Gary Lovatt appointed as Chair to Board of Governors

Furness College announces the appointment of a new Chair to its Board of Governors. Gary Lovatt was appointed as Chair on 22nd October 2024 and succeeds Jan Fielding, who had held the position since January 2020.

Gary is the owner and director of his own small businesses and has been since 1994, primarily in the financial sector as an Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) and now as a Guest House Owner.  He is also a Board Director for the University of Cumbria and Northwest policy representative for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). He also sits on a number of other boards including the Chair of Keswick Tourism Association, is trustee for Keswick Youth Centre Services, and the former Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnerships committees for Visitor Economy and Business Strategy. In his earlier career he spent 18 years in the Military and has held several leadership positions. As an experienced non-executive director, Gary brings a wealth of experience in supporting board-level strategic development, governance and compliance.

Gary said “It is an honour to join the Furness College Board of Governors as their Chair and I look forward to working alongside the other Governors, staff and students alike for the betterment of Furness and the wider Cumbria area and also being a regular visit to all campuses.”

Nicola Cove, Principal & CEO of Furness College added “I am delighted to welcome Gary to Furness College. I know that he will bring a wide range of experience to the role of Chair and I, along with the rest of the College very much look forward to working with him”