Board of Governors

Michael Yuille - External Member (Chair of the Board)

Michael was appointed Chair of the Board of Governors in September 2010 having previously been a Board member and Chair of the Audit Committee. Michael has over 20 years experience as a Director of Finance in the Higher Education sector, having worked at the Universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow and Liverpool. He currently runs his own consultancy business and holds a number of non-executive directorships of companies linked to the Higher Education sector. His hobbies include golf, music and curling – in which he represents Wales at international seniors' level.

Derek Robertson - External Member (Vice Chair)

Derek Robertson joined the Board of Governors in 2003. He was recently re-elected for a further four year term. He is a partner in a general legal practice with offices throughout West Dunbartonshire including Clydebank. He has long standing connections with Clydebank and the surrounding area.

Michael McAuley - External Member (Chair of Audit Committee)

Michael is a qualified solicitor and partner with Dundas & Wilson CS LLP. In 2005 Michael served as Chairman of D&W from 2005 to 2009 (inclusive). His practice area includes advising clients, both in the public and private sector, on major infrastructure projects in the education, health, transport and water sectors. He joined the College Board in September 2004.

Mike Haggerty - External Member (Chair of Learning Teaching and Quality Committee)

Mike Haggerty lives with his family in Clydebank and joined the College Board in 2007.
He now runs his own Public Relations consultancy, following a lengthy period as Head of Communications at the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). He currently retains the role of spokesperson for SQA, and his other clients include Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and the UK Vocational Qualifications Reform Programme, of which he is a board member.
He is also an active freelance sports journalist and administrator, and has reported on seven Olympic Games and numerous world championships.
He currently holds the voluntary position of Vice-President of the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association, and is a member of the Scottish Government's London 2012 Olympic Steering Group.

Scott Macintosh - External Member - (Chair of Finance Estates and General Purposes Committee)

Scott graduated from the University of Glasgow as an engineer but followed a path of management accounting with the former British Steel Corporation and Allied
Distillers. He is actively involved in the Dunbartonshire business community, being a member of the board of Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce and Careers Scotland Local Advisory Board, and was a director of Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire until the local boards were discontinued. He maintains his connection with the world of education through his wife Agnes, a teacher who has held several local authority posts in connection with enterprise education and healthy living. He has two children and is actively involved in his local church, and in any remaining spare time he enjoys flying light aircraft.

Margaret Wallace BA (Hons), DipM,LLM - External Member

Margaret joined the College Board in 2007. Margaret's career history is in education, training and technology. She runs an educational technology consultancy providing advice and staff development services to education and training bodies. Margaret is also a regular speaker and author of articles in the field of e-learning, online copyright and educational reform.
Margaret is a co-opted Director with the British Institute for Learning and Development and is Vice-Chair of the UK EPICT Licence Group.

Anne O'Hagan - External Member

Anne O'Hagan is a Chartered Accountant and founder partner in an accountancy practice based in Milngavie. Her work includes audit, accounts and taxation services to businesses and individuals, with a particular interest in family businesses and farming. She joined the College Board in 2010 after a period as a co-opted member of the Finance, Estates and General Purposes Committee. Anne currently acts as District Treasurer of Dunbartonshire Scouts, covering Clydebank, Dumbarton, Vale of Leven and Helensburgh. Former interests include acting as a non-executive on an NHS Special Health Board, serving as a committee member and Chairman of the Scottish Chartered Accountants Benevolent Association, a long association with Allander Chamber of Commerce, acting as President, Treasurer and Secretary at different times, and also serving as a Justice of the Peace in East Dunbartonshire.

Keith Hart - External Member

Keith joined the College Board in 2009 having previously served for a period as a co-opted member of the College's Audit committee. He is a Chartered Insurance Broker and partner in the firm of Hart Insurance Brokers whose office is located in Clydebank Business Park. The firm provides professional services to a broad range of corporate and personal clients in respect of General Insurance and Financial Services. He is a long time resident of Milngavie where he lives with his wife and family.

Esther Cairney - External Member

Esther Cairney joined the College Board in 2011. Esther's career history is in secondary education. From her role as Depute Headteacher in the secondary school sector, she progressed to secondment to Education Scotland, where she is the Team Leader supporting work on the new National Qualifications. This work involves working with a range of stakeholders including the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Scotland's Colleges, local authority representatives and others.
Esther is also a member of the Appointments Committee for the General Teaching Council of Scotland..

Graham MacSporran - External Member

Graham joined the Board in 2009 and is a retired accountant who was a Finance Director of a several public companies before his retirement. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants. Much of his early working life was in a variety of manufacturing industries in the West of Scotland. Graham was brought up in Clydebank and now lives in Bishopton. He golfs, but not very well, and is a part-time student at Stirling University taking a degree in History.

Yvonne McLaren Robertson - External Member

Yvonne is a qualified Chartered Accountant of Scotland. She joined the Board of Governors in November 2011. She previously joined the Audit Committee in November 2010.

Yvonne has over 20 years experience working in the private sector within the Whisky and Electronics Industry. Over the past 10 years she has been working with early stage high growth businesses to help them secure start-up funding (Normally £350k- £1m).
She is now part of the Scottish Investment bank where she supports businesses to get ready to take investment on board. She is also responsible for ensuring that deals through the Scottish Seed Fund are propositions that are ready to take equity funding. She is a strong supporter of young and growing companies that want Scotland as their base.

She is a director of a number of businesses in the West of Scotland including an engineering company in Clydebank. 

Gordon Paterson - (Principal and Chief Executive)

Gordon graduated with a BSc (honours) in Physics and Mathematics and, after a short spell as a Science Officer with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, he spent 13 years teaching in the secondary school sector before joining Clydebank College as a lecturer in 1986. Since joining the College he has progressed through a variety of positions including Senior Lecturer, Schools Liaison Officer, College Manager, Assistant to the Principal and Depute Principal. After graduating with a Masters degree in Educational Management, and with many years experience representing the college sector in local and national government initiatives, Gordon was appointed Principal/Chief Executive of Clydebank College in late December 2007.
Gordon has been pivotal in the securing the College’s current enviable position in the sector and is wholly committed to taking the College, its learners and staff, to a new level, providing the highest quality of learning experience to the communities the College serves. He vigorously supports the regeneration of Clydebank and Dumbarton and is a Director of Clydebank Rebuilt. Gordon is a keen skier and scuba diver and through these interests satisfies a passion for travel to some of the world’s most remote locations.

Alex Deas - (Support Staff Representative)

Jamie Smith - (College Student Member)

Jamie is currently President of the Students' Association at the college. Jamie is a graduate of three other higher educational institutions (Dundee Institute of Technology (Abertay University), Aberdeen University and The University of Strathclyde) where he successfully completed an HND in Biological Sciences, a Post-graduate Diploma in Molecular Biology and a BSc.(hons.) in Environmental Health. Jamie has also served in a number of voluntary posts including 3 years as a welfare volunteer and 4 as a volunteer in the Citizens' Advice Bureau. Work-wise Jamie is a former civil servant and has experience in quality control in the food industry and in medical research laboratories. He has served in welfare roles at University of Strathclyde Students' Association where he was a welfare volunteer and at Dundee Institute of Technology where he was V.P. Education and Welfare. For the post in Dundee, he was given the Lesley Howard-Hill award for contribution to the corporate life of the college. Jamie is currently a student on the Communication with Media HND in the college and carries out voluntary activities with Your Enablement Service and Rockvale Rebound, a local talking newspaper where he assists in computer activities, sound recording and sits on the committee.

Fergus Neil - (Secretary to the Board)