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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.

Meet Our Governors

Gillian Bardin
Governing Board Chair

  • Audit Committee Member
  • Curriculum & Standards Committee Member
  • Remuneration Committee Member
  • People & Governance 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.

Guy Thomas
Governing Board Vice Chair

  • Finance Committee Chair
  • Remuneration Committee Chair
  • People & Governance Committee Member
  • Accommodation Working Group Chair
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.

Simone Lomas
Director of Governance

Simone Lomas is the Director of Governance and Data Protection Officer, bringing extensive experience in governance, compliance, operational leadership and organisational development. She has led a broad portfolio of learner-facing and corporate services, ensuring the delivery of efficient, compliant and learner-centred services across the college.​ As Director of Governance, Simone advises the Board, its committees and senior leaders, ensuring effective governance, regulatory compliance and adherence to sector best practice. She provides strategic leadership on information governance, organisational risk and complaints management.

Jason Faulkner
College Principal and CEO

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.

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
  • People & Governance Committee Member
  • Accommodation Working Group 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.

Fiona Lugiano

  • Curriculum and Standards Chair
  • Remuneration Committee Member
  • People & Governance 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

  • People & Governance 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.

David Tomlinson

  • Audit Committee Chair
  • Remuneration Committee Member

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.

Paul Ragnall

  • Finance Committee Member

After a 40 Year career with the Department of Work and Pensions and its predecessors, Paul bring his expertise to our Governing Boad.
He undertook a wide variety of senior roles within the Department including Human Resources, Resource Management, Management Training and Operations. For the last 10 years, he was the Health & Safety Operations Manager for DWP and was responsible for the safety of staff and customers in the 600 Jobcentre Plus Offices across the UK.

Pauline Lucarz

  • People & Governance Committee Member

Pauline is a retired former Director of Corporate Services and Governance lead at Burnley College. She carries a breadth of business experience across the private, public and education sectors, as well as considerable experience supporting the determination of case law as a Lay Member with the Employment Tribunal Service. Qualified to post-graduate level, her principal specialisms are employee relations, dispute resolution and organisational development.

Alison Cameron

  • Curriculum and Standards Committee Member

Alison is a retired His Majesty’s Inspector of the Further Education and Skills sector. She has also worked as a senior leader in colleges, including as Assistant Principal at Burnley College where she was responsible for the academic and vocational curriculum and university provision, including teacher education. She has wide- ranging experience in leading and managing quality improvement strategies, including the performance management of teaching, learning and assessment, curriculum design and delivery.

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)

2022/2023

Governing Board

Search & Governance Committee

2023/2024

Governing Board

Search & Governance Committee

2024/2025

Governing Board

Search & Governance Committee

2025/2026

Governing Board

Search & Governance Committee

Clerk to Governors – Simone Lomas: [email protected]

Seasonal Break

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We are currently on our seasonal break.

We will return on Monday 5 January 2026.