In his message informing staff about his appointment, Gary said: “The past seven years with the Lincoln College Group have been some of the most challenging and satisfying years of the 35 years of my professional working life. What has made the experience extraordinary for me has been the exceptional quality of our staff and governors as well, of course, as our amazing students.”
The move has created the opportunity to explore a merger between the Lincoln College Group and Activate Learning, which is made up of seven colleges in Banbury & Bicester, Bracknell, Farnham, Guildford, Merrist Wood, Oxford and Reading. A due diligence process carried out by both groups will now work to assess the joint benefits and risks of such a merger before the Boards of each group decide on whether or not to proceed.
James Pinchbeck, the Chair of the Board of Corporation of the Lincoln College Group, said,
“Gary has been a highly effective CEO of the Lincoln College Group for the past seven years and has also been tremendously committed to the Greater Lincolnshire region through a wide range of voluntary commitments including the Chamber of Commerce, Local Enterprise Partnership, Institute of Directors, Royal British Legion, Lincoln Cathedral and the Lincolnshire Lieutenancy. Under his leadership, the high quality and relevance of the education and skills provided by the Lincoln College Group is widely recognised by students and employers and the organisation is financially healthy. The strategic and cultural alignment between Activate Learning and the Lincoln College Group is very strong and so our Board of Corporation has committed to explore the potential for merger between the two groups that Gary’s appointment creates.”
