• Amarjit Basi Co-Founder

    Over the course of his career Amarjit has held a number of senior leadership roles in Further Education/ Higher Education institutions, all serving diverse communities across England. These include Principal & CEO posts at Cornwall College, New College Nottingham, Walsall College and Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College. A number of these institutions attained outstanding accreditations through public regulatory frameworks for further and higher education, alongside receiving Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for innovation and quality in the provision of training and skills.

    He also held Board membership roles with Pearson Education Limited (a subsidiary board of Pearson plc), Cogent (the talent and skills partner for the science industries) and Engineering UK (the national organisation responsible for the promotion of careers in engineering), alongside being seconded to support the Mayor of London’s research and planning for the devolution of skills funding to the devolved authority.

    Amarjit is a co-founder and member of the executive of the Black FE Leadership Group (BFELG). He is also a Fellow of the City & Guilds of London Institute, awarded in recognition of his outstanding service to vocational education.

  • Robin Landman OBE Co-Founder

    Robin is a co-founder and member of the Executive Team of the Black FE Leadership Group, like all team members, working in a voluntary capacity. In addition, he is Vice Chair of Governors at Lewisham College and a member of the CMI Race Advisory Committee. Prior to that he was co-founder and former CEO of the Network for Black Professionals. Robin was a schoolteacher for ten years before a 30-year career in further education management, working in four colleges, the FEFC and for the British Council in South Africa.

  • Stella Mbubaegbu CBE Co-Founder

    In a career spanning over 40 years dedicated to raising aspirations and transforming lives through education and training, Stella worked in Further Education (FE) for 30 years starting as a part time hourly paid lecturer and rising through the ranks to be appointed, in 2001, the first black and ethnic minority female Principal/CEO of an incorporated UK college, a post she held for 19 years. She had previously worked in both secondary and awarding and assessment sectors. Stella has extensive experience in the areas of leadership and management, quality assessment, policy development and implementation, international education development, governance including in primary, further and higher education; international, national and regional board level experience, both as a member and chair. She has pioneered the establishment of a number of educational organisations and has represented the UK internationally.

    Stella holds an MEd with distinction from the University of Sheffield and her dissertation won the Lloyds Register Quality Assurance prize for Excellence. A qualified teacher, Stella is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, City & Guilds of London Institute, Institute of Directors, Institute of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange and a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute. She served as President of the Association of College Management (ACM later AMiE) and Chair of the sector Black Leadership Initiative (BLI) which won a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

    Stella is co-founder and member of the executive of the Black Further Education Leader Group UK Ltd (BFELG), a position she holds in a voluntary capacity.

  • Janak Patel Co-Founder

    Janak is a co-founder and member of the executive team of the Black FE Leadership Group (BFELG).

    He moved from Gujerat, India to Bolton at the age of seven. During his teacher training, he was introduced to Anti-racist Education which he has practised throughout his 30 year career, first as a schoolteacher of Mathematics and Science and then in Further Education where he taught Maths, Science and Black Studies and delivered Equality and Diversity staff development programmes. He progressed into senior roles, including Director of Equality and Diversity and HE, and then eventually on to three Principalships. He was an active supporter of the Network of Black Professionals and participated in the Black Leadership Initiative.

    Having left his full-time career, Janak is successfully working as a consultant, supporting colleges to develop Engineering and Technology curriculum, specialising in Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Technology, Renewable Energy and Automation, which can be delivered remotely, through the Cloud.