Greenwich's Business School.
Charles is passionate about strategy, leadership and organisational change, but also holds a number of years’ experience working with quality assurance and international partnerships. As a result, Charles acts as a reviewer of international, Welsh and alternative provision for the Quality Assurance Agency for UK Higher Education (QAA). Charles is on the board of trustees of OCN London, a not-for-profit awarding body focusing on social justice and transforming lives through learning.
Profile to follow.
Andrew is Emeritus Professor of Education and Society at the UCL Institute of Education, where he previously served as Interim Director, Pro-Director, Dean of the Faculty of Policy and Society and Dean of the Doctoral School. He was Pro-Vice-Provost (London) at UCL and is currently Chair of the Board of UCL Consultants.
Andrew has been Visiting Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and the Hong Kong Institute of Education, served as a Director of the Singapore Workforce Development Agency and worked as an international consultant on teacher education and research capacity building projects in Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Romania, Singapore and South Africa.
Andrew has served as a governor of three primary schools and a secondary school in London. He is co-editor of the Springer International Lifelong Learning Series and is currently studying for a Doctorate in Fine Art at the University of East London.
Experienced financial expert, advisor and business consultant with over 30 years in the service sector with key skills in strategy, business planning, investment appraisal, financial control, performance analysis and procurement. Previous experience includes:
- Multi-cultural experience across the Europe, Middle East and Africa
- CFO in Kuwait and Sudan for mobile network operators
- Former advisor/consultant to large German corporation to develop business plans and market entry strategies in the German telecommunications market
- Advised chairman of mobile telecom operator on strategy to protect against further competition in the Yemen market
- As an independent consultant has conducted various assignments for launch of new services in Ghana and South Africa.
Bal has an engineering background combined with an MBA and ACMA, which provides a strong tool box to solve many business problems, and wants to utilise this experience in non-executive management positions in private or public sector to enhance the performance of operations and to provide objective viewpoints.
Currently, Bal is providing guidance on careers for students at primary/secondary schools. In September 2018, Bal was appointed as a trustee of a multiple academy trust in London borough of Redbridge.
Carole is a construction lawyer and worked for 10 years as the Head of Legal and Compliance, Company Secretary and Executive Committee member for Bouygues Construction in the UK. In this role, Carole managed a team of expert lawyers for all Bouygues Construction companies in the UK. This encompasses the building division (Bouygues UK Limited), the energies and services division (Bouygues Energies and Services UK Limited), the property development division, as well as civil works projects in the UK, undertaken by Bouygues Travaux Publics.
In this role, Carole managed a team of lawyers and quantity surveyors, providing advisory services for all stages of projects, at bidding stage, project delivery, and post-completion. The Legal team also provides corporate services support (including governance and company secretarial functions) as well as compliance, claims and insurance support.
Carole joined the Bouygues Group in 2007, having worked previously in an international law firm based in London and Poland. Carole is experienced in construction law, corporate governance and compliance. Carole was Head of Legal until the end of 2022.
Carole is now focused on non-executive/trustee positions and board advisory support. In addition to her work at the College, Carole provides board advisory support to a climate focused start-up.
Having developed a keen interest in EDI during her executive career, Carole has continued to support EDI initiatives both inside the College and as part of the Women in Property Association, where Carole acts as a mentor supporting other women to develop and flourish in their careers in the built environment.
Carole also volunteers at her local theatre, as part of a drama improvisation programme for those living with dementia.
In 2018 Carole was awarded ‘Best Woman in Construction Law’ at the European Women in Construction & Engineering Awards (WICE).
Nick originally grew up in the sea side town of Clacton-on-Sea and started his career in residential valuation working across Essex, this sparked his enthusiasm for the built environment which lead to him obtaining a RICS accredited degree in Building Surveying. He later joined a building consultancy working on various school projects along with Project Managing a multi-million pound schools capital improvement programme.
Currently Nick is working at LondonEast-UK a business and Science Park, formally home to Sanofi’s Dagenham operation which is at the heart of one of London’s biggest Regeneration programmes. He was initially tasked with managing the general up keep of the site whilst it was going through a transfer of ownership. In 2019 Nick was subsequently awarded the position of Site Operations Director.
Bim Osunsami is a visionary for change and learning who focuses on helping individuals and organisations to create the future they want while enjoying the process. This creates an environment of encouragement where people can look forward to work and thrive in their workplaces.
Bim Osunsami is a holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting studies from the prestigious London Guildhall University in London, UK, and Master's degree in Corporate Governance, with the hope of earning a Ph.D. in future. Her great and consistent passion for dissemination and the sharing of knowledge has taken her to Kingston University and Southbank University, London, where she is a Course Director and Lecturer within the School of Business. She has a total of eight years in academia and training. She is a fellow with the Association of Chartered & Certified Accountants (ACCA), and an active member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Nigeria (ICAN). In addition, she is also an examiner for a professional organisation, an aspiring book writer and a mum of three.
Bim has a sprawling 17 years of experience in the industry where she has worked in different fields, including but not limited to pharmaceuticals, construction, retail, telecommunications, and financial services. She also possesses a vast background in audit, accountancy, management, corporate governance, and financial controls and systems. She has facilitated study tours on Leadership, Project Management & International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) implementation for senior government officials in New York, Paris, Ghana, and Malaysia.
Crowning her array of training and public speaking skills is her eloquence, the energy she emits, and the conviction with which she delivers her speeches. She abides by the philosophy that, "to be effective, technically sound accountants require other essential non-financial related skills." Balancing the needs of family, home & work means that Bim can offer an assorted selection of services to interested clients who share her belief of self-improvement through simplification.
