John Parsonage, Director of Regional Learning & Skills Professor, SEEDA

John Parsonage is Director of Regional Learning & Skills for the South East England development Agency (SEEDA). Prior to this appointment, John was Dean of the Faculty of Dartford and Medway with corporate responsibility for outreach and commercial development.

John held the post of Head of the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at Thames Polytechnic from 1984-1990 and was appointed Professor of Chemistry in 1989 and then Dean of the Faculty of Science at Thames in 1990. In 1995 John was seconded from the University of Greenwich (previously Thames Polytechnic), to take up the appointment of Chief Executive and Director of the London Science Park at Dartford. He was responsible for co-ordinating the actions of the promoters, Glaxo Wellcome, Dartford Borough Council and the University of Greenwich, holding this post until 1999.

His key achievements have been ensuring that the London Science Park at Dartford identified financial partners to commence development; expanding the Science Faculty at Thames Polytechnic from 600 to 2500 students; the introduction of Higher Education into several FE colleges and helping to set the education and training agenda of North Kent Success and Kent Thames-side Association.