College Governance

The Board of Governance is responsible for the oversight of Nelson College London subject to the ultimate authority of the Board of Directors. The Board advises the Principal and directors on strategy, risk, resourcing and employment matters, including the engagement of senior officers. Additionally, the Board seeks to ensure that the College is well-managed and delivering quality education in accordance with the expectations of students, awarding organisations, the Quality Assurance Agency, and statutory bodies.

 

- Geoffrey Alderman

- Nazim Uddin

- Athiqul Islam

- Shiraj Islam

- Aleksandra Osiniagova (Observer)

- David Douglas (Observer)

 

- Twenty-second Board meeting was held on 15/04/2021

The Principal's Executive Group advises the Principal on strategic decisions relating to the academic conduct and well-being of the College. Of itself, it has no executive authority.

The Academic Board (AB) is the principal academic body of the College and is ultimately responsible for its local regulatory frameworks, policies and procedures, as well as for the management of academic standards and quality. The Academic Board aims to meet the expectations of the College’s external stakeholders, more especially in relation to the quality of the student experience and the academic standards of the programmes taught. The Academic Board has ten committees reporting to it: the Academic Planning Committee, the Programme Committees, the Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee, the Course Committees, the Academic Assessment Panel, The Ethics Committee, the Progression Board, the Student Representatives Committee, the Student Access and Success Steering Group, the Equality and Diversity Committee, The Knowledge Exchange Centre Management Committee. The Academic Board reports to the Board of Governance.

The Academic Planning Committee (APC) is responsible for academic portfolio planning and development and for making recommendations to the Academic Board on approval and re-approval of partners, with due consideration being given to the enhancement of quality and standards. The Academic Planning Committee reports to the Academic Board setting out proposals and recommendations for approval.

A Programme Committee is formed for each HND Programme the College delivers. The Programme Committees report to the Academic Board and are responsible for managing the day-to-day academic quality and standards of the programmes, and for ensuring effective engagement with students on programme-related matters.

The Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee (QAEC) is responsible for ensuring that the College’s quality assurance systems meet the expectations of the UK Quality Code, awarding bodies, students and other internal and external stakeholders. The Quality Assurance and Enhancement Committee reports to the Academic Board.

The College offers Courses validated by the London Metropolitan University. A Course Committee is formed for each London Met Course the College delivers. Course Committees are an important element of the quality assurance and enhancement cycle. A Course Committee is advisory to the Course Leader(s), Head of Programme Delivery, subject leaders and Dean of the Faculty, for the general operation and management of one or all the undergraduate/postgraduate courses in its subject area as distinct from the Subject Standards Boards and Awards Boards which are both Assessment Boards of Examiners concerned with student assessment, the conferment of awards and the setting and monitoring of standards and from Performance Enhancement Meetings. A Course Committee reports to the Academic Board.

The Academic Assessment Panel (AAP) is responsible for overseeing all assessment decisions and awards at the College including the consideration of requirements for re-submissions and re-sits. The Academic Assessment Panel reports to the Academic Board.

The Ethics Committee considers issues relating to research undertaken by undergraduate and postgraduate students which raise ethical questions, and to teaching issues in which ethical issues may surface. The Ethics Committee operates as a committee of the Academic Board, to which it will submit an annual report.

A Progression Board meets prior to the commencement of teaching for the academic year two. The purpose of the Progression Board is to review the students’ academic performance to make progression decisions from year one to year two. The Progression Board reports to the Academic Board.

The Student Representatives Committee (SRC) provides a forum in which students can express their views on their learning experience at the College. The Student Representatives Committee reports to the Academic Board.

The purpose of the Student Access and Success Steering Group (SASSG) is to monitor the implementation and evaluation of the College’s Access and Participation Plan, as approved by the Office for Students, and to make recommendations as it deems necessary. The SASSG reports to the Academic Board.

