Governors make a valuable contribution to the success of Cheshire College. Their role is to determine the direction and strategy of the College, to be accountable for the proper use of the public funds entrusted to it and to oversee the quality of all it does.
The Governing Body does not organise the College’s day-to-day activities, but they do ensure the College carries out the functions required under Article 3 of the Articles of Government, staff and students. They also play a key role in College events and in the promotion of the latest news to the wider community.
Please note that any questions or queries you may have in relation to the College should be directed in the first instance to the appropriate faculty staff member before being raised with Governors. You can contact the Governors at clerk@ccsw.ac.uk.
External Governor appointed 1st December 2022.
Lesley has worked in the education and training sector for the majority of her career.
Prior roles in the sector include the CEO and Principal for The Trafford College Group, Deputy CEO at the Association of Colleges (AOC) and Senior Vice President and Senior Responsible Officer for Pearson, with responsibility for qualification standards, quality and the awarding of all academic and vocational qualifications. She was also responsible for the development of all vocational qualifications worldwide.
In 2016, Lesley became Chair of the newly formed UK Skills Partnership Board, a network of the UK’s leading education sector organisations and which was established to promote the development of vocational and technical skills internationally. She is also a member of the DIT’s Ministerial Education Sector Advisory Group and British Council’s Education Advisory Board.
In 2015, Lesley was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to education and in 2023, she was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year’s Honours List.
External Governor appointed 1st January 2016.
Fintan is also a member of the Chairs’ and Curriculum and Quality Committees.
Fintan has extensive experience within the education sector working initially as a teacher then holding a number of senior management and corporate positions within education with Cheshire East Local Authority. Fintan has governance experience within a variety of educational establishments and particular expertise and interest in learning support, special education needs and safeguarding.
Jasbir Dhesi (known as Dhesi) OBE joined the College as Principal in January 2014.
He is a member of the Finance and Resources, Chairs’ and Curriculum and Quality Committees.
Prior to joining Cheshire College – South & West, he held a number of senior management positions in further education from 1996. He has a proven track record of outstanding management and leadership.
In June 2022, Dhesi was awarded an OBE for services in education as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
External Governor appointed 1st March 2017.
Sue spent several years as an HMI with Ofsted, inspecting across a range of post-16 provision, before retiring in 2015. She has held senior management roles in further education colleges and within a local authority. Prior to management roles, Sue taught in colleges and schools.
External Governor appointed 1st August 2013.
Paul is Chief Executive of South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He has been employed by the Chamber for over 13 years and is also a governor at Mid-Cheshire Hospital Foundation Trust.
Associate Governor appointed 1st January 2016.
Mike is a qualified accountant with 25 years’ experience in consumer goods, engineering and logistics businesses in the UK and overseas. His main areas of expertise include financial management, auditing and risk management. Mike now runs his own accountancy firm specialising in small businesses and start-ups and has governance experience in a variety of educational settings.
External Governor appointed 1st September 2018.
Kenny is Centre Manager of McArthurGlen Cheshire Oaks, the UK’s largest and first designer outlet. A pragmatic leader with extensive retail and leisure industry expertise, gained over 28 years, Kenny is an expert in driving innovation and change for global organisations, whilst delivering best in class retail and customer experience. Kenny has a particular interest in finance and risk management.
External Governor appointed 1st April 2022.
John is a chartered accountant with over 30 years’ experience in financial services and manufacturing industries. John has worked in several roles for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Heineken, The Cheese Company and Glanbia plc, and has experience of commercial strategy, capital projects, human resources, supply chain management, and IT, as well as financial systems and analysis. John has a particular interest in education and governance having started his training in a technical college and has been a Trustee and Board member for several companies.
External Governor appointed 1st Jan 2019.
Davinder is Owner and Managing Director of his own group of companies in the engineering sector. He is an experienced manager within the private sector with particular interest in encouraging life-long learning and STEM.
External Governor appointed 1st March 2021.
Jerry is a chartered accountant with considerable experience in commercial property. He is now largely retired but has had a career-long interest in education including being a governor at another further education college and sitting on the Advisory Board of Manchester School.
Non-Academic Staff Governor, appointed 10th September 2021.
Sean has worked in the Quality department at Cheshire College – South & West since 2007, supporting colleagues with the use of technology and data to enhance learning. Sean has an interest in data analytics and how the use of data and automation can be used to improve learner outcomes. Outside of work, Sean regularly volunteers at motor sport events across the country as a chief flag marshal.
External Governor appointed 1st January 2024.
Claire works as a Training & Development Business Partner for United Utilities, a FTSE100 company providing essential water and wastewater services to the North West of England.
A previous member of the Digital Skills Partnership board for Cheshire & Warrington, Claire has a keen interest in the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and learning, and is committed to advocating for policies that promote the integration of digital skills into education, foster community engagement, and harness the potential of AI to transform learning.
Claire is keen to learn more about the students and community that our College supports and to leverage her extensive corporate experience to bridge the gap between technology and learning.
Academic Staff Governor, appointed 14th May 2022.
Shane is an inspirational and multi-award-winning chef, lecturer and digital innovator with a dynamic, vibrant and innovative teaching approach on courses of all levels. Shane has 17 years’ experience within the further education sector. He is extremely passionate about his achievements in the hospitality sector, and has a burning passion for educational technology. He enjoys sharing his extensive experience with his students, his teaching team and other colleagues and is now an influential educator and leading ambassador in the use of educational technology across the UK. Shane is a Pearson’s Silver Award winner for FE Lecturer of the Year and TES Teacher of the Year finalist.
This is Shane’s first appointment as a governor, and he is keen to learn about all aspects of college leadership and management and contribute to their impact for all students at the College.
Associate Governor, appointed 1st October 2023.
Bev was a senior HMI for FE provision with Ofsted for several years, managing the quality of inspections across the Northwest, training inspectors, and inspecting across the range of post-16 providers, before retiring in March 2022. She continues to work as an Ofsted inspector and consultant to providers in the sector. Before joining Ofsted, Bev had several senior leadership roles including deputy principal for curriculum and quality. Prior to management roles, Bev taught in colleges and schools.
Associate Governor, appointed 1st October 2023.
Maggie is employed by Liverpool John Moores University as Principal Teaching Fellow Fine Arts and has previously worked at the University of Wolverhampton. She sits on the boards of regional and national arts organisations where she advocates for the value of art education to society, and prior to joining the Board, Maggie worked with the college to develop the BA Art & Design programme currently running on the Crewe Campus. Maggie is passionate about opening opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds to engage in Higher Education. With experience in Higher Education (HE) curriculum design and review, Maggie understands how course design, assessment and the learning environment work together to support student attainment and personal growth.
Associate Governor appointed 1st May 2022.
Clive is a chartered accountant with over 30 years’ experience gained in several sectors including financial services, retail and technology. His expertise includes strategic planning, financial planning and analysis, business performance improvement, risk management and governance. Clive has nearly 20 years’ board experience.
Michelle’s role is to ensure the smooth running of the Corporation’s activities and meetings’ schedule, and to provide administration support to the Governors.
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When exploring the courses we have available, you may see a fee attached but you’re more than likely to be eligible for a fully-funded enrolment!
Take a look and get in touch with admissions@ccsw.ac.uk if you’d like anymore information.
