Gavin Donoghue has announced he is to move on from Colleges Scotland in early 2027 to a new role. Gavin has been CEO at Colleges Scotland since June 2025, and previously served as Director of College Employers Scotland from April 2022.
 
Susan Elston, Regional Chair of North East Scotland College and Interim Chair of the Board of Trustees at Colleges Scotland, said “Gavin has been an exceptional leader for Colleges Scotland. The Board of Trustees would like to thank him for his contribution to leading the advocacy for the college sector nationally, and the progress which has been made in highlighting the importance of vocational and technical education in the public sphere.
 
“The Board of Trustees will meet on Thursday (29 October 2026) to discuss the recruitment process for the role of CEO at Colleges Scotland, and further details will be announced shortly.”
 
Gavin Donoghue said: “I’ve massively enjoyed my time at Colleges Scotland, as CEO, and before that as Director of College Employers Scotland. Colleges are Scotland’s skills engines and act strong community anchors up and down our country. They should be front and centre of the Scottish Government's skills agenda and its anti-poverty ambitions.
 
"The best part of this role has been hearing from students directly and seeing the fantastic work taking place in colleges across Scotland. It’s been truly inspirational to hear the stories of learners who have had genuinely life-changing experiences by coming to college. I genuinely believe that increased technical and vocational education at college is the key to unlocking our country's economic success, and I will always be very proud of the work of the Colleges Scotland team in advocating for the sector.
 
"I would like to thank our staff, our trustees, and most importantly our member colleges who work incredibly hard every day of the week in communities up and down our country to demonstrate the value of a college education.”
 
A recruitment process for the Colleges Scotland CEO position will be announced in due course.