New principal and CEO is appointed at Telford College

Telford College has appointed a new principal and chief executive. Lawrence Wood will succeed Graham Guest, who is leaving his role at the end of the current academic year.

Mr Wood is currently principal of Coleg Llandrillo in North Wales, and has worked in the further education sector for nearly 25 years, including more than a decade in senior post-holder positions.

He has a wealth of experience in partnership working and employer engagement, and has led on a number of significant projects strengthening the role of the college within the community.

He said: “It is a privilege to be leading Telford College to build on very strong foundations for the benefit of Telford and Wrekin.

“I look forward to working in partnership with the community, employers and the local authority to support the growth and development of our region.”

In addition to his leadership responsibilities at Coleg Llandrillo, Mr Wood has also been a peer inspector for Estyn, the Welsh education and training inspectorate.

Gail Bleasby, chair of Telford College’s governing corporation, said: “We had an incredibly high calibre of candidates for this position, and it was an extremely tough decision for the interview panel.

“We look forward to welcoming Lawrence to Telford College in August. All the candidates commented on how impressed they were with the college, and this is an amazing reflection of the hard work and commitment from all.”

She added: “We would like to put on record our sincere thanks to Graham Guest for the incredible work he has done for the college since joining us as principal and chief executive in 2017.

“He oversaw a seamless and successful merger between New College Telford and Telford College of Arts and Technology, and turned the college’s financial fortunes around.

“Under his stewardship we have also achieved an Ofsted Good rating, financially ‘outstanding’ recognition, and expanded our collaborative working with businesses, local government, universities and other stakeholders.”