Meet our board members and discover how their experience and insight help drive our mission and support our learners.
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Deborah runs her own consultancy (Kindling Ltd) which delivers project creation, consultancy and facilitation to explore better collaborative work methods.
Since its creation in 1991, Deborah has run the Derwent Initiative (TDI). Deborah acted as Chair until 2006, when she became CEO. TDI is a small, independent charity based in Newcastle upon Tyne which aims to reduce the risk of sexual offending. It provides a pragmatic, partnership approach to risk reduction, and creates and operates public protection schemes.
In addition to this, Deborah has held other roles, including:
Deborah received an MBE in 1995 for services to urban regeneration and was named the North East Alternative Business Person of the Year in 2011.
She co-founded and held various director roles at Common Purpose, the national charity that runs leadership programmes for city decision-makers to improve active citizenship and strategic direction, based on the US model. Deborah developed and ran programmes for senior urban leaders throughout Europe and the UK. While at Common Purpose, Deborah wrote an impact study commissioned by Baring Foundation in 2000.
Deborah lives in County Durham with her husband, but also spends time in Newcastle and Nice, where she and her husband are honorary Niçois and acquire ideas they can use in their work. She has a lifelong interest in domesticity, which she tries to find time for, and greatly enjoys spending time with her family.
Deborah joined NCFE as Chair of the Board in December 2017.
Board Member
Jack Garner is an experienced senior leader in the sport, leisure, and active wellbeing sectors, bringing a background in leading large-scale operations, commercial growth, and sector-wide workforce development. He currently serves as Head of Business Operations at The Football Association (FA), operating as part of the organisation’s Leadership team.
Prior to joining The FA, Jack held senior leadership roles in the leisure sector, most recently at Serco Leisure as Regional Director, where he oversaw a diverse portfolio spanning national sports centres with elite performance environments, large public leisure venues, cultural and event venues, hospitality, hotels and a holiday park and outdoor adventure facilities. In his time with Serco Leisure, he contributed to significant commercial growth through organic increase in performance across current contracts and new contract wins, successful venue mobilisations, and large-scale lifecycle and capital investment programmes.
Jack contributes to national workforce and skills policy through involvement with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), including roles on the National Workforce Development Board and previously as Chair of the Nottinghamshire Skills Accountability Board.
A Senior Manager Chartered Fellow of CIMSPA, Jack holds a degree in Sport and Exercise Science from Loughborough University and has completed executive leadership development at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.
Jack joined the NCFE Board in January 2026.
Board Member
Jane Brightman is the Director of Workforce Development at Skills for Care and led on the development of the Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy for England. She has over 30 years of experience across the adult social care sector, including frontline care, leadership, education, digital transformation, and national policy.
For 10 years, she was Director of a private training organisation specialising in adult social care delivery before going on to national roles supporting training and development in social care.
Jane spent two years at NHSX (now NHS Transformation Directorate) in the blended Digitising Social Care programme as Assistant Director, leading and delivering on the White Paper commitments.
Jane facilitates an online network of leaders in social care with around 9000 members. In 2022, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Arden University for services to social care.
Jane joined the NCFE Board in January 2026.
Board Member
Joanne Whitfield is Fund Director at FW Capital in the North East. She leads a team of investment and portfolio executives across the North East and Yorkshire.
Joanne joined FW Capital in 2010. She has a strong track record of making debt, mezzanine, and equity investments in growing businesses. Joanne is an experienced investment professional who has worked in venture capital since 2003. During that time, she’s led investments into companies at all stages of development, across a broad range of sectors, and has backed many of the successful businesses based in the North East.
She studied Mathematical Engineering at the University of Leeds and is a qualified Chartered Accountant, having completed her training with Deloitte and Touche in Newcastle. She also holds the ICAEW Corporate Finance qualification.
Joanne joined the NCFE Board in March 2024.
Board Member
Before joining NCG in 2019, Liz worked in higher education for more than 20 years, holding senior roles at the Open University, Salford, Goldsmiths, and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), where she was Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Liz was also the CEO of University Alliance in 2018, on a secondment from UCLan.
As the first in the family to go to university, Liz studied English Language and Literature at Worcester College, Oxford. Liz is well known across the education sector for leadership development, positive change management, entrepreneurial leadership, improving the student experience, and making things happen.
Liz holds several non-executive roles, which include English Heritage, the Newcastle Hospitals Foundation Trust and E-ACT, a multi-academy trust responsible for 28 academies in England.
