Senior Leader Apprenticeship

Email: n.worthington@exeter.ac.uk

Joined Exeter in February 2024 as a Senior Lecturer and Module Lead on the degree apprenticeship programmes, with a diverse career background and high-performance capability in the private, public and charitable sectors, the latter at senior leadership level. Industry experience of over 30 years and holder of three Fellowships (FAPM; FCMI; FHEA) and two Chartered Management positions (CMgr C.WEM). Experience of working in international business and innovation environments in cross-cultural teams on European Interreg Infrastructure projects. Teaching experiences across many UK universities from levels 3 to 7 and capability of supervising and assessing management apprentices. An autodidact with a growth mindset and passion for learning, currently Director of a Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship (MSc Strategic Leadership and Management) programme.
Doctoral student (DBA) at the University of Chester.

Interests:

Corporate Governance and Culture Change in third sector business environments

Qualifications (Academic):

IS8004 Level 7 Certificate - Research Methods

MSc (Engineering Business Management – Warwick) FCMI FHEA FAPM CMgr C.WEM MICE MCIWEM

TAQA 301/302 - Principles of Assessment

Email: p.goodwin2@exeter.ac.uk

Peter is an Academic Mentor supporting the Senior Leader Degree Apprentices within the University of Exeter Business School. His role is to guide and facilitate understanding of the requirements of evidencing achievement against the Senior Leader Apprenticeship Standard.

Career:

Prior to joining Exeter University, Peter served in the Royal Navy, then worked at Ferranti Naval Systems before joining the Civil Service. His last role before leaving the Civil Service was as the Lead Scrutineer for the examination of maritime-related portfolio of cases presenting for approval, and leading engagement across approximately 25 major programmes (cost £100M upwards). This required proactive engagement with sponsor and delivery teams, providing constructive, non-advocate challenge to ensure credible, proportionate, and timely evidence-based business cases that supported

Email: j.ashworth@exeter.ac.uk

Jenny has worked within education for over twenty years and held senior leader roles for many of those - leading people, functions and curriculum areas in the post-16 sector. During her career, Jenny has taught and supported children, young adults, Higher Education students, adults within the community and those in the prison system, giving her a range of experiences and knowledge of working with, coaching and mentoring many different people. Her most recent role before joining the University was as Assistant Principal at one of the largest Further Education Colleges in the country.

In addition to the role of Academic Mentor with the Business School, Jenny is also a Trustee for a multi-academy trust of schools, a volunteer for a charity that delivers resilience training to educators, young people and their parents and an associate working with a national sector-based College.

Qualifications:

• BA (Hons) Performing Arts
• PGCE Lifelong Education

Email: a.s.g.bolton@exeter.ac.uk

Alex joined the Business School in 2009 in the Department of Management specialising in Operations Management and Service Operations Marketing. In 2010 she was appointed Programme Director for the ‘With Industrial Experience Pathway’ for the Business School. She alsoheld the role of Director of Education for Management Studies.

In 2013 she was appointed Associate Dean for Education of the Business School responsible for delivery of the Education Strategy and adherence of teaching quality standards. Her external academic work have included External Examiner for RG Aberdeen University for the MBA in Oil and Gas Management and External Assessor for the University of Edinburgh.

Prior to her academic life, Alex worked in the Automotive and Industrial Chemical sectors and has extensive business experience working at senior management and Board level with a range of international companies, including GKN, Unipart, Applied Chemicals pty, the Finelist Group and the Varity Corporation. She has held the roles of both Sales and Marketing Director and Business Development Director, focusing on the development of major business opportunities and acquisitions in Europe and Australia. During this time, she was also instrumental in developing partnership programmes with a number of clients including TNT, BAe Systems, BAA, BT and the Post Office.

Qualifications:

• MSc Product Engineering
• MA Ancient History and Classics
• PGCE
• BA (Hons) Business Management

Email: A.F.P.Bragg@exeter.ac.uk 

Joined University of Exeter in October 2019 following a decision to get a better work life balance by relocating to Cornwall. I work part-time for the University of Exeter as an Academic Mentor for apprentices on the Senior Leader Masters Degree Apprenticeship (SLMDA) and the new Senior Leader Apprenticeship (SLA) as well as consult on the development of new degree apprenticeship programmes. I am also currently the External Examiner for the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) at Nottingham Trent University.

