Colette joined Advance HE in May 2023 from Natural Resources Wales, the largest arm’s length body of Welsh Government, where she was Head of Governance & Board Secretary in charge of their governance transformation programme. With almost 15 years of experience in the HE sector, she combines an in-depth understanding of HE governance, leadership, and management with experience of consultancy. She was previously the Assistant Vice-Chancellor at the University of Winchester and has also held roles at Bournemouth University, the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
As the Head of Governance & Consulting she is now responsible for leading Advance HE’s existing governance advisory portfolio and developing the wider consultancy business. She is passionate about advising and supporting senior leaders in UK HE on governance and other critical issues and supporting the boards of higher education providers to be as effective as possible.
Colette recently completed the Doctorate of Business Administration in HE at the University of Bath, with a thesis exploring the role of ‘service climate’ in student satisfaction. She is currently a Trustee of First Star Scholars UK, a charity that aims to empower young people in care to study at university, and was previously the Chair of the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL). She has also served on the Board of the British Accreditation Council (BAC) and the 401 Foundation, and is a former Governor of Barton Peveril College and Poole NHS Foundation Trust.
Colette is based in Anglesey in North Wales and spends her spare time trying to learn Welsh and training a very independently-minded Jack Russell puppy.