About The Board of Management

David Newall

David Newall has been Chair of the Board of Management at Glasgow Clyde College since July 2016. In that capacity he is also a member of the Glasgow Colleges’ Regional Board and of the Colleges Scotland Good Governance Steering Group.

David is a history graduate and an accountant (CPFA). His career began in local government, latterly as Assistant Principal Director of Finance at Falkirk Council. He then moved into higher education management, as Deputy Secretary at the University of Strathclyde and then Secretary & Director of Administration at the University of Glasgow.

Jon Vincent

Jon Vincent is the Principal and Chief Executive of Glasgow Clyde College and he commenced this position in September 2017.

He has substantial experience of both further and higher education sectors having held a variety of teaching, management and leadership positions at colleges throughout the United Kingdom. Prior to commencing his current role, Jon was Principal and Chief Executive of Tyne Metropolitan College in the North East of England. At the time of appointment, Tyne Metropolitan was struggling with poor financial health, declining student recruitment and success rates. Under Jon’s leadership, the College recovered its financial standing, student numbers grew and success rates dramatically improved, leading to highly complementary reports from both Ofsted and QAA. Over this period the College became one of the first in the UK to achieve the coveted STEM Assured and Investors in Innovation accreditations.

A qualified teacher, he initially taught sport studies/science before becoming involved in initial teacher training and quality management roles. Jon has held a variety of non-executive and trustee positions outside of the education sector including involvement with a family poverty charity and economic development organisations. He is currently the Chair of a large secondary school and a Fellow of the Institute of Knowledge Exchange.

Rena McAdam

Rena is a Human Resources Adviser with over 17 years of invaluable expertise in the field. As a member of the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development), Rena remains at the forefront of industry knowledge and best practices. Throughout her career at Glasgow Clyde College, Rena has held various operational and specialist positions, gaining extensive expertise in working with students, teaching staff, and support staff alike. She holds an MSc in Human Resources Management and a TQFE, further enhancing her knowledge and skills. Rena's commitment to excellence extends beyond her role, as she contributes to the professional development of others by teaching on CIPD courses. Rena embraces innovation and cutting-edge technologies to optimise the employee experience and streamline processes. Rena is hoping to make a lasting impact in helping to shape the college's future, ensuring its continued excellence in providing an exceptional learning environment for all.

Kathleen Sweeney

Kathleen is a qualified accountant (ACCA) who has worked exclusively within Charity and Education. She spent 21 years working in Higher Education in posts with Glasgow Caledonian University and Glasgow University. The last 16 years was in the Independent School sector as both Bursar and Company Secretary. Having also served as a Trustee on the Board of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, she is experienced in Governance and operating at Board level. Her most recent appointment is Regional Secretary for the Independent Schools Bursars Association.

Michael Payne

Michael is a qualified actuary with around 25 years of post-qualification experience and around 35 years of experience of working in life assurance and pensions. Michael is currently CFO and Chief Actuary with The Exeter, and previously he worked for KPMG and was the COO for Customer & Innovation at M&G plc where he held a number of senior Finance and Actuarial roles. In addition to this, Michael also held a number of Non-Executive roles at M&G, including Prudential International Assurance and Prudential Financial Planning Limited, as well as being a member of Prudential’s Independent Governance Committee. Before joining M&G (Prudential), Michael spent a number of years working at Scottish Widows now part of Lloyds Banking Group, Scottish Friendly, and Scottish Amicable, in a variety of senior positions.

Runa McNamara

Runa is the Company Director of Amethyst Global Ltd.
Runa has worked in Further Education Colleges in England and Scotland including Salford College, Stoke on Trent College, Kirklees College, James Watt College and Coatbridge College where she progressed from lecturing, through curriculum and quality management to senior management and directorate.
Runa led the national development of qualifications in Beauty Therapy for Scotland, Botswana and India. Runa was also a HMIe Associate Assessor for 9 years for hairdressing, beauty and complementary therapies.
Runa’s experience includes working as an Examiner, External Verifier, Regional EV, Technical Expert, Business Development Manager and International Sector Skills Consultant.

Alan O'Donnell

Alan O'Donnell is the UK & Ireland Country Director for a Norwegian company which aims to shape the future of electricity with their innovation of both hardware & software for Electric Vehicle Charging solutions. Easee are now the fastest growing start-up in Scandinavian history.

Alan is one of the leading experts within electric vehicles in the UK thanks to over 4 years working as an Electrical Engineer for Tesla prior to joining Easee.

Glasgow Colleges have been pivotal in his career & personal development. He started aged 16 at Cardonald College as an apprentice electrician and pursued further education at colleges across the city, including Langside, City of Glasgow, Stow and Kelvin colleges.

Lindsey Paterson

Lindsey joined the Board of Glasgow Clyde College in February 2021 and is the current Chair the College Audit Committee. She is a politics graduate and a chartered accountant. She is a former partner of PwC, where she worked for some 27 years, prior to which she worked in local government. Her role at PwC primarily focused on leading the delivery of risk assurance services to a wide range of clients, with a focus on education, health and transport. In addition to her client facing roles, Lindsey also lead PwC’s Place and Purpose agenda in Scotland, with a key responsibility in relation to Inclusion, Communities and Wellbeing. Lindsey is a member of the Visit Scotland Board.

Mursal Noori

Mursal is the Student Vice President member of the board. Mursal is the Vice-President of the Glasgow Clyde Students' Association. She is studying first year of HND Social Sciences and is looking forward to applying to University next year (2025). Mursal particularly enjoys organising events as part of her role.

Morven Gourlay

Morven has been a lecturer at Glasgow Clyde College since 2019, currently working in the Access to Education and General Education departments. She has previously also worked in the ESOL and CLD departments. Morven holds an Honours degree in English Studies, a Masters in English Language and Linguistics, and a TEAP qualification from the University of Glasgow. Morven works with a broad range of learners at varying levels - from Level 4 to Higher, HN, and Honours level - offering valuable insight and understanding into the student experience and student needs.

Anna Magiera

Anna Magiera is the Business Services Team Leader in the Business Development department. Anna started her journey as a student at Cardonald College and secured employment at the college soon after graduation. Anna has a varied background with the college, and throughout her time has worked across a wide range of departments, with a focus on commercial/funded projects for employers.
Anna holds TUC Certificate in Employment Law and has been representing support staff as a Unison Steward since 2020. Anna is the Support Staff Union member on the Board.

David Duncan

David Duncan is the University’s Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary. Prior to this, David was Registrar and Secretary at the University of York, a post he held for 8 years. Before that he was Secretary of the University of Dundee from 2001-2008.

David is a graduate of the University of Aberdeen and holds a Masters degree and a PhD in history from Queen’s University, Canada.

Gavin Lee

Gavin Lee is Director of Strategic Planning and Development at the University of the West of Scotland with an overview of planning, business intelligence and analytics, policy support and strategic change and holds a number of voluntary or representative roles across the education sector across the UK.

Gavin has held a series of roles in institutions across Scotland, building a deep understanding of education from systems implementation, academic quality management, strategic planning and organisational change working previously at University of Glasgow, Universities Scotland, and University of Stirling.

Beyond work, Gavin is involved in voluntary and third-sector roles with interests particularly in young persons, education, and social mobility. Gavin is currently a director of The McGlashan Trust, supporting students and arts organisations.