03 September 2010
Cambridge Assessment has appointed Mark Dawe as the new Chief Executive of its UK awarding body Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR).
Mark, who is currently the Principal and Chief Executive of Oaklands College in Hertfordshire, takes over the role 1st November from Clara Kenyon who has been Acting Chief Executive following the departure of Greg Watson in July 2010.
Mark is a board member of the Association of Learning Providers, Chair of the Association of Colleges for the Eastern Region, a Trustee of awarding body VTCT and board member of the Principal's Professional Council. He also recently headed the Capital Task Group on behalf of the Association of Colleges and is now Chair of the National Capital Reference Group.
Commenting on the announcement, Simon Lebus, Group Chief Executive of Cambridge Assessment and Chairman of OCR, said: "We are delighted to appoint Mark, he has a wealth of experience across a broad spectrum in the education field and we are confident that he will lead OCR through its next phase of development."
Prior to his role at Oaklands College, Mark was Deputy Director, FE Strategy at the Department of Education and Skills having joined as Deputy Director, Adult Basic Skills strategy Unit in 2003.
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, Mark joined Canterbury College, becoming Head of Corporate Services in 1994. In 2000, he set up eGS, an e-procurement provider to public sector customers.
Mark Dawe said: "It is an enormous privilege to be joining one of the UK's leading awarding bodies at such an exciting time in education and assessment. Having been on the other end of the telescope, I relish the opportunity to take OCR's education and curriculum offering to the next level."