Exeter College is delighted to announce the appointment of Bindu Arjoon as the College’s new Chair of the Corporation which commenced on 1 August 2021. This change comes as David Allen OBE retires from his eight-year tenure with the College, having served the Board of Governors since 2013.

Ms Arjoon, Deputy Chief Executive of Exeter City Council, is a long-standing member of the Board, having served for eight years. She has previously held the position of Vice Chair of the Board and is currently also Chair of the Quality and Standards Committee.

Bindu Arjoon, Chair of the Corporation at Exeter College said:

“I have been privileged over my time in Exeter to be Chair of St Leonards Primary School and St Peter’s Secondary School and my hope is, combined with my corporate experience and my experience on the Board, this will enable me to continue to work with the Board in supporting the College in our aspiration to provide exceptional learning and development opportunities for our current and future students by putting the interests of learners at the heart of everything we do.

I look forward to the College continuing to work with local employers, public sector partners and schools to ensuring that we achieve our mission statement which is to shape futures by delivering world class education for our city and region.”

Ms Arjoon will lead the Board in providing strategic direction for continued growth around Exeter College’s vision to be an exceptional college and will strengthen its place in the City of Exeter, ensuring its shared ambition for the South West succeeds.

John Laramy CBE, Exeter College’s Principal and Chief Executive said:

“We are delighted to welcome Bindu Arjoon as Chair of the Corporation to our Board. As a College we are fortunate to have a Board of talented and committed individuals who care deeply about Exeter, the College, our stakeholders, our staff and our students.

I have thoroughly enjoyed working with David as Chair and I really look forward to working with Bindu, who has a wealth of experience and is well-placed to take on this critical position in helping to lead one of the largest and most successful further education colleges in the country.

She will be instrumental in providing the advice, challenge and leadership we need to realise our vision. Bindu’s unique background, breadth of knowledge and insightful place-based perspective will really aid the leadership of the college and board.”

Completing a PGCE at London University, Bindu’s career began in Further Education, working at City of Westminster College for two years as a Co-ordinating Lecturer in Economics and Business Studies, teaching on a range of vocational and academic programmes and professional qualifications.

Having lived in Exeter for 15 years, Bindu currently works as the Deputy Chief Executive at Exeter City Council. Having been in Local Government leadership for 20 years, Bindu has led various services including business transformation, strategic housing, corporate services and building strategic partnerships to address city-wide issues.

With an Institute of Leadership and Management Level 7 Award in Executive Coaching and Mentoring, Bindu has worked with colleagues in public services as well as the private sector to help them in realising their leadership potential.

Find out more about the Exeter College Board of Governors.