Skills for growth: Networking event

Shane is CEO of EducationScape, an organisation at the forefront of education publishing, training and event management.  Shane played a key role in shaping educational journalism by helping launch FE Week in 2011.  Building on this success, Schools Week followed in 2014, providing in-depth analysis of the education system from early years to secondary education. Shane has also played a leading role in the renowned Festival of Education, both in the UK and internationally. He was appointed as a trustee of the Teaching Awards Trust in 2020.

Marion Plant OBE is Principal and Chief Executive of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC).

Under Marion’s leadership, students at the college consistently perform highly in the WorldSkills UK Competitions, including in the entry-level foundation skills competitions which the college itself conceived and developed. Marion oversaw the development of a successful technology institute that delivers highly acclaimed training for the automotive sector including for prestigious brands such as Jaguar Land Rover and Bentley.  Marion has served a three-year term as a non-executive director at the Department for Education and recently achieved fellowships from the City and Guilds Institute and the Chartered Institute for Further Education.

Freya Thomas Monk is Managing Director, Pearson Qualifications, Pearson plc.  She is responsible for the delivery of both academic and vocational qualifications and apprenticeships in the UK and internationally and works closely with universities, colleges and schools, and with government and employers, to drive skills to serve the UK economy.  Freya joined Pearson in 2004 and previously led the fast growth of the digital English assessment business.  She is passionate about the importance of education in helping individuals reach their goals in life.

Freya holds an MA from Oxford University and an MBA from INSEAD (Paris). She serves as Chair of Governors of a primary school and sits on the boards of Pearson Education Limited and the UK-ASEAN Business Council.  She lives in London with her husband and three children.

Twitter: @FreyaThomasMonk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/freya-thomas-monk-59215a/