Meet the Governors
Paul LomasChair and Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee, and member of the Search, Governance and Remuneration Committee
Paul joined the Board in January 2023. Paul was appointed as Chair in April 2025 and is the Chair of the Finance and Resources Committee and is also a Board Director of RES Ltd.
Jason AustinCEO and Principal
Jason Austin is CEO and Principal of the RNN Group. His experience incorporates 30 years of teaching and managing in the Further Education sector.
Debbie MarshallGovernor and Member of the Finance and Resources Committee
Debbie joined the Finance and Resources Committee on 17th October 2022. She is a highly motivated and results driven Head of Finance with over 20 years post qualification experience.
Hayley TingleChair of the Audit and Risk Committee
Hayley joined the Board in October 2024, she has had a 30 year career in the public sector, including more than a decade as Chief Finance Officer at Doncaster CCG.
Ian SutherlandStaff Governor and member of the Finance and Resources Committee
Ian has been part of the RNN Group for five years, during that time he has experienced working within a number of roles before taking up his current position within the Information Governance Department.
John RevillIndependent Governor
John joined the Board in May 2026, he is a strategic education leader with 30+ years of senior experience across Further Education, Higher Education, curriculum transformation, quality improvement, merger integration, community partnership and financial recovery.
Katie AsgariStaff Governor (Academic) and Member of the Quality and Standards Committee
Katie joined the board in October 2021 and is a Curriculum Leader for Hair and Media Makeup.
Kay MulcahyKay Mulcahy – Governor and Member of the Finance and Resources Committee
Kay is a highly motivated and experienced NHS Director of Estates and Facilities and is the National Estates Operations Director for NHS England leading operational effectiveness of hard and soft FM, productivity, digital transformation, and workforce.
Louise WoodcockGovernor and Member of the Quality and Standards Committee
Louise is an experienced Higher Education leader and practitioner, specialising in inclusive curriculum development, education enhancement and quality assurance, staff development and recognition for learning and teaching, and associated regulatory bodies and policy.
Margaret CobbGovernor and Member of the Finance Committee
Margaret joined the Board in October 2021. Whilst she is now enjoying retirement she was formerly employed by the ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency) as a Head of Territory within the FE sector.
Natalia GovorukhinaCo-opted Governor on the Finance and Resources Committee
Natalia is a fully qualified Chartered Public Finance Accountant. She also holds a Level 7 Chartered Management Institute Extended Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership.
Sharron BlackburnCo-opted Governor on the Audit and Risk Committee
Sharron joined the Board in October 2021 as a Governor and chaired the Audit and Risk Committee for 12 months from September 2023. In October 2024 she stepped down as a Governor but has remained a Co-opted Governor on the Audit and Risk Committee.
Shirley Collier MBEGovernor and Member of the Audit and Risk Committee
Shirley joined the board in August 2021. She currently works as an Executive Coach and consultant, both within and beyond the education sector.
Simon AshtonGovernor and Member of the Quality and Standards Committee
Simon works in the Further Education and Skills sector as Assistant Principal for a large national training provider.
Simon RennyIndependent Governor and Chair of Finance and Resources Committee
Simon joined the Board in April 2026, he is a qualified CIMA accountant and an economics graduate from the University of York.
Sohil ZokariIndependent Governor
Sohil joined the Board in October 2024, he is an ACCA qualified accountant with over a decade of experience in financial management and strategic leadership.
Stephen BulleyGovernor and Member of the Audit and Risk Committee
Stephen joined the board in December 2019. He is the IT Manager at UNICUS, which is part of the Accommodation and Commercial Services department at the University of Sheffield.
Sarah ConnertyDirector of Governance
Sarah is a governance professional with 20 years’ experience in governance across General Further Education, Sixth Form and Higher Education governance.