Our people
Alun Francis OBE - Chair
Alun Francis is the Chair of the Social Mobility Commission and Chief Executive of Blackpool and The Fylde College. Blackpool and The Fylde College is an award- winning organisation and is one of the largest and highest performing further education colleges in the country. It has degree awarding powers, a wide choice of T levels and is a Centre of Excellence for World Skills. The College is a key partner leading the Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology, and is pioneering a new approach to Further Education and Higher Education delivery with Blackpool Council, called “Multiversity Blackpool” which sits at the heart of local regeneration plans.
Resham Kotecha - Deputy Chair
Resham Kotecha is the Global Head of Policy at the Open Data Institute – a not for profit company that works with companies and governments to build a world where data works for everyone. She has worked for over a decade on tackling social mobility, volunteering with the Prince’s Trust and the Shaw Trust, and giving talks around the UK. She worked for a think tank focused on social mobility in the North of England, and served on a Home Office Windrush Working Group. She is the Head of Engagement for Women2Win and a Board member at the John Smith Centre. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Cambridge University and has been recognised as a ‘Global Shaper’ by the World Economic Forum.
Rob Wilson - Deputy Chair
Rob Wilson is a former Member of Parliament for Reading East and Minister in the Cameron and May Governments. He spent 12 years as an MP and 10 years serving on the Conservative front bench with roles in higher education, health, DCMS, Treasury and Cabinet Office. He spent three years as Minister for Civil Society from 2014-17. Before politics, he was an entrepreneur and founded businesses in the health and technology sectors using innovative and disruptive technology to develop new markets. He continues to have a strong interest in new technology. Since leaving Whitehall and Parliament, he has invested in new tech companies and taken a number of business roles that are in areas of interest, but particularly in new breakthrough technologies and products. He is a Chairman and Non-Executive Director across public, private and third sector organisations. He writes for the Daily Telegraph and has published two books ‘5 Days to Power’ and ‘Eye of the Storm’.
Dr Raghib Ali - Commissioner
Professor Raghib Ali is the CEO, Chief Investigator and Chief Medical Officer of Our Future Health; the world’s largest health research programme of its kind, focussed on discovering new ways to prevent, detect, and treat disease. He is also a Clinical Epidemiologist at the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge. His main research interests are the aetiology and prevention of non-communicable diseases, and establishing prospective cohort studies in populations which have not previously been studied.
Ryan Henson - Commissioner
Ryan Henson is Chief Executive Officer at the Coalition for Global Prosperity and is an Associate Fellow at Bright Blue, an independent centre-right think tank. Prior to joining the Coalition, he worked for the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, the Ministry of Justice, the Cabinet Office, and was a founding trustee of a social mobility charity. He holds a first-class BA in History, and an MA in Modern and Contemporary British History, awarded via full academic scholarship, both from Queen Mary, University of London where he is undertaking a PhD.
Parminder Kohli - Commissioner
Parminder is the Chair of Shell UK and Executive Vice President of Sustainability and Carbon for Shell Group. He also serves as a Trustee on the Board of the Shell Foundation. With over 24 years at Shell, he has held a range of senior leadership roles across the company’s Downstream businesses, including Chemical, Mobility, and Lubricants. His career has been marked by transformative leadership across key commercial areas – corporate strategy, marketing, business development, operations, and P&L ownerships – delivering sustainable commercial impact. He has a track record of creating high-performing businesses by building strong, cohesive teams, attracting diverse talents, and fostering a culture of excellence. A deep commitment to building diverse and inclusive teams has consistently guided his leadership approach. He completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School and holds an MBA from IMD Business School.
Tina Stowell - Commissioner
Tina Stowell is a Conservative Peer. She is a former Cabinet Minister, Leader of the House of Lords and Chair of the Charity Commission. Before joining the House of Lords, she spent nine years at the BBC where she was latterly Head of Corporate Affairs. She ran William Hague’s office when he was Leader of the Conservative Party, and was a civil servant for 10 years, working at the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall, the British Embassy in Washington, and the Downing Street Press Office.
