• Ruth Farwell CBE Chair of the board

  Ruth Farwell was Vice Chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University from January 2006 to January 2015, having previously been Pro Vice Chancellor at London South Bank University with a portfolio covering academic planning and quality. She now acts as an education consultant and in that capacity advises on academic governance and spent two years with the Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership on their strategy to bring employers together with all sectors of education to enhance the work-related skills of young people.

  Ruth was Chair of the representative body GuildHE for two terms of office until November 2013, and continued as a member of its Executive until she retired. During 2009 – 2015 she served as a member of the Board of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and also chaired HEFCE’s Teaching, Quality and Student Experience Committee. Other previous posts in public life have included service as a further education college governor and chair, and as a secondary school governor and chair. Currently she is a governor at Southampton Solent University and Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors at Pearson College London.

  Ruth was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to higher education and appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire in 2015. She was High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 2018-19.

• Sue Dare Vice-Chair of the Board, Chair of Quality & Improvement Committee and Safeguarding Lead

  Sue has worked in FE for over 30 years with 9 years as FE Principal and CEO. She has led improvement to Ofsted Grade 2, two mergers and substantial culture change, with an emphasis on leadership development and support, while maintaining financial stability.

  Sue has an extensive knowledge of FE, Apprenticeships and HE including policy, funding, and curriculum as well as highly developed networking skills proven in leadership roles in the Learning and Skills Council, in partnership working with employers and other stakeholders in West Sussex, in Higher Education and in Adult Responsiveness. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

  While she worked as Principal of Northbrook College it had a full Ofsted Inspection in 2013 which resulted in grades for Teaching and Learning and Quality of Provision moving from a grade 3 to a grade 2 a year earlier than anticipated, while Leadership and Management was judged Outstanding. The College was in the top ten in the country for student achievement for two years running and gained an AOC Beacon Award for its innovative and outstanding work with employers and apprenticeships.

  She was the Chair of FE Sussex, the member organisation of the twelve FE Colleges in Sussex, for four years and is a Trustee on two separate arts trusts for the locality. She was also Chair of the National Qualifications Advisory Group, which advised Government and the Skills Funding Agency on changes to qualifications and funding from 2012-2015, and Vice Chair of the Mixed Economy Group of FE Colleges with high volume HE provision from 2011 to 2016. Sue was awarded an MBE in recognition of her services to education in June 2017.

  Since retirement Sue has worked as an education consultant and leadership coach. In April 2018, Sue joined the Board of PROCAT in Basildon, a specialist college for Engineering focussed on apprenticeships. She is currently undertaking an interim Principal role at the National College Creative Industries.

• Steve Balmont Chair of Audit Committee and Lead Trustee for Remuneration

  Steve Balmont is a long-serving professional pension trustee with BESTrustees Limited acting for the occupational pension schemes of well-known organisations ranging from those with assets of several billions to other much smaller schemes.

  Steve was born in South Wales and educated in the North West of England, graduating in Economics from Liverpool University in 1982. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant and worked predominantly in public practice and, for a couple of years, for an Austrian investment bank in London. He has been a professional pension trustee since 2000. He has also lectured and published articles on pension governance and related matters.

  He served for several years as an independent member of the Board of Governors of London South Bank University.

  His various interests include his son who works in the music business and plays in a band, his daughter who is a fashion designer in Paris and rugby union (spectating, having retired from playing many years ago). He lives in Kennington.

• Lydia Song NED/Trustee, Audit Committee

  Lydia Song brings over three decades of distinguished experience in financial services, specialising in investment accounting, governance, and regulatory compliance. A Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), she has held senior leadership roles at global firms including Northern Trust and PwC, delivering IFRS-compliant solutions adopted by more than 2,000 institutions worldwide. Lydia’s career is marked by her ability to bridge technical excellence with strategic oversight, from advising C-suite leaders on multi-jurisdictional operations to negotiating pivotal agreements with UK regulators. Fluent in English and Mandarin, she is recognised as a cultural bridge-builder and diversity champion, adept at fostering inclusive decision-making across global markets.

  As a Non-Executive Director and member of South Bank Colleges’ Audit Committee, Lydia provides independent oversight of financial controls, risk management, and strategic compliance. Her governance expertise is underpinned by her role as Chair of the Pensions Research Accountants Group (PRAG), where she shapes national accounting standards for pension schemes managing over £3 trillion in assets. Lydia’s blend of technical mastery, commercial acumen, and inclusive leadership makes her an invaluable asset to the college’s board.

• Cllr Issa Issa

  Cllr Issa Issa is a dynamic member of Lambeth's community; he is an elected Cllr for Oval and Policy Lead for Post-16 in Lambeth.

  Here, he is responsible for:  

  • Supporting oversight and delivery of the employment and skills strategy with a focus on post-16 education.
  • Ensuring the delivery of apprenticeships and employment opportunities with a focus on support for care leavers.
  • Building relationships and engaging with local employment providers.

  Education and Community are his passion, and he is driven by helping young people to get the best start in life. Issa is the founder of an award-winning community education centre in Lambeth, and Adviser to the member of Parliament for Vauxhall. Issa is also a governor of the Wyvern Federation, and Chair Governor at Vauxhall Primary School. He is passionate about enabling everyone, particularly the most disadvantaged, to thrive.

REGISTER OF INTEREST 2024-25

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST POLICY