Kris Todd
FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT, LEGAL SERVICES, TECHNOLOGY, DATA, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION, DIVERSIFICATION AND INTERNATIONAL
Kris is NCFE’s Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for our finances, mergers and acquisitions, procurement and supplier management, legal and contractual matters, our technology, data, information security, as well as our international offering, diversification portfolio, and our research and innovation functions.
Tell us a bit about you
Originally from Sunderland, I couldn’t persuade my wife to move south of the Tyne – so we now live on the North Tyneside coast with our three children. With over 20 years of experience as a Chartered Accountant, I have held senior finance and trustee positions in various sectors and I’m a governor and Chair of the Finance & Premises Committee of my local high school.
Tell us a bit about your career
After leaving university, I joined PwC as an auditor. It provided a great foundation for a career in finance and allowed me to work with a wide variety of clients across multiple sectors. After leaving PwC, I moved into various Corporate Finance roles, eventually joining Newcastle College Group as it expanded from being North East-based, to a national group of colleges and training providers.
I loved this work – helping with mergers, acquisitions, business planning, investments and negotiating and structuring deals to mitigate risk. This was also my first experience of working in the education and not-for-profit sectors. It allowed me to see first-hand how education can have a transformative impact on people’s lives, but also how not-for-profit organisations can be run in a professional, commercial way that balances reach and impact with building a sustainable future – principles which are incredibly relevant to NCFE today.
Why NCFE?
I was initially asked to join NCFE on a three-month contract to help acquire the CACHE awarding organisation. What struck me during this time was how knowledgeable and passionate everyone was, and I was therefore delighted to stay on at NCFE.
Fast forward 11 years and it amazes me how far we’ve come – four acquisitions, establishing one of the UK’s leading End Point Assessment Organisations, a broader, deeper suite of qualifications, a comprehensive transformation programme and, perhaps most importantly of all, a renewed emphasis and respect for our charitable purpose. We have some exciting and challenging ambitions at NCFE, and I think it is safe to say that no two days are ever the same – but I love it here and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Not-for-profit organisations can be run in a professional, commercial way that balances reach and impact with building a sustainable future – principles which are incredibly relevant to NCFE today.
Senior leaders in FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT, LEGAL SERVICES, TECHNOLOGY, DATA, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION, DIVERSIFICATION AND INTERNATIONAL
Director of Diversification
I joined NCFE in May 2025, bringing experience across eCommerce, digital learning and product development. Before joining I was Product and Standards Director at BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and prior to that eCommerce Director at Babington. Earlier in my career I held roles at Atos, building my experience in digital, technology and commercial development. Throughout my career I've developed digital content and learning solutions for both direct-to-learner and direct-to-employer, as well as creating new propositions and start up offers.
At NCFE I'm focused on extending the reach and impact of learning and development, supporting our wider diversification strategy and exploring new opportunities beyond regulated learning. I'm particularly interested in how we can develop new propositions and approaches that respond to the changing needs of learners, employers and the wider market.
Outside of work I'm married with two grown up boys and live in the countryside alongside a canal. I love walking, cooking and spending time in the garden, although we always love an opportunity to escape to the coast. Living a little closer to the sea would be ideal!
TRANSFORMATION DIRECTOR
In May 2020, I was promoted to Transformation Director to lead NCFE's Transformation Programme. In this role, I lead a programme with multiple projects transforming our approach to finance, customer management and our assessment platforms.
I’ve been at NCFE for over 25 years and have spent most of that time as an IT professional in a variety of roles, from ‘hands-on’ and analysis to management. Over the years I've had the opportunity to provide IT leadership through several acquisitions, have launched new business streams and an IT apprenticeship hub, all while working with talented people. The fact that NCFE is helping to change education for the better, especially for the learner, provides the purpose as to why we do what we do every day and I find this very rewarding.
I live in Whitley Bay with my young son and partner; you can often find me down the coast enjoying the culinary delights offered by our seaside restaurants. I do love to travel beyond the North East and being out in the warm sunshine energises me most.
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY, DATA AND PMO
As NCFE’s Director of Technology, Data and PMO, I oversee all of our strategic projects from conception to delivery. Alongside this, I have responsibility for our operational excellence in technology, data, regulatory reporting, and the overarching information security posture of NCFE. I joined NCFE in 2013 working in the IT Infrastructure team, and I’ve continued to be supported to develop myself throughout my time here.
It was during my first job at Northern Rock that I first realised my passion for IT and learning, so I embarked on a self-study scheme through Learn Direct to gain an industry-recognised technical certificate with Microsoft (MCSE). This led me to other technical roles at Sage, BT and NCG, and I've continued to see education and ambition as a mechanism for improving myself whilst quenching my thirst to learn new things – my latest being a master's degree in cyber security, supported by NCFE.
Outside of work, I help to run a junior football club in the local community for 550 children and coach two football teams. I've also enjoyed some sabbatical time during my career, living and working in Australia.
HEAD OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
As Head of Financial Services at NCFE, I lead both the finance operations and finance business partnering functions. The Finance team supports departments across the organisation, delivering accurate and timely financial information to enable informed decision-making by the leadership team.
I’m a chartered management accountant and have worked across both commercial businesses and charities. Earlier in my career, I worked for American and German manufacturing technology companies before moving into the charity sector, supporting organisations in the cultural, supported accommodation, youth and community services sectors. I really enjoy working closely with management teams to improve financial performance and find smarter, more effective ways of doing things.
I was born in Sri Lanka and moved to England shortly afterwards. I lived in the south of England in my early years, but moved to the North East when I was nine and never really left! I now live in North Tyneside with my family. Outside of work, you’ll usually find me spending time with family and friends, cooking different cuisines in the kitchen, or enjoying travelling. I also occasionally try to convince myself that I’m into exercise - although I’m very much a fair-weather runner!
DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
I joined NCFE in August 2024 as Director of Research and Innovation. It’s an exciting role, which builds upon my research background and the diverse experience that I’ve gained throughout my career in awarding and assessment organisations.
Since moving into this part of the education sector in 2012, I have held technical assessment roles at several organisations, including Cambridge University Press & Assessment where I worked in an innovative and fast-paced international education development team. I moved from there to the Federation of Awarding Bodies where I led on policy and strategy. I have a particular interest in building better assessment practices through practitioner research and professional development, which has led to a teaching role as Academic Supervisor on the University of Cambridge’s postgraduate assessment programme.
After living in Cambridge for a few years, I moved back to the North West in 2021 to be closer to my family in Greater Manchester. I love living close to the hills of the Peak District and try to spend as much time as possible exploring the local area when I’m not working or fixing-up my 200-year-old house. I’m a big music fan and enjoy going to gigs and discovering new artists.