After ten years in the role, Mr Tim Cox is stepping down as Chairman of the British Accreditation Council (BAC). He became a member of the Council in the late 1980s and assumed the role of Chair in 2002. He is being replaced by Mr Peter Williams CBE, former Chief Executive of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). Mr Williams is one of BAC’s trustees and directors, having sat on its Board since 1999.

Dr Gina Hobson, Chief Executive of BAC said:

“Tim has led BAC through a period of considerable change over the past ten years and we wish him every happiness in his retirement. We are excited to welcome Peter as our new Chair, and I have no doubt that his experience and expertise will assist us in tackling the< challenges to be faced by the charity and the sector head on.”

Peter Williams has spent much of his working life in the administration and guidance of higher education. From 1997 until his retirement in 2009, Peter worked for the QAA and became Chief Executive in 2002. He also served as President of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) from 2005 to 2008. In 2009 he was honoured with the CBE for his work in higher education.

Peter Williams stated:

“The British Accreditation Council is one of the most respected accreditation agencies working with higher and further education institutions in Britain. It offers a rare combination of professionalism and rigour, which together provide a high level of reassurance for students and employers engaging with colleges in the independent sector. I am proud to have been asked to succeed Tim Cox, who has been an excellent Chair, and look forward to taking BAC into a period of renewed growth and achievement.”

Briefing note: British Accreditation Council (BAC)

For over a quarter of a century the BAC has been the principal non-EFL (English as a Foreign Language) accrediting body in the independent sectors of further and higher education. BAC is a non-governmental body, having been established in 1984 to provide an inspection and accreditation service for independent further and higher education.
BAC is a registered charity and was founded with the support of a number of bodies involved in education at a national level. BAC’s core business is to inspect and accredit providers of further and higher education which operate outside the funding and quality assurance framework underpinning the public university and college sectors.

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