Southwark Governors

Annette Cast

Annette Cast took up post as principal of Southwark College on 1st August 2019, having been a senior post holder in FE and HE for over twenty five years, and during her career she has had the opportunity to manage every department. This experience has provided her with an in-depth understanding of every element that is necessary to create an outstanding institution.

Previously she was Pro-Vice Chancellor (Student Experience) at the University of East London, and Executive Dean of the Law and Business School. Under her leadership the University achieved many awards, including the most improved modern university in the decade.

Annette strives to put the learner into the heart of everything the College does, and to create a sustainable college that Southwark and it’s community will be proud of.

Annette also holds a Masters in Employment Law and is a qualified mediator.

Elaine Hawkins

Elaine is a semi-retired educationist whose most recent senior management role was in postgraduate medical education, acting as an Assistant Dean for Education seconded to the NHS/ Health Education England from the University of London.

Elaine continues to do part-time education-related consultancy for the General Medical Council as an Associate, where she is a member of the GMC Curriculum Advisory Group which advises whether new and changing postgraduate medical curricula meet specific quality management, teaching and learning, assessment and equality and diversity standards.

Prior to changing her focus to postgraduate Medical Education from 2011 onwards, Elaine’s career had developed through a variety of teaching and management roles in Arts and Social Science based education with a focus on provision that widened access to educational opportunities in further and higher education.

Elaine began her career as a University Extra-Mural tutor in Wales; taught English/ Liberal studies in a Further Education college in South Wales and taught for the Open University in Wales. Elaine’s educational work then developed through posts in FE/HE colleges in Cornwall and West Suffolk to focus on the management of access, distance learning and degree level provision for adult students seeking learning opportunities that had previously not been available to them.

In 2003, Elaine relocated to London to manage learning programmes at Birkbeck, University of London which facilitated mature students’ entry to and inclusion in higher education. As a part of the strategy to achieve this aim, Elaine built award-winning partnerships with other learning providers of adult, further, higher and community education across London. Elaine also worked at senior management level to advise on, and implement, first year undergraduate curricula that supported the attainment of ‘non-traditional’ students in the university context.

During this period, Elaine also led the university’s Academic Staff Development programme.

As far as formal qualifications relevant to the role of FE Governor are concerned, Elaine holds a PhD from the University of London (2011) focussed on the education of adults; a BA (Hons) and MA in Literature from University of Wales; a Postgraduate Certificate in the Education of Adults (University of Surrey); a Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language.

Elaine has also completed a variety of non-qualification courses in management and financial management in the Education sector.

Sinead O'Sullivan

Sinead is currently the Director for Career Learning, Analysis, Skills and Student Loans Company at the DfE, which involves leading the people responsible for a range of functions across Higher and Further Education. Prior to this, Sinead held roles at the National College for Teaching and Leadership which included Directory for Delivery and Accounting Officer, and also some prior roles at the DfE.

Sinead has a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Imperial College London.

John Jeffcock

John Jeffcock is Chief Executive of the award winning C-Suite network business Winmark. Winmark runs a portfolio of 16 C-Suite networks, with 700 multinationals, across 17 cities. John sits on a number educational advisory panels including Royal Docks School of Business & Law (UEL), Chartered Management Institute (CMI), Southwark College and School Home Support (SHS).

John is a former infantry Captain serving the Coldstream Guards. He was decorated for distinguished service in the first Gulf War and he later ran the Northern Cordon around Sarajevo for the United Nations.

Since then he has written two books of war poetry, proceeds from both going to injured soldier charities. In January 2021 his book “The Suite Spot” is being published by Bloomsbury, the publishers of Harry Potter. The book focuses on how to get into and be successful in the C-Suite.

John has Masters in Business (MBA) and Poetry (MA) and is recognised by the media as a commentator on business, sustainability and contemporary verse.

Kim Caplin

Kim has worked in the education sector for over 30 years and has held a range of management and leadership roles in both schools and Further Education colleges. A qualified teacher she has a thorough knowledge and expertise in curriculum design and its role in enhancing quality for learners, staff and the organisation.

