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Burnley College Governing Board

Governors make an important contribution to the life of Burnley College.

‘There is very strong evidence that the Board is highly proficient and consistently impacts positively on college strategy, effectiveness and outcomes.’ Source – External Review of Governance conducted by the Association of Colleges – 2 May 2024.

Governor opportunities

Are you passionate about education and supporting your community?

We are looking for motivated people with further education experience to join our Board of Governors

Find out More

Meet Our Governors

Jason Faulkner
College Principal

Jason was appointed as Principal and CEO of Burnley College in 2026. He was previously the award-winning Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Education Training Collective in Tees Valley. Prior to this, Jason served in The Green Howards (now known as the Royal Yorkshire Regiment) for 14 years, before transitioning into civilian roles including Prince's Trust Team Leader and Lecturer, and later Vice Principal at Stockton Riverside College before becoming the College Principal of Redcar and Cleveland College following a merger with Stockton Riverside College, now part of the Education Training Collective. Jason has spent over 23 years in education.

David Brown
Governing Board Chair

  • Search & Governance Committee Vice-Chair
  • Remuneration Committee Member
  • Finance Committee Member

Prior to his retirement, David held the position of Burnley Borough Council Director of Environment, with responsibility for Planning and Environment, StreetScene and Markets Services.

Gillian Bardin
Governing Board Vice-Chair

  • Remuneration Committee Chair
  • Search & Governance Committee Chair
  • Audit Committee Member

Gillian was formerly Managing Director of Taylor Patterson, a financial services group based in Lancashire, where her key responsibility was the strategic direction of the business until its sale to an AIM Listed plc. Gillian is a Chartered Accountant and former President of ICAEW Lancashire & South Lakeland. She is currently a NED at Puddleducks Franchising Ltd and an Entrepreneur in Residence at Lancaster University.

Sharon Roscoe

  • Curriculum and Standards Committee Member

Sharon has a wealth of experience in education with extensive governance knowledge and expertise having served as a trustee, governor and chair of governors for primary, secondary, alternative provision and special school governing bodies. Sharon has worked as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Education Partnership Trust (EPT), a multi-academy trust for 12 years. She oversaw the building of two new Free Schools and the re-brokerage of two schools into the trust from another Multi Academy Trust (MAT). She is a member of the DfE Alternative Provision Stakeholder group which advises government and shapes policy. She was formerly CEO of the Education Improvement Partnership (EIP), a formal collaboration between all secondary phase schools in Blackburn with Darwen which raised educational standards before establishing the EPT in 2012. Sharon worked as Strategic Manager (Operations) for CXL and Area Manager for Connexions Lancashire Ltd. She graduated as MBA in 2011 from Lancaster University.

Vikki Goddard

  • Curriculum and Standards Committee Member

Vikki has worked in the Higher Education sector for thirty years, including as a Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, Director of Strategic Planning and Director of Faculty Operations. Building on her experience at the Universities of Manchester, Salford and Liverpool, she now works as an Independent Consultant with organisations across the Higher Education sector helping them to navigate change, support and develop their professional services staff and advising on strategy implementation and planning. She is also the Managing Consultant for the Association of Higher Education Professionals.

Richard Thorley

  • Finance Committee Vice Chair
  • Search & Governance Committee Member

Richard is a retired Director of Kaman Aerospace Group, with headquarters In Connecticut, USA, having had responsibility for Worldwide Business Strategy and Development. A Chartered Management Accountant, Richard also holds a degree in Production Engineering and Management from Loughborough University.

Philip Turner

  • Human Resources Committee Chair
  • Remuneration Committee Member

Philip has been a solicitor since 1980 and retired as Senior Partner of Waddington and Son Solicitors after 24 years in the partnership. He specialises in Criminal Law and continues to work for the firm on a consultancy basis.

Paul Henderson

  • Finance Committee Member
  • Search and Governance Committee Member

Paul is owner and director of his chartered surveying practice. His areas of expertise are in architecture, project management and facilities management. Roles have included that of client Project Manager, responsible for the new build at Burnley College and consultant to large public organisations including Manchester City Council and Lancashire County Council. A former GNVQ Building Studies student at Burnley College Sixth Form Centre, Paul graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a BSc(Hons) in Building Surveying and has completed a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

Fiona Lugiano

  • Curriculum and Standards Committee Chair
  • Human Resources Committee Member
  • Remuneration Committee Member

Fiona is Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Ascentis, an educational awarding organisation which she joined in 2002. Fiona has managed a number of areas throughout Ascentis, including Operations, Marketing and Sales, Risk, Compliance and Governance and currently holds specific responsibilities as Company Secretary, Responsible Officer and Director of subsidiary companies. Fiona obtained a degree in Psychology and has continued her interest in both this subject and education by previously teaching at the Open University and more recently having completed an MBA.

