Corporate report

List of board members’ interests: March 2021

Updated 20 December 2021

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-consolidated-annual-report-and-accounts-2020-to-2021/list-of-board-members-interests-march-2021

This list covers executive and non-executive members of the Department for Education’s Board as of March 2021. The Cabinet Office publishes ministers’ interests.

Entries reflect members’ current positions and are based on a member’s discretionary judgement of what might form a potential conflict of interest, based on the below guidance from the code of conduct for board members of public bodies.

“4. Conflicts of Interests

4.1 When accepting an appointment to the public body you should consider if any conflicts of interest arise from your private interests or by virtue of any other roles you hold. You should consider, with advice from the appointing department, how these should best be managed and agree these with the organisation.

4.2 You must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between your public duties and your private interests, financial or otherwise.

4.3 You must comply with the rules of the body on handling conflicts of interests. As a minimum, these will require you to declare publicly, usually in the body’s register of interests, any private financial or non-financial interests of your own, or of close family members, which may, or may be perceived to, conflict with your public duties. The rules will also require you to remove yourself from the discussion or determination of matters in which you have a financial interest. In matters in which you have a non-financial interest, you should not participate in the discussion or determination of a matter where the interest might suggest a danger of bias.

4.4 It is your responsibility to ensure that you are familiar with the body’s rules on handling conflicts of interests, that you comply with these rules and that your entry in the body’s public register of members’ interests is accurate and up-to-date.”

The list covers:

  • remunerated directorships
  • other remunerated employment, office, profession, and other activity
  • significant shareholdings/interests in public or private companies
  • miscellaneous and unremunerated interests
  • disclosure of family members’ interests

Executive members

Susan Acland-Hood

Significant shareholdings/Interests in listed or private companies

  • landowner in Somerset
  • share ownership in diverse portfolio, managed remoted with standing instruction to avoid investing in areas that could give rise to conflict or perceived conflict

Miscellaneous and unremunerated interests

  • member of Cambridge Centre for Business Research Advisory Board

Indra Morris

No interests declared

Mike Green

Miscellaneous and unremunerated interests

  • governor, Nottingham College
  • trustee, Talent Foundry
  • non-exec board member, NEP
  • board member, Oversight Board

Tony Foot

No interests declared

Non-executive members

Richard Pennycook

Miscellaneous and unremunerated interests

  • member of the Coop

Directorships

  • chair, Fenwick Ltd (former)
  • Boparan Holdings Limited
  • chair, Howdens Joinery PLC
  • on the Beach Group PLC.

Public sector/charity positions of influence

  • Retail Sector Council, Co-Chair

Ian Ferguson

Public sector/charity positions of interest

  • member, All Souls Group
  • member, Education Advisory Group, Royal Shakespeare Company
  • member, Skills Commission
  • member, AELP Strategic Forum

Disclosure of family members’ interests

  • partner is Trustee and Executive Headteacher, Edmonton County School
  • partner is member of DfE Exclusions Review
  • partner is member of DfE Serious Case Review Board
  • partner is member of All Souls Group

Ruby McGregor-Smith

Miscellaneous and unremunerated interests

  • member, House of Lords
  • non-executive chairperson, Q3 Services Group (private sector facilities management provider of services
  • Pro-Chancellor, University of Surrey

Directorships

  • non-executive Director, PageGroup plc (formerly Michael Page International plc) (recruitment company) (interest ceased 23 May 2017)
  • independent non-executive director, Balzalgette Tunnel Limited trading as Tideway
  • non-executive chair, Airport Operator Association (AOA)
  • British Chamber of Commerce President
  • non-executive Director and Chair of Renumeration, Mind Gym plc
  • non-executive Director, One CAM Limited (Cambridgeshire autonomous metro)

Remunerated employment, office, profession etc

  • employee MCGS Consulting Limited
  • senior adviser, Mace Group Ltd (consultancy and construction)
  • LLP consultant, Alphasights Limited (services given on an ad hoc basis)
  • mentor, Mentore Consulting
  • senior Adviser, Dial Partners LLP
  • occasional speaker, London Speaker Bureau (specialist agency for keynote and after-dinner speakers)
  • one property in Windsor owned jointly with husband from which rental income is received
  • two properties in Cotswolds owned jointly with husband from which rental income is received

Shareholding

  • 0.16% shares of Mitie Group plc (outsourcing company) (interest ceased 17 August 2017)

Toby Peyton-Jones

Directorship

  • board member, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education

Shares

  • Siemens shares

Miscellaneous and unremunerated interests

  • advisory board member, Scottish Apprenticeship Advisory Board (SAAB)
  • trustee, The Edge Foundation
  • board member, CBI Employment and Skills Board
  • fellow, Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD)
  • honorary fellow, IES
  • companion, Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

Remunerated employment

  • industry ambassador, Siemens plc, Skills and Future of Work
  • industry advisor, EU Skills
  • conference speaker

Disclosure of family members’ interests

  • Simon Peyton-Jones, Microsoft, is active in making the case for improving computer programming skills in the school teacher agenda

Irene Lucas

Directorships

  • chair, Hays Travel Limited
  • chair of management board, Education and Skills Funding Agency

Shares

  • owner, Hays Travel Limited Public sector/charity positions of influence
  • chair of trustees, Hays Travel Foundation

Nick Timothy

Remunerated employment, office, profession etc

  • columnist, Daily Telegraph

Public sector/charity positions of influence

  • non-executive director, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee
  • independent board member, Sports Winter Survival Package

Miscellaneous and unremunerated interests

  • visiting professor, Sheffield University
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