Governors

City Lit's governing body has up to 21 members, with skills and expertise in a wide range of professions. Governors are responsible for determining the educational character and mission of City Lit and for monitoring quality and performance. They oversee the college's activities, including the effective and efficient use of resources, and ensure the safeguarding of its assets. Governors also act as trustees and company directors.

Governor biographies

Jonathan Armour
Student Governor
 
Annita Bennett
Business Governor
Area of Expertise: corporate communications, public affairs, human resources and advertising.

Annita is founding partner and Chair of Taylor Bennett, an independent search firm specialising in communications assignments, actively advising on senior assignments, working closely with clients, consultants and researchers. She has worked for Unilever, as part of their recruitment team and corporate communications. She was also HR director for the advertising agency SSC&B Lintas. Annita is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a trustee of Independent Opera and a member of the national board of the Maggie’s Centres.

Jane Cooper
Governor

Jonathan Flowers
Area of Specialism: Organisational leadership

Jonathan is a Partner at Veredus, where he recruits to some of the most senior roles in the public sector, as well as coaching and facilitating individual and team performance, especially through change. He has held senior executive and non-executive roles in public, private and voluntary organisations and is also a trustee director of Rothamsted Research. His qualifications are in Mathematics, Operational Research, Business Administration and Art History and he remembers fondly that City Lit succeeded where his schooling failed and showed him that he could actually draw, after all. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, the Operational Research Society and the RSA.

My course choice would be: Exploring Classical Music
 
Christopher Galleymore 
Business Governor
Area of expertise:investment management

Christopher is a Non-Executive Director of JP Morgan US Smaller Companies Investment Trust. He has had a career in investment management,specializing in North American equities, including 2 years working in New York. He has previously held senior positions at Henderson Global Investors, Wardley and Geoffrey Morley. He is also a trustee of the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability Pension Scheme.

My choice of course would be: Music appreciation.

Colleen Harris
Governor

Areas of specialism: corporate communications and brand coaching

Colleen is an independent communications consultant and executive brand coach. She held a senior communications position in the Prime Minister’s Office before being appointed Press Secretary to HRH the Prince of Wales, and was the first Black member of the Royal Household. Her career has included senior posts in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, and the Home Office as well as in non-departmental Public Bodies. She now works as a consultant with private companies, non-profit organisations and UN agencies. She is a qualified teacher, trained counsellor and holds a Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Executive Coaching.
Colleen is a Fellow of the Royal Society, Member of the Institute of Career Guidance, board member at the YMCA (Central), and the Royal Albert Hall.

My course choice would be: American tap dancing

Bertie Leigh 
Co-opted Governor 
Area of expertise: law
 
Bertie is a Senior Partner at Hempsons solicitors and a Lead Partner in medical law, acting for health authorities, trusts and numerous professional bodies. He has specific expertise in risk management and clinical negligence. He also has an interest in the law relating to solicitors and has worked for and against colleagues under fire.
 
Marco Macchitella 
Staff Governor 
Area of expertise: education and management 
 
Marco is Director of Learning at City Lit and a part-time Ofsted inspector with over 25 years experience in the education both in Italy and the UK. He has also worked as an educational consultant for colleges and national organisations in England and is a member of the Chartered Management Institute. 
 
My course choice would be: Classical guitar

Mark Malcolmson
Principal

Mark joined City Lit as Principal having been Director of Executive Education at London Business School. Previously, he was President of the New York Institute of Finance, part of Pearson plc, the world largest education publishing company. 

Tim Mitchell
Local Authority Governor
Area of expertise: Local government, audit and computing

Tim has been a Westminster City councillor since 1998 and represents St James's ward which includes Covent Garden. He currently chairs the Council's Audit and Performance Committee. He also chairs a Licensing Sub Committee and sits on various council committees including Planning. He is a board member of a number of local community organisations including Covent Garden's community gym at Jubilee Hall and a community primary school. He is an IT consultant and has recently completed a bachelors degree with the Open University.

Maureen Sebanakitta
Governor
 
Janet Obi-Keller
Staff governor

Janet is Head of Music at City Lit, and was elected as staff governor in October 2008. She trained at the Conservatoire of Music in Marseille, France, and later gained a Post-Graduate Diploma in piano accompaniment at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. More recently she gained a Doctorate of Philosophy at the University of Surrey, Roehampton. Janet has worked at City Lit since March 2001.  

My course choices would be: Yoga, Spanish, Italian and Singing

Sandy Pfeifer
Governor

Henrika Priest
Governor

Joanna Reynolds
Business Governor
Area of Expertise: Direct Marketing and Publishing, business strategy, team building, change management.

Joanna is the Founder and MD of ReynoldsBusby Lee, a business consultancy specialising in advice on change management, publishing and pan-Euro direct marketing. Her previous roles include the CEO Europe for IMP (International Masters Publishing) MD Europe for Time Life International, Marketing Director of the Consumers’ Association, and Vice President Europe for HCI Direct, a direct marketing company. She is a trustee of the One World Trust.

Bill Stokoe
Deputy Chair of Governors
Area of expertise: banking, investor relations & board games
In banking for 30 years, then international IR consultancy, he has held senior posts at Brunswick Group, The Bank of New York, and NatWest Bank. He was Chairman of Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College Corporation, 1991-2004, and served on the Foster Review Advisory Group in 2005. He has been a member of the DfES/AoC Governance Advisory Group, and a council member of FEnto. Bill is chairman of Circa Circa Ltd, a board game company, and chairman of Abbot's Hospital Trust, Guildford.

Carole Stott 
Chair of Governors 
Area of expertise: adult education
 
Carole is Director of Credit Works, which provides research, development and consultancy for the learning and skills sector in the UK and internationally. She has extensive experience in education, spanning schools, further, higher and adult education, and as a teacher, lecturer, development worker, senior manager and CEO. Carole is a member of the Board of the Association of Colleges, and Deputy Chair of the AOC's Governors' Council.

My course choice would be: Violin for beginners

Louise Taylor
Student Governor

Louise Taylor, Student Governor, has been a student at City Lit since 2003 and has undertaken several courses. However, her particular loves have been the Advanced Clarinet, Clarinet Ensemble and Latin courses.

With an M.A. in Theology, she was a member of the teaching profession for over 20 years, teaching at both secondary and tertiary levels and writing a textbook for teachers of Sixth Form Religious Studies. In recent years, she diversified into the teaching of ITC and Photography. She also ran her own desktop publishing company and was Company Secretary of a block of flats for some years, both of which gave her a good deal of business know-how. She has broadcast several times on BBC World Service.

She is a member of the Royal Over-Seas League and English Speaking Union, formed her own Clarinet quintet and plays clarinet in a local symphony orchestra. She is a bibliophile but enjoys the outdoor life too as a very keen gardener.

Louise is partially sighted but also suffers from other disabilities, which is why, as a Governor, she has taken a particular interest in disability issues at City Lit.

Henry Woudhuysen
Governor
Areas of expertise: teaching and learning, quality management

Henry is Dean of Arts and Humanities at University College London, where he is responsible for around 200 staff in seven departments. A former Head of the Department of English Language and Literature, his research is mainly concerned with Shakespeare, Sidney, and the production and circulation of English books and manuscripts in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. His most recent publication is as co-general editor of the Oxford Companion to the Book (2010), a two-volume work that covers books in all countries and in all times: it is currently being translated into Chinese. In addition to being a Curator of the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford, he is a Fellow of the British Academy.

My course choice would be: Singing for Absolute Beginners

 

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