New members announced for Ofqual board

The Department for Education has announced five new appointments to the 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 is Chief Executive Officer of Tenax Schools Trust, multi-academy trust (MAT) which includes Bennett Memorial Diocesan School, a large comprehensive in Kent. 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 is 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 is 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 is 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. 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 is principal at one of Greater Manchester’s leading educational providers, Trafford College. Previously, 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. 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.

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.