Lukman Patel

  • Human Resources Committee Member

Lukman Patel is the Chief Executive of Burnley Borough Council and its former Chief Operating Officer. A solicitor by profession, he was formerly Head of Governance, Property, Law, and Regulation at the Council and Head of Legal (Environment) at Trafford Borough Council. Lukman is also a member of the advisory Board for the Canals & Rivers Trust and was formerly a trustee for Burnley FC in the Community. Born and raised in East Lancashire, Lukman has a strong affinity with the region and is passionate about supporting education and skills opportunities for young people. He lives in East Lancashire with his young family and enjoys cycling and swimming.

Guy Thomas

  • Finance Committee Chair
  • Search & Governance Committee Member
  • Remuneration Committee Member

Guy left aerospace manufacturing group Kaman UK in 2014 after six years, initially as Group Finance Director and then as Group Managing Director. He is now a self-employed consultant providing specialist support services to small and mid-sized businesses. Guy is a qualified accountant with many years’ experience both in practice, at Ernst & Young, and Industry with Metrotect Industries plc and Brookhouse Holdings, where he was Group Finance Director.

Steve Wilkinson

  • Curriculum and Standards Committee Vice Chair
  • Search and Governance Committee Member

Steve brings with him over 25 years’ experience across varied business environments, specialising in manufacturing sectors. Steve is a Project Manager at RTC North Ltd, focusing on supporting the growth and competitiveness of the regions Manufacturing Industry. His ethos is embracing innovation and creating sustainable relationships which inspire, influence and initiate positive change.

David Tomlinson

  • Audit Committee Vice Chair

A Director at Uniac, a shared internal audit service for the Higher Education sector, David is Head of Internal Auditing at a range of niche education providers from large metropolitan universities to a Russell Group university. His career spans 18 years, mainly within internal audit working at Liverpool City Council, PricewaterhouseCoopers and TalkTalk with 12 years’ experience in the Higher Education sector. David’s public sector experience was enriched with experience within in the Telecommunications sector, where he was part of the Cyber Security Leadership team overseeing the Technology and Security Risk function; a Security Compliance function and a Vulnerability Management function.

Staff Governors

Ed Foulds

Ed is Head of Creative Industries, with 10 years’ experience in further education and leadership. Ed has responsibility for a diverse curriculum area including creative performance, art and design, digital media and computing. He studied BSc (Hons) Exercise Physiology at the University of Lancashire’s Burnley campus and completed his PGCE at Burnley College, giving him a strong academic and professional connection to the local area. Passionate about student experience, staff development and continuous improvement, he brings a clear understanding of quality, strategy and day-to-day college operations to his role as Staff Governor.

Craig Waddington

Craig began his career as an analyst in the private sector whilst studying for his computing degree, developing strong experience in data and reporting. He later joined Burnley College as an analyst, where he contributed to improving reporting processes and established a new Business Intelligence team as the college’s data needs grew. Craig now works as Head of Systems and BI, focusing on supporting staff and students through reliable systems, clear information and operational improvements. Outside work, he enjoys spending time with his young family and is a keen golfer.

Student Governors

Alana Jones

Alana, 16, from Accrington, is studying A Levels in Mathematics, Computer Science and Economics.

Having already enjoyed work experience with industry leaders Arm Technology, completed a research project on the socioeconomic impact of AI and proven to be an award-winning financial strategist during the Stock Market Challenge, Alana is on an exciting path to excel in a fast-paced informatics career.

She is passionate in ensuring students’ views are represented authentically and being at the forefront of creating positive change in her role as Student Governor.

Rob Saxon

Rob, 16, from Bacup, is completing a T Level in Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction.

He’s keen to continue developing his leadership skills and ensuring that his peers can enjoy an inclusive learning environment as he makes the step from Student Representative to Student Governor.

Rob has ambitions to purse university abroad in the future, before progressing into his dream career as an architect specialising in heritage conservation.

Governing Board Minutes and Documents

The Governing Body of Burnley College keep a full record of all meetings held, to view the minutes, click on the links below (paper copies available on request)

2021/2022

Governing Board

Search & Governance Committee

2022/2023

Governing Board

Search & Governance Committee

2023/2024

Governing Board

Search & Governance Committee

2024/2025

Governing Board

Search & Governance Committee

Clerk to Governors – Simone Lomas: [email protected]

Governor opportunities

Are you passionate about education and supporting your community?

We are looking for motivated people with further education experience to join our Board of Governors

Find out More

Seasonal Break

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We are currently on our seasonal break.

We will return on Monday 5 January 2026.