David Gallagher

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

David is NCFE’s Chief Executive Officer and a Non-Executive Director of the Federation of Awarding Bodies, as well as Chair of the FAB Policy Board.

Tell us a bit about you

I’m married with two young boys and, since we’ve had children, working in education feels even more personal and important. I come from a huge family as I’m the youngest of six, have over 40 cousins and nearly as many nephews and nieces.

Alongside my roles with the Federation of Awarding Bodies, I’m also on the Executive Committee at the St Martin’s Group – a unique membership organisation created to support the UK economy by fostering a sustainable, quality-focused and employer-led apprenticeship and skills system.

Outside of work, I coach a junior football team and listen to loads of different books – mostly history, geopolitics and biographies.

Tell us a bit about your career

When I left college, I worked for BT in a contact centre and the great training made it feel very much like an apprenticeship. From there, I moved into commercial recruitment before falling into ‘Welfare to Work’, which I quickly came to love. Subsequently, my career has always been in and around education and training.  

I’ve worked for big and small businesses, in the public and private sectors, and have also established several start-up businesses. This experience has helped me to see the sector from a variety of vantage points and hopefully, has given me the insight and experience to make a positive contribution to the sector long into the future. 

Why NCFE?

When I decided to join NCFE as Managing Director for End-Point Assessment (EPA), I was excited by the opportunity to scale a relatively new business and to help to deliver outstanding apprenticeships for learners and employers, drawing on my previous experience of supporting apprenticeship providers and employers.  

After joining NCFE, I learnt about the rich history and heritage of the organisation and was blown away by the commitment, expertise and ideas of so many of my colleagues. I was delighted – and continue to feel extremely privileged – to be entrusted with leading NCFE through the next phases of scaling our reach and impact.