Neil Carmichael is Executive Chair of the Association of Dental Groups (ADG), Chief Executive of UK China Education Cooperation (UCEC), and a member of Science Policy Expert Advisory Committee, Royal Society. He is an Honorary Professor, University College London, with a focus on education through the Institute of Education and the Global Business School for Healthcare.

Neil is a Trustee of the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation and currently leads the Trust’s Edward Heath University Lecture Series.

Neil was Member of Parliament for Stroud (2010-17), serving on the Education Select Committee and the Environment Audit Committee. He was elected chair of the Education Select Committee in 2015. He established the All-Parliamentary Party Group on School Leadership and Governance and took the Antarctic Act 2013 through Parliament.

Neil served as Chair of the Conservative Group for Europe, spent two years advising and supporting parliamentarians in Myanmar, served as a governor of several schools and colleges, and chaired the Pearson UK Commission on Sustainable Learning for Work, Life and a Changing Economy.

In his spare time, Neil farms in Northumberland.

Jayne started her career as a junior assistant on the Hair & Beauty Group at Reed Business Information and worked her way up, having qualified as a journalist, to become Editor-in-Chief of the portfolio. She is now Executive Director of the Professional Beauty Group, which includes the Hairdressers Journal International, Salon International, Professional Beauty and Aesthetic Medicine brands.

All of these have a multi-channel approach to their content with events, awards, print, online and social media channels. Actively involved in the hair and beauty industry for 30+ years, Jayne is an effective member of industry associations and bodies and is a trustee of the industry charity.

As well as this, Jayne is also a member of the VTCT Skills Board of Trustees and brings her current knowledge of the hair and beauty industries and a passion for raising the standards and positive profiles of the markets.

Parisa is the strategic lead for WorldSkills UK’s workforce and skills development programmes, championing innovation and excellence across further and higher technical education, nationally and internationally. Collaborating with government, industry, and education partners, she leads programmes to raise standards through international benchmarking, professional development, and the integration of world-class best practices.

Under her leadership, WorldSkills UK has made significant strides in establishing the highly acclaimed WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence, in partnership with NCFE. This pioneering initiative is rapidly becoming a beacon of innovation, codifying the art and science of exceptional teaching, learning, and assessment while setting new benchmarks for excellence in further and higher technical education.

With an unwavering commitment to accessibility and excellence, Parisa continues to design impactful programmes that harness the power of competition-based learning and international insights. Her work fosters a culture of continuous improvement, inspires ambition, and empowers institutions to deliver a world-class education for students and apprentices across the UK.

Sharon has been in the business for 30 years in a variety of functions and roles. She joined the HR team 18 years ago, covering all elements of Supply Chain and now heads up the Early Careers agenda for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) in Great Britain.

Having spent the majority of her career developing young talent at the start of their careers, her current remit fits perfectly with her passion to create opportunities to support the next generation of young leaders. As part of her commitment, Sharon strives to work with strategic partners who challenge organisation’s approach to underrepresentation of young people across all communities and works to create a level playing field in the recruitment process that might unconsciously deselect from those groups.

Sharon’s dedication and commitment to CCEP’s apprenticeship programme has been recognised by CCEP’s leadership team, as well as her peers and apprentices alike. She has received praise for her outstanding leadership of the programme, which has continued to grow and expand in line with the business’ Early Careers agenda.

As well as recognition from the leadership team, 2021 saw Sharon win the Forward Ladies Corporate Leader and the London Regional National Apprenticeship Champion awards and recognition in the Queen’s 2022 New Year’s honours list with an OBE for services to Apprenticeships and Skills. Outside of CCEP she is an active board member for the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) and recently became the Vice-Chair of Youth Employment UK’s board.

Stewart has worked in the skills sector for over 30 years, holding a variety of different roles, including CEO of a private training provider, CEO of AELP, as well as working as a consultant and non-executive for a number of independent training providers.

He currently holds the position of Non Executive Chairman at Youth Employment UK, a not-for-profit organisation working in the youth employment sector. In addition to this Stewart sits on the board for Trustee of Skills and Employment Group and as a board member for the Association of Employment and Learning Providers.

Stewart has been a member of the governance board for Kaplan Apprenticeships since 1999.

Rob is a passionate advocate of skills-based training and technical education becoming the CEO of FAB in August 2024.

Previously the Director of Skills Delivery at IfATE he was responsible for the development of employer-led qualifications and apprenticeships. Rob commissioned the introduction of over 700 apprenticeships, 22 T-Levels, 250 HTQs and 200 Level 3 qualifications, working closely with employers, DfE, Ofqual, assessment organisations and training providers.

Rob’s was initially an engineer in the Army in the U.K, leading an Army Operating Division before becoming HR Director in 2015. He retired from the Army in 2018 to pursue his interest of the development of a world-beating skills system, within which everyone is encouraged and supported to realise their potential.

Rob is the Chair of Governors at the City of Portsmouth College, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Richard Atkinson teaches leadership, strategy, governance and engagement to executives from the many leading companies that partner with Aston University.

Richard is a former senior commander of combat forces in the RAF and has served as a Deputy Director of Strategic Planning in Whitehall, and as a NATO Director of Air Operations. He has developed high performance teams, large and small, and has led strategy for major transformations and global operations. His greatest honour is to have served as an Aide de Camp to Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

Richard is passionate about developing leadership skills in the future leaders of logistics and transport so they can boost innovation, through inclusivity and collaboration, and so develop the sustainable supply chains the world urgently requires.

Richard is proud to support VTCT Skills in its work to unlock and enable future talent through upholding exemplary standards as a leading Awarding Organisation, and End Point Assessment Organisation.