Say hello to Hart Learning Group’s new Chief Financial Officer, Drew.
Drew will draw on his extensive experience to ensure financial stability and growth at North Hertfordshire College, making sure we can continue providing the highest standard of education for our learners.
We caught up with Drew to find out more about his new role at NHC:
Can you give us an outline of your career background?
“I graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in Accounting and Financial Management. I’ve since qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) at RSM, where my portfolio included clients in the education sector.
“For the past fifteen years, I’ve held senior finance positions across a range of publicly listed and private businesses, including Frontline Ltd, a US-listed shipping company and Aptitude Software Group plc, a Main Market-listed enterprise software provider. Over the last five years, I’ve also served as CFO at i-nexus Global plc and most recently Altitude Group plc.”
What made you apply to the Chief Financial Officer role at NHC?
“Having spent my career in commercial environments, I was conscious that I wanted my next role to have a stronger sense of purpose. Both my parents were teachers and that connection to education and its impact on people’s lives has always stayed with me, so moving into this sector felt like a natural and personal next step.
“What drew me to NHC specifically was the strength of where the College finds itself; a clear strategic direction, a growing student population, and a real ambition to expand its portfolio and impact. That felt like exactly the kind of platform where I could add genuine value, in a community I am proud to live in.
“Meeting the team during the interview process strengthened everything that had drawn me to the role. What struck me was how consistently and unprompted people spoke about the culture here. That’s not something you can manufacture, and it’s not something you overlook when you’re deciding where to take your next step.”
How will your previous experience help you in this role?
“Much of what I have done throughout my career translates directly here; operating in regulated, publicly accountable environments, and ensuring the right financial information gets to the right people in a way that’s clear, timely, and genuinely useful.
“The commercial side of my background feels particularly relevant given where NHC wants to go. Working in businesses where revenue growth, commercial discipline, and income diversification mattered gives me a lens that I think will be useful as the College looks to deliver on its strategic objectives.
“Perhaps most importantly, I’ve always got the most out of roles where the finance function is genuinely embedded in the organisation, being the person that teams turn to and contributing to decisions that matter. “
What will be the main focus in your new role?
“My immediate priority will be getting to know everything about the organisation; understanding how the College operates, the funding streams, and the people and teams I’ll be working alongside.
“Beyond that, my focus will be on ensuring the College builds on its strong financial platform. This includes securing the return on the Town Centre Campus investment, maximising the income available across all our funding streams, and building the commercial infrastructure that positions NHC to grow its employer-facing income and respond to opportunities in the region.
“Alongside that, I want to embed the finance function as a genuine strategic partner across the College, working closely with teams to ensure the right financial insight and data is available to support decision making at every level.”
What are you most looking forward to working on in your new role?
“The commercial opportunity is probably what excites me most. There’s real scope to grow NHC’s employer-facing income streams and build this sustainable infrastructure, and that sits right at the heart of where the College wants to go strategically.
“Beyond that, stepping into this role at a moment when the external policy landscape is shifting so significantly feels like genuinely interesting timing for a CFO. Building a finance function that the whole organisation can rely on to navigate through that, where every team knows they can come to us for the insight and support they need to make good decisions, is exactly the kind of challenge I am looking forward to.”
Lastly, please tell us a fun fact about yourself.
“My grandfather designed the Dig for Victory poster during the Second World War. Safe to say the creative genes skipped a couple of generations!”
Work with the Hart Learning Group
We think all jobs in education are some of the most important and fulfilling jobs in the world – helping people realise their potential and build a life for themselves; helping businesses to grow and improve; and helping to build strong, vibrant communities.
If you share our passion, we want to hear from you – check out our available vacancies and come and join the team!