Liz joined the NCFE Board in March 2024.
Board Member
Michael is a seasoned energy industry professional, with nearly 15 years of experience in skills, policy, and quality-orientated fields across the oil and gas, maritime, and wider offshore renewables sectors.
He has held senior roles across several organisations, leading a variety of skills policy, project management, stakeholder engagement, strategic growth, regulation, and quality assurance teams, both within the UK and internationally.
For the last five years, Michael has been employed by OPITO, the global, not-for-profit skills and standards body for the energy industry. His team has a critical role in delivering the people and skills commitments associated with the North Sea Transition Deal, and he is accountable for the organisation’s government and stakeholder engagement, lobbying activity, labour market intelligence and research, and both domestic and international policy strategies.
A seasoned public speaker, panellist, and commentator on skills-related matters, Michael maintains memberships of the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) and the Institute of Directors (IoD). He also holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Aberdeen.
Michael joined the NCFE Board in March 2024.
Board Member
Michael is the Chair of RTC, the North East’s leading business support organisation. RTC provides advice and assistance to businesses across the North of England in the areas of innovation support, technology adoption and business growth. His other interests include:
Previously Michael has had a very successful career in Corporate Finance in the North East for over 30 years. This culminated in him setting up and leading Tait Walker’s multi award-winning Corporate Finance team for 20 years. Michael left the partnership in late 2019 to pursue a portfolio career as a Non-Executive Director and M&A Adviser.
Board Member
Purnima brings extensive strategic leadership experience to her role as a trustee, working collaboratively with fellow board members to support effective governance and long-term direction. She has a strong track record of shaping policy, engaging with senior stakeholders, and advocating for positive change across the early years sector and is the former Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA).
Purnima works closely with government ministers, parliamentarians, civil servants, and local authorities, and is a respected media spokesperson, regularly contributing to national television, radio, online and print media.
Through her work, she raises public awareness and champions improved support for early years providers and the children they serve.
Purnima joined the NCFE Board in January 2026.
Board Member
An experienced C-Suite executive serving the Further Education and Skills sector for over four decades, Robin is responsible for Jisc’s Further Education and skills policy, member engagement, and advice and training services for both further and higher education.
Robin leads on Jisc’s strategy for building the digital leadership capacity within FE, HE and Skills institutions, whilst also leading on the strategic engagement for FE and Skills with the Department for Education in England, the Scottish Funding Council, Welsh Government, and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland. He also leads on strategic engagement and collaboration with other relevant agencies and digital suppliers.
Robin is an experienced and former College CEO, trustee, and non-executive director, while also having held positions as Chair of educational establishments and technology associations. Currently a Board Member and Chair of the Curriculum and Standards Committee at West London College, he is also a Board Member of the National Association of Licensed Paralegals and Chair of the Welsh Government’s Anti-Racist FE Steering Group.
Robin joined the NCFE Board in December 2022.
Board Member
Sofia is a seasoned board-level executive with over 20 years of international experience across the technology and telecommunications sectors. Her career spans multiple continents, companies and senior leadership roles in general management, sales, partnerships, marketing, corporate strategy, and operations.
She has served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Board Member at Microsoft Iberia, CEO of Ericsson Portugal, and held global executive positions at BT Group and Ricoh, including at BT where she served as Regional COO for Latin America, Global COO for Telecom Markets, and at Ricoh, Corp Global Vice President for Business Development.
Renowned for steering organisations through complex transformation and growth, Sofia has been recognised with multiple honours throughout her career such as Microsoft’s Worldwide Platinum Club Outstanding Achiever Award (2024), WeQual Awards Americas – Transformation Category (2024), Top 20 Women in Tech & Science (2023) and Top 40 Under 40 Future Business Leaders (2017).
Holding dual British and Portuguese citizenship, she combines sector expertise with a global business outlook. Sofia holds an MEng in Computer Engineering, an MBA from ESADE and executive credentials from Cornell University, LSE, and Harvard Business School.
Sofia joined the NCFE Board in January 2026.
Browse our Register of Members' Interests
Pay policy for senior staff
We undertake annual, independent benchmarking of remuneration for executives and the Senior Leadership team. Salaries for executives are agreed by trustees, with salaries for the Senior Leadership team being set by the executive team within parameters defined by the budgets approved by trustees.
