Professor Ken Thomson, Forth Valley College’s Principal, is one of three new members appointed to the College Development Network (CDN) Board.
CDN is the national agency in Scotland that supports skills and sector development across colleges and vocational learning. They support the college and skills system in driving success for students, their wider communities and regional economies. CDN also leads on innovation, creating CPD opportunities and sharing best practice.
Ken has a wealth of Board experience on various prestigious organisations to equip him for his new role. He is a member of the Colleges Scotland Principals Group, (CPG) a member of the Scottish Government’s Curriculum and Assessment Board as the Scottish Colleges representative, a Board member of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Chairs the SQA Qualifications Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee. Ken has also been a Board member of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and was on the Board of Trustees for Jisc, both roles held from 2014 to January 2021. Ken is also a Fellow of the Institute of Directors.
Joining Professor Thomson on the Board as new members will be Judith Neill, General Manager at Pinnacle Growth Group, who has more than 20 years’ national and international experience that has seen her successfully support the development and commercial growth of numerous multi-sector organisations and Julia Belgutay a senior policy manager, research and evidence, at the Association of Colleges, who had previously been a journalist for more than 20 years specialising in further education and skills for the last decade at the Tes and Tes Scotland. Their terms will begin on Monday 19 September.
Principal Professor Ken Thomson OBE, who in March this year received a Honorary Professorship from the University of Stirling in recognition of his contribution to the academic work of the Faculty of Social Sciences, said: “I am delighted to take on this role on the Board of CDN and excited about how we can help enhance Scotland’s college sector for the future.
“Obviously the College has worked very closely with CDN over the years and I know first-hand the great work that they do. I am looking forward to working with them and helping them to make the college sector even better for the people of Scotland.”
Paul Houlden, Chair of the CDN Board, said: “We are delighted to welcome three such experienced and high calibre new Board Members to CDN. Ken, Julia and Judith bring a wealth of knowledge to their role. The CDN Board and team very much look forward to working with them as we continue to support the college sector.”