AN INTERNATIONAL business leader and nationally acclaimed Chamber of Commerce chief executive have been appointed to two key roles at college group WSG.
Anna Daroy has been appointed to chair the Corporation Board and Louise Bennett has been appointed as president of WCG – which includes six colleges across Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
The board chair ensures the board effectively discharges its duties and works with the senior leadership team to execute strategy, while the president is unique to WCG and is focused on working with the CEO and chair to build external relationships with stakeholders.
Anna will be following in the footsteps of Peter Manford, whose term of office ended after 14 years’ service to the college group. Peter was chair during challenging times including the last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Anna started her career with EY, before joining IBM and then becoming vice president of Mercer Consulting. She was most recently interim CEO/director general of the Institute of Directors and interim COO of the Government of Jersey.
For more than 30 years, she has worked in both the private and public sector, leading organisations and industries through complex and transformational challenges, and is currently a council member of the UK Rural Policy Group.
Louise Bennett was awarded an OBE for her services to enterprise and led Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce as its chief executive for nearly 20 years – a role which has seen her work closely with WCG.
She had previously spent four years with Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, following a varied career which saw her hold senior management roles in an acute hospital, retail and running her own business. She is a deputy lieutenant of the West Midlands and is the immediate past High Sheriff of the County of the West Midlands 2021
Louise has recently been appointed as chair for the British Chambers of Commerce Local Skills Improvement Plans Group, in response to the Skills Act 2022.
Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, said: “We would like to thank Peter for his incredible service to the college group as chair for the last five years and vice-chair for nine years before that.
“He has been a trusted advisor to myself and the senior leadership team during that time and played an integral role in getting the college group to where it is today.
“I look forward to working with Anna, Louise and the Corporation Board as we implement the ambitions set out in the corporate plan.”
