“Stoo-uht Tuh-kuh” | he/him

Stuart manages the Foundation’s digital strategy and is passionate about using technology to improve user experience in all of our Award and grant application processes.

He has experience developing websites (including our main site and the Princess Royal Training Awards), devising CRM strategies and also lends advice and expertise to the Foundation’s charity partners.

When he is not at work he enjoys gardening, DIY, and spending time with his two young children.

“Loh-ren Roh-berts” | she/her

Lauren supports on our strategy development work and leads on all of our advocacy activity across the Foundation.

She is passionate about supporting our charity partners and those who come from less advantaged backgrounds to thrive through better and more equal opportunities for training and work.

When she’s not at work, Lauren enjoys exploring new cultures, eating yummy food, getting stuck into a good book and channeling her creative side through creating art.

“Lan Chay” | she/her

Lan works across our award recognition programmes which includes The Princess Royal Training Awards, Membership Awards and Fellowship Awards.

She ensures ongoing improvements and best practice processes are applied across the programmes.

When she’s not at work, she enjoys experiencing new hot spots with friends and exploring exotic holiday locations.

Nadine is PA to the Senior Management Team and keeps our management team organised so they can focus on delivering the high impact work that they do.  She provides high level administrative support to maximise our senior leadership’s time

When she is not at work, Nadine enjoys long walks, eating out and trying to improve her yoga skills.

As Finance Manager at City and Guilds Foundation, Adebayo combines expertise with a passion for supporting organisations achieve their goals. He enjoys working collaboratively across teams to improve processes and support informed decision-making.

Away from work, he enjoys spending time with the family and creating lasting memories together.

Jessica Leigh Jones is Chair of the Council of the City and Guilds of London Institute and has a proven track record of leading organisations and growing businesses across skills, technology, and partnership-driven environments. Having started her skills journey as an apprentice electrician and further going on to study astrophysics, she received an MBE for services to women in Engineering in Wales in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Jessica is Co-founder of iungo Solutions, a Digital & Green Skills Training Provider operating across England and Wales. She is also Chair of WJEC Eduqas, a Liveryman at the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers, and is recognised as an influential figure in British Life by Who’s Who.

Ian Ailles is an experienced executive and non-executive leader with a career spanning the commercial, charitable and public sectors. A Chartered Accountant by background, he has held senior roles across investment banking, travel, digital industries and private equity. Ian serves as the first Director General of the House of Commons.

With extensive experience, Ian has chaired major organisations and joint ventures, including the Thomas Cook/Co-op retail partnership and the Federation of Tour Operators. He is recognised for his strategic insight and strong commercial and financial acumen. A committed advocate for inclusion, Ian now holds a portfolio of non-executive and trustee roles focused on organisations with a clear social purpose.

Ian was appointed as Treasurer in 2021 and chairs the Audit and Risk Committee.

John is an experienced investment professional with a long career in fund management. In his last two executive roles, he led large multi-asset investment teams as Chief Investment Officer at Santander Asset Management and at BP Investment Management, which managed the BP plc defined benefit pension scheme.

Over the past five years John has built a portfolio of non-executive and advisory roles, helping companies and charities oversee and implement investment strategies. He chairs the Investment Governance Board for Atlas Infrastructure Partners, overseeing funds of more than US$5bn. He is also Independent Chair of the Investment Oversight Committee for IFSL, which provides ACD services to over 100 funds totalling around £20bn.

In the charity sector, John has been a Trustee of St John’s Foundation since 2025 and sits on its Finance and Investment Committee.

Peter led the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) as Chief Executive for almost 14 years, after a career in consulting. He brings extensive executive, risk, commercial and operational experience. He has also held chair and non-executive roles in both charitable and commercial organisations.

Peter has a deep understanding of the skills landscape and has sat on university boards and worked with the AoC, the Careers & Enterprise Company, IfATE, Business in the Community and the Social Mobility Commission. He has also supported the government’s Get Britain Working programme.

Peter knows the CGLI family well and chaired the Institute of Leadership and Management when it was part of CGLI, served on the Council and was part of the Commissioner team for the Princess Royal Training Awards when the Awards were created. He is Master of the Worshipful Company of HR Professionals and a Freeman of the City of London and is deeply committed to measuring social impact. He set up the CIPD Trust, which helps people from disadvantaged backgrounds into work, including NEETs, older workers, people with prior convictions and refugees. The Trust has reported on its impact from the outset.

Jane was formerly the Chief HR Officer at London Business School, bringing over 25 years of senior HR experience across global brands and fast-growth organisations. She has held HR Director roles at Just Eat and Starbucks EMEA, and earlier in her career held senior people leadership positions at Tesco, McDonald’s Europe and Yahoo.

A specialist in organisational transformation, talent development and inclusion, Jane has led people strategies through periods of significant change. Alongside her executive career, Jane is Co-Founder of Lift as You Climb UK and serves on the board of Amaechi Performance Systems Ltd. She is widely recognised for her commitment to developing people, organisations and communities.

Jane joined the Board in 2019 and chairs the Remuneration and Nominations Committee.

Rob has spent more than forty years in leadership roles creating opportunities for people to develop skills, realise their potential and access meaningful employment. He believes that talent is widely distributed, but opportunity is not. In the British Army, as Director of Personnel and a member of the Army Board, Rob led a generational review of career structures. He widened access to military service, increased opportunities for those with lower prior attainment and supported the opening of combat roles to women.

As a senior executive at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, he led the roll-out of standards-based apprenticeships, T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications, overseeing the approval of more than 800 apprenticeship standards. As Chief Executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies, he has led the organisation’s transformation and built influential alliances. These include the employer campaign that led Skills England to change its approach to apprenticeship assessment.

His advice on skills policy is sought regularly across the UK’s four nations. Rob also brings extensive governance experience. As Chair of City of Portsmouth College, he led the Board as the College moved from Ofsted Requires Improvement to Good and exited DfE financial intervention. He has chaired several military charities and served as a trustee of the Army Benevolent Fund.