QAA welcomes university and college leaders to its Board of Directors

QAA is delighted to announce that Professor Sue Rigby, Angela Joyce and Professor John Sawkins have all been appointed to QAA's Board of Directors.

Professor Sue Rigby is Vice-Chancellor of Bath Spa University. A palaeontologist by background, Sue has distinguished career in both academic research and university leadership, taking in time at the Universities of Cambridge, Leicester, Edinburgh and Lincoln. Sue is currently the Chair of the Natural Sciences TEF Pilot Panel, Chair of the Learning Gain Steering Group for the Office for Students, and an Executive Member of MillionPlus.

Commenting on her appointment, Sue said: 'I am delighted to be joining the QAA Board; understanding and enhancing the quality of learning and its associated processes are at the heart of higher education. The long history and great expertise of the QAA is very much valued by the sector'.

Angela Joyce is Chief Executive Officer at Warwickshire College Group (WCG), having taken up the post in April 2015. The College Group is one of the largest in the country, with seven colleges across the West Midlands. Angela was previously Principal and Chief Executive at Peterborough Regional College. She was then the youngest further education college Chief Executive and Principal in the country, and remains the youngest ever Chief Executive in further education. 

She said: 'The higher education sector is going through significant change currently and QAA plays a fundamental role in ensuring quality for all students studying in the UK. I am pleased to be joining the Board at this time and to represent the voice of College-based higher education'.

Professor John Sawkins is Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Deputy Principal) Learning and Teaching at Heriot-Watt University, responsible for learning and teaching strategy and international academic quality assurance and enhancement across its global campus network. His background is as an economist, with research interests in the economic regulation of the water industry with particular reference to water pricing, affordability and debt. He has served as an academic panel member for the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) since 2016 and is currently a member of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment.

He said: 'I look forward to joining the QAA Board, and contributing to the delivery of its mission to safeguard standards and improve the quality of UK higher education wherever it is delivered. QAA is highly regarded across the UK and internationally, both for its technical expertise and its commitment to working collaboratively with stakeholders and partners. This mode of working remains essential in the increasingly interconnected world of higher education'.

The appointments were confirmed at the 10 October 2019 meeting.

A full list of QAA Board members is available on our website.