The purpose of the Access and Participation Plan Steering Group (APPSG) is to scrutinise the College’s Access and Participation Plan (APP) documentation and monitor the progress made against the targets and commitments made within it. The group is mandated to provide support and guidance to the teams working in Access, Success and Progression delivery. The APPSG will report to the Student Access and Success Steering Group. 

The purpose of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDC) is to ensure the College complies with the Equality Act 2010 and the College Equality and Diversity Policy, and to make recommendations as it deems necessary. The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee reports to the Academic Board.

The Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Advisory Group has been established to advise the College on the type of support required for BAME students throughout the student lifecycle. The group where necessary will advise the College’s Equality and Diversity Committee which reports to the Academic Board. The Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Advisory Group reports to the Equality and Diversity Committee.

The Knowledge Exchange Centre Management Committee (KECMC) oversees the development and implementation of the College’s strategy for knowledge exchange and enterprise activities.  The KEC also supports Employability and Skills development through the Career Advice Department (CAD). The Knowledge Exchange Centre Management Committee reports to the Academic Board.

The Student Engagement Management Committee (SEMC) provides a management and reporting structure for the Student Engagement Officers and their line manager, approving the annual Operational Plan. The SEMC aims to provide a forum for all departmental stakeholders to share their views and provide suggestions and feedback on past and future activities and events. Additionally, they will support the planning and delivery of various student engagement activities such as student events, student representation, student support, non-curricular and leisure activities, etc.

Aaron Porter, BA FRSA. He works extensively with universities and other higher education bodies across the UK with a number of consultancy and advisory roles primarily with Advance HE (leading on governance), with IDP Connect and with Wonkhe. He is also the non-executive chair of BPP University and on the council of Goldsmiths, University of London. He was previously President of the National Union of Students (2010-11) and has served in a non-executive capacity on the board of HEFCE, UCAS, Endsleigh Insurance and the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

Role: Chair of Board of Governance

Main employment: Portfolio of consultancy activity across UK higher education sector.

Outside Business Interest: Consultancy work with Advance HE | Consultancy work with IDP Connect | Education Committee, General Chiropractic Council (Honorarium) | Council, Goldsmiths University of London | Non-Executive Chair, BPP University | Governor, Whitgift School, Croydon | Partnerships Director (consultancy capacity), Wonkhe.

Immediate* family connections in NCL: None

 

Professor Geoffrey Alderman is an internationally recognised authority in the fields of modern history and politics who holds two doctorates (DPhil and DLitt) from the University of Oxford. A prize-winning journalist, Professor Alderman was formerly Pro Vice-Chancellor at the Universities of London and Middlesex. He writes extensively on the management of quality and standards in further and higher education and is a Visiting Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies. Professor Alderman holds the rank of Chartered Manager within the Chartered Management Institute and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Role: Principal | Executive member Board of Governance | Chair of Academic Board | Chair of Principal's Executive Group

Main employment: Principal, Nelson College London

Immediate* family connections in NCL: None

David Douglas joined Nelson College London as Head of Programme Delivery, in April 2016. Having a wealth of teaching experience at both professional, postgraduate and undergraduate levels, David has also spent much of his previous career in Educational and Small Business Management.

Role: Executive member of Board of Governance Observer | Member of Principal's Executive Group | Chair: Student Representative Committee | Chair: Progression Board

Main employment: Head of Programme Delivery, Nelson College London 

Outside Business Interest: Director, Nida Property Investments Ltd

Immediate* family connections in NCL: None

 

Athiqul Islam has a postgraduate qualification in Strategic Management and Leadership. He has over 11 years’ experience of working at various levels in the Higher Education sector. Currently, he is a Director at Nelson College London.

Role: Company Director | Executive member Board of Governance | Member of Principal's Executive Group

Main employment: Head of Administration, Finance and HR, Nelson College London

Outside Business Interest: Director of Clements Management Company Limited, Shareholder (20%) of An Nakhlah Ltd.