Forhad has been working for Barking and Dagenham College for almost 10 years as part of the MIS team, currently a Team Leader in Data Management for the College’s timetabling, attendance, student progress tracking and course creation systems, as well as providing key statistical reports for management and senior staff.
Forhad has been a Staff Governor for almost 2 terms at the College, supporting the Board of Governors during his tenure as an active member of several committees.
He strongly believes in the College’s vision, ambition and ethos, and in having our learners at the heart of everything we do. Forhad’s previous background includes working as an employment coach for the DWP, recruitment consultant in education and admissions and marketing for a university.
Forhad lives in the Borough and is passionate about community and inclusion. He is a founding member of Leftley Sports Club; a non-profit volunteer organisation that runs a number of sports activities for all ages in and around Barking.
Jahaid currently lives in the Borough of Havering and is passionate about community cohesion, inclusion and equality. Jahaid grew up in East London. He studied Management Finance at the University of Westminster and graduated in 2015. Since graduating, Jahaid has been working in financial services, and has vast experience in corporate and global banking.
Jahaid began his working career in retail and wealth management as a graduate and then moved to commercial banking where he received accreditation in Business Banking and Conduct from The London Institute of Banking and Finance.
Jahaid currently works as a Business Development Manager in global trade and receivables finance, providing international brands with global trade and supply chain finance solutions.
Alex Keay is a proven global business leader for HR Tech & Learning and development growth companies, where he had accountability for over £30m+ of profit and loss (P&L), as well as responsibility for sales and marketing strategies. He has led global teams of 70+ as well as coaching leaders to support the scaling up of the business.
Experienced in the IT finance sectors, working technical software design & architect roles, Alex has run his own IT consultancy business with Barclays, Citibank, Deutsche bank & BNP Paribas as clients.
He has worked for Microsoft for 10 years in Australia, UK and European locations and is responsible for training and consulting functions. Throughout his 10 years with the company, he has run their Western Europe business, responsible for the Learning channel partners
Alex has been recognised as a global leader for training & certification training strategies and has also completed an MBA with the Open University while working full time.
He undertook strategic review of Temenos (leading banking software) training division and recommended the creation of Temenos University. He led the transformation and separate business unit and profit centre focused on training and certification of client offerings.
Alex is an Accredited executive coach (Academy of Executive Coaches AOEC) and is focused on how self-awareness, and behavioural change can support leaders and their teams. He is also accredited in Insights Discovery & Deeper Discovery products.
Molly is currently the Chief Finance & Resources Officer for a Sixth Form College, having worked in education for 13 years, 7 years in FE and the last 5 years in HE. Molly has experience of being the strategic lead for Finance, Resources and GDPR and is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Dr Katharina De Vita is the Faculty Head of Student Outcomes for the Faculty of Business and Law at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is also a Reader in Innovation in the Department of Strategy, Enterprise & Sustainability. Katharina is founder and co-director of the Innovation and Teaching Excellence Learning Lab (I-TELL) within the Faculty of Business and Law.
She previously worked at the Greenwich Business School where she provided strategic leadership on a wide range of initiatives promoting student success, including the development and enhancement of the curriculum and of university policies. Katharina is Senior Fellow (SFHEA) and Certified Management and Business Educator (CMBE). She is member of the Board of The International Society for Professional Innovation Management (ISPIM) Special Interest Group for Teaching and Coaching. Katharina completed her EPSRC-funded PhD at the University of Cambridge and holds a MSc in Management from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences (distinction) and a BA (Hons) in International Business from the University of Greenwich (first class).
Cllr Dr Elizabeth Kangethe was born and grew up in Nairobi , Kenya East Africa and pursed a teaching career from an early age graduating from a University in Kenya. She became a Headteacher at a very early age before proceeding to United Kingdom in early 90s where she continued her teaching career in primary, secondary and higher education institutions. Elizabeth holds LLB and master’s in international law and legal Practice from UK Universities.
Elizabeth ventured into the world of politics being elected as one of the few black Councillors in The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in 2010 and later becoming the Mayor of the same Borough. An experienced teacher and leader, she is currently cabinet member for Education Attainment and Schools Improvement in Barking and Dagenham and Vice President of London Mayors Association.
Elizabeth is passionate about community engagement, working with young people, policies, leadership and organisational change, and also holds several years’ experience working within equality and diversity in different sectors.
Profile to follow.
Esther Thompson has her roots in Jamaica and coming to England where her formal education began, learning became a passion, often attaining 100% attendance at school in Bristol. Her experience of immigration, moving to a new country with all the challenges of a new environment and culture, Esther can grasp with understanding the very similar experiences of transition and challenges faced by many young people that she works with as Careers Adviser through advising and guiding them in their education and career aspirations.
Difference, choice, and equal treatment are also the driving force for ensuring young people are treated fairly whatever their background and ability and can access support and assistance required to achieve desired outcomes in learning and subsequent employment. Esther has thirty plus years in careers and currently works as a specialist in advice and guidance with SEND students and their family.
Esther achieved BA Sociology with Diploma in Career Guidance at North East London Polytechnic and MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling at Birkbeck, London. Other skills and experience include lecturer in further education, training adult students in giving information, advice and guidance at Newham College and Counselling level 3 Certificate at Epping Forest College with successful pass rate.
Profile to follow.
Barking & Dagenham College are looking for individuals to fulfil the role of a Governor. Please see here for more details on how to submit an expression of interest.
