Meet the Board of Directors
The Executive Team is responsible for overseeing Futureworks operations, determining strategy and direction, and managing strategy implementation. The Team comprises three shareholder directors, one of whom is the Futureworks founder and Principal, three independent non-executive directors and the Vice-Principal.
Chris Mayo, Principal & Founder of Futureworks
Chris has operated within the higher education sector for more than 24 years in a career that has seen him work throughout Europe and America in various roles, including the first certified Pro Tools Expert Instructor in Europe, senior lecturer and director of facilities. Under his leadership, Futureworks has developed into one of the UK’s leading creative educational institutions and is on track to achieve degree awarding powers in the near future. The institution’s growing reputation was recently reinforced by a QAA review that awarded Futureworks a total of three commendations – the first independent provider to achieve this.
Dr Ailsa Crum, Chair of the Board & Non-Executive Director
Dr Ailsa Crum is an independent consultant with expertise in quality frameworks, staff/student engagement, credit recognition, flexible delivery and qualitative evaluation. She is skilled in designing, facilitating and chairing events and creating coherent strategy, policy and practice. She has 30+ years’ experience in the HE and tertiary sectors including as a QAA Director leading sector-wide projects on topics such as student transitions, addressing awarding gaps, reassessing assessment and tackling the opportunity and challenge of generative AI. She has expertise in review and enhancement activity as an architect of the Quality Enhancement Framework in Scotland and extensive international engagements. She is committed to creative education and has a keen interest in literary memoir and all forms of storytelling.
Professor John Fairhurst, Non-Executive Director
After qualifying and practicing as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales, John transitioned into academia in 1993, joining the University of Huddersfield as a Lecturer in Law. In his final two years at Huddersfield, he served as Head of Collaborative Provision for the Business School, overseeing the development, quality assurance, and enhancement of all off-campus programmes, alongside responsibility for both UK and international marketing and recruitment.
In 2004, John became Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, managing a broad and diverse portfolio. Between 2007 and 2009, he combined this role with Head of Anglia Law School, before moving in 2009 to Birmingham City University as Professor and Head of the School of Law.
John is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. In 2011, John was appointed Managing Director of NCC Education, a transnational provider of UK higher education programmes in Business and Computing. The following year (2012), he joined Bloomsbury Institute as Principal and CEO. Bloomsbury Institute is a higher education provider registered with the OfS and licensed by the UKVI to sponsor international students and staff.
After 13 years at Bloomsbury Institute, John left in 2025 to establish Fairhurst Advisors.
David McIntyre, Non-Executive Director
David is a chartered accountant with more than 25 years of experience in financial leadership roles and as an executive and non-executive advisor to a range of businesses. He specialises in assisting growing businesses operating in education, financial services, and other regulated industries. He began his career as an auditor, becoming a Director of Business Risk Services for one of the UK’s leading accountancy practices and acting as Head of Internal Audit for a number of Universities, Colleges, NDPBs, and regulators. He later became CFO and Deputy Chief Executive of a large education and training group, The City of Liverpool College Group, successfully steering them through a comprehensive transformation programme over a period of four years. Since 2016 he has built a portfolio of fractional CFO, Non-Executive Director, and Board Advisor roles in education and financial services. He has significant Board experience, including various Chair of Audit and Chair of Finance roles.
Ben Norris, Vice-Principal & Clerk to the Board
Ben has been working in higher education management for over 23 years, and is deeply committed to the mission of Futureworks as a high-quality independent provider of higher education. He joined the management team back in January 2007, when Futureworks first started. He has played a leading role in the development and growth of Futureworks, and was instrumental in the institution’s successful 2017 QAA Higher Education Review. He has a passionate interest in widening participation, and is Chair of a local community group in his home town of Bury.