SERC principal and chief executive retires after 16 years at helm of organisation

SERC principal and chief executive retires after 16 years at helm of organisation

7 August 2024

THE South Eastern Regional College’s principal and chief executive has retired after 16 years.

Mr Ken Webb was appointed in August 2007, just 12 months after the new further education college was created following the merger of three technical institutes.

At the helm of the new organisation, Mr Webb steered the College through many changes, including over £100m of capital investment in new campus buildings, including Downpatrick.

He has been sector lead on a number of developments in education such as new qualifications and Traineeships. Ken also chaired the sector Principals Group for a number of years.

Mr Webb’s leadership has resulted in the College becoming Northern Ireland’s top-performing college, winning many national awards and carrying out work in more than 30 countries across four continents including Japan where he was awarded a Professorship by the National Institutes of Technology.

Paying tribute to the retiring principal’s work, the College’s governing body chairman, John Nugent, said he wished to place on record and acknowledge Mr Webb’s “very significant contribution to the organisation and the wider further education sector. 

“This legacy will continue to deliver for the students and businesses which we serve for many years to come,” he said.

“Ken has nurtured the College from its creation and under his leadership we have seen it grow and flourish, offering opportunity to learners and maintaining strong links with employers and the local communities in which we are rooted.”

Mr Tommy Martin, the new interim principal and chief executive, has been a member of the College’s management team since 2009.

He has also played a key role in the strategic and financial management of the College, first as head of finance, then as chief finance officer and, more recently, as deputy chief executive.  

Prior to joining the organisation, Tommy spent 17 years in various financial roles across several industries with the BBC, Praxis Care Group Ltd. and Nortel. 

He graduated from Ulster University with First Class Honours in Business Studies, holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Collaborative Transformation and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.