Immediate* family connections in NCL: None

 

Shirajul Islam, BA (Hons) Business Management, BTEC National (Business), is a Director of Nelson College London. He was the Marketing and Admissions Manager for six years and has been the Head of Marketing since 2012. Currently he is working with local schools; colleges and the Council to provide practical work experience. He also helps youths locally and nationally via the BEP group and Scouts.

Role: Company Director | Executive member Board of Governance | Member of Principal's Executive Group

Main employment: Head of Marketing, Nelson College London

Outside Business Interest: Properties, Shareholder (20%) of An Nakhlah Ltd., Shareholder (50%) of Bangla Kuryz Takeaway Ltd.

Immediate* family connections in NCL: Dr. Shorful Islam - Brother

 

Aleksandra Osiniagova has been the Head of Academic Services at Nelson College London since 2011. She has very diverse leadership and management experience. She completed BSc (Hons) Criminology with Psychology (with Distinction) from London South Bank University, and her MBA in Business and Administration (with Distinction) from Bolton University. Aleksandra has been promoted to Vice Principal in 2022. And finally, she is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Role: Executive member of Board of Governance | Member of Principal's Executive Group | Deputy Chair of Academic Board

Main employment: Vice Principal and Head of Academic Services, Nelson College London

Outside Business Interest: None

Immediate* family connections in NCL: None

 

Nazim Uddin [FCCA, MBA, BSc, BBM, PGDE (University of Cambridge)] is a Director of Nelson College London. He is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and Higher Education Academy. Nazim has spent just over five years as a lecturer at University of East London and four years as an external examiner for Newcastle University. Nazim has co-authored a book and several articles on widening access for mature students and is committed to improving employability and enterprising skills among students from disadvantaged backgrounds. He received a gold medal from the president of Bangladesh in 2002 in recognition of his excellent academic achievement in the MBA programme.

Role: Company Director | Executive member Board of Governance | Chair of Quality Assurance and Enhancement Management Committee (QAEC) | Member of Principal's Executive Group | Member of Audit, Risk Management and Remuneration Committee (ARMRC) 

Main employment: Head of Quality Assurance at Nelson College London

Outside Business Interest: He owns shares in the following organisations:

1.1 London Churchill College Ltd; No. 05995926; [25.61%]

1.2 Uddins Nagar UK Ltd; No- 09488936 [100%]

1.3 Nelson London Ventures Limited; (No. 08815651 [24.06%]

1.4 C4Chatga Ltd. (No-14893751 [circa 2.7%])

1.5 SiteNet Tech Ltd. (No-12750911 [24.06%])

2.1 Uddins Nagar UK Ltd; No- 09488936 [100%]

2.2 Nelson College London Ltd (No 05301926) [28.04%]

2.3 LCC Investments Ltd. (No-10485043)

2.4 Nelson London Ventures Limited; No. 08815651 [20%]

2.5 Company Secretary, London Churchill College Ltd; No. 05995926

2.6 C4Chatga Ltd. (No-14893751 [circa 2.7%])

2.7 SiteNet Tech Ltd. (No-12750911 [24.06%])

2.8 Al Noor Masjid and Education Trust (Charity number: 1205066)

Immediate* family connections in NCL: Farhana Uddin, wife of Nazim Uddin, is a non-executive Director of London Churchill College.

 

Dr Shorful Islam is CEO of Be Data Solutions, a data strategy, data engineering and data science/analytics company. He is also Founder of Subatomic Analytics, a data analytics and data science consultancy and serves as the Chief Data Scientist at Tribal Worldwide.

He has over 20 years of industry experience in data analytics, having used machine learning during his PhD before the term data science was popularised. With knowledge of advanced analytical and statistical techniques, and data science technologies, he has helped some of the world’s largest companies with their data strategies and built predictive, prescriptive, and operational models that answer fundamental business questions.

