McLean to chair 20-strong college board

LEADING lawyer Neil McLean has been elected chairman of the governing body of the new Leeds City College, which will be one of the UK’s largest further education institutions.

Mr McLean, managing partner of DLA Piper’s Leeds office, will lead a board of 20 governors appointed by the Secretary of State.

A commercial property and regeneration specialist, Mr Mclean was elected at the first meeting of the new body which took over from the Leeds College Strategic Board on January 16. 

Gary Lumby, who chaired the strategic board and has been elected vice chair, alongside Libby Raper, said: “Leeds City College will be a significant business within the Leeds economy so needs a chair with the highest commercial credentials.  

“Neil is widely respected in the Yorkshire business communities. He has both the corporate experience and breadth of understanding of the wider issues facing the Leeds city region.”

Mr McLean, currently Yorkshire Lawyer of the Year, is a graduate of the University of Leeds, a board member of Leeds Chamber of Commerce and has served on the Leeds Skills Board.

He said: “I am passionate about making Leeds City College one of the best FE colleges in Europe. We need to create a college that ensures our young people are able to get jobs by equipping them with the skills that employers want.”

Governors on the Leeds City College board are senior people representing a range of sectors including business, education, cultural, local government, sport and community.

The first job for the new board will be to select a principal/chief executive to help drive forward the success of what will be the biggest educational institution in Leeds.

Leeds College of Technology, Leeds Thomas Danby, and Park Lane College are due to be dissolved on March 31 but students and employees will automatically transfer to the new institution. Leeds City College will have 60,000 students and a turnover of £70m a year. 

Governors of Leeds City College include:

Brian Brock, senior regional officer for the Transport Salaried Staff Association;

Jackie Coates, health, safety and environment manager for the Chemical Industries Association;

Lesley Hastings, former primary school headteacher and OFSTED inspector, who is now an educational consultant;

Dr Geoffrey Hitchens, emeritus Deputy Vice Chancellor at Leeds Metropolitan University;

Zulfi Karim, who runs Bradford-based consultancy MEC UK;  

Dave Leather, HR consultant with specialism in the manufacturing sector, currently LEGI KickStart Skills Broker for Bradford;

Gary Lumby, head of retail and small business banking for Yorkshire Bank, and also president of Leeds Chamber of Commerce;

Neil McLean, managing partner of DLA Piper’s Leeds office and member of the firm’s international board, remuneration committees and audit committees for the last three years;

Julian O’Neill, relationship manager, corporate banking for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Leeds;

Libby Raper, chief executive of Culture Northwest;

Stewart Regan, chief executive of Yorkshire County Cricket Club;

Anne Shiels, senior HR adviser for divisions of HBOS;

Robert Sladdin, director of estates at the University of Leeds and chairman of the Leeds Innovation Centre;

Keith Wakefield, leader of the Labour Group on Leeds City Council;

Craig Williams, operations director of Careers Bradford and a board member of West Yorkshire Lifelong Learning Network;

and Stephen Willis, director of finance and resources, Leeds Metropolitan University and non executive director of Yorkshire County Cricket Club and a number of limited companies.