Marion Plant

Marion Plant OBE is Principal and Chief Executive of North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College (NWSLC), a role she has held with distinction for 19 years following more than two decades in senior leadership across the further education sector. In April 2026, Marion was seconded on a part-time basis to Coventry University as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (FE), while continuing in her full capacity as Principal and CEO at NWSLC

A former midwife and health visitor, Marion moved into teaching early in her career and has since become one of the UK’s most influential FE leaders. She received an OBE in 2009 for her services to further education and has consistently championed excellence, opportunity, and sector-wide improvement. Under her leadership, NWSLC has maintained strong Ofsted outcomes and has secured multiple regional and national awards for quality and innovation.

Marion is Chair of WorldSkills UK, where she also leads the EDI Advisory Group, and has been a driving force behind the development of the WorldSkills Centre of Excellence partnership. NWSLC students regularly top national medal league tables, including in foundation skills competitions that the College pioneered.

Marion holds a wide portfolio of national and regional board roles. She serves on the Local Skills Advisory Boards for both the East Midlands and Coventry & Warwickshire, the AQA FE Leaders Group, the NHS Coventry and Warwickshire Health and Care Future Skills Board, and the Warwickshire County Council Education Provider Board. She is also a member of the Association of Colleges 2030 and Climate Change Reference Group and Vice-Chair of the Nuneaton and Bedworth Simplification Pathfinder Board. Marion is a long-serving trustee and safeguarding lead for the National Society Council of the Church of England.

Her previous senior roles include a three-year term as a Non-Executive Director at the Department for Education, and Chief Executive of the Midland Academies Trust for 12 years, overseeing four secondary schools. She has served on two Local Enterprise Partnerships (Coventry & Warwickshire and Leicester & Leicestershire), acting as Vice-Chair of the Coventry & Warwickshire LEP, and completed three terms as a governor at Coventry University.

Marion has an exceptional track record in leadership development and is particularly proud of the many colleagues she has supported and mentored who have progressed into principal-level roles across the sector. She also spearheaded the creation of the award winning MIRA Technology Institute (MTI), a specialist centre delivering advanced automotive and future mobility training for leading brands including Jaguar Land Rover and Bentley. In recognition of this pioneering work, the College was awarded the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education in February 2026.

Her achievements have been recognised through numerous awards, including Businesswoman of the Year (East Midlands Chamber of Commerce, 2018) and a Lifetime Achievement Award (Leicestershire Live Women in Business Awards, 2019). Marion also holds fellowships from both the City & Guilds Institute and the Chartered Institute for Further Education.