Cognition

Cognition Education, New Zealand’s leading independent education services and consultancy provider, has appointed Howard Fancy to its Board.

“We are delighted to welcome Howard Fancy onto the team,” said Cognition Chairman Stewart Germann. “Howard is a leader in the education sector and will be a huge asset to Cognition.”

Howard brings extensive experience in the leadership, design and implementation of policies within the public sector. He has worked across a wide range of policy areas, with many senior Ministers and external stakeholders and in roles with a strong international focus.

Howard Fancy was the Secretary for Education from July 1996 to October 2006. During this period he led a number of major organisational and educational reforms. These included major changes to the operation and focus of the Ministry of Education, the merger of the Specialist Education Services and Early Childhood Development into the Ministry, the development of close working relationships with Iwi and Pacific communities and the leadership in the area of international education.

Howard oversaw reforms in the areas of early childhood education, special education, tertiary education and industry training. Major changes in the school system centred on lifting student achievement through a strong focus on raising the effectiveness of teaching, lifting literacy and numeracy achievement, reforming senior secondary qualifications and developing a comprehensive set of schooling improvement initiatives.

In 2007 Howard acted as Chief Executive of the Ministry for the Environment for a period of six months. Prior to joining the Ministry of Education, Howard was Chief Executive of the Ministry of Commerce, an adviser to Cabinet and the Department of the Prime Minister and a Deputy Secretary at Treasury for eight years.

Howard is currently the Director of Motu Economic and Public Policy Research. He is an external member of the State Services Commission, Department of Labour and Department of Correction's Risk and Assurance committees. He is on the Board of Arts Access Aotearoa and is a member of the Royal Society of New Zealand's education committee and the Institute of Directors.

In January 2007 Howard was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit.