Ecctis appoints Susanna Lawson as the new independent Non-Executive Chair of its Board

Ecctis has appointed ed-tech entrepreneur Susanna Lawson as the new independent Non-Executive Chair of its Board of directors.

The award-winning co-founder of cloud-based vocational training software company OneFile and new technology business Circle of Trust will join Ecctis – fully employee-owned by an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) – from 1 October 2023.

The new independent Non-Executive Chair appointment will support the organisation’s commitment to best-in-class governance that ensures the Executive Team is both challenged and supported by independent trustees and non-executive directors.

It’ll help further strengthen Ecctis’ mission to provide gold-standard skills and qualifications services to the UK Government and overseas stakeholders, representing quality and value for money.

Ecctis also aims to drive innovation and excellence by providing solutions that help customers address productivity, mobility and skills gaps.

Professor Tom Bewick, CEO of Ecctis, said:

‘I’m delighted that Susanna will be coming on board as our independent Non-Executive Chair from 1 October.

‘As an employee-owned business, it is vital that we ensure strong governance of our commercial operations. Susanna brings award-winning experience of leading transformational change in a digital business environment.

‘As co-founder of OneFile, she took an entrepreneurial idea from her back bedroom to a multi-million-pound business, winning two King’s Awards for Enterprise and Innovation (2017 and 2022).

‘Susanna will work with me and the senior leadership team to transform Ecctis into a best-in-class digital skills business; particularly as we look to deliver our vision to become a global leader in international skills standards, mobility exchanges, credit-based learning and qualification verification services.’

Susanna will continue to support a number of education and technology businesses in non-executive or Board/SLT advisory roles, as well as advocating for the apprenticeship sector.

She said: ‘I am excited to be joining Ecctis as independent Chair of the Board and working with the leadership team to continue the ongoing success of the business.

‘Access to a skilled workforce is one of the biggest challenges for employers and Ecctis is an integral part of this ecosystem.’

Ecctis has managed and operated UK ENIC (formerly UK NARIC) – the UK national centre for the recognition of international qualifications and skills – since 1997, under contract with the UK Government.

As well as serving the UK education sector and industry, Ecctis has built an international user base and network with universities, awarding bodies, national agencies and government ministries, across more than 60 countries, referencing its information and data resources on international qualifications and skills.