Forthcoming Principals’ Convention Meetings

View Principals' Convention Deadlines. (Principals only)

View Principals' Convention Papers. (Principals only)

Convenor of Principals' Convention

John Spencer

John Spencer, became Principal of Inverness College UHI in May 2007. John, who is originally from Wigston in Leicestershire, has a strong background in change management in the further education sector, his most recent role was as Vice Principal at Sutton Coldfield College, a large college in the West Midlands.

John started his career as a product designer, and his first role in further education was teaching art and design in Sheffield in 1979, where he progressed through several posts to become the Head of Department.

In 1988 he became an Assistant Principal at a new Tertiary College in Sheffield, and in the same year completed a Masters Degree in Post Compulsory Education at the University of Sheffield. Following the merger of six colleges to form the Sheffield College in 1993, John was appointed as a Centre Head to lead one of the former colleges in a new federal college organisation.

Initiating and then securing corporate investment to create a college took John to Malaysia, where he directed the building and set-up of Asia Europe College, based just outside Kuala Lumpur. Supported by the Malaysian Government and backed by a large Malaysian company, the college opened in 2001, delivering UK further and higher education qualifications.

Prior to joining Sutton Coldfield College and after returning from Malaysia, John led strategic development, finance, and quality at Buckinghamshire Adult Learning where he was responsible for a major restructure of the county wide organisation.

John lives near to Inverness College with his wife of 33 years, Elaine.

Depute Convenor of Principals' Covention

Mandy Exley

Mandy Exley joined Jewel & Esk College as Principal in April 2010.  She has been involved in Further Education Training and Education for more than 20 years.  Mandy started her career as a psychology lecturer and progressed to management posts throughout the college sector in England to the level of Vice Principal. She has worked in large inner city colleges in Birmingham and Stoke and also large rural colleges in Gloucestershire.  Having left the sector in England in 2000, Mandy moved to Scotland and bought a small hotel on the shores of Loch Tay whilst continuing to work as a consultant in the college sector, largely in the field of leadership and management.  Mandy was Principal of Perth College UHI for the previous 4 years, before moving to Jewel & Esk.