Stephen Davis

Stephen join as Principal of the College of North West London in April 2018, before becoming Group Principal of the United Colleges Group and most recently Chief Executive Officer & Group Principal.

Tony Johnston 

Tony is Managing Director of Engage Media Training. Prior to this, he spent 10 years overseeing the strategic management of The Press Association’s journalism and media training business. During this time, he worked with a range of clients including The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, the Daily Mirror in the UK, as well as news organisations in countries including China, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria. He also developed a unique Master’s Degree with Newcastle University.

His company, Engage Media Training Ltd, is a journalism and media training company providing a range of development programmes and qualifications to leading media companies in the UK and abroad. He has worked with a variety of FE colleges and schools developing and delivering a range of contextualized learning programmes based around the media aimed at delivering employability and literacy skills to young people. Tony was Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber East Lifelong Learning Network Partnership from 2008 to 2012 - a partnership between Hull University and colleges of Further Education.

He has been a Governor of the College of North West London since 2015 and became Chair of Corporation for the United Colleges Group in August 2017. 

Ross Mackenzie

Alex Fyfe

A qualified accountant and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Alex has substantial and broad senior financial management experience from her roles as Finance Director/CFO within both listed international company groups and SMEs in the marketing services sector, as well as in the not-for-profit/charity sector. In addition to the business and technical skills which she brings to the Governing Body, Alex also has voluntary experience of helping adult students with basic skills literacy.

Franklin Asante

Franklin has over 10 years’ experience in Private Banking dealing with HNW & UHNW clients, specialising with Entrepreneurs based in the UK. As a Director of Coutts & Co Franklin is responsible for providing bespoke lending solutions in both a regulated and unregulated capacity. Following his studies in Communications & Media at Brunel University, his early career included a brief stint as a BBC Journalist and local news editor. In 2017, Franklin was appointed to represent Coutts on the RBS Junior Management team and currently sits on the D&I council where he’s actively working with external organisations to improve social mobility in Finance. He is delighted to be the Vice Chair for United Colleges Group and is Chair of the Finance & General Purposes Committee.

Angela Drisdale-Gordon

Angela has recently retired from being Head of Further Education Office at University of the Arts London. She has 9 years’ experience as a Governor at an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ secondary school in Hounslow. She has also been fortunate to have achieved this status at UAL in 2016. Her previous roles have been as an academic for 30+ years at London College of Fashion and Course Leader for a variety of fashion business and clothing related courses. She is also a subject specialist moderator at the Open College Network (OCN) since 2015 and is now a newly appointed external moderator for UALAB (University of the Arts Awarding Body). Angela is a member of the Teaching, Learning and Skills Committee and the EDI Lead Governor.

Colin Smith

Beginning his career in the land-based sector, Colin moved into Further Education first as a teacher and then as a middle and senior manager. He has covered a wide range of curriculum areas including construction, commercial services and provision for learners with additional needs. He has worked with colleges, prisons, independent training providers and local authorities. He has been a Senior College Manager, on both a permanent and interim basis, working with colleges in London and the South East to develop and manage curriculum, implement quality improvement and deliver staff training. He is also a practicing inspector for Further Education and Skills. Colin chairs the Teaching, Learning and Skills Committee.

Derrick Betts

Derrick has been working in the education sector for over 15 years. He is currently an Associate Partner in the education practice at EY-Parthenon, where he provides strategic advice to investors and corporates across the sector. Derrick has previously worked at UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) where he supported UK education companies to win commercial opportunities with overseas governments which were looking to transform their education systems. Derrick also spent 5 years as a student managing an educational development NGO in South Africa. Derrick is regularly quoted in range of educated related publications and is a frequently requested speaker at global education conferences, including African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA), SuperReturn Emerging Markets and Education Investor.

Derrick graduated from Oxford University with a PPE degree where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Derrick is a member of the Audit Committee.

Grainne Brankin

Grainne Brankin joined BSI in June 2017 as General Counsel and Company Secretary. She is on the Group Executive Risk Committee and Information Security Committee and is the Executive responsible for Insurance, Property and Sustainability giving her an overview of governance and risk management at BSI Group. Grainne qualified at Clifford Chance and has experience of a wide range of international corporate and commercial transactions, in particular in technology and media. She has held General Counsel and executive committee positions at Yahoo!, CBS Outdoor, Exterion Media and Centaur Media. Grainne is a member of the Property & Infrastructure Committee.