Governance

The National College for Advanced Transport & Infrastructure (“NCATI”) is a charitable company limited by guarantee and a subsidiary of the University of Birmingham. It is registered at Companies House with Company number 13219816.

NCATI was incorporated by the University of Birmingham on 23 February 2021 and it was designated as a Further Education College on 29 April 2021 by virtue of s 28 Further and Higher Education Act 1992.

NCATI has taken over the assets and activities of the Further Education Corporation of The National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure which dissolved at 23:59hrs on 29 April 2021.

The Statutory Instrument which effected the transfer of assets and the designation of the new College can be found on the UK Parliament website.

Read the current Articles of Association here.

MEET OUR GOVERNORS BELOW

PROFESSOR STEPHEN JARVIS
CHAIR
Professor Jarvis is Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He is a Professor of Computer Science and has published more than 220 peer-reviewed academic papers, including with Argonne National Laboratory, ARM, Centre for Space Research at MIT, CRAY, Fujitsu Labs Europe, IBM TJ Watson Research Laboratory, Intel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, NASA Ames Research Center, NEC European Research Laboratory, Rolls-Royce, Sandia National Laboratories and the Francis Crick Institute. He has received several major grants from the UK Research Councils and from industry, supporting research in areas including data science, robotics and autonomy, aerodynamics and continuum mechanics, networks and distributed systems, computer graphics and visualization, software engineering and computer architectures.
DAMIAN ALLEN
GOVERNOR
Damian is Chief Executive of Doncaster Council. Damian is a qualified teacher and has taught in middle and secondary schools, Further Education and Higher Education. Damian has held a number of management roles and governor positions in every phase of education. He has advised the UK and other governments on education and children’s services matters and acted as a member of a number of Commissions of Inquiry, Advisory Boards, and Ministerial Advisory Groups. Prior to becoming Chief Executive, he held Doncaster Council’s statutory Chief Officer role for Children (DCS) and Adults (DASS).
JO BINSTEAD
GOVERNOR
Jo has been the head of the Education & Skills Department within Siemens Mobility Limited since December 2019, having joined NTAR as General Manager in October 2019. Jo joined Siemens in 2011, having previously worked across a number of markets such as China, India and the US, and for companies including TE Connectivity, Raychem and Ford Motor Company. Jo is Chair of the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN) Steering Group and responsible for university engagement and cross-collaboration between universities and Siemens Mobility. Jo is also a board member and trustee of Women in Rail. Jo studied Business Studies and Human Resource Management at the University of Gloucestershire and has over 25 years of experience in the fields of Business Strategy, Innovation and Digitalisation.
JADE DYER
GOVERNOR
Jade Dyer is a Business Director at Doncaster Chamber of Commerce and was appointed a Governor at NCATI in October 2021. Jade is a member of our Nominations Committee and is currently the Careers Lead Governor.
DAVID FROST
STUDENT GOVERNOR
Dave is a mature student currently enrolled on the Advanced Transport and Infrastructure course at the Doncaster Campus and is passionate about education with a keen focus on mental health and wellbeing Prior to enrolling at the college, he spent 5 years as a support specialist for the RAF’s Typhoon fleet, supporting operations all over the globe. Dave has been the learner representative for his course since enrolment and is involved in Doncaster’s bid to become the new home of Great British Railways (GBR).
GILLIAN MCGRATTAN
GOVERNOR
Gillian McGrattan is the Director of Human Resources at University of Birmingham joining in January 2019. She was appointed a member Governor at NCATI in March 2021 and is a member of the Audit Committee.
SHARON ODETUNDE
GOVERNOR
Sharon has been with RSSB’s Research and Development team since 2013, leading research projects delivered in partnership with academia and international research bodies. She is involved in leading the coordinating hub of the UK Innovation and Research Network (UKRRIN), bringing together Centres of Excellence in rail research with the supply chain and the wider industry. Sharon is a passionate advocate of careers in rail and works with local schools and colleges to promote STEM subjects. Sharon is a railway engineering professional with experience in track design, infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance, R&D management and implementation. Sharon is focused on developing solutions for the rail industry, covering a broad range of challenges.
DR PAUL PHILLIPS CBE
GOVERNOR
