Members

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 currently Head of Development for the Lifelong Education Commission chaired by former Universities Minister Chris Skidmore MP. 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.

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 External Examiner for Programmes at Kingston University and is a reviewer of international, Welsh and alternative provision for the Quality Assurance Agency for UK Higher Education (QAA).

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.

As Director for Bouygues Construction’s UK Legal Desk, Carole manages 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 (Linkcity UK) as well as civil works projects in the UK, undertaken by Bouygues Travaux Publics.

The Legal Department provides advisory services for all stages of our 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, with particular expertise in project finance deals for infrastructure and energy projects. She also acts as Bouygues UK's Company Secretary and its Compliance Officer. Carole was appointed as the Bouygues UK Legal Director in 2012 and assumed the wider Bouygues Construction UK Legal Director role in 2016.

Carole has a keen interest in helping to advance the careers of young women entering the construction industry and is regularly invited to speak at national events. She has also been a panel judge for the National Student Awards final - an event organised by Women in Property, for whom Bouygues are a sponsor.

In addition to her legal role, Carole is also the Board sponsor of Welink UK, a network of professional women across Bouygues Construction companies in the UK, who share and develop careers, ideas and attitudes in a positive manner. Carole is also the Board sponsor for the Corporate Social Responsibility function within Bouygues Construction in the UK and executive sponsor of the company’s Diversity and Inclusion network.

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 over 4 years as part of the MIS team, managing the College’s timetabling and course creation systems, as well as providing key statistical reports for management and senior staff.

Forhad is also an Employee Engagement Champion, helping build a bridge of communication between staff and the Senior Leadership Team to highlight opportunities for growth and propose solutions, acting as a voice for them.

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.

Geoff was born in East Ham, East London, in 1962, and attended Brampton Comprehensive School. He started his apprenticeship within the painting and decorating construction trade and attended East Ham college of technology, leaving with an Advanced Craft Apprenticeship framework.

At the age of 20 he was promoted to site foreman on various large contracts, then became Director of his own successful company carrying out high end contracts. Geoff moved into education at BDC in 1998, to pass on his skills to others.

Geoff has lived in Rush Green for over 30 years and is involved in various community projects, one of which is as Chairman of a local allotment association, where local help groups provide education and respite.

Born at Rush Green hospital which was located in close proximity to the current college site.

Both his father and brother were both students at the college and Michael was educated at the Anglo European School in Ingatestone, Essex, a school with an international and language-based ethos.

He began his working career in the City of London in a sales role for a brokerage specialising in derivative trading, Michael moved on to trading roles within the online trading industry for multi-asset brokerages. He now deals in the sales and relationship management process for a provider in the trading liquidity and technology space, focusing on institutional entities based both in the UK and internationally.

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.

Talha previously taught within FE and also at BDC. He has a strong belief in education being the primary vehicle for social mobility and a rich understanding of awareness and diversity, and has extensive volunteering experience in school/FE and charity Governance.

Talha is a solicitor and advocate of the higher courts in England & Wales and specialises in Civil & Commercial Litigation, Charity, Property and family law.

He has made numerous appearances on Radio 4 Today, BBC 2 Newsnight, BBC Daily Politics, Sky's Boulton & Co, Chanel 4 News,ITV GMB, CNN & others, hosts the Conversation on TV One UK and undertaken extensive print media interviews.

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 Associate Professor in Creativity and Innovation as well as Faculty Senior Tutor in Greenwich Business School. Katharina provides strategic leadership for the faculty on a wide range of critical aspects of student success, including the development and enhancement of the curriculum and of university policies, and the establishment of initiatives in Teaching and Learning.

Katharina is Senior Fellow (SFHEA) and GOLD mentor as part of the Advance HE accredited professional recognition scheme at the University of Greenwich. Katharina gained international experience (China, Egypt, Finland, Italy, UK) in module design and delivery across levels and modes of delivery. 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).

Biopic to follow.