Exam board Pearson has hired Ofqual鈥檚 director of standards to take over as its responsible officer after last year鈥檚 BTECs fiasco. Cath Jadhav will begin the new role on July 1, the exam watchdog yesterday. The move has been approved under the government鈥檚 business appointment rules, Ofqual said, with 鈥渁ppropriate conditions put in place to protect both Crown information and any information that may be proprietary, sensitive or of commercial relevance to regulated entities鈥�. 鈥淎s Cath is moving to a role with a conflict of interest, she has commenced an immediate period of garden leave,鈥� it added. Pearson left thousands of BTEC students in limbo after delays to results last year. Following a review by Ofqual, which outlined a series of measures to prevent a repeat this year, Pearson said it would release results under embargo around a week before results are released. Ofqual has also launched a to monitor the 鈥渟afe delivery of results鈥� in 2023, which includes a senior leader from Pearson. Pearson was also fined a record-breaking 拢1.35 million by Ofqual last summer for allowing examiners to remark their own work and issuing incorrect certificates. The failures were in relation to the awarding of GCSE and A-levels between 2016 and 2019. Jadhav, who has worked for the regulator for 14 years, was the executive director for standards, research and analysis as well as acting executive director for general qualifications. She resigned from her role at Ofqual on March 31. Responsible officers serve as the authoritative point of contact for the regulator in relation to activities undertaken by the awarding organisation. This includes any matters relating to Pearson鈥檚 compliance with its and its ability to undertake the efficient development, delivery and award of qualifications. Prior to Ofqual, Jadhav was previously a principal manager for business and social science subjects for exam board AQA. She has also served as Ofqual鈥檚 acting director for strategy, risk and research, as well as its director for standards and comparability. The watchdog’s chief regulator Jo Saxton said: 鈥淐ath鈥檚 contribution to Ofqual鈥檚 work is significant and I know that she will continue to act in the interests of students at Pearson.鈥� Sharon Hague, managing director at Pearson, said the firm was 鈥渄elighted鈥� to make the appointment. 鈥淪he brings a wealth of experience and insight from across her career 鈥� whether that鈥檚 working for Ofqual or other organisations more broadly across the awarding sector,鈥� she added.