Meet the Governors

Lindsay gained a BSc (Hons) in Astrophysics at UCL – but turned down a career, literally as a rocket scientist, to pursue her love of journalism. After training as a reporter with Mirror Group Newspapers, she moved into magazines becoming editor initially of Prima, then for over 18 years as editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping, which under her leadership became the biggest-selling monthly magazine in Britain. She was twice named Editor of the Year, honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Society of Magazine Editors and became the first Editorial Director of The National Magazine Company responsible for some of the most famous magazine brands in Britain including Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar and Esquire.  As well as spear-heading campaigns for more family-friendly workplaces, she used her early experiences studying a STEM subject to campaign for Women In Science. In 2017, she gave up editing to concentrate on a portfolio career of writing, coaching and campaigning. In 2018 she was awarded an MBE, in recognition of services to journalism and equal opportunities. Lindsay has published two memoirs, Living On The Seabed (Vermilion, 2005), concerning the deaths of her first husband and eldest child from a rare form of leukaemia and Perfect Bound (Mudlark, 2024) about the long-term impact of PTSD.

Course of choice would be: so many to choose from - but I am currently enthralled by Ancient Greek.

Edward teaches music history and music theory at City lit where he is Head of Programme for Advanced Studies in the School of Performing Arts. His specialism is early music (medieval, renaissance and baroque periods) and he holds a PhD at King's College London (2013) on the performance of medieval music.

Previously Edward has taught music at Morley College and English for Itaú bank in São Paulo, Brazil. Outside of teaching, Edward is a regular contributor to Gramophone magazine and has also worked for the BBC Proms. His most recent essays are published in: The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Historical Performance in Music, and The Oxford Handbook of Music and Medievalism.

Course of choice would be: Portuguese Level 4.

Felicity has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry including senior leadership roles in digital transformation, HR, risk management and audit. Most recently she served as People Operations and Business Management Director for Lloyds Banking Group. Alongside her executive career, she has 10 years’ experience as a charity trustee. She is currently a trustee of the Imperial Health Charity and the Association of Anaesthetists and a member of the Board at Hightown Housing and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust. Attracted by the range of courses and quality of teaching at City Lit, Felicity has been a student with City Lit for over 20 years studying subjects from self-defence to singing and yoga/tai chi to art appreciation and an introduction to bookbinding.

Paula studied medicine at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London and went on to practice in the UK and Barbados. After studying public health at Johns Hopkins in the US she moved into healthcare management where she spent the rest of her career. While in America she worked for the Children’s Defence Fund charity advocating for better healthcare for young people. Paula later held a number of roles at Bupa and worked for Marie Stopes International gaining a broad, first hand experience of healthcare and health systems in many countries across the world.

Throughout her career she has been passionate about the delivery of accessible high quality healthcare. She is a trustee of the Youth Sport Trust and a board member of Spectrum.Life, a digital healthcare company. With a love of learning, over the years Paula has been a student of many things including Egyptology, pattern cutting, counselling, ethics and music.

Course of choice: The Essential History of Jazz in 20 cuts.

Mark is a Chartered Accountant with a Cranfield MBA. The first 13 years of his career were spent training and practising as a Chartered Accountant, he then decided to leave the heady world of finance and take a bungee jump into the third sector - a decision he has not regretted for a single minute of his 30+ years in the sector. During this time he has been Chief Executive of the RVS and the National Autistic Society. Most recently he led Helpforce to work in partnership with health and care organisations who wanted to accelerate the growth and impact of their volunteering.

In his spare time, he looks ridiculous in lycra cycling at the weekends, cultivates grey hair at an alarming rate, drinks wine with his wife Amanda and regularly negotiates behaviour related pay awards with his four sons.

Course of choice would be: Creative non-fiction writing

Gabriel worked as a public sector lawyer for 30 years. She ended her career as Head of Corporate Law and Deputy Monitoring Officer for the London Borough of Croydon advising local politicians and senior officers on governance issues and strategic projects in relation to one of the most populous and ethnically diverse boroughs in London.  Prior to joining as a Governor at City Lit Gabriel spent six years as a Lay Member of the University of Kent Council, is a Trustee for a Residential Care Home for the Elderly and a weekly volunteer at the Merton Homeless Drop In.

Course of choice would be: I’d do one of the London History Walks and Courses. I’ve lived in London all my life but there’s always more to learn about it.

Lucy Arnold-Courtney – Governor Lucy has worked in higher and further education for nearly 20 years. Lucy started as a Politics lecturer for an East Midlands university before shifting her focus to strategically facilitating access to Higher Education and championing Further Education. She is active in governance and support of schools and colleges including being the Chair of Governors for a large single academy trust in Essex and the Trustee of an Awarding Organisation focussed on adult education. Lucy is currently the Director of a newly established University Centre in East London following her previous role as Director of Continuing Education for university in London.

Lucy’s love of further education and its role in society has defined her work within Higher Education and her own personal development as a lifelong learner.

Course of choice: Ceramics

Alison works as Executive Director of Inclusive Communities and Partnerships at Mencap, an organisation she has loved being part of for the past 15 years. She is committed to tackling inequalities and social injustice, championing equity so people can live happy, healthy lives. Her current role includes leading teams across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to deliver high quality housing and support, education and training and community services to people with a learning disability from birth to old age.  The principles of inclusion, partnership and empowerment are important to her in her work. Prior to Mencap she worked at Deloitte and is a qualified teacher having taught Religious Studies and Psychology for 3 years. City Lit is her first trustee appointment.

Course of choice would be: Arabic, so I can understand what my partner is talking to his family and friends about!

Paul is a leading expert on generational change, education, and the future of work. A respected speaker, author, and commentator, Paul works with organisations, educators and professionals around the world, to help them navigate the challenges of today's rapidly evolving, multi-generational landscape.

With a background in student engagement and lifelong learning, Paul served as Director of Student Experience and Enhancement at the University of Liverpool and Director of Student Life at the University of Manchester. He has held numerous other visiting and advising roles at a range of UK universities and has guided the development and careers of thousands of learners across all age groups and backgrounds.

Paul’s research explores topics highly relevant to adult and community education — including the post-Covid world of work, Generation Z, the rise of AI and ‘Zombie Jobs’ (the theme of his 2019 TED Talk), and the importance of intergenerational communication in learning environments. His insights have been widely cited by national and international organisations seeking to better support inclusive, future-focused education.

He writes regularly for national media, appears on BBC and independent current affairs programmes, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His best-selling books include The Graduate Jobs Formula, and ‘Future-Proofing Your Career in the AI Age.’ His new book, ‘Fearlessly Human’ about how to thrive, work, and lead, in the AI era, is to be published by Trotman in 2026.

As a passionate advocate for adult education and lifelong learning, Paul brings a strong commitment to the values at the heart of City Lit.

Jill has worked in adult education for over 40 years, beginning her career as a literacy tutor with gypsy and travelling families in the Midlands, going on to teach in London and Yorkshire. She spent 25 years working at the Northern College in Barnsley, with 11 years as principal before she retired in 2018.  She worked for the Adult Learning Inspectorate and Ofsted as an additional inspector.

Jill is also vice chair of the GFTU Education Trust. She was awarded a CBE in 2010 for services to adult education and received the TES FE lifetime achievement award in 2018.   She is a fellow of the City and Guilds institute.