Terry Hodgkinson CBE DL

Chair of the NCFE Board

Terry is an advocate of continuous learning, training and personal development he considers inspirational leadership a quality that influences growth and development of people in all aspects of their lives.

Terry’s career spans over 38 years in business with executive and non-executive experience in privately owned, not-for profit and government organisations.  He recently led the Regional Development Agency Yorkshire Forward as its chair for seven years, overseeing the Agency in growing the economy of Yorkshire and Humber with an annual budget of £350 million. The agency was responsible for Adult Skills and during his time in post Terry frequently engaged with six form schools and FE colleges and worked closely with university VC’s in creating connections with core businesses allowing them to contribute to the region’s economy. He has now been appointed a Visiting Professor attached to the Faculty of Business and Law at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Since leaving Yorkshire Forward Terry has launched his new business branded “Inspiration for Industry, Education and Regeneration” alongside this Terry continues his work with The Alchemists Foundation which is a Community Interest Company he founded in 2010, raising aspirations and creating a platform for young people to acquire new skills and tools to prepare for future challenges in their business, professional and personal life.

Terry was honoured in the 2010 Queen’s Birthday honours list with a CBE for services to ‘business and regeneration’ and has been appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant for West Yorkshire; he is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, is a Chartered Director and an ambassador for the Chartered Directors, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building and holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Huddersfield.

Terry joined the NCFE board in February 2012.

Lucy Armstrong

Board Member

Lucy Armstrong joined The Alchemists after an early career in venture capital and corporate development and headhunting with 3i plc, Courtaulds Textiles and Tyzack. Her work involves matching up experienced and successful entrepreneurs with high growth businesses to accelerate their growth and success. Her experience ranges from funding start up and early stage manufacturing businesses in the North East through to mergers and disposals of international operations. She is a governor of Northumbria University and involved in assisting Newcastle University develop their hi-tech spin-out companies.

From 1 April 2012, Lucy took up her position as Chair for Capital Enterprise Limited.  Lucy was educated at Oxford, holds an MBA and is studying criminology. Her spare time is frittered away with a trans-Atlantic think tank, in a young offenders institution, an arthouse cinema and walking along Northumberland's deserted beaches.  Lucy joined the NCFE Board in July 2008.

Angela O'Donoghue

Board Member

Angela O'Donoghue is Principal of City of Sunderland College, which is one of the largest FE colleges in the country.  She was previously the Principal of Bsix Sixth Form College Brooke House based in Hackney, which was the first new college to be established in the country for over a decade and opened in September 2002.  Prior to that Angela was the Director of Curriculum and then Acting Principal of Wigan and Leigh College.  Before moving to Wigan Angela worked for 17 years in a variety of roles at Liverpool Community College.  She is a member of the Education Leadership Board, the City of Sunderland Partnership, the Children's Trust Strategic Partnership and the Sunderland Learning Partnership.  She is a governor of the University of Sunderland and a member of the North East Region Equality & Diversity Steering Group.  She has a national reputation for her work with students with learning difficulties and disabilities and basic skills.  Angela joined NCFE in July 2008.

Allan Steele

Board Member

Allan Steele has worked for significant periods in both industry and education. Following 12 years in industry his experience in education covers both schools and the Learning and Skills Sector. He taught for ten years in secondary schools followed by 15 years as an Adviser/Inspector across primary/special/secondary/FE. Until 1999 he was Chief Inspector/Assistant Director with Gateshead LEA where he led the strategy for school improvement. Over a period of eight years he led Ofsted Secondary Inspections whilst working as an Inspection team member on Primary and Special School Inspections.  Since 1999 he has worked nationally as an Independent Consultant. Over this period Allan worked across all sectors including schools, FE, work based learning and Local Education Authorities, specialising in leadership, management and raising achievement. He was centrally involved in the introduction of CoVE, Train to Gain and the Training Quality Standard which were flagship developments in the government's strategy to build a more qualified workforce. He is a governor of Gateshead College and has worked with a wide range of school governing bodies to help them to set performance management objectives for Headteachers.

Nigel Hudson

Board Member

Nigel Hudson has held main board positions at two of the North East's largest support service providers for the SME sector - Sage UK and Technology Services Group (TSG). His position as Marketing and Business Development Director for both companies has provided him with international and domestic hands-on experience of brand building, conceiving and implementing acquisition strategies, new product and service development  and the marketing of products and services to the private and public sector.

Nigel was educated at the university of Nottingham and holds an MBA; he is also a non-executive director of Business and Enterprise North East.

Chris Fleetwood

Board Member

Chris Fleetwood joins NCFE with an extensive financial background having advised various companies on the implementation of effective business strategies, particularly those suffering from times of economic turbulence. He has held the post of Chairman for a number of organisations, including Darlington Building Society, Onyx Group and Digital City Business where he has provided guidance and has helped meet and exceed financial objectives. Chris holds a BA (Hons) in Business Studies.

David Allison

Board Member

David Allison joined NCFE with business experience gained across a wide range of industries. Originally trained as an Engineer with Ford Motor Company, he undertook a variety of technical and commercial roles, including Director of the Henry Ford College – a joint venture with Loughborough University which established programmes from Apprenticeships to professional and postgraduate qualifications.

He is now a Director at Footprint Group, a performance improvement consultancy that enjoys a diverse client base, from utilities companies to work based learning providers. David’s interest in learning and development is varied; he is an RYA qualified sailing and powerboat instructor, a visiting lecturer at Loughborough University’s school of Business and Economics and Chair of Governors of a Primary School in Northamptonshire. David holds a BEng (Hons) and an MBA.

In his spare time he can normally be found afloat with his family.

Roy Sandbach

Board Member

Professor Roy Sandbach is Research Fellow with Proctor & Gamble and has worked in Research and Development for Proctor & Gamble for 30 years around the globe. His current interests are in the creation of new products and brands, notably in the developing world, especially for the poorest Base-of-the-Pyramid communities. He has patents on many new products. One of these is a 100 million dollar business.

Roy is visiting Professor of Creative Design in the School of Applied Sciences, Cranfield University. This reflects his involvement in the Centre for Competitive Design at the University (C4D), and its multi-business innovation club, Aperto. Roy is also visiting Professor of Industrial Design at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design in London, teaching innovation management and brand strategy. He is the only working UK scientist with a professorship at a leading UK Art and Design College.

Locally, he is a design champion for Design Network North. Roy is also a Director of North Tyneside Learning Trust, a formal collaboration between schools, Universities and employers providing co-ordinated inspiration and opportunity for all local schoolchildren. He is a foundation governor of Seaton Burn College.