Six people appointed to the Ofqual Board by the Department for Education

The Department for Education has appointed six individuals to the Ofqual Board with a variety of educational backgrounds and other areas of competence.

They include those who currently oversee or have overseen a charity, a further education organisation, or an academy trust. From July 1, they will each serve on the Ofqual Board for three years.

The Ofqual Board provides direction and leadership, and its chair is Ian Bauckham CBE. It ensures that Ofqual upholds its legal obligations and conducts tests and assessment for a wide range of vocational and technical qualifications, including apprenticeships, as well as general qualifications like GCSEs and A levels.

Ofqual Chair Ian Bauckham CBE said:

“I am delighted to be joined by a range of outstanding professionals with a rich range of experience including in education and public service. They are joining Ofqual at a very exciting time, now that the first set of GCSE, AS and A level summer exams since 2019 has taken place. They will bring invaluable insight and advice in the years ahead.”

Chief Regulator Dr Jo Saxton said:

“I look forward to working with the new board members, alongside those currently on the board and colleagues on the delivery of Ofqual’s newly published Corporate Plan, which sets out the work that Ofqual will do to make sure that regulated qualifications are trusted, understood, good quality and fair.”

The new members of the Ofqual Board are :

Hardip Begol CBE is the CEO of the Woodard Academies Trust (due to step down at the end of July). In addition, Hardip has held top positions in the government, including at the Department for Education. Earlier in his career, he completed a course in chartered accounting and worked as a consultant for the public service.

Mark Farrar, formerly CEO of the Construction Industry Training Board and the Association of Accounting Technicians. He  served in the previously as a member of the Skills Funding Agency board.

Cindy Leslie is presently holds a number of non-executive positions, including those of Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee on the Architects Registration Board and Chair of Governors for Channing School in Highgate.

Eileen Milner, formerly COO of the Care Quality Commission and CEO of the Education Skills Funding Agency

Chris Paterson, who served as the Secretary of State for Education’s senior policy advisor before becoming director of impact at the Education Endowment Foundation. Chris is a qualified solicitor.

Clare Pelham is the current Chief Executive of the Epilepsy Society as well as a non-executive Governor of Birmingham City University and a Director of the Buckinghamshire Local Enterprise Partnership. In the past, Clare has held executive director positions in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors.

In addition, three incumbent Ofqual Board members are being reappointed by the Department for Education. They are Frances Wadsworth CBE, Deputy Further Education Commissioner, Matt Tee, Executive Director of Integration at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and Susan Barrett, a former audit partner at Deloitte.