Governors

Robert Cohen
Chief Executive, Corum Advisers Limited
Chair of Governors - Linked to Maths

Robert Cohen is an experienced and entrepreneurial chief executive who founded and developed business and property ventures and had diverse corporate experience of leadership in manufacturing and distribution, banking and retail. He holds a B. Comm and MBA. He spent the formative years of his career with a large industrial group where he progressed through strategy and finance then becoming head of manufacturing and ultimately chief executive of a business with 5 manufacturing sites, 40 distribution and retail outlets and over 4,000 employees. In this role he was involved in major change programmes and negotiations with unions, government and business groupings as South Africa transitioned to democracy and new ways of working. He subsequently co-founded a private equity investment group (listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange) which targeted growing entrepreneurial businesses that needed both finance and skills in order to achieve their potential. He spent seven years in the City of London, as head of group investments for a bank where he chaired numerous investment banking committees, subsidiaries and investee companies, as well as being on the credit and risk committees. He currently runs a property investment and development portfolio.

A large part of his career has been involved with manufacturing businesses including construction. He values the technical and human skills required in these sectors which are vital to the success of our societies. Manufacturing and design is detailed and often difficult work, but it provides far more satisfaction for its practitioners than many other occupations. In a globalised world these skills and careers hold out great opportunities for young people and he wants to be part of promoting and encouraging education and opportunity in design and engineering. He believes that the opportunity to work with our world leading industry and university sponsors is a huge advantage for Elutec’s students.

 

Pat Chandler
Manager Chassis Integration, Global Commercial Vehicles, Ford Motor Company UK
Governor - Linked to Engineering

Pat currently manages a team of 50 engineers, working in the UK, North America, Germany, China and Turkey. Previously he had programs based in Japan with Mazda on the new Fiesta programme.
Pat’s responsibilities have expanded from the delivery of European programs to global ones. He has to manage conflicting market requirements and rationalise specifications and expectations to ensure the philosophy of truly global products is delivered.
His responsibilities start with initial design concepts and their development, formulation of the budget, resource plan and manpower, development of engineering statements of work and the sourcing of design development partners and manufacturers.
He is also responsible for the welfare, development and progression of the Chassis Team in the UK. This includes health and safety, human resource issues, training and ensuring that they delivery is to the highest standards on time. The team is very loyal to the Transit programme and there is a good mixture of ages, experiences and expertise in the group.
Pat was approached by one of the directors at Ford to support Elutec. He really enjoys this role and through the two supervisors Scott Lister and Mike Corder, he feels that Ford has supported Elutec very well.
He looks forward to continuing to support Elutec for the young people of the area, continuing and seeing it go from strength to strength.

 

Bill Williams
Chief Executive, The Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME)
Governor - Linked to Product Design and Partner Engagement

When he first became aware of the UTC movement, he was struck and enthused by this fantastic new education concept. Offering its students the opportunity to study the national curriculum whilst focusing on vocational skills with a deep integration of employers is a fantastic concept. He believed that a successful UTC would provide its students with life changing opportunities. Elutec, situated in the centre of the engineering and industrial heartlands of London, is a perfect location, providing local youngsters with an interest in engineering and manufacturing a fantastic education experience and engaging with employers in innovative ways to give its students employment life skills alongside an excellent education experience. This was, and remains his driver and enthusiasm for Elutec to become the leading engineering UTC in the country by 2018.

 

 

Alistair Greig
Professor of Marine Engineering, University College London (UCL)
Governor - Linked to ICT

Alistair Greig’s research interests cover a broad range of topics including warship design, control and marine machinery integration with particular emphasis on advanced craft and the impact of new technology and legislation. Areas of interest include modelling marine propulsion plant and high speed multihull craft, in conjunction with partners in the USA under the ONR funded ACCESS project. Subjects encompassing the environmental impact of ships; ballast water exchange modelling (with Prof Eames); the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI); low carbon shipping (with Prof Bucknall) and more efficient use of energy within ships.

 

Antoinette Antoine
Parent Governor - Linked to Marketing and Recruitment

Antoinette is a Senior Construction Project Manager, managing multi–million pound developments for a neighbouring local authority, where she has specialised in building schools and new build housing.
She is also a founder and director of a public relations and communications company, and has been in the PR industry for the past 20 years, working for local authorities, charities, the voluntary sector and private companies.
Antoinette chose to transfer her child to Elutec, from a very successful school, as she believed in the values and potential of Elutec as a first class specialist education provider, which would equip her child with all the resources and skills they need for their future engineering career, in a stimulating and motivating environment.

 

Janice Godwin-Samuel 
Parent Governor - Linked to English and German

Janice has a portfolio of roles including Deputy Chair of a Ministry of Justice Advisory Committee, exam invigilator and personal assistant.
She has over 25 years of extensive experience in various roles, in both the public and private sectors from office manager to paralegal among others.
As a local parent, Janice is familiar with the socio-economic issues that can affect our young people’s future. She intends to help improve their chances of success in their personal and professional lives by using her skills and experience to continue to develop Elutec’s progress, working relationships with their sponsors and in seeking new working partnerships.
Janice believes that Elutec has the huge potential of becoming a centre of design, engineering & technology excellence &  she aims to do her best to ensure that our young people leave Elutec confident, inspired and fully equipped to pursue the next step for a successful career in their chosen field.

 

Dr. Judith Abbott
Chief Executive and Accounting Officer, PROCAT
Governor

Judith joined PROCAT with 6 years’ experience as a college finance director where she led the college from inadequate to outstanding financial health and initiated a number of improved operational processes throughout her areas of responsibility. She not only brings experience as a college finance director, but a background in science, including a degree from Cambridge and a doctorate from Imperial College, and more than 20 years in the engineering industry with Ford Motor Company.

Judith is responsible for PROCAT’s finances and resources, management and performance management of support staff; Judith is the executive’s member of the PROCAT Governors and chairs the senior management team.

 

Kim Donovan-Maddix 
Governor

Biography to follow.

 

Roger Leighton 
Governor

Biography to follow.