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New board appointments announced.

*ADVISORY: corrects biographical information of Board member*

A new chair and board for Glasgow Clyde College have been announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Angela Constance.

The appointments follow the removal of the previous chair and board for repeated incidences of board failure relating to governance, including breaches of its terms and conditions of grant.

The new appointments are as follows:

• Alex Linkston, former Chief Executive of West Lothian Council (chair)
• Sandra Heidinger, Director of Human Resources at University of Strathclyde
• Michael Yuille, currently non-executive director of YPeople, chair of former Clydebank College and Regional Lead for West College
• David Newall, University Secretary, University of Glasgow
• Gordon McGuiness, Head of Industries and Enterprise Networks at Skills Development Scotland and chair of former Reid Kerr College
• Alex Muirhead, Development Director, Ecosse Regeneration Management Ltd, Chair of former Motherwell College
• Gill Troup, Leadership and Management Consultant; former senior civil servant and former member of Skills Development Scotland.

The Cabinet Secretary said:

“We have been engaging directly with the College since May after staff, students and local representatives raised concerns about governance.

“The outgoing Board has failed to discharge its duties on a number of counts, including breaching clear rules on expenditure limits, allowing its relationship with student representatives to break down, and failing to investigate governance concerns raised by the Principal before her suspension.

“Having considered all the information, and taken into account what is in the best interests and needs of students and staff at the college, I am clear that a new Board is needed to take Glasgow Clyde College forward.

“I am confident the new Board will act quickly to forge a positive relationship with its 27,000 students and staff so the college can fully focus on supporting learners to achieve their ambitions and ensuring the institution plays a key role in the life of Glasgow, its people and its economy.”

Alex Linkston commented:

“I am very pleased to take on this role. Public confidence in the governance of the college is essential to its success. I’m looking forward to working with the new board, students and staff to ensure it is well run and delivers the best possible outcomes for all those studying, working and engaging in other ways with the college.”

Notes To Editors

Glasgow Clyde College and its nearly 1,000 staff support around 27,000 students from across the city and wider region, with an annual budget of nearly £30 million.

Ministers have used their powers under section 24(2) of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992. This enables them to remove by order any or all board members (except the principal) of an incorporated college and to appoint persons in place of a removed chair or non-executive board member. Section 24(1) of that Act sets out the circumstances in which Ministers may remove board members. In this instance, Ministers have concluded that the college board has committed repeated breaches of terms and conditions of their grant from the Scottish Funding Council; and has mismanaged its affairs.

The Glasgow Clyde College (Removal and Appointment of Board Members) (Scotland) Order 2015 removed eight people from the Glasgow Clyde College Board. These are the people who were members of the Board during the relevant period (February to July 2015), except the Principal.

The new members of the Board, including the Chair, hold office until no later than 30 September 2016.

Alex Linkston CBE served as a member of the Christie Commission which was set-up by the Scottish Government to look at the delivery of public services across Scotland. He currently holds a number of other posts including as Chair of NHS Forth Valley; Vice-Chair of the Board of West Lothian College; Chair of Youth Link Scotland; and a Member of the Scottish Council of the Princes’ Trust Scotland.

Further biographical information about the new Board members is available from Scottish Government Communications.