OUR STORY

Education For Industry Group was established in 2024 with a clear-cut objective: to reshape lives, careers, and industries through specialised educational training. Our belief is rooted in the notion that industry-specific education fosters seamless connections between individuals and businesses, driving efficiency like no other.

With a proud alumni network exceeding 20,000 graduates across various sectors including fashion, retail, beauty, and hairdressing, we've been instrumental in nurturing top-tier talent. Our partnerships with esteemed brands ensure that our curriculum is enriched with real-world industry insights, enhancing the learning experience.

At Education For Industry Group, we are staunch advocates of inclusive education, firmly believing that everyone deserves access to opportunities, irrespective of background or circumstances. We are committed to breaking down barriers, promoting equality, and ensuring fair access for all students. Our core mission revolves around enhancing student engagement, retention, and progression, driving us forward with unwavering dedication.

GOVERNORS

The EFI Group Board of Governors comprises of 10 members including the Principal and CEO, who has overall responsibility for the Group, with strategic responsibilities that include:

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;

• The educational performance of the Group and its students’ progress;

• Overseeing the financial performance of the Group, ensuring excellent value for money; and

• The safety and wellbeing of its staff and students.

A key strength of the Board is that it comprises a mix of educationalists, senior executives from industry and other professionals. These are non-executive roles and all Governors give their time voluntarily.

Lee is CEO of EFI Group. He has been Principal of FRA since 2014. Lee started his career as an IT Manager and later retrained as a teacher. Over the past 14 years, Lee has held senior leadership roles and Principal positions in private and public education providers, developing qualifications and apprenticeships (in the IT, beauty, jewellery and retail sectors), alongside a number of other commercial ventures.

LEE LUCAS

CEO & Principal

Kim is Chair of the EFI Group Board. She played a lead role in establishing the FRA and has overseen its success to date, developing its reputation and its relationships across the retail industry. She previously had a successful career in HR with companies including Selfridges, Dorothy Perkins and Arcadia. More recently, she has run her own consultancy business, assisting companies with their strategic planning and leadership development. She has also held various non-executive and trustee roles, including as a governor of Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School.

KIM LONGMAN

Chair of the Board

James has worked in fashion retail for over 30 years. His career has spanned UK retailers including Marks & Spencer, Arcadia, Moss Bros, Envy Retail and Asos Plc for over 13 years, in roles from Menswear Buying Director to Asos Partner Brands Director, and on the Executive team. A Global Buying Director with a proven track record in developing fashion businesses, James has significant expertise in menswear own-label product development and leading third-party brand purchasing and relationships across wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels.

JAMES BARRON

Governor

Having spent almost four decades in the fashion Industry, Laura retired from M&S where she joined in 2014 as Head of Buying before becoming Lingerie Director in 2018. She has experience working for both start-ups and some of the best UK and Global retailers and manufacturers such as Next, La Senza, Etam and the Courtaulds group. Her passion is product design and development alongside strengths in commercial buying, data analysis and consumer insight. Laura is Vice Chair of the Education For Industry Group Board.

LAURA CHARLES

Governor

Fiona has been working in fashion retail for over 20 years. She spent 14 years at Arcadia before moving to ASOS in 2014 to be the Womenswear Merchandising Director. Fiona’s current role is Executive Vice President – Commercial at ASOS, where she oversees multiple functions including Trading, Forecasting, Pricing, Global Planning and Wholesale.

FIONA GAUGHAN

Governor

Sally has spent over 20 years working in finance within fashion retail. She spent 13 years at Arcadia starting as an analyst in the Oxford Circus store and progressing to Finance Director of Dorthy Perkins and then BHS. She then moved to M&S where she spent six years as Finance Director of the Clothing & Home half of the business. She now runs her own consultancy business and is a trustee for two other charities.

SALLY HARRIS

Governor

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Susanna Kempe is the CEO of the Laidlaw Foundation, Chair of the Laidlaw Schools Trust and CEO of Laidlaw Scholars Ventures. Prior to leading the Laidlaw Foundation she was a Global Partner at Brunswick, the communications and crisis consultancy. Susanna has over 20 years senior leadership experience in global B2B and media businesses; including as CMO of Informa plc, CMO and Chief Strategy Officer of Emap Ltd, CEO of Emap Networks, owner of World Retail Congress; and CEO of WGSN, the world’s leading trend forecaster.

SUSANNA KEMPE

Governor

Joining ASOS in 2007 with a team of two, Vanessa was influential in shaping the ASOS brand and now has a team of over 100. Vanessa was promoted to Design Director of both Womenswear and Menswear in 2018 to develop a unified look and feel to the ASOS ranges, trends and collaborations. Vanessa is also a patron of the charity Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD).

