Governance

Chair

I was appointed as a Governor in September 2021.

I have worked in the Construction Industry for the whole of my career where I am currently Group Construction Director of Bowmer + Kirkland having joined the company as a Trainee Quantity Surveyor in 1979.

My role has included providing support and guidance to our annual intake of school leavers undertaking an apprenticeship.

Involvement in the construction of new schools and higher education facilities, over many years, has brought me into close contact with a wide range of education professionals. This has given me a greater understanding of the challenges faced by our schools, but has also demonstrated how rewarding it can be to contribute to the wellbeing and achievement of students leading to positive and successful outcomes.

Governor

Throughout my career history I have significant experience of working with young adults in education. I have worked within schools across Derby as a supply teacher and I have been responsible for developing academic programmes for 16 to 25 years olds mainly in private organisations. In addition, I was a parent governor in a Primary school where we achieved an award that few schools in Derbyshire had attained at the time. We were awarded the ‘Derbyshire Personalised Learning Award’.

Therefore, as a governor I will contribute my skills, experience and passion to sustain the current College Ethos which is to “inspire, engage and challenge all our young people to be the best they can be.” Lastly, in my role as a governor, I will work with the Governing Body to continue to raise standards and help make important decisions to progress the school.

Governor

As a HR Business Partner at the University of Derby, I have the privilege of working with motivated and engaging staff and being part of an energetic student environment. The role requires a varied skill set which is where, as a qualified Psychotherapist and Mediator I am able to bring a different dimension to working with people. Whilst my focus is on staff, I am able to contribute to the direct impact they have on the student experience and their future aspirations. Creating a positive and learned student journey is a passion of mine, therefore making working in the education sector highly rewarding and motivating.

This is my first role as a school Governor and one that I am very excited about. My knowledge of the education sector and associated skills and experience will help me in positively contributing to aims and goals of Landau Forte.

Performance Data and Performance Management Link Governor

I became a Governor at Landau Forte College Derby in 2001.

The majority of my professional career has been in Human Resources at Rolls-Royce but if you go back far enough I am by education an engineer. My involvement in the education sector started in the late 1990s when I was the Company Head of Graduate and Apprentice Development. The role included responsibility for looking at the future supply of scientists and engineers. I later moved to be the HR Director responsible for the whole of the engineering function across Rolls-Royce focusing on career and skills development. I am now the HR Director for the Nuclear business within Rolls-Royce, an industry sector with a very strong reliance on the skills pipeline. There is, of course, a lot more to education than the STEM pipeline but it was this aspect that first brought me into contact with schools and is still important to me.

I have two daughters in secondary education – neither of whom has the slightest interest in wanting to be an engineer!