Katerina Kolyva announced as the new CEO of Education and Training Foundation

The Education and Training Foundation (ETF) is delighted to announce the appointment of Katerina Kolyva as its new Chief Executive.

Katerina will take full responsibility for the leadership and development of the charity on 20 February 2023. 

The ETF, which will mark its ten year anniversary in October 2023, is the workforce development body for the Further Education and Training sector. It offers a wide range of support to teachers, trainers and leaders across the sector, from governance, leadership development and training programmes to the DfE-funded T Level Professional Development (TLPD) offer.

Through the Society for Education and Training (SET), the largest professional membership organisation for practitioners in the post-16 sector, over 22,000 teachers and trainers working across diverse roles and settings are being supported throughout their career journey.  

The board of trustees made the appointment following an open and competitive recruitment process which was managed by executive recruitment agency Gatenby Sanderson.  

Katerina brings a wealth of experience from a career spanning education, health and membership sectors. Since 2016 she has been Chief Executive of the Council of Deans of Health, a UK-wide membership organisation of over 100 universities. She previously held Executive roles at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, including Director roles for Education, Quality Assurance and Revalidation of nursing programmes in the UK.

Katerina has worked as a teacher in universities across Europe and the Middle East and has been one of the national evaluators of the EU education, research and innovation programmes since 1998. Katerina also has non-executive leadership experience: she is a governor of Petroc, an FE College in Devon; she chairs the ACEVO Women Charity CEO Group on leadership; and is a Trustee of Queen’s Nursing Institute.  

Undertaking a strategic review

The ETF is currently undertaking a strategic review with input from across the sector to ensure that the ETF’s future direction best supports the most pressing needs of the sector. This has involved an extensive listening exercise involving more than 4,200 practitioners as well as in-depth conversations with senior leaders and organisations from across the sector. This work will help the ETF adjust its focus and support for a sector which is experiencing considerable change.  

Chair of the ETF board, Peter Latchford OBE, said:

“We are delighted to announce this appointment. Katerina brings a wealth of experience spanning education and membership organisations as well as the vision and drive to make a difference to the lives of learners and those who teach, lead and support them. I’m really looking forward to working with her as we develop our new strategy.   

“On behalf of the trustees I want to pay tribute to Jenny Jarvis for all she has achieved so far in her time as interim CEO since April 2022. She has taken on the role with determination and integrity. She has gained great respect from the board of trustees and her sector colleagues; she has spearheaded the listening conversation to ensure ETF can meet future sector needs and has been a relentless champion for the important role ETF can play in achieving better outcomes for learners.” 

Katerina Kolyva said:

“I am delighted to be joining the Education and Training Foundation during this truly exciting and important time for the sector. Having worked in education for my entire career as a teacher, policy strategist and sector leader, I bring passion and commitment to education, training and lifelong learning. I very much look forward to working with the board, staff and in partnership with sector organisations to lead the ETF to its next phase of development, ensuring that the needs of the sector stay at the heart of its future strategic direction”.