A NEW chair of governors has been welcomed at Solihull College and University Centre.
Paul Assinder joined the College’s Board of Governors in January 2019 following a long career as a chief executive and chief finance officer in the healthcare and technology sectors, both in the UK and overseas.
Paul has served on the College Corporation in the role of vice chair for the past three years and has been appointed following a rigorous national recruitment process. He succeeds Barbara Hughes, who has served as chair since August 2019.
During her time as chair, Barbara oversaw the establishment of T-Levels in Solihull and the commissioning (with other local partners) of the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology – one of the first nationally.
Her stewardship also saw the successful integration of Stratford-upon-Avon College into the Solihull family, and the College rated as Good by Ofsted in 2024.
Barbara hands over ‘the keys of the College’ to Paul at an exciting time for further and higher education in the UK, with the recent election of a new government in Westminster and a new Mayor for the West Midlands both fully committed to developing the skills base of the workforce to drive economic growth.
Paul Assinder is a highly experienced chair who has served on major organisations’ boards in both executive, non-executive and chair roles for over 30 years.
Doubly qualified as an accountant, with a degree in economics, he trained and worked with Ernst and Young Co in the UK before later moving into the Healthcare Sector.
Now semi-retired, he was, until 2022, chief executive of a local NHS Trust and prior to this, he held the position as European CFO for a major US genomics company.
In addition to his role at Solihull College and University Centre, Paul chairs both a local NHS Trust and a prominent West Midlands health charity.
Paul said: “I am truly honoured and immensely proud to be chosen by the governing body of the College as its next chair.
“This is an outstanding organisation, that always puts the learner at the heart of everything it does. Barbara has laid a fantastic foundation upon which we can build for the future. I look forward to working closely with our excellent Principal, Dr Rebecca Gater and her team, and with local employers, to make Solihull one of the best colleges in the Country.”
Dr Gater, added: “I am delighted to welcome Paul Assinder as our new chair of Governors.
“Paul has provided an exceptional contribution to the College over the past five years as Governor and Vice Chair, and his extensive leadership experience makes him an outstanding choice for this role. I look forward to working with him to build on our achievements and drive innovation and excellence for our learners and community.
“I would also like to thank Barbara Hughes for her exceptional leadership, which has laid a strong foundation for our future success.”
