Remit

Board of Directors



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Non-Executive Chairman

Professor Sir Deian Hopkin – Interim Non-Executive Chairman

Professor Sir Deian Hopkin was appointed Interim Non-Executive Chairman on 25 May 2010.


Deian retired in 2009 as Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of London South Bank University following a career in higher education extending over 40 years. Most recently he has been interim Vice Chancellor of the University of East London and during the autumn of 2009 conducted a review of the Student Loans Company’s performance during the 2009/10 cycle.


He has been active in the skills agenda, as HE Champion of the 14-19 Diplomas and of the Apprenticeships programme and Chair of UniversitiesUK’s Skills Task Group.


He was a member of the Learning and Skills Council, a governor of two Further Education Colleges and is currently a trustee or patron of a number of organisations, including the Campaign for Learning, Foundation Degree Forward and the Summer University.

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CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Ed Lester - Interim Chief Executive

Ed Lester

 

Non-executive directors

Ian Dickson

Ian Dickson

Ian Dickson was appointed a Non-Executive Director of SLC in March 2005 and has since been appointed as Chairman of the Audit Committee which sits on a quarterly basis throughout the year.


He was previously Finance Director and Principal Finance Office (PFO) for the Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD), where his Board responsibilities included finance, strategic operational and project risk, internal audit and IT. Prior to that he worked in the insurance industry in Scotland with Scottish Provident.


David Edelman

david edelman

David Edelman joined SLC in August 2008. He is currently the Managing Director of a small company which supplies data sets to banks who need to comply with Basel II, and the principal consultant with a niche consultancy specialising in credit scoring and control.


Previously he had been an academic statistician and had spent 17 years in retail banking ending as Risk Director of the Royal Bank of Scotland's Own Brand Businesses.


Sally Smedley

sally smedley

Sally Smedley joined SLC in August 2008. She has had a career mainly in HR, ending as HR and Communications Director with British Energy from 1999 to 2006, following similar appointments with East Midlands Electricity and BOC Group.


She is currently a consultant and a member of the National Trust Appointments Committee and the Doctors and Dentists Review Board, and has recently completed two terms as Non-Executive Director with Remploy Ltd where she was Chairman of the Remuneration and Appointments Committees.


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Willie Gallagher

willie gallagher

Willie Gallagher joined SLC on 1 April 2010. Willie has a career in customer services and change management within the UK energy and transport sectors as Executive Chairman of tie ltd and Customer Services Director at Scottish Power plc where he dealt with volume processing for 3 million customers.


For the past 10 years Willie has been the Director of his own consultancy business Touchdown Services Ltd. He has developed a portfolio of non-executive roles and is also currently appointed to the Board of the Scottish Qualification Authority and the Court of Edinburgh Napier University.


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Michael Yuille

michael yuillie

Michael Yuille joined SLC on 1 April 2010. Michael is a qualified chartered accountant by profession with 23 years experience as Director of Finance in the Higher Education sector. He has also worked in the private sector with PricewaterhouseCoopers and KPMG in accounting, audit, and consultancy roles.


Michael has served as Chair of the British Universities Finance Directors Group, and has served on board of Clydebank College of Further Education. He is currently a non-executive director of the Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust where he chairs the audit committee.


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Company Secretary

Chris Andrew - Company Secretary

Chris Andrew

Chris Andrew is Company Secretary of SLC. He provides a secretariat to the Company's Board of Directors and Executive Management ensuring that all necessary Corporate Governance requirements are complied with. He joined the Company in 1999 as Head of Audit, having previously worked at KPMG as a Senior Audit Manager.


In addition to his responsibilities as Company Secretary, he is the vice-chair of the Finance and Governance Board, which ensures that the Company establishes and complies with appropriate arrangements for corporate governance, financial management and control, and all relevant legislation.


He is also responsible for the Assurance Services Division, which encompasses the areas of Corporate Assurance, Internal Audit, and Legal & Compliance. He became a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) in 1990.


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Executive Directors (in attendance)

Derek Ross - Managing Director, Student Finance England

Derek Ross

Derek Ross was appointed Managing Director of Student Finance England in December 2009 having previously been Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Operations where he was responsible for Business Services, Customer Services and Change Management.


Derek has also been Director of Administration and Company Secretary and Legal Services and Corporate Compliance Manager since joining the Student Loans Company in 1999.


Before joining SLC he was a practicing solicitor for 15 years in private legal practice and in-house. He is a member of the Law Society of Scotland and, in addition to his legal qualifications, Derek holds a Masters degree (MBA) from the University of Glasgow.


Les Campbell - Finance Director

Les Campbell

Les Campbell joined the Student Loans Company as Finance Director in May 2007. He is responsible for all aspects of Finance, including Financial and Corporate Services.


Before joining the Student Loans Company, Les was the Director of Finance at Glasgow Housing Association for three and a half years. Prior to that, he was the Group Financial Controller at British Energy plc for seven years, having previously worked with Scottish Power plc and PricewaterhouseCoopers.


He is a board member of the Scottish Legal Aid Board, the non-departmental public body responsible for managing legal aid in Scotland. He is also a council member of Quarriers, the charity dealing with the disabled, people with epilepsy and young people.


Les is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.


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David Wallace – Interim Chief Operating Officer

David Wallace

David Wallace joined the Company as Interim Chief Operating Officer on 15 March 2010.


In this role, David is responsible for all Operational Services, ICT and Change Management. A Chartered Accountant and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, David has previously held a number of senior positions within Abbey National plc and was Chief Operating Officer for Santander’s Insurance and Asset Management Division.


In 2005, David became CEO at one of the UK’s largest domestic outsourced contact centre and business process outsourcing service providers. He was also a founding member of the Scottish Government’s Financial Services Advisory Board and its precursor, the Financial Services Strategy Group, and is currently a Governor of Court at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Taroub Zahran – Interim Director of Human Resources

Taroub Zahran

Taroub Zahran joined the Student Loans Company as Interim Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development on 27 April 2010. She is responsible for all aspects of human resources, organisational development and learning including employee relations and executive development.


Taroub's career to date has been in public service organisations working in a range of human resources, organisational development and general management roles in the voluntary sector, NHS and then as Director of Organisational Development and Chief Executive of Glasgow Housing Association, Europe's largest housing provider.


Taroub now works as an independent consultant and advisor specialising in organisational development, business transformation, business strategy development and achieving organisational effectiveness. Taroub was a Board member of Quality Scotland and won the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development ASA HR Excellence Award in 2005.

Assessors (in attendance)

Michael Hipkins - represents the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills

Mike Hipkins

Michael Hipkins has been Director of Student Finance Strategy at the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills since 2004.



Stephen Kerr – Represents Scottish Ministers - Head of the Higher Education and Learner Support Division

 

Stephen took up the post of Head of the Higher Education and Learner Support Division in May 2007, having previously been Head of the Skills for Life & Work Division (SLW).


A qualified solicitor, Stephen studied law at the University of Dundee (undergraduate) and the University of Strathclyde (postgraduate). Prior to joining the civil service, Stephen held senior positions in Deloitte and Dundas & Wilson LLP (one of Scotland's largest law firms).




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