Simon Pirotte Chief Executive
Chief Executive of the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research.
Simon Pirotte was the Principal and Chief Executive of Bridgend College from 2013 until 2023.
He received an OBE in the New Year Honours list 2020 for his services to further education and higher education. A graduate from Aberystwyth with an MSc in Management from the University of South Wales, Simon has worked in the education sector for over 30 years. This includes work in the higher education, further education and school sectors. He has also worked as a Head of Department in Los Angeles, USA on a year-long Fulbright Scholarship.
Simon won the 2018 Institute of Directors (UK) Director of the Year for the Public Sector. Bridgend College was the highest ranked FE College in the UK in the Times 100 Best Companies (not for profit organisations) to work for in 2017 and 2020. In 2019, Bridgend College was named Times Educational Supplement College of the Year.
Together with his passion for education, Simon is committed to sport and the arts. He is a Welsh language learner.