Ruth Spellman

Ruth is an experienced Chief Executive who has led membership and professional development organisations, delivering high quality education and training. She led Investors in People for ten years through major strategic and organisational change, engaging closely with government policy and raising standards in people management across a broad cross section of UK employers. Ruth has also developed leadership and management standards and applied them within UK plc and public services at the Chartered Management Institute. Ruth led the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, broadening the membership to include engineering technicians, and accelerating the development of their Women in Engineering programme. Ruth was CEO of WEA (the Workers’ Educational Association) until 2020, and is now an ambassador and fellow of WEA.

Throughout her career Ruth has been passionately committed to vocational education and training, and to improving the standards of delivery and support for those who want to pursue a whole variety of careers. In her non-executive roles she has worked across education, developing pathways, careers advice, qualifications and progression routes.

Ruth is strongly committed to the values and ambitions of the ETF, to developing a talent pool for further education, to influencing policy and building stakeholder support throughout the sector.