College Governance

Paul Assinder, a local resident, joined the College Governors in January 2019 following a long career as a CEO and Chief Finance Officer in the healthcare and technology sectors, both in the UK and overseas. He served on the College Corporation in the role of Vice Chair for 3 years before being appointed the Chair of Corporation in January 2025 following the departure of the previous Chair. Paul is a highly experienced chair who has served on major organisations’ boards in both executive, non-executive and chair roles for over 30 years. Doubly qualified as an accountant, with a degree in economics, he trained and worked with Ernst & Young Co in the UK before later moving into the Healthcare Sector. Now semi-retired, he was until 2022, CEO of a local NHS Trust and prior to this, he held the position as European CFO for the major US genomics company. In addition to Chairing Solihull College and University Centre, Paul chairs both a local NHS Trust and a prominent West Midlands health charity. Paul is committed to excellence in education and was for many years, a respected lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton and with others, has written and presented a remote learning MBA module on economics for a national Academy provider.

Rebecca joined Solihull College & University Centre in 2016 as Assistant Principal, becoming Vice Principal for Curriculum and Quality in 2019 and appointed as Principal and Chief Executive in 2022. Rebecca started working in the further education sector as an hourly paid lecturer in Business and Management and has over 20 years’ experience, with expertise in curriculum and quality. She joined Ofsted as a part time inspector in 2015. Rebecca is a passionate ambassador for further education and was awarded a Doctorate in Education for her research on FE senior leadership.

Christine retired in 2020 following a varied and rewarding career in public service. After a few years in the Diplomatic Service she moved into Higher Education management, working in a number of UK universities including the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City University. For the last four years Christine has led the Graduate Leadership Programme for Higher Education, based at the University of Nottingham. Christine’s particular interests are strategic planning, corporate governance and leadership development. A long-term resident of Birmingham, Christine now lives in Solihull and is passionate about supporting young people to achieve their potential through education and is proud to be a Governor at Solihull College. In her leisure time she enjoys road cycling, hill walking, learning foreign languages and re-learning to play the piano after a thirty-year break.

Susie is a former student of Solihull College and University Centre, where she also worked as a lecturer and a member of the Management Team for nearly two decades. She is the founder of a local, award-winning recruitment business, growing it from zero to over £1 million in annual turnover and making it the first recruitment business in the UK to achieve ‘Diversity Assured’ status in 2007. An active member and former Vice President of the Solihull Chamber since 2001, Susie received the Chamber’s ‘President’s Achievement Award’ in 2023 and was awarded an Honorary Fellowship Award in 2024 from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation. Susie is passionate about people, education, and employment, firmly believing that learning and jobs help transform lives, organizations, and society. She is enthused and inspired to apply her business expertise and personal passions in the role of Governor.

Megan was appointed Student Governor FE in September 2024 and is currently studying BTEC Level 2 Applied Science and is passionate about social justice, inclusion, equality, sustainability and diversity.

Michael Burnett is a UK Chartered Accountant who has been based in Solihull since 1990. He is a multi-skilled professional (audit, financial management, performance management and public procurement) experienced in significant knowledge transfer to the UK and European public sector at all levels (EU institutions, national government/sub-national government) for over 30 years as adviser, auditor, senior manager and professional trainer including working in more than including 30 European countries in the past 20 years. He is a public sector award scheme expert and was a co-organiser/project manager of the European Public Sector Awards (EPSA) from 2009 to 19 (1350 projects from 39 countries and EU institutions/agencies) and was a jury member in 2021. He has written widely on public sector management and was editor/co-author of 7 EPSA reports on innovative public sector practice in Europe.

Sarah is Head of School of Management at Coventry University. Her career spans 18 years in senior marketing positions in industry and since 2006 she has worked both in FE and HE sectors. Her passion in education is about transforming the lives of individuals, organisations and society.

Helen has over 30 years’ experience in the further education and skills sector. In January 2024, she retired from a large multi-site college group where she was Deputy Principal responsible for quality improvement and assurance, higher education and student services. Helen’s expertise include teaching, learning and assessment across all types of provision within the sector including education for young people, apprenticeships, higher education, international and special educational needs. Since 2016 she has been working for Ofsted as a part-time inspector.

Ravi is a consultant specializing in digital technology and innovation, with recent roles as Accelerator Programme Manager for Connected Places Catapult and Innovation Lead in Economic Regeneration across the Midlands. He has experience across sectors including Digital Infrastructure, Life Sciences, 5G, Cyber Security, Digital Health, and Smart Cities, working closely with government departments, health organizations, universities, local authorities, and businesses. As a mentor and life coach, Ravi has also volunteered for over 20 years with charities, human rights movements, and community and faith groups.

