The Board of Trustees comprises of individuals who are interested and committed to ensuring rigorous quality assurance in education and training and have the necessary skills and experience to participate in the decision-making process of BAC. Trustees are all members of the Council which offers strategic leadership and oversight, ensures BAC is fully compliant with its legal obligations, and receive reports from three Committees which have delegated authority to monitor and implement BAC’s work. More information about BAC’s corporate governance can be found here

Professor Phil Cardew, Trustee since September 2022

Chair 

Phil is currently Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) at Leeds Beckett University and has served in senior positions within a number of institutions over the past twenty years. His role encompasses the strategic leadership of teaching and learning, quality assurance and regulation and partnership with students. He also directly manages all student-facing services. He was an assistant director in the reviews group of QAA for a brief period at the start of the century and has worked with the agency as a reviewer before and since this time, as well as with quality agencies in a number of international locations (with specialisms in GCC states and Hong Kong and Macao). He is a principal fellow of the Higher Education Academy. With what other time allows him, he continues to pursue research interests in medieval Icelandic literature, with a particular focus on identity and “otherness”.

 

Prof David Law, Trustee since February 2017

Vice Chair

David has worked for five universities in the UK and, for three years, was an Assistant Director (half-time secondment) at the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency.  His current role is Academic Director: Global Partnerships in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office at Keele University. In addition to university employment, David has been a Board Member at the UK’s Council for International Students (UKCISA) and is currently the Deputy Chair of the British Accreditation Council (BAC). 

Dr Stephen Jackson, Trustee since April 2017

Honorary Treasurer and Chair of Audit Committee

Dr Stephen Jackson is an international consultant in quality assurance in higher education.  He has now retired from the Quality Assurance Agency in the UK where he was the Director of Quality Assurance and a member of the Agency’s executive management team.  Previously, he held the post of Assistant Provost with responsibility for learning and teaching development at Liverpool John Moores University.

 

Prof Mary Bishop, PhD, FCCA, CA (ANZ), PFHEA, Trustee since October 2018

Member of Audit Committee

In addition to being an Executive Principal at the British College in Nepal, Mary currently holds a portfolio of roles including NEDs and national UK regulatory positions, and leads a commercial and education consultancy focusing particularly on developing innovative digital teaching and learning models, governance and risk management and regulatory compliance. Mary is former Director of Learning for ACCA Global and in 2016 she was awarded honorary Chartered Accountancy status for her contribution to global accountancy education.

Mr Kevin Everett, OStJ, DSc, Hon DEd, Hon DBA, FInstAM Trustee since January 2019

Member of Audit Committee

Kevin Everett is a Business/External Relations Specialist having previously served as a Chief Executive of a City law firm, and as a director on a number of Boards both commercial and not for profit. He was the Non-Executive Chairman of Catenae Innovation PLC and is a Senior Associate of Marylebone Executive Search. Also, Kevin has extensive Local Government experience and has during the past 30 years played a leading role in numerous charities, educational institutions, and national and London-wide public bodies. In particular he served 30 years as a Governor of the Sir John Cass’s Foundation including 12 years as Treasurer and Chairman providing financial support to disadvantaged young people.

Dr Anthony Manning, Trustee since April 2020

Chair of Accreditation Committee

Dr Anthony Manning is Dean for Global and Lifelong Learning at the University of Kent, UK. Through his role at Kent, Anthony is responsible for the development, implementation and review of International  and Lifelong Learning activity which includes international student experience, pathways to higher education apprenticeships and  online learning. Anthony is a Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE and a National Teaching Fellow. Anthony has led educational development and promotional visits to more than 50 countries. As well as being a trustee for BAC, Anthony is also the current Chair of BAC’s Accreditation Committee.

 

Dr Esther Huertas Hidalgo, Trustee since April 2020

Esther Huertas is the Head of the Quality Assurance Department at AQU Catalunya, the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency. Esther has a broad experience in the accreditation of programmes and institutions with special focus on e-learning. She is also involved in international activities of AQU Catalunya, participating in different groups of discussion focused on quality assurance. She is also a member of the Agency Review Committee of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA).

Dr Nicola Mellor, Trustee since October 2021

Dr Nicola Mellor is the Qualifications Director and Responsible Officer at the Chartered Insurance Institute, overseeing the development and review of qualifications in insurance and personal finance professions and leading the quality management of the awarding organisation. She holds a PhD in Classics from the University of Reading and a Postgraduate Certificate in Educational Assessment and Examinations from the University of Cambridge and Cambridge Assessment.  She has over 12 years’ experience within awarding organisations and 17 in education, spanning higher education, general qualifications and vocational, technical and professional qualifications.

Mr Marc Griffith, Trustee since April 2020

Marc is the Director of Teaching Quality and Enhancement at London South Bank University where he leads on the strategic development and implementation of Learning and Teaching, and Academic Quality assurance. Marc has a wealth of experience in Academic Development and Quality having previously worked as the Head of Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement at the University of Derby. Over the last 15 years working in UK Higher Education he has developed a range of experience in digitally enhanced learning, e-learning development, education management, and system development at the University of the Arts, London and the universities of Birmingham and Surrey.

 

Dr Victoria Stec, Trustee since September 2019

Victoria has a broad range of experience from working in a regulatory body, across the university sector and in a commercial company. Her current role as Head of Authorisation at the Bar Standards Board encompasses authorisation of providers of Bar training at both vocational and work-based learning level, as well as responsibility for the national centrally set examinations that form part of Bar training.

Mr Alam Mahbubul, Trustee since October 2021

Student member

From September 2021, Alam started his PhD research on British Transnational Education at Nottingham Trent University. Alam currently works at the British University in Egypt (BUE) as a Director of Academic Services. He is a member of the BUE’s highest teaching and learning committee and the Board of Trustees’ sub-committees. Prior to this, Alam worked at BUE as a Senior Assistant Registrar, London Metropolitan University as a Quality Manager (Curriculum & Standards), Student Reviewer at Quality Assurance Agency, Student Assessor for the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and at London South Bank University as a Trustee and Vice President for Student Experience and then as a Quality and Enhancement Advisor.

 

Council meetings 2023-2024

12 October 2023
1 February 2024
13 June 2024

The Chair of Trustees can be contacted here.