New members announced for Ofqual board

The new board members are Ian Bauckham CBE, Dr Jo Saxton, Major General Rob Nitsch CBE, Delroy Beverley and Lesley Davies OBE.

Ian Bauckham will take up his position on 1 March 2018 and the other new appointees will take up their positions on 1 April 2018, replacing existing board members Anne Heal, Barnaby Lenon, Tom Taylor, and Terri Scott all of whom are at the end of their terms.

Roger Taylor, Chair of Ofqual said:

I am delighted to welcome Delroy, Ian, Jo, Lesley and Robert to the Ofqual Board. The diversity of their experience and combined knowledge will greatly benefit Ofqual in its important work in ensuring qualifications in England are of the highest standard.

I would also like to publicly thank Anne, Barnaby, Terri and Tom for their valuable contributions to Ofqual’s Board over many years ahead of their departure in March.

Below is some further information on the board members:

Ian Bauckham CBE

Chief Executive Officer of Tenax Schools Trust, multi-academy trust (MAT) which includes Bennett Memorial Diocesan School, a large comprehensive in Kent. Mr Bauckham was previously President of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and has sat on Ofqual’s Standards Advisory Group since 2015.

Dr Jo Saxton

Chief Executive of Turner Schools, a multi-academy Trust (MAT), working to overcome coastal disadvantage in Kent, with schools that promise success without selection. Prior to founding Turner Schools, Dr Saxton served as Chief Executive of Future Academies, the MAT chaired by previous education Minister Lord Nash. Dr Saxton is also a trustee of The Brilliant Club.

Major General Rob Nitsch CBE

British Army Personnel Director and a member of the Army Board. A chartered engineer with significant leadership, HR and logistics experience, Major General Nitsch is accountable for the Army’s core education programme and its apprenticeship schemes, on which over 15,000 personnel are enrolled. He has held a number of training appointments in his military career and is currently the Army’s Engineering Champion.

Delroy Beverley

Former Chairman of the International Advisory Board at Bradford University School of Management, and was the first Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Chairman of an International Business School in Europe. Mr Beverley is also a former Regional Chairman of the National Apprenticeship Board and served on the Apprenticeship Delivery Board. Currently, he is Executive Director of Nottingham City Homes, and is also Chairman, North East, Yorkshire & Humberside Region of Chartered Management Institute.

Lesley Davies OBE

Principal at one of Greater Manchester’s leading educational providers, Trafford College. Previously, Ms Davies was Senior Vice President at Pearson UK. Prior to joining Pearson, she worked for the Association of Colleges where she was Deputy Chief Executive. Ms Davies background is in teaching and assessment in vocational qualifications, inspection and policy development. Ms Davies is currently the Chair of the UK Skills Partnership Group and Chair of the Trafford Youth Trust.

Ofqual’s Board is chaired by Roger Taylor and also includes Professor Mike Cresswell, Hywel Jones, Christine Ryan, Frances Wadsworth and David Wakefield.

Further information

The appointments were conducted and agreed in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) and were made on merit.

In accordance with the original Nolan recommendations and the code of practice, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any declared) and other information, to be made public.

The details of the application process and job description were published online and the essential criteria were:

• The ability to think strategically and to contribute to strategic development in different contexts;
• High level management and/or board experience in the public, voluntary or private sectors; and
• The ability to build effective relationships at high levels and/or between organisations.

The desirable criteria were:

• Experience of the education sector, particularly, secondary, further and/or higher education;
• Senior level practical or academic experience of vocational and technical qualifications;
• Deep assessment expertise;
• A background in industry with knowledge of apprenticeships;
• Experience of senior positions in HR, training and recruitment;
• Experience of senior corporate positions in communications or logistics; and
• An understanding of regulation in general and/or the regulatory framework within which Ofqual operates.

The roles are remunerated at £6,000 per annum, based on up to 20 days’ work.