Minutes of a Meeting of the Board of Leicester College Corporation:

Meeting of the Search and Governance Committee Minutes 10 March 2025 Via MS Teams

Present: Danielle Gillett (Chair,) Chan Kataria, Jackie Rossa, Sophie Strevens-Robinson, Shabir Ismail

In Attendance: Hazel Director of Governance and Policy, Matt Widdowson Governance and Policy Officer (Minutes)

1. Declaration of Interest  

   • 1.1 Jackie Rossa noted that she knew Sue Hopewell and Matt Pinches.

2. Apologies for absence 

   • 2.1 Apologies were received from Louisa Poole.

3. Minutes of the Last Meeting and Matters Arising 

   • 3.1 The Director of Governance and Policy would be picking up on the actions from the previous meeting and reporting back to the committee meeting on 15 May 2025.

   • 3.2 The minutes of the meeting of 23 January 2025 were agreed as an accurate record and approved.

4. Succession Planning - Governor Interviews Feedback

   • 4.1 The Director of Governance and Policy presented a paper on succession planning. The following points were highlighted.

     • 4.1.1 The current Board membership stood at sixteen meaning that there were several vacancies on the board.

     • 4.1.2 The College had received funding from the DfE to work with Peridot to recruit new governors. Five applications had been received and four had been shortlisted for interview

     • 4.1.3 Sol Miah had withdrawn his application and had not been interviewed.

     • 4.1.4 Alex Stacey-Midgely had been a credible candidate. She was currently Deputy Head of Human Resources at Loughborough University and had further experience in previous roles with Leicestershire Police. Her work around EDI had been noted by the interview panel. Alex Stacey-Midgely could fill a vacancy on the F&GP Committee and on the Student Liaison Committee which would provide her with the opportunity to get to know the student cohort.

     • 4.1.5 Susan Hopewell had previously been a Vice Principal at Birmingham Metropolitan College and had worked at Leicester College around nine years ago. Although Susan Hopewell could be co-opted to the CSQI Committee, it would still leave vacancies. Neil McDougall was being encouraged to move to this committee. However, the CSQI Committee would still lack quality, curriculum and student support experience.

     • 4.1.6 Mukund Narshi was employed by Leicester City Council and had a strong audit background. He had not applied via Peridot.

     • 4.1.7 Matthew Pinches had worked in FE before going into consultancy where he had been very successful. His work kept him very busy meaning that he had only limited time to commit to Leicester College.

     • 4.1.8 The membership of the Audit Committee was still a concern as Zubair Limbada would be leaving in the summer, and it was unclear whether Louisa Poole would be able to take on the chair’s role.

   • 4.2 Governors made the following comments.

     • 4.2.1 Alex Stacey-Midgeley

       • 4.2.1.1 This candidate fitted the brief for the F&GP Committee and was able to effectively manage the time commitment required. She also matched with the skills matrix.

       • 4.2.1.2 The board currently lacked a governor with a professional HR background which was particularly important given the recent appointment of a new Director of HR.

       • 4.2.1.3 This candidate would be a good fit for the Corporation’s culture.

     • 4.2.2 Susan Hopewell

       • 4.2.2.1 This candidate had interviewed well and had a strong background in FE and quality. She was also familiar with Leicester and Leicestershire. She was a credible candidate. The interview panel had felt that Susan Hopewell would be a good match for the CSQI Committee.

       • 4.2.2.2 As Susan Hopewell was a former employee, due diligence needed to take place to review her time at the College.

       • 4.2.2.3 This candidate had worked at quite a few colleges and had previously been Director of Engineering at Leicester College. Was there any issue with the number of posts she had worked in? Susan Hopewell had left Leicester College as she had felt there had been no progression opportunities. She had worked at Birmingham Metropolitan College until her retirement.

       • 4.2.2.4 Susan Hopewell had a different approach to that of the Chair of CSQI Committee. This could be useful for the CSQI Committee and lead to healthy debate and challenge.

       • 4.2.2.5 What had been this candidate’s role at Birmingham Metropolitan College? She had been Vice Principal for Quality and Curriculum. This had been a hands-on FE role which would make her a good fit for the CSQI Committee.

       • 4.2.2.6 Was there an option for a probationary term? The Search and Governance Committee had previously discussed co-option as an option for the CSQI Committee. This would provide the opportunity to review how an appointment was working. Alternatively, a new governor could be appointed for a one-year term which could be extended after a review.

       • 4.2.2.7 The lack of a probationary period for board members was often a problem. Co-option might be the best way forward.

       • 4.2.2.8 Did co-opted governors have voting rights? Co-opted governors do not attend meetings of the Corporation and they had no voting rights. However, co-opted governors are often invited to strategic sessions and training sessions.

       • 4.2.2.9 Susan Hopewell might still know some of the staff at the College so it might be a good idea to find out how this would work in practice by co-opting her to the CSQI Committee.

     • 4.2.3 Mukund Narshi

       • 4.2.3.1 Mukund Narshi could offer a wealth of experience, although he had limited knowledge of FE. His CV indicated that he had an operational focus rather than any previous strategic experience.

       • 4.2.3.2 He was also a former student at Charles Keene College.

       • 4.2.3.3 The interview panel had noted this candidate’s attention to detail and the fact that he had helped to deliver some large projects. He was also very community orientated.

       • 4.2.3.4 This candidate had a great deal of finance and audit experience and had provided good answers when questioned about the challenges and opportunities facing the College. With some support, he would be a good fit for the Audit Committee. The associate governor programme was still under consideration. The development of this programme would take time, so he could not be offered this role immediately.

     • 4.2.4 Matthew Pinches

       • 4.2.4.1 During the interview, Matthew Pinches did not put across his perspective on either Leicester College or Leicester, and he did not articulate anything specific around the challenges and opportunities facing the College. Although he mentioned employer engagement, he did not mention devolution.

       • 4.2.4.2 This candidate’s strengths were around systems and processes, and he had a good track record of supporting colleges with this.

       • 4.2.4.3 Matthew Pinches had been Head of Learning Support at Leicester College before becoming the Interim Principal of 5 South Leicestershire College. Most of his subsequent consultancy work had involved data and business systems in FE.

       • 4.2.4.4 This candidate would not be the right fit for the CSQI Committee. It would have been better if he could have been able to commit more time.

       • 4.2.4.5 Matthew Pinches had been highly regarded when employed by Leicester College. David Jackson was one of the references provided, and it had been noted that his son had also worked at the College.

     • 4.2.5 The recruitment exercise had produced mixed results. Peridot had not been able to pull much together. Had this recruitment round been government funded? The DfE had provided the funds for Peridot on this occasion but would probably not do so again.

     • 4.2.6 The Stakeholder Event could be used to promote the governor role.

   • 4.3 Governors agreed to:

     • 4.3.1 Appoint Alex Stacey-Midgely as a governor for a three-year term and appoint her to the F&GP Committee and Student Liaison Committee.

     • 4.3.2 Co-opt Susan Hopewell to the CSQI Committee for a one year initial term of office.

     • 4.3.3 Give further consideration to appointing Mukund Narsi as an associate governor once details of the role had been decided.

     • 4.3.4 Not appoint Matthew Pinches.

5. Dates and Times of Future Meetings

   • 15 May 2025