Interests:

• Apprenticeships
• Work Based Learning
• Management

Qualifications:

• BA(Hons) Design Management
• MSc Management
• Chartered Manager
• FHEA
• FCMI

Career:

Previously worked for De Montfort University as Associate Professor in Corporate Development, leading on Degree Apprenticeships in the Business School. Designed, developed, validated, and managed a variety of programmes, more recently the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship at Level 6 and the Senior Leader Masters Degree Apprenticeship at Level 7. Sixteen years experience of programme and team leadership, and development of academic programmes and modules at levels 4-7. Teaching teams were based in the UK, locally and across the region as well as internationally and included up to 11 staff in a number of institutions at FE and HE level. Academic programmes and apprenticeships included modules at all levels based on business communication, academic skills, management and leadership.

First hand experience of teaching students in multi-disciplinary groups, internationals and at a variety of HE levels in the UK, China, Vietnam, India. Supervised work based students (on their sandwich placement years) on a variety of business and management related programmes. External Examined at a number of institutions and been an external panel member at a variety of validation and quality assured events in the HE sector.

Before my academic career I was a self employed interior designer and started my working life as a building technician. More recently I have managed, and marketed our holiday property in Cornwall.

Email: g.byrne@exeter.ac.uk

Email: c.cahill@exeter.ac.uk

I joined the business school in March 2020 after working in Financial Services for 29 years in a leadership role.

I am an award winning Executive Confidence and Leadership coach as well as published author of Empowering Employee Engagement – How to ignite your team for peak performance.

I am currently working with the CPD Standards Office to get my leadership programmes accredited and love seeing people implement their knowledge and learning in the workplace as they develop their skills and behaviours.

Interests:

• DISC Personality Profiler

I love getting to know people in minutes rather than months using DISC personality profiling and exploring how our behaviours are impacted by the environment as well as understanding how to effectively communicate with peoples preferences to enable everyone to play to their strengths to be the best version of themselves.

Qualifications:

• Diploma in Personal Performance Coaching (The Coaching Academy)
• Diploma in Corporate & Executive Coaching (The Coaching Academy)
• Level 5 Diploma and NVQ in Leadership & Management (CMI)
• Level 3 Award in Education & Training (City & Guilds)
• Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment (City & Guilds)

Career:

• Owner of Accendo Coaching & Training - Executive Confidence & Leadership Coach & Trainer - October 2012 - Present
• Published Author - December 2016 - Present
• Associate Trainer - The Coaching Academy - Delivering Coaching through Conflict on their Corporate & Executive Diploma programme - July 2021 - Present
• Academic Mentor - University of Exeter - March 2020 - Present
• Various Leadership roles - Nationwide Building Society - June 1990 - July 2019

Email: A.C.Colgan@exeter.ac.uk

I am an Academic Mentor on Degree Apprenticeships.

I joined the university in 2023, previously having worked in retail management, followed by several years delivering work-based qualifications, including apprenticeships. During this period, I supported over 700 students to successfully achieve their qualifications.

Email: a.b.pryce@exeter.ac.uk

Anna is an Employer Partnership Manager responsible for supporting organisations with onboarding prospective Apprentices from the initial marketing stage through to contracting and providing progress reports. He works closely with the academic and administrative support team to provide employer partners with a smooth apprenticeship experience. 

Email: J.Jackson2@exeter.ac.uk

John is an Academic Mentor supporting the Senior Leader Masters Degree Apprentices within the University of Exeter Business School. His role is to guide and facilitate understanding of the requirements of evidencing achievement against the Senior Leader Apprenticeship Standard.

John is a retired Police Officer with experience of working at both strategic and operational levels. He has a background in Training and Development working at a national level within the Police service and is qualified to lecture in FE. He completed an MSc in Occupational Psychology whilst working full time, so fully understands the challenges of study whilst working.

On retirement John took up a voluntary role as Finance Director at his local golf club, holding the post for 5 years and standing down only to take on this new and exciting challenge as an Academic Mentor with UEBS.

Qualifications:

MSc, Cert ed.

Email: C.C.Jenkins@exeter.ac.uk 

Following an early career in the army I joined a leading London Executive Search practice handling C-level recruitment assignments for clients in the telecommunication, technology and media sectors. I also built my own practice with offices in London, Oxford and Plymouth which ran successfully for over 15 years.