Dr Paul Phillips is the Principal and Chief Executive of the Weston College Group (North Somerset), having turned it around from an inadequate College (c£9m) when he joined in 2001 to the £67m Outstanding College it is today. It regularly tops the FE league tables and is a lead contract holder for education in 19 prisons in the UK. Dr Phillips was formerly Vice Principal of the largest College in Wales. His work has included consultations with the NHS/MOJ/MOD and public services, as well as published research papers on Education Cost Benefit Analysis. Despite running Weston College, Dr Phillips is very active in his local community and represents the FE sector regionally and nationally. Dr Phillips received an OBE for his services to further education and the voluntary sector, followed by a CBE in 2017 for his work in further and higher education.
CHRIS PIKE
GOVERNOR
Chris is an accomplished Project Manager, Project Director, Account Leader and work winning strategist with over 20 years’ experience across Rail Infrastructure, Highways and Oil & Gas. In 2015, he became a Partner in the Arcadis business following the acquisition of Hyder Consulting, and in 2016 became Sector Director for UK Rail and is now responsible for all market and client facing activities.
NEIL ROBERTS
STAFF GOVERNOR
Neil Roberts is NCATI’s Staff Governor. Neil’s engineering career began in manufacturing as a Student Apprentice with Ruston-Bucyrus of Lincoln while studying for a BTech (Hons) degree in Production Engineering and Management at Loughborough University. This was followed by Graduate Training with machine tool manufacturers, Newall Engineering in Peterborough. After working as a Planning and Methods Engineer for Newall Engineering, Neil joined Warwick Manufacturing Group as a Teaching Company Associate working with toolmakers J. J. Harvey Ltd of Manchester on implementing of CAD/CAM for toolmaking and gaining an MSc in Engineering by research. He moved to a Senior Teaching Fellow role with WMG in the group’s CAD/CAM Centre, where he worked with industrial partners providing training and consultancy and also with post graduate students. The start of a career in teaching lasting more than thirty-five years now. In 1992 he joined the then newly-formed University of Wolverhampton as a Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering and the Built Environment with responsibility for Manufacturing awards as Programme Manager and Award Leader.
CAROLE STOTT OBE
GOVERNOR
Carole is a qualified teacher with over 30 years’ experience in education, particularly in the Further Education and Skills sector where she has held several Executive and Non-Executive roles. Her key interests and aims have included working to support development and reform in the UK that will improve access, success and progression, especially for those who have not reached their full potential in the school system. She has also played a leading role in promoting and supporting good governance, working with the Association of Colleges (AoC) to produce the first Code of Good Governance for English Colleges. Carole was appointed to the Board of Ofsted in 2018. Other recent non-executive roles have included Chair of the Board of AoC, Chair of Bath College, and Chair of WorldSkills UK. She was awarded the OBE for services to education in 2021 and the MBE for services to Adult Education in 2012.
RICHARD SWANN
GOVERNOR
Richard is a Partner, Head of Investments, and member of the Investment Committee at Inflexion, one of Europe’s leading Private Equity Firms. He has been involved in many of Inflexion’s successful investments, and over the years has worked across a range of sectors and situations, leading a number of Inflexion’s investments through to IPO on the London Stock Exchange. Richard was previously a partner with Deloitte and Andersen, specialising in mergers and acquisitions and fundraising. He is passionate about the role of education in promoting social mobility and the contribution that investment in people can make to communities.
AMANDA WHITE
GOVERNOR
Amanda is Rail Programme Director for West Midlands Rail Executive. Amanda’s career as a railway professional spans over 16 years’ working at all levels of the UK industry. Originally joining the railway industry in 2003 as a trainee electrification and plant (E&P) engineer, Amanda has applied her Railway Systems Engineering MSc (Birmingham University) to shape the design of key projects for Network Rail and Phase 2 of HS2. Amanda has been a volunteer, supporting the IMechE Railway Division activities for over fifteen years. Amanda continues to sit on the IMechE Board as a Vice Chair, she is passionate inspiring future generations to work in the railway industry and showcasing the people that make it a success.
LOWELL WILLIAMS
INTERIM PRINCIPAL AND CEO
MICHAEL MURPHY
GOVERNOR
An experienced financial professional with over 30 years of financial experience within the UK engineering industry. Michael is currently the Finance Director for the Technical Authority and System Operator for Network Rail. Michael has covered a series of senior roles across the rail industry over the last 20 years. Prior to joining the rail industry Michael spent a decade working for BAE Systems across several multi-national aircraft programmes. Michael’s areas of expertise are in both dealing with complicated engineering programmes and issues from a financial viewpoint. Furthermore, Michael has a passion for mentoring and developing talent across the rail industry.