A Student Loans Company board member has been appointed its next chair.
Gary Page, who has served on the board of the SLC since 2020, will step up to the chair role on April 1. He succeeds Peter Lauener, who is about to complete his second and final three-year term as chair.
It comes as the government-owned body plans to modernise its systems ahead of post 18 education funding reforms, such as preparing to open applications for lifelong loan entitlement (LLE) funding for the first time this September.
Alongside his role on the SLC board, Page chairs Tiodos Bank UK, is a lay member of the South East Employment Tribunal and is a trustee of the charity Hope After Suicide Loss UK.
The SLC paid out nearly £24 billion in further and higher education student finance UK-wide in 2023-24 and employs nearly 3,300 people. It’s one of Whitehall’s largest arms-length bodies, processing more than a million applications for student loans and grants per year and working with HMRC to collect repayments.
As chair, Page will be responsible for leading the board of six non-executive directors in holding senior managers to account over operational and financial performance. He is appointed by the ‘shareholders’ of the SLC, who are the education secretary and representatives of the devolved nations.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson thanked Lauener for his “dedicated service” and said Page’s leadership experience would be “invaluable”.
Phillipson added: “I am confident he will provide the strong leadership needed to deliver a modern, efficient service for students across the UK, as the organisation undertakes an important transformation project.”
The eight-day per month role attracts remuneration of £59,000 per year.
Page described the timing of his appointment as “pivotal”.
He said: “I have enjoyed being a board member of SLC over the last five years, and it’s such a pivotal moment to be stepping into the role of chair. The organisation is a vital source of financial support in helping customers across the UK pursue their further and higher education ambitions, and I look forward to contributing to its continued success.”
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