Corporate report

Register of ESFA board members’ interests for the financial year 2022 to 2023

Published 17 July 2023

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Applies to England

Introduction

The Corporate governance in central government departments: code of good practice states that all relevant interests of individual board members should be published. This document sets out the declarations of interests for the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s (ESFA) executive and non-executive members during the financial year 2022-23.

Entries reflect member’s current positions and are based on a member’s discretionary judgment of what might form a potential conflict of interest, based on guidance from the following extract of the Code of conduct for board members of public bodies (Cabinet Office, June 2019):

4. Conflicts of interest

4.1 When accepting an appointment to the public body you should consider if any conflicts of interest arise from your private interests or by virtue of any other roles you hold. You should consider, with advice from the appointing department how these should best be managed, and agree these with the organisation.

4.2 You must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between your public duties and your private interests, financial or otherwise.

4.3 You must comply with the rules of the body on handling conflicts of interests. As a minimum, these will require you to declare publicly, usually in the body’s register of interests, any private financial or non-financial interests of your own, or of close family members, which may, or may be perceived to, conflict with your public duties. The rules will also require you to remove yourself from the discussion or determination of matters in which you have a financial interest. In matters in which you have a non-financial interest, you should not participate in the discussion or determination of a matter where the interest might suggest a danger of bias.

4.4 It is your responsibility to ensure that you are familiar with the body’s rules on handling conflicts of interests, that you comply with these rules and that your entry in the body’s public register of members’ interests is accurate and up-to-date.

Where a board member has left the department, their interests have been reported as at their most recent declaration.

The list covers:

• Remunerated directorships
• Other remunerated employment, office, profession and other activity
• Public sector/charity positions of influence
• Significant shareholdings/interests in public or private companies
• Miscellaneous and unremunerated interests
• Disclosure of family members’ interests

Executive members

Warwick Sharp

Miscellaneous and unremunerated interests:

• Board member at London Southeast Education Group

Owen Jenkins

Public sector/charity positions of influence;

• Trustee of Yare Education Trust
• Broad Horizons Education Trust (successor trust to Yare above)
• Chair of Governors at Dussindale Primary School

No interests declared

John Edwards (until 13 July 2022)

Andrew Thomas (from 3 January 2023)

David Brown (from 1 September 2022 to 28 October 2022)

David Withey (from 15 August 2022)

Matthew Atkinson (until 31 August 2022)

Non-executive members

Martin Spencer

Public sector/charity positions of influence:

• Civil Service Commissioner
• Interim chair and non-executive director - ESFA
• Non-executive director - NHS Counter Fraud Authority
• Non-executive director - Companies House
• Non-executive director and Chair of ARAC - Ofsted
• Non-executive and Chair of ARAC - Achieving for Children
• Criminal Cases Review Commission - Non-Executive Director
• Non-executive Director - Submarine Delivery Agency
• Non-Executive Director - Hampshire and the IoW Integrated Care Board

Hunada Nouss OBE

Remunerated directorships:

• Market Operator Services Ltd - Non-executive Director

Other remunerated employment, office, profession and other activity:

• Non-executive board member - Met Office
• Parliamentary Works & Sponsor Body member of Audit and Risk Committee (until 28/02/23)
• Non-executive board member - ESFA

Miscellaneous and unremunerated interests:

• Governance Committee member - ICAEW (until 07/06/22)
• Royal Society member of Audit and Risk Committee
• Honorary Rector - City University of London

Stuart McMinnies (until 31 May 2022)

Remunerated directorships:

• Managing Partner - Duke Street LLP
• Non-executive Director (via Duke Street) - Ardent Hire Solutions Ltd

Significant shareholdings/interests in public or private companies:

• Vistry plc.
• 3i Group plc.
• Unilever plc.
• Eque2 Ltd.
• Royal Dutch Shell plc.
• Delfield Group Holdings Ltd.

Public sector/charity positions of influence:

• Trustee – Change Grow Live

John Lakin

Public sector/charity positions of influence:

• Member - School Teachers Review Body
• Trustee - St John’s Foundation

Peter Kane

Public sector/charity positions of influence:

• Chair of Audit Committee, Board Member - St Georges NHS Foundation Trust
• Chair of Audit Committee, Board Member - Epsom & St Helier NHS Trust
• Board member - Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS)

Paul Woodgates

Public sector/charity positions of influence:

• Independent Governor and Chair of Finance & Performance Committee - De Montfort University
• Trustee - Advance HE

Miscellaneous and unremunerated interests:

• Non-executive director - Advance HE