His previous roles included, Chief Product and Data Officer at OutThink, Co-founder and Managing Director at Stream Intelligence, Managing Partner, Data and Insights at Wunderman, Head of Data at DDB, and Head of Business Information and Customer Data Strategy at ITV. He has also worked across the NHS and local government and started his career as a lecturer.

Dr Shorful Islam has a PhD in Psychology, specialising in Health Psychology and his dissertation focused on predicting accidental injuries in children, taking into account the individual, societal and environmental impacts on well-being and health outcomes.

Role: Non-executive member of Board of Governance

Main employment: CEO, Be Data Solutions | A Data Strategy, Data Engineering and Data Analytics Consultancy

Outside Business Interest: Advisor to OutThink (Cyber Security Start-up), Advisor to BEAM (a wellbeing app), Advisor to NZF, Advisor to Muslim Aid

Immediate* family connections in NCL: One of the directors - Shirajul Islam is my brother.

 

Coral initially worked as a litigator in private practice, before moving to The University of Law. The major part of her career has been developing distance learning and eLearning materials for aspiring and qualified lawyers. Coral has held a number of governance roles including, external governor for Heriot-Watt University, academic advisor on the Development and Equality Committee and the eLearning Committee for the Judicial College, and Board Member for Career Ready UK.

Role: Non-Executive Company Director | Non-executive member of Board of Governance

Main employment: Diversity consultant and Editor in Chief of Legal Women

Outside Business Interest: No business interests as such but the following roles: Council Membership Committee, The Law Society of England and Wales | Chair of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Westminster and Holborn Law Society | International Women in Law Committee; The Law Society of England and Wales | Member of Federation of European Bar Associations

Immediate* family connections in NCL: None

 

Carl Stychin, BA (Alberta), JD (Toronto), LLM (Columbia), LLD (Reading), is Director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Professor of Law in the School of Advanced Study, University of London. He began his academic career at Keele University (Lecturer, 1992-96; Senior Lecturer, 1996-98) before moving to the University of Reading as a Professor of Law in 1998. During fourteen years at Reading, he served as Head of the School of Law, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Enterprise). He then served as Dean of The City Law School, City, University of London (2012-18). Professor Stychin is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, a Lay Council Member of the General Chiropractic Council, and Editor of Social & Legal Studies: An International Journal. He is a former Chair of the Committee of Heads of University Law Schools (CHULS).

Role: Non-executive member of Board of Governance

Main employment: Director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies and Professor of Law, School of Advanced Study, University of London

Outside Business Interest: Lay Council Member, General Chiropractic Council | Lay Member of the Governance Board, Patent Examination Board | Non-Executive Director, NCUK (Northern Consortium) Ltd | Independent Education Advisor, Costs Lawyer Standards Board | Editor, Social & Legal Studies: An International Journal | | Education Associate, General Dental Council | Lay Member of Education Visitor Panels, General Optical Council | Member, Irish Research Council Postgraduate and Postdoctoral Research Scholarship Inner Assessment Board | External Examiner at University of Bristol, School of Law.

Immediate* family connections in NCL: None

 

Sarah Ryan has over 20 years’ experience in mergers & acquisitions, investment banking and corporate strategy and has worked in dozens of countries around the world. She has a BA in Economics from Duke University and an MBA with honours in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Role: Non-executive member of Board of Governance

Main employment: SVP, M&A, Sedgwick

Outside Business Interest: None

Immediate* family connections in NCL: None

Juliette Wagner, qualified as Barrister in 1995. She worked in private practice and then moved into Higher Education arena where she held a number of roles most recently as Pro Vice Chancellor at BPP University. She also worked as a Teaching Excellence Framework assessor and is Principal Fellow of Higher Education Academy.

Role: Non-executive member of Board of Governance

Main employment: Pro Vice Chancellor of BPP University 

Outside Business Interest: None

Immediate* family connections in NCL: None

*Immediate family includes parent, child, spouse or sibling.

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