Corporation board

The Corporation Board is the group’s governing body and comprises of members drawn from a range of backgrounds and experience, reflecting the varied communities which the college serves. Our subsidiary companies have their own boards which meet on a regular basis.

The Board is responsible for the quality of service that the college offers to learners and the local community, as well as the financial health and strategic direction of the college. They are also responsible for the employment practices of the college and for setting our vision and mission.

A large team with a broad blend of skills, the board meets monthly to consider strategic developments, systematic monitoring of college and management performance and prescribed compliance reports.

Robust discussion is encouraged at meetings of the board within the conventions of standing orders and committees form a key part of the governance process.

The board members have a strong commitment to continuous improvement in their own practice and annually conduct a rigorous self-assessment

View a copy of our Public Values Statement

View the Instrument and Articles of Government

View the Standing Orders Annual Review Document

View the Instrument and Articles of Government Document

Kate Truscott

Chair of the Corporation Board

Kate is a very experienced Director of Human Resources. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Kate has been a Board Director with the NHS for over 25 years. She has also been a Non-Executive Director with responsibilities for governance and quality assurance. Kate is Chairman of the charity Children’s Links, and has a long-standing commitment to lifelong development.
Eloise Hopkinson

Clerk to the Corporation
Alison Barker

Alison joined the board in July 2022 and brings a wealth of experience in business development. Having worked for both SME’s and large corporations, Alison brings best practice knowledge and skills to discussions (having recently completed a Management and Leadership Degree). With a passion for CSR and people (having studied psychology and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), her focus is on improving the way organisations meet the needs of their customers and communities.
David Gillies

David has a technical, engineering education coupled to 30 years of business experience. He has held several leadership roles in engineering organisations operating within the power, oil & gas, food & beverage and pharma market sectors. His career, much of which has been globally placed, offered a unique insight into multiple business philosophies and cultures to aid his continued development and career progression.

David lives in Mansfield and started his further education journey at West Nottinghamshire College in 1987. He remains passionate about people, development and continued learning, and looks forward to using his career experience to deliver value in his role with Vision West Nottinghamshire College as an active member of the Corporation Board.

David currently holds the role of chief executive officer for ERIKS UK & Ireland
Charles Heaton

Charles joined the board in September 2019 and has a wealth of financial management experience. His career spans many years with roles both long and short term, with a focus on changes needed to bring about financial recovery/financial optimisation. He has previous experience in non-executive roles, including committee Chair experience and volunteering as a school governor. He has a commitment to education and offered his time as a Young Enterprise Advisor over a number of years. He has worked as a Finance Director and Business Advisor for companies ranging in turnover between £10m and £1bn. He describes himself as having a pragmatic approach combined with a strategic view. He understands the role of a governor and the careful balance to be struck between support and challenge.
Neil McDonald

Neil joined the Corporation Board in November 2018. He has 38 years’ experience in the rail industry having started out as an engineering apprentice. After 27 years in engineering he moved into general management as Managing Director of the Industrial business unit of EWS Railways/DB, followed by a period as Head of Sales. In 2015, he became the Chief Operating Officer of the first heavy haul Railway in the UAE, a joint venture between DB and Etihad Rail. For five years he was a Non-Executive Director of the Railway Safety and Standards Board, representing freight members. He brings 15 years’ executive management experience to the corporation board.
Spencer Moore

Spencer joined the board in September 2019 and has over 18 years’ senior experience in the Education industry. He is the Director of Strategy at the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). This is the lead agency for sport workforce development for the sport and physical sector. He has a wealth of education sector knowledge and connections and also has previous board experience, including time as a school governor and committee chair. He is a former college employee and was the Head of the Centre for Sport between 1997 and 2004. He has lived locally for the last 25 years.
Ben Owen

Ben is an experienced senior leader who has worked at several outstanding colleges over the course of his career. He brings to the Corporation Board his considerable experience in developing and leading cross-college strategies that deliver positive reputational and commercial impact. During his time in the sector, Ben has been involved with numerous national initiatives, including the Strategic College Improvement Fund (SCIF) project. Ben has also sat on various AoC groups that support areas such as mental health, SEND and internationalism (in particular the opportunities presented from the Erasmus+ programmes).
Jane Peacock

Jane Peacock joined the board in March 2022. The early stage of her career was in teaching and education management in a wide variety of settings including sixth form, further education, secure, and SEND. Jane then moved into public administration. She has led development initiatives and regulation within several government bodies, most recently the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Jane currently works freelance in the education sector.
Andrew Spencer

Andrew has a real love for West Nottinghamshire College and what it does for the area, and he was eager to apply when the opportunity arose to join the Corporation Board as staff governor (business support), feeling that this would enable him to guide and support the college in its work with the community and local area. Andrew would like the college to be a real heart of the community and use its position and strength to enable people to develop their skills, knowledge and talent.
Corey Spencer

Corey joined the committee in January 2023. He is passionate about people and has a wealth of experience in human resources with strengths in the talent agenda such as resourcing, learning and development, and performance. Corey has worked in a number of sectors, including construction, engineering, healthcare, industrial, and manufacturing.

Corey was born and raised in Mansfield and is a former Men’s British Champion in ice skating. He has experience in coaching and uses his leadership skills to promote the best results. He looks forward to contributing positively and adding value in his role with Vision West Nottinghamshire College as member of the Corporation Board.

Corey currently holds the role of talent manager at ITP Aero UK in Hucknall.
Keith Spiers

Keith started his formative career as a horticulturalist with Nottingham City Council in 1986 achieving the role of business development manager in 1999, where he was responsible for ICT development and implementation for all he front line services, before moving to Nottinghamshire County Council in 2004. He then took time out to serve in Iraq as an infantry company commander and returned to NCC as service delivery manager in 2006, responsible for all information services and strategies in service management. Keith returned to the MOD to develop his career in the military space, some of his roles included working in Brussels with the European Military service,, commanding officer of 3 Royal Anglian and now responsible for Army’s civilian engagement across the East Midlands and East Anglia.
Paul Wheeler

Paul is an experienced senior leader and brings to the Board over 30 years of commercial, financial and general management experience. He is a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in financial, audit and risk management and in managing strategic change. He is currently Chief Executive at Mansfield Building Society and a Trustee of the Mansfield Building Society Charitable Trust. He has held senior finance roles at Next Plc, Alliance & Leicester PLC as well as being Finance Director of East Midlands Development Agency and Mansfield Building Society and previously acted as a school governor.