Foundation Team
The City & Guilds Foundation amplifies the activity we do across City & Guilds, through high impact social investment, recognition and advocacy programmes.
Meet our
Team
Meet our
Trustees
Each of the programmes we run act as a catalyst for us to make a difference to people, organisations and society through investing into helping everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, get opportunities to succeed.
Whether we’re looking at how we bring together other charitable organisations to address major societal challenges like reducing reoffending, whether we’re designing awards programmes that recognise exceptional staff training, or whether it’s designing a measurement tool that shows the genuinely transformative impact of skills on society – what flows through it all is our approach; our activity is about innovating, celebrating and evaluating.
Senior Management Team
Barbara le Fleming
Executive Director of Finance and Operations and Secretary of the Institute (Acting CEO until October 2026)
Barbara plays a key role, focusing on strengthening financial stability and driving operational excellence.
Barbara leads the Foundation’s enabling functions, ensuring the organisation operates with strong foundations and clear direction. Overseeing finance, governance and day-to-day operations, she plays a key role in setting the Foundation up as an independent organisation.
With a strong focus on continuous improvement, Barbara drives the development of effective systems and processes, ensuring the Foundation runs efficiently, remains well-governed and is equipped to deliver its impact.
In her spare time (which there often isn’t very much of!) Barbara enjoys dancing and spending time with her family.
Laura Mountain
Head of Strategy and Impact
“Law-rah Moun-tain” | she/her
Laura leads on our overall strategy for the Foundation, in particular our grant-giving activity, looking at ways we can deliver the highest impact possible in partnership with those that share our purpose.
Laura is very solutions-focused, loves joining the dots and making new connections.
Laura loves spending time with friends, family, reading and eating!
Polly Rowe
Head of Communications, Programmes and Engagement
“Pol-ee Row” | she/her
Polly is responsible for our communications and engagement activity as well as ensuring the smooth delivering of our flagship Award programmes.
She is passionate about our purpose and ensuring that our communities feel well engaged with our work. Polly
is extremely organised and a natural relationship builder. In addition to her role at the City & Guilds Foundation she is a Trustee of The Recruitment Junction, a recruitment charity that supports those with criminal convictions in to paid employment.
When she’s not busy working, Polly enjoys spending time with her family, going to the gym and acting as a PA to her daughter!
Michael Osbaldeston
Special Advisor
“My-cull Os-bawl-des-tun” | he/him
As a Special Adviser, a major part of Michael’s role is bringing people and organisations together so that they can work more effectively and develop long term and sustainable partnerships.
Michael is a Trustee of the City & Guilds of London Art School, Heritage Craft and music and mental health charity, Song in the City.
When he’s not at work, he enjoys going to concerts and tending his garden, including his banana trees!
Stuart Tucker
Strategic Digital Development Manager
“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.
Mike Ormand
Digital Programme Enablement Manager
“Maik Or-mund” | he/him
Mike is responsible for the maintenance and continuous development of our digital channels, including maintaining our website, online forms and internal intranet pages. He also provides digital support for our marketing and compiles our monthly newsletter.
Mike is passionate about diversity and inclusion, and with this in mind has worked to make our programmes more accessible and inclusive, such as our bursary programme.
He studied Media, Culture and Communications at University in Leeds and now lives in Cheshire with his partner. In his spare time he loves cooking and trying new foods, and he is a keen knitter.
Lauren Roberts
Advocacy Lead
“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.
Jo Najjar
Institute Relationships and Governance Manager
she/her
Jo is part of the Foundation’s Enabling Functions team and leads on governance support. She plays a central role in ensuring the smooth running of key governance activities, including coordinating Trustee Board meetings, taking minutes, and organising both our bi-annual Council meetings and annual Members’ meeting.
Jo is also a key point of contact for our Livery relationships, working closely with partners to strengthen engagement and maximise the impact of our matched donation scheme.
In her spare time Jo enjoys supporting her beloved Tottenham Hotspur FC team and enjoys less watching them lose their football games! She also enjoys spending time with her family and is particularly close to her Grandad.
Lan Che
Awards Manager
“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.
Justine Procter
Foundation Co-ordinator
“Jus-teen Prock-ter” | she/her
Justine provides key administrative support across all of the Foundation team ensuring our work runs smoothly. This includes being the main point of contact for our bursary programme, organising any of our events that we run and supporting with our finance administration as a standalone Foundation.
You can go to her with any general questions about any of our work.
In her free time she likes being outside with her two young boys, going out for nice food and planning the next adventures.
Nadine Jenkins
PA to the Senior Management Team
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.
Rosemary Carter
Interim Special Projects Manager
Rosemary has extensive leadership across education, regulation, housing, and healthcare, including Ofqual the exams regulator. Managing Corporate Services within the Not-for-Profit (NFP) sector. Expert in regulatory compliance, assurance, strategic procurement and investigations. She is driven by strong ethical values and a commitment to environmental sustainability.
When not at work, Rosemary is a keen sport fan, particularly Rugby Union, and enjoy all aspects of keeping fit.
Adebayo Adelagun
Finance Manager
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.
Trustees
Our Trustees provide strategic guidance and direction to make sure that the City & Guilds Foundation can make the most impact possible.
Jessica Leigh Jones MBE FCGI
Chair
Jessica Leigh Jones is Chair of the City & Guilds Foundation 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.
Dick Palmer
Vice Chair
Dick Palmer is Deputy Chair of the City & Guilds Foundation and brings more than 30 years of experience in the education and skills sector, including his tenure as Principal of City College Norwich. He now serves as a Non-Executive Director across several independent training organisations and is known for his innovative approach to future-focused skills development.
Dick is the founder of SAIGE – the UK’s only regulated awarding organisation dedicated exclusively to AI qualifications. He is also the founder of Enigma Innovation and Development, where he supports senior leaders through coaching, strategic development and organisational transformation.
Ian Ailles
Trustee
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.
Frank Douglas
Trustee
Frank Douglas is CEO of Caerus Executive and an influential leader in culture, inclusion and organisational change. He has held senior HR roles including Executive Vice President of HR at Misys and Group HR Director at TfL and BT.
Frank has been recognised widely for his contribution to the profession, including receiving an Honorary Doctorate for services to HR and diversity. He is also noted as the first Black male Group HR Director of a FTSE 100 company.
A respected international speaker, he continues to champion meaningful, lasting change across the sector.
Jane Gibbon
Trustee
Jane is 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.
Andy Marchant
Trustee
Andy’s executive career spans senior roles in banking, pensions and investment, and he now brings this depth of experience to a diverse portfolio of non-executive and trustee positions. He is Chair of the Scottish Book Trust, a Non-Executive Director at Lothian Pension Fund and Vice-Chair of the Scottish Firefighters Pension Fund. Andy became a Trustee of City & Guilds Limited in 2018, where he chaired the Investment Committee and Pensions Sub-Committee and sat on the Remuneration Committee.
Known for his strategic insight, Andy brings strong expertise in governance, pensions and investment strategy. His experience across financial services, education and the literary sector enables him to support effective leadership, planning and organisational development.
There is so much social need in the world and so many deserving of support. Unfortunately, we can’t help everyone directly. But what we can do is work with a selection of like-minded individuals, organisations and communities to explore new ways of doing things when it comes to skills development, in order to combat key societal issues where existing structures aren’t working.