VANESSA SPENCE

Governor

Linda has a range of non-executive roles in the creative industries and education. She is the former Vice Chancellor of Ravensbourne University London (2015/19) which specialises in the design, content, screen and technology disciplines. Previously, Prof Drew was at the Glasgow School of Art, as Deputy Director and a Dean at the University of the Arts London where she led Chelsea College of Arts. She studied Fashion at Saint Martin’s School of Art and has a PhD in Educational Research from Lancaster University.

Prof. LINDA DREW

Governor

Simon is currently Director of Trade Planning and Execution at Sainsbury’s, responsible for Customer and Commercial Planning for General Merchandise and Clothing across Sainsburys, Argos, Habitat and Tu. Having worked for Sainsbury’s since 2004, Simon has held several leadership positions across Multi-channel Merchandising, Trading, Planning, Supply Chain, Strategy and Business Transformation. Simon is also an accredited Master Coach and hugely passionate about developing talent. Simon is Chair of the Education For Industry Group Audit Committee.

SIMON WILLIAMS

Governor

AUDIT COMMITTEE

Meets three times per year
Advises the Board on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Academy’s systems of internal control and its arrangements for risk management - regular review of Risk Register, and
Receives and scrutinises reports from the FRA’s Auditors (in-year assignments and year-end Reports & Accounts

AUDIT COMMITTEE TERMS OF REFERENCE

STAKEHOLDERS

We are committed to engaging with our stakeholders to ensure that we continually deliver on our strategic objectives, maintain our trusted reputation, uphold our values, and fulfil our charitable purpose. Across all divisions, we interact with numerous stakeholder groups every day. Below is a summary of our commitment to each:

OUR PEOPLE

EFI Group and its four divisions are made up of 250 people working towards our shared goal of creating and delivering outstanding specialist education and training in partnership with industry. We recognise that their contribution is vital to our success, and that keeping our people engaged, informed and inspired is key. We host regular town hall meetings to keep all staff updated on strategy and important developments, and offer opportunities for staff to share their views with senior managers and the senior leadership team in a variety of ways, including annual surveys, focus groups and one-to-one meetings.

OUR APPLICANTS, STUDENTS, GRADUATES & THEIR FAMILIES

Our two colleges, Fashion Retail Academy and London College of Beauty Therapy, have taught over 25,000 students since their founding in 2005 and 1995 respectively. Each new cohort brings a fresh opportunity to engage with students at every stage of their application and learning journey to ensure that we are meeting their expectations and delivering on our pledge to help them graduate into their chosen careers with confidence. We regularly seek feedback from applicants, students, graduates and their families and ensure they feel informed and assured of their or their child’s progress.

OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS

We are driven by our core purpose to secure the future of industry-ready talent by working closely with stakeholders in relevant sectors to inform our curriculum, enrich our students’ learning with hands-on experience and identify opportunities for growth. Our industry partners are involved at every level, from formal channels such as our Industry Advisory Board through to one-to-one mentorships to equip graduates with the latest industry knowledge. We continually seek out new partners beyond our existing network to gather the widest possible perspective, expertise and insight.

THE INDUSTRY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

We are extremely fortunate to have the support from some of the best in business. Our Industry Advisory Committee provide advice and guidance to the all of the EFI brands to ensure our offer is truly reflective of what the industry needs and support their talent pipeline.

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

SOCIAL IMPACT

Social value is defined as the social, economic and environmental impact that we create as an organisation and the value this creates for people, communities, businesses and economies. Social impact refers to the outcomes that our beneficiaries experience through the products and services we deliver and the beneficiaries are defined as our students & staff, the local community, the industries we serve and the wider economy.

The purpose of a Social Value Report is to evidence the social impact and social value that we create for students, communities, economies and the and the industries we support. Most of the work EFI group do has a deliberate, but often times invisible impact on individuals, our industry and our sector. To see the most recent report for the Fashion Retail Academy, please click below.

READ OUR SOCIAL IMPACT REPORT

We're immensely proud of our outstanding industry network across the EFI group brands. Collaborating with hundreds of renowned brands spanning fashion, retail, makeup, and beauty, we ensure the highest standards of education and training for our students.

Tailored to meet industry demands and employer standards, our courses empower graduates to excel in their careers. Throughout their academic journey, students benefit from unparalleled industry support, including personal mentors, immersive industry experiences, brand-driven projects, as well as talks and masterclasses led by prominent figures in the fashion world.