Public appointment: Chair roles appointed to the Boards of Management of Glasgow and South Lanarkshire Colleges

Three new Chairs have been appointed to lead the boards of management of Glasgow Clyde, City of Glasgow and South Lanarkshire colleges. Following an independent process, Chris Deery has been appointed as Chair of City of Glasgow college; Sue Irving has been appointed as Chair of Glasgow Clyde college; and Douglas Morrison has been appointed as Chair of South Lanarkshire college.

 

All the appointments have been approved by Graeme Dey, Minister for Higher and Further Education and for Veterans and the Chairs will take up their posts imminently.  

A fourth interim chairing appointment to the board of management of Glasgow Kelvin College will be made shortly.

These are the first appointments to college boards to be made following the commencement of the Regional Strategic Bodies and Regional Colleges (Glasgow and Lanarkshire) Order 2025 which designates the four colleges as regional ones and removes the oversight of the previous regional strategic body structures.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.   

Biographical details and the length of term of each of the new Chairs is included in the background note below. 

 

Background Note:

 

Chair of City of Glasgow College – Chris Deery

Chris Deery brings over 35 years of global experience with organisations including Shell, Cargill, Schlumberger, Motorola, and Diageo. He has held senior roles in finance, strategy, and transformation, leading international teams and driving large-scale change.

Throughout his career, Chris has focused on making a difference — improving performance, developing people, and turning complexity into practical progress.

Alongside his corporate work, he has always made time to contribute locally — coaching young athletes, mentoring future leaders, and supporting community sport and wellbeing projects across Scotland.

Chris is a keen competitive runner and believes strongly in the role sport, education, and good governance can play in building confidence and changing lives.

His leadership style is grounded, people-focused, and ambitious — with a strong emphasis on relationships, clarity of purpose, and delivering real impact.

 

Appointment

This appointment will be for 4 years and will run from 30 July 2025 to 29 July 2029.

This appointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

 

Remuneration

This appointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £330.00 for a time commitment of 2 days per week.

 

Other ministerial appointments

Chris does not hold any other public appointments.

 

Political activity

Chris has had no political activity within the last five years.

 

Background

City of Glasgow College is Scotland’s largest technological and professional skills college. Its award-winning twin-site campus in the heart of Glasgow offers outstanding resources and opportunities for students to gain essential skills for their future careers.

Since its multi-college merger in 2010, the college has enabled over 100,000 graduates to acquire recognised qualifications, engaging with employers, business, industry and education partners to build a curriculum of over 1,200 flexible-study courses across four faculties.

Innovative approaches to teaching and learning enable personalised development across a range of subjects on campus and online. Up to 8,000 graduates leave the college each year ready for the world of work, with over 90% of successful students progressing directly to further learning, apprenticeship or employment.

 

Chair of Glasgow Clyde College – Sue Irving

Sue Irving has served on the board, and as Vice Chair, of Dumfries & Galloway College since 2021. She has extensive experience of working strategically at board level, having been a member of many boards in the public, third and private sectors in education, arts and culture and the Chamber of Commerce network. She brings strong leadership skills together with a commitment to deliver excellent governance, while working in partnership to achieve the best outcomes that will support students to achieve their ambitions.

 

Appointment

This appointment will be for 4 years and will run from 30 July 2025 to 29 July 2029.

This appointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

 

Remuneration

This appointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £265.00 for a time commitment of 2 days per week.

 

Other ministerial appointments

Sue does not hold any other public appointments.

 

Political activity

Sue has had no political activity within the last five years.

 

Background

Glasgow Clyde College was formed in 2013 following the merger of three smaller colleges: Cardonald College, Langside College, and Anniesland College

Glasgow Clyde College is now one of the largest Further Education providers in Scotland with over 500 full-time and part-time courses to choose from, and is a multi-site college with campuses in each of the previously mentioned locations.

The college is known for its strong commitment to supporting students, with services such as career advice, personal tutoring, financial guidance, and additional support for students with disabilities or specific learning needs.

 

Chair of South Lanarkshire College – Douglas Morrison 

Douglas Morrison is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST), Scotland’s national innovation centre for the built environment. He has spent over two decades in the tertiary education sector, with a focus on innovation, digital learning, environmental sustainability, and inclusion.

A former stonemason and Armed Forces veteran, Douglas has previously served as Chair of the Board at South Lanarkshire College and is an Associate Assessor with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education.

He is a member of the Young Academy of Scotland, the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Education Committee, a Freeman of the City of Glasgow, and a co-recipient of the Queen’s Anniversary Award for Education.

His academic background includes an Executive MBA, Masters in technology-enhanced learning, and executive study at Oxford, LSE, and HEC Paris.

Douglas has led major education programmes for the United Nations, the European Union, and the Scottish Government among others.

 

Appointment

This appointment will be for 4 years and will run from 7 August 2025 until 6 August 2029.

This appointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

 

Remuneration

This appointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £211.00 for a time commitment of 2 days per week.

 

Other ministerial appointments

Douglas does not hold any other public appointments.

 

Political activity

Douglas has had no political activity within the last five years.

 

Background

South Lanarkshire College, located in East Kilbride, Scotland, is a modern further education institution offering a wide range of courses in areas such as construction, business, hospitality, care, and beauty. The college serves students from across South Lanarkshire and beyond.

It features state-of-the-art facilities, including purpose-built learning environments and training suites.

The college is committed to providing inclusive, high-quality education and training to support learners into employment or further study. It also works closely with employers and community partners to align its curriculum with local and national workforce needs.