ThinkSpace Education > About Us

Governance

Welcome to the governance webpage of ThinkSpace Education (TSE), a private company providing higher education in music and media. Here, you will find information about TSE's governance structure, including its key governing document, the Articles of Association, and its Governance Framework. You will also learn about TSE's approach to compliance, risk management, and student engagement, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Directors and the Principal and CEO.

Governance Structure

The Board of Directors is the governing body of TSE and has overall responsibility for corporate and academic governance. Key areas of academic governance and decision-making are delegated to the Academic Board, which reports formally to the Board of Directors. Executive management is the responsibility of the Principal and CEO who leads the TSE management team. Programme Boards report to the Academic Board and relevant matters are reported through to the Board of Directors by the Principal and CEO.

The Board of Directors, Academic Board and Programme Boards meet throughout the year and maintain a flow of communications and formal reporting which reflects our size and identity as a small private specialist HE provider.

As a private company limited by shares, and as a provider registered with the Office for Students, we are independent of our validating university, the Arts University Bournemouth. However, we are accountable to the university for the quality and standards of academic awards granted in the university’s name. The Arts University Bournemouth has a number of requirements which TSE is expected to meet, including the provision of an annual report on the quality and standards of validated provision, and the inclusion of a university representative in the membership of TSE’s Academic Board.

Governance Overview

ThinkSpace Education [“TSE”] is a private company limited by shares, incorporated in England under number: 11653780. Its registered address is Ashbourne House, Old Portsmouth Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 1LR. It is wholly owned by two shareholders, Guy and Emma Michelmore, and has no subsidiaries. Prior to 2019, TSE operated as a part of Music for Television Ltd, a film, games and television music production company. In March 2019 TSE demerged from Music for Television Ltd to become a separate company.

TSE’s key governing document is the Articles of Association, first adopted at the company’s incorporation on 1st November 2018, with a revised and updated version approved by the Board of Directors on 7th December 2020. We also have a Governance Framework, now in its 3rd Edition, in which we set out the following:

  • Terms of reference of the key governance bodies
  • Our adoption of the Code of Governance for Independent Providers of Higher Education [September 2021] and compliance with the Public Interest Governance Principles
  • Our approaches to the following:
    • The recruitment and appointment of non-executive directors and independent external members of the Academic Board
    • Board oversight of finance, audit and risk
    • TSE Business Plan and Key Performance Indicators
    • Annual monitoring of academic standards and quality
    • Annual appraisal of the Chair, Board members and Principal and CEO
    • Monitoring and reviewing governance effectiveness.

Together with developing strategy and supporting the Principal and CEO, a key responsibility of the Board is to satisfy itself that the company meets all regulatory requirements. We operate a number of mechanisms to assure ourselves that TSE is viable and compliant in particular areas, including:

  • Financial viability and sustainability
  • The conditions of public funding and registration with the Office for Students
  • Academic quality and standards and the integrity of the academic qualifications delivered by TSE.

Student Engagement

The Board of Directors ensures that, through TSE’s student representatives, all students have opportunities to engage with governance and management, and this enables a range of perspectives to have influence. Students are represented on the Board of Directors, Academic Board and Programme Boards. The Lead Student Representative attends each meeting of the Board of Directors to represent and pass on information from the student body. There is an active dialogue between the student body and TSE management, and student representatives are consulted on all key matters, including changes to course content and delivery and the development of new programmes.

The Principal and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Our Principal and CEO, Guy Michelmore, is the accountable officer of TSE in accordance with the meaning and responsibilities of that position as determined from time to time by the Office for Students. As a shareholder and as the CEO of the company, he is the most senior member of staff, is responsible for the overall success of TSE, and exercises executive authority over all aspects of the business. The TSE management team assists the Principal and CEO in his role as accountable officer and advises him in the performance of his duties.

Chair of the Board of Directors

Our Chair, John Garnham, is responsible for the leadership of the Board and is accountable to all stakeholders for its effectiveness. It is also the Chair’s responsibility to ensure that the Board conducts its business with efficiency and integrity.

The Chair works in partnership with the Principal and CEO and the Board, and

  • Leads the corporate governance of TSE and the development of the governance arrangements and processes
  • Leads the development of the Board as an effective and efficient governing body
  • Builds a network of connections at a senior level in higher education and the creative and cultural sectors
  • Advocates for TSE and its students and staff
  • Enables the Principal and CEO and Board to develop, shape and periodically refresh the company’s strategy
  • Chairs meetings of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors

The Board currently comprises three executive directors and three non-executive directors (or “NEDs”). The Lead Student Representative and Secretary to the Board also attend meetings.

Our NEDs are independent and have no executive or operational responsibilities within the company. They bring significant professional knowledge and expertise to the company, complementing the industry experience of the executive directors. They act as critical friends and supporters, bringing external objectivity and challenge to Board discussions. Our NEDs are driven by a shared passion for what TSE is about, and commitment to supporting the Principal and CEO and staff to provide the best possible student experience in online creative education.

Directors have individual and collective responsibility for acting in the best interests of the company at all times. Their key responsibilities are:

  • Shaping and agreeing ThinkSpace Education’s strategy
  • Academic governance
  • Compliance and regulation
  • Ensuring effective and sustainable commercial operations
  • Risk management
  • Student and staff experience
  • Financial and other forms of institutional sustainability
  • Monitoring and performance
  • Equality and diversity.

Non-Executive Directors:

  • John Garnham – Chair – Non-Executive Director
  • Matthew Wyard – Deputy Chair – Non-Executive Director

Executive Directors:

  • Guy Michelmore - Principal and CEO, shareholder
  • Emma Michelmore - Shareholder
  • Dr Blake Troise – Chief Technology Officer

In attendance at meetings:

  • Lead Student Representative
  • Secretary to the Board – Sarah White