Tony has a wide range of experience in financial services, operations and the recruitment sector – including at Board level and having run his own businesses. He is also a Trustee at the Family Care Trust, a local charity involved in helping adults with learning difficulties into work. Tony also served as a governor at Dudley College for 6 years.

Graham held senior leadership roles in corporate banking before retiring 4 years ago. Sector specialisms including Healthcare, Education and Real Estate alongside management of risk and compliance. Graham was a board member of Coventry University for 6 years and an active member of the Strategy & Finance Committee. Responsibilities included devising/supporting the strategic direction as well as reviewing new initiatives for viability, risk and strategic fit. Currently Graham volunteers for the local Citizens Advice office, proving help and guidance on a range of issues; financial, family, legal, health and housing. He is also a committee member and ride leader for Solihull Cycling Club. At a time when further education is undergoing change and challenge, Graham is particularly interested to understand how vocational education is supporting both the students and local employers. He is also keen to contribute to the ongoing financial management of the College, so that it can continue to provide a varied programme alongside continued financial stability.

Dr Mehreen Mirza is a higher education professional and is currently a Head of School of Law & Social Sciences. She has worked at several universities in a range of academic and leadership roles, and led numerous cross-institutional projects, for example, in partnership with employers, focusing on employability and enterprise, to support students into positive graduate outcomes in work or further study. Mehreen has recently completed her term of office as Honorary Chair of the UK Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, and previously served on the Advisory Group of the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Sociology, Anthropology and Politics. She was Vice-Chair of the HEA Sociology Subject Group. She believes in the transformational power of education and is committed to the provision of high-quality education. Mehreen continues to research on inequality, identity, and higher education.

I have held senior roles in central government, at regulators, in consultancy and at large corporates. I have senior civil service experience, including policy development, regulatory enforcement and advising a Secretary of State. I am used to managing stakeholders at senior level including PLC C-Suite, government (including HMT, Cabinet Office and No. 10) as well as internally at board level. I was the financial lead for the delivery of a £2.4bn p.a. government programme and I led on the business case through the governance process with HM Treasury, Cabinet Office and the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP). I led the finance for setting up the food parcels programme as part of the COVID response. I led the price control financial team at Ofgem and I was responsible for ensuring the financial viability and legitimacy of the energy network companies.

Amirun is a risk and governance specialist with over 16 years’ experience within financial services focusing on the development and oversight of risk and governance policy and frameworks. Having held senior positions in risk and corporate governance, including the role of Company Secretary for Al Rayan Bank – one of the UK’s ethical, Sharia compliant banks, Amirun is currently Head of Operational Risk for Europe Arab Bank. She is also Chair of Governors at Tiverton Academy providing oversight and challenge to ensure effective decision making, across multiple elements, including Teaching and Standards, Health and Safety, Safeguarding and Pupil Premium as well as Performance and Appraisals.

Cheryl is currently Director of Operations and a member of the Executive Committee at a regional Building Society. She has significant experience in leading operations and transformational change within financial services, after working in the sector for many years. Having previously been a Board Member for a Birmingham-based charity and as a mentor to other charitable organisations, Cheryl is committed to continually supporting local communities. Cheryl is keen that individuals and businesses have access to a range of education and learning opportunities that can benefit them personally and professionally.

I have had the privilege to work in the College for 14 years as a lecturer in Care and Education, and most recently in the role as a program manager. Prior to this l worked as an Orthopaedic nurse, but felt my passion was in working with the student nurses, educating them, and teaching them new skills. Having seen the role from different levels within the organization, l feel this gives me a wealth of experience to bring to this position. l feel now is the ideal time to use this knowledge and passion I have for the College to be a part of the team of governors. As an approachable and friendly person, and with an open-door policy, l hope to be a conduit between the pupils and staff, and the management and governance of the college.

Sharmin Rima is a higher education (HE) student, currently pursuing Computer and Cyber Security (HND) at Solihull College and University Centre. As a HE Student Governor Sharmin represents the voice of the student body and as a future professional in the rapidly evolving field of Computing and Cyber Security, Sharmin is dedicated to driving positive change within the college and inspiring peers to excel in their academic and career journeys.

Harrison works as a Platform Engineer for the digital consultancy firm BJSS. He has several years of experience in the private sector as well as the public education sector in roles that include Digital & Technology and Strategy & Risk. After completing an apprenticeship through a College, he also gained a BSc in Information Technology and an MSc in Cyber Security alongside his employment in the public sector. Harrison will bring a diverse perspective on the education sector, gained through both personal experience within education and subsequent professional experience.

A Chartered Accountant, Tony leads an Internal Audit Team for a large Building Society, responsible for its Finance, Treasury and Risk functions. Tony has previous experience of external audits of businesses in the financial services, telecommunications, residential construction and manufacturing sectors.