In 2013 I switched careers to become the Director of Operations for the Plymouth Science Park, the largest Science and Technology innovation centre in the South West. As de-facto CEO I had full leadership, P&L and operational responsibility for the site, increasing profits by 300%, developing a new £7m office complex and taking occupancy from 60% to 90%+.

I currently hold a portfolio of non-executive director roles in the education and mental health sectors as Chair of two multi academy trusts and Trustee of two mental health charities and a marine research institution.

Email: c.jennings4@exeter.ac.uk

Email: S.McLauchlan@exeter.ac.uk 

Steve McLauchlan joined University of Exeter Business School as an Academic Mentor in March 2020 and works with the degree apprenticeship team.

Steve had a 26-year career in Banking & Financial Services during which he gained experience across a range of operational divisions and led head office teams with responsibility for organisational strategy, marketing and service improvement.

In 2005, Steve set up his own consultancy working with SME owner / manager / directors and began working in change / management consultancy focused on the public services sector in 2008.

In 2006, he started lecturing in Business Management and Leadership and has gained broad experience working on programmes from Level 3 to Level 7 in further and higher education organisations.

Away from work, Steve plays golf and enjoys holidays in the sunshine!

Qualifications:

• MBA
• PGCE
• Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing
• ACIB

Email: A.Morris2@exeter.ac.uk 

I joined the Business School in a part-time capacity in early 2019, as an associate lecturer and academic mentor working with the first SLMDA cohorts on a 1-2-1 basis, together with delivery of sessions at masterclasses. 

I have continued to work with cohorts of senior leader students as they study for their MBA and Level 7 Senior Leader Degree Apprenticeship. Many of the students are balancing a senior role in the workplace whilst coming back into education years after they last studied. Supporting, mentoring, coaching and guiding the students brings me new learning too, and seeing them complete their studies and graduate is a real joy.

My background is in international business, psychology and wellbeing, facilitation, training, coaching and mentoring, and I continue to work in all these areas alongside my University of Exeter position.

Qualifications:

MSc MAPP (Distinction), BSc (Hons)

Email: R.Navaei@exeter.ac.uk 

Dr Rick Navaei is a senior project manager, procurement lead and learning and development consultant with over 20 years experience in a variety of public, private and international settings. He is a specialist in all aspects of project and L&D management, including staff development, organisational change strategy and implementation, finance and audit regulations, and compliance. He has successfully led a number of projects as a senior lead in driving intrapreneurship and implementing continuous development matrix in multidisciplinary environments including driving change and empowering stakeholders in agile work settings. He works for the University of Exeter as lecturer and mentor on a flexible basis.

Recent operational and implementation engagements in his consultancy portfolio include successful L&D procurement, set up and implementation from start to finish for a public sector organisation, acting as subject matter expert leading on major procurement project, acting as a senior HR partner on a consultancy basis, strategic management of levy and other funding streams and ILR returns, leading academic quality assurance, advising on SAR, QIP write up and implementation as well as leading on ESFA audits, and Ofsted compliance provisions alongside academic mentorship for a number of degree apprenticeships including Senior Leader master's degree, Project Management (PMDA), HR, Senior Compliance and Senior People Professional apprenticeships. He is also an accredited IEPA with a number of EPAOs.

Recent publication:

A Skills-First Approach: Why a Portfolio Career Could be the Answer to a Changing Jobs Market, The Linguist, 59/2, April/May 2020.

Interests:

• Organizational change strategy

• Future of jobs market, agile, change AI strategy

• L&D funding strategy

Qualifications:

• EPA Assessment Qualification
• Training Qualification
• Teaching Qualification
• BA (Hons)
• MA
• PhD

Email: C.A.Robson@exeter.ac.uk 

Colin Robson joined the Exeter University Business School in November 2020 and is an experienced University Associate Lecturer and Academic Mentor, having supporting students on a BSc Hons Professional Management Practice and Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship award programme since January 2018.

Colin graduated with a University of Plymouth MBA in 1994 and was awarded with the IoD Diploma in Company Direction in 2007 and became a Chartered Director with the Institute of Directors in 2008.

Colin has over 25 years of Director level experience across a broad range of business sectors and has also worked as a Management Consultant and Business Mentor supporting the growth of small business throughout the South West over the past thirty years.

Away from his desk Colin served as the South West Chairman of the Institute of Business Advisors from 1997 to 2000 and he is a keen football supporter.

