Dr Katerina Kolyva, CEO

Katerina is the Chief Executive Officer of the Education Training Foundation (ETF), the professional body for further education and skills in England. Katerina brings a wealth of experience from a career spanning education and research, healthcare regulation and membership sectors.

Prior to joining ETF, Katerina was the CEO of the Council of Deans of Health and held Executive Director roles in policy, registration and education with the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK after spending a career in education strategy and evaluation in the European Commission and Parliament in Brussels and Luxembourg.

Having completed a PhD in European studies, Katerina has worked as a lecturer and researcher in universities across Europe and the Middle East. Katerina also has non-executive leadership experience as a charity trustee and college governor. She is currently a trustee of the Intellectual Property Regulatory Board and chairs the women CEO group at the Association of CEOs of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO). She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Leadership Fellow at St George’s House.

Jo Swindells
Executive Director - Development and Delivery

Jo is Executive Director Development and Delivery. Her remit includes DfE contracts, business development and stakeholder engagement.

Jo has worked in further education and skills for over 25 years. Jo joined ETF from an FE college in London, where she was Vice Principal, Curriculum and Quality. Jo has held a wide range of roles in Further Education and Adult and Community Learning, including Teacher Trainer, Designated Safeguarding Lead and Ofsted nominee. Jo has also worked in organisation development and quality improvement at Tribal and CfBT.

Jo has many years’ non-executive experience as a governor, trustee and chair. She is currently an Ofsted Inspector in Further Education and Skills.

Jo is passionate about ensuring young people and adults from all backgrounds and communities benefit from the opportunities provided by further education and training.

Dr Gina Hobson Chief of Staff to the Chair and CEO

As Chief of Staff to the Chair and CEO, Gina leads on non-executive and executive, cross-organisation systems, which includes overseeing the design, implementation and review of systems to ensure the effective running of the Education Training Foundation (ETF).

In her role as Company Secretary, she works closely with ETF’s CEO, Chair, Board and Members, ensuring that the charity’s corporate governance is effective.

Previously, Gina was the Chief Executive of the British Accreditation Council, a small charity working with independent education and training providers in the UK and overseas, setting and improving standards within this sector.

Dr Vikki Smith, Executive Director - Education and Standards

Patrick Murphy, Executive Director of Corporate Services

Michael Lowe, Associate Director - People and Workplace

Michael joined the Education Training Foundation in February 2025. He has a diverse range of leadership experience, from being a School Business Manager for a large secondary school in North London, various HR leadership roles in HM Prison & Probation Service and the Ministry of Justice, and more recently has held HR leadership roles in the charity sector.

He is a qualified Chartered Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and is also a Trustee and Non-Executive Director for Greensleeves Care, a national charity care home provider.

Chris Kirk, Executive Director of Membership & Commercial

As Executive Director of Membership & Commercial, Chris leads our professional body and membership organisation (with over 20k members), along with a wider remit across all of the Education & Training Foundation for Brand, Marketing, Sales, and Regional Engagement. Supporting ETF customers to unlock the value of funded contract work, alongside accountability for the growth of our commercial offering for individuals and Partners (Colleges, Training Providers and Employers) across our portfolio of professional development, Statuses, training, and CPD.

Chris has worked across professional, technical, vocational, and higher education sectors for nearly 20 years. Including extensive international experience which has supported learning, student recruitment and assessment in France, USA, China, Southern Asia and Australia. Growing brands, customer value, and revenue through customer-first, product-led culture change and digital transformation.  He has previously held executive positions at City & Guilds, and most recently at UCAS, along with leading international business development at the French online EdTech start-up, OpenClassrooms.