Structure & Governance

In this section...

Introduction

The day-to-day activities of Qualifications Wales are the responsibility of the Chief Executive and the Executive Team. Our work and the work of the wider organisation is overseen by a publicly appointed board. Detailed information on our aims, operations and accountability is outlined in our framework document.

Board role

The board meets five times a year and is made up of the Chair, Chief Executive and up to ten other members.

The board is responsible for:

defining and developing strategic direction and setting objectives
holding the Chief Executive to account and monitoring Qualifications Wales activities to ensure they are conducted efficiently and effectively
promoting high standards of public finance - upholding the principles of regularity, propriety and value for money

Board membership

David Jones OBE DL, Chair

David B. Jones is appointed by the Welsh Government as the Chair of Qualifications Wales, alongside other non-executive board members. He is also accountable to Senedd Cymru for the performance of the organisation in accordance with the Qualifications Wales Act 2015. He was initially appointed in October 2019, and reappointed for a second three-year term in October 2022.

A Chartered Electronics Engineer, he has over 30 years of experience working in further and higher education and was the Chief Executive of Coleg Cambria. He also has wide ranging experience in a range of non-executive roles, including current appointments with the Defence Equipment & Support (Deca), Estyn and NSPCC Cymru. He also led the 2023 review of Further Education and Training in the Education and Training Board sector in Ireland. He is currently Chairing a review panel tasked with undertaking an international benchmarking process of Further Education and Training (FET) practitioner roles, on behalf of the Government of Ireland’s Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Skills (DFHERIS).

David is a fluent Welsh speaker, and lives in Ruthin, Denbighshire.

Philip Blaker, Chief Executive

As Chief Executive and Accounting Officer for Qualifications Wales, Philip Blaker is personally responsible for:

the proper stewardship of public funds
the day-to-day operations
ensuring compliance with the requirements of Managing Welsh Public Money

He has a background in the delivery of national assessments and examinations and his career has been focused on the delivery of large-scale complex operations.

Philip became Chief Executive when Qualifications Wales was established in 2015.

Douglas Blackstock, board member

Douglas is President of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA), which has members and affiliates in 45 countries in the European Higher Education Area.

He is a former Chief Executive of the UK’s independent Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) whose role is to ensure academic standards are maintained and that student learning opportunities are of the highest quality across the four UK nations. Douglas held Executive roles at the Agency for 20 years and now acts as an international consultant for QAA. He also provides independent consultancy.

In addition to being a Board member of Qualifications Wales, he holds non-executive director roles at Cilex Legal Regulation, the University of Law, the British University in Egypt, the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications, South Gloucestershire and Stroud College and is an Advisory Board member of both Future Learn and the Lifelong Education Institute.

Douglas joined the Board in June 2021.

Julie Brannan, board member

Julie is a former Director of Education and Training at the Solicitors Regulation Authority and led the introduction of the new Solicitors Qualifying Examination for admission as a solicitor of England and Wales.  

Previously, she was the Director of the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice and a litigation partner at Herbert Smith Freehills.   

In addition to being a Board member of Qualifications Wales, Julie is a member of the Barbri UK Advisory Board.

Julie joined the Board in September 2021.

Michael Griffiths OBE, board member

Mike is currently an educational consultant, focussing on leadership, pedagogy and research matters, which in the past have included the school and university sectors both nationally and internationally. Previously, he was headteacher of Cardiff High School, and Barry Comprehensive School prior to that. In 2020 he completed a three-year role as Welsh Government Lead for one of the six areas of learning and experiences of the new national curriculum. He was a Council member of the Arts Council of Wales between 2012 and 2021 and was Chair of its HR and Remuneration committee.

Mike joined the Board in June 2021.

Graham Hudson, board member

Graham has an extensive background in standard and qualifications with a range of awarding bodies and regulation. He led a publicly funded research programme involving all devolved nations looking at the use of technology in examinations and assessments. 

He currently supports organisations wishing to make the move into mainstream digital assessment and championing the case for using technology enhanced assessments nationally and internationally. He is a Member of the Institute of Directors, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Chair of the e-Assessment Association.

Graham joined the Board in June 2021.

Professor John Latham CBE, board member

John is Vice-Chancellor and CEO of the Coventry University Group. He has a background in information technology and telecommunications. Previously, he worked for a number of private sector organisations including JHP Group, Jaguar Cars and BT.

John has held high-profile roles at regional, national and European levels promoting innovation, technology and economic development. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors and Chartered Management Institute.

John joined the Board in December 2021.

Sharron Lusher MBE DL, board member

Sharron is chair of the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body, appointed by the Welsh Government to make recommendations on the pay and conditions of teachers and leaders in Wales. With over 25 years of experience within the education and skills sector, Sharron retired as Chief Executive of Pembrokeshire College in July 2018. This followed a career in Marks and Spencer, where she was ultimately responsible for the European Logistics operation, based in Paris.

Sharron has wide experience of non-executive roles, being a board member of ateb – a housing association, and chair of the Pembrokeshire Youth Justice Board.

Sharron re-joined the Board in January 2024 after stepping away for a period of eighteen months to chair Welsh Governments review of vocational qualifications in Wales.

Ravi Pawar, board advisor

Ravi has 30 years of experience working in secondary education as a teacher and senior leader in schools across South Wales. He is currently headteacher of Bryntirion Comprehensive School in Bridgend.

He has contributed to the work of Qualifications Wales as a member of its Headteacher Reference Group. He is the current Chair of Parthian Books contributing to the literary culture of Wales through publication of the Library of Wales series.

Ravi joined the Board as an advisor in September 2022 to March 2025.

Hannah Rowan, board member

Hannah started her career with Teach First, a charity that trains teachers to work in schools serving disadvantaged communities. She worked as a languages teacher before joining the staff team and eventually managing the Teach First programme in Wales.

She now runs her own consulting business, using her coaching and change management skills to help non-profit organisations solve complex problems. She continues to work on a range of projects to promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

She is also a Non-Executive Director of the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust, where she serves as Chair of the Academic Partnership Committee and holds the Research Champion role.

Hannah joined the Board in April 2021.

Jayne Woods, board member

Jayne is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales with over 25 years’ experience as a finance professional.  She has served on executive boards for over ten years, focusing on finance, risk, governance and operational efficiency and effectiveness.  

She is currently a board member and chair of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee of the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research, an independent member of the Capital Committee of the Arts Council of Wales and serves as an Audit and Risk Committee member for the Welsh Commissioner.

Jayne joined the Board in April 2019.

Conflicts of interest

All board members are required to complete regular Declarations of Interest.

Executive team

Qualifications Wales' executive team is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the organisation and works with the board when developing strategies and long-term plans.

The executive team consists of:

Chief Executive
Executive Director, Regulation
Executive Director, Corporate Resources
Director, Qualifications Policy & Reform
Director, Communications & Engagement

Board committees

Audit and Risk Assurance Committee
The Audit and Risk Assurance Committee meet four times a year, along with our internal and external auditors, to review our processes for risk, control and governance, and to assess our financial statements and accounts.

Resources Committee
The Resources Committee concentrates on financial, business planning and human resources. It meets around three times a year.

Regulation Committee
The Regulatory Policy and Standards Committee provides recommendations to the board on any issues surrounding regulations, policies and frameworks. The committee meets up to four times a year.

Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee meets at least once a year to provide recommendations on the remuneration of staff and board members, including terms and conditions, benefits, pay and pensions.

Qualifications Wales Board - Terms of Reference