His son Charles W. Robson PhD graduated from Exeter University in 2014 and is a University Lecturer and Theoretical Physicist at Tampere University, Finland, conducting research on gravitational and particle physics laboratory analogues, black hole theory (geometry, topology, and thermodynamics) and nonlinear optics.

Qualifications:

MBA, IoD Diploma in Company Direction

Email: Sarah.Rose@exeter.ac.uk   

Sarah Rose is an Academic Mentor on the Degree Apprenticeship programme. She is also a Mentor on the With Industrial Experience programme. Sarah isn’t based in the University but travels regularly to Exeter and London for work- based activities.

Sarah was appointed to the Business School as a lecturer in Tourism Management in 2009, subsequently becoming Senior Lecturer in International Tourism Development and Director of Education for the Department of Management. Before joining Exeter University Business School Sarah was a Department Head for Tourism, Hospitality and Retail within a University of Plymouth partner college. Sarah had a range of industry experience before joining academia within the hospitality and tourism industries.

Away from her desk Sarah is a trustee for the On Track Foundation. A charitable body dedicated to conservation and community development in South Africa. She currently lives in France with her husband and two pedigree cats. Where, when she is not working, she enjoys gardening and exploring the social and cultural history of her adopted country.

Interests:

Sarah’s research interests include the impacts of small scale ecologically sound tourism on conservation and community development. This is a practical and practised interest. Sarah has spent time working with various organisations in a range of Southern African countries. She utilised these experiences to create up to date and dynamic material for her students.

Qualifications:

• BA Arts (Open University)
• MSc International Development (University of Plymouth)
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Email: S.Rose2@exeter.ac.uk 

Stephen Rose is an Academic Mentor for the Senior Leader Master’s Degree Apprenticeship programme.

He joined the University of Exeter Business School in 2019 having previously worked as a Lecturer (Work-Based Learning) and Education Advisor (Technology Enhanced Learning) within the University’s College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences (CEMPS).

Before joining CEMPS he held the role of Education Advisor within Education Enhancement at the University and contributed to the Learning to Teach in Higher Education (LTHE) and Professional Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) programmes.

Stephen has also contributed to the UEBS’ With Industrial Experience programme supporting undergraduate students on UK and International-based industrial placements, providing guidance on academic, personal and professional development aspects of their programme.

Prior to joining the University, Stephen had many years of service working as a Lecturer and Programme Manager within Further and Higher Education. This included a role as a Teacher Trainer and Advanced Practitioner delivering core and specialist modules on PGCE and Cert. Ed Initial Teacher Education programmes.

Stephen also enjoyed a period of time working as an independent Educational Consultant which included authoring and designing course content for Access to Higher Education programmes enabling students without traditional qualifications, at a distance or workplace-based learners, to study at University. Stephen also led the development of e-portfolios for the International Examinations Officers’ Association (iEOA).

Stephen currently works remotely from his home in the South West of France.

Interests:

• Work-Based learning
• Widening participation and promoting access to Higher Education
• Developing and supporting online/remote and Work-Based Learning communities of practice

Qualifications:

• BSc (Hons)
• MA
• Cert. Ed.

Email: j.woodhead@exeter.ac.uk

Jess is an Employer Partnership Officer responsible for supporting organisations with onboarding prospective Apprentices from the initial marketing stage through to contracting and providing progress reports. He works closely with the academic and administrative support team to provide employer partners with a smooth apprenticeship experience. 

Email: V.Kumpele@exeter.ac.uk

Vilija is an Employer Partnership Officer responsible for supporting organisations with onboarding prospective Apprentices from the initial marketing stage through to contracting and providing progress reports. He works closely with the academic and administrative support team to provide employer partners with a smooth apprenticeship experience. 

Email: p.b.bragg@exeter.ac.uk

Peter is an Employer Partnership Manager responsible for supporting organisations with onboarding prospective Apprentices from the initial marketing stage through to contracting and providing progress reports. He works closely with the academic and administrative support team to provide employer partners with a smooth apprenticeship experience. 

Email: s.smith10@exeter.ac.uk 

Steve is an Employer Partnership Manager responsible for supporting organisations with onboarding prospective Apprentices from the initial marketing stage through to contracting and providing progress reports. He works closely with the academic and administrative support team to provide employer partners with a smooth apprenticeship experience.