She has also led on systematic improvements to teaching and learning and especially the role of innovative teaching. She is currently Director of Jasia Education where she works on a range of projects which support partnerships of schools and colleges with universities and employers.

Until 2020 Kim was Principal of Westminster Kingsway College, a General Further Education College and DCEO of Capital City College Group previously having been Vice-Principal for 7 years. The college is known for its excellence in vocational education especially for its award-winning work in Hospitality where it received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education. During this period the college has also won several awards for its partnership engagement, careers education and work with learners with special educational needs.

Updating her expertise, she completed the Strategic Leadership Programme for Principals and CEOs at the SAID Business School, Oxford University.

She has advised on policy development at a local, regional and national level, and has been a member of the DFE Advisory Group for 16-18 Study Programmes and advisory groups for the Youth Justice Board. Kim has also been a Trustee for Coram Life Education a national children’s charity for 8 years and is currently also a Trustee for Inspire! Education Business Partnership and OCN London.

She is a member of the London Symphony Community Choir, enjoys cycling and hopes to ride for charity once COVID subsides.

Damien Williams

Damien Williams took up post as the Student Services Manager at Southwark College on the 1st of January 2020.

He has been working in FE for over ten years and has also worked in Children Services as a Head of Operations. He currently sits on the Safeguarding and Prevent Panel, the Equality and Diversity Panel and chairs meetings with the Students’ Union, this puts him in a strong position to speak on staff views at many different levels.

He manages a very successful football team out of the college on a voluntary basis. Damien believes that every young person deserves the opportunity to fulfil their potential, and is looking forward to working with his colleagues to make Southwark College an Outstanding environment to learn in.

Holly Roberts-Harry

Holly is a financial services professional having spent the majority of her career in investment banking. Holly works at NatWest where she has held a range of investment banking roles - both customer facing and strategic.

She currently supports the Infrastructure and Utilities franchise, supporting these customers with financing and risk management needs.

Prior to that Holly advised the CEO of NatWest’s Markets franchise during a period of significant transformation in addition to the pandemic.

Holly is a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charter holder and is passionate about championing climate action. In 2021 completed she the NatWest Group Climate Change Transformation Programme in partnership with the University of Edinburgh.

Smith Kusi

Smith is currently a Consultant Business Analyst at M and G Investments.

He joined in July 2021 and prior to this had worked as a Senior Associate at PwC. he has 10 years’ experience working in Finance as either a Business/ Data Analyst or Software Tester in organisations such as Travelex and Lloyds Banking Group.
Smith graduated from De-Montfort University where he studied Accounting and Business Studies.

He subsequently completed a master’s degree in Business Systems Analysis and Design at City University of London.

Alongside his current role, Smith is involved with a community initiative called In My Community which aims to support local communities within the Old Kent Road catchment areas to ensure they thrive 20 years’ from now.

Roy Senoga

Roy Kaweesa Senoga is a Paralegal at MYPINPAD Ltd (a software company) and has more than five years’ in-house experience in commercial and corporate paralegal roles supporting global businesses that provide regulated post-trade technologies and solutions to the banking and payments industries.

During such time, Roy gained experience shaping and instituting corporate governance structures and practices aimed at facilitating strategic decision-making and effective oversight.

Roy has also been an active promoter of diversity, inclusion and greater representation. He is currently a diversity and inclusion champion at MYPINPAD and he was previously a member of the leadership team of DTCC’s Black Business Professional Network in which he was part of a global team of employees who pushed for greater representation of the diversity of DTCC’s black employees; and sought to create a more inclusive work culture through various events spanning networking opportunities, Q&A sessions and black history events.

Prior to the start of his career, Roy graduated from the University of Hull with a Bachelors in Law with Philosophy (European Legal Studies) which included a year studying law abroad at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

As a governor, Roy will exercise scrutiny and oversight from a position of empathy and understanding of a community that has been his own for many years.