Ron Gatepain has been involved with education and training for over 30 years. He has a pleasant personality and good sense of humour and is able to mix and get on with people of all ages and backgrounds. For more than 25 years he was Managing Director of a Property Development Company though has also held directorships in companies working in the retail, services, training and the entertainment sectors.

A former Royal Marines Commando Ron went on to become a Lieutenant Colonel with the Territorial Army where, apart from being the Commanding Officer of a Pioneer Regiment, he lectured on officer promotion and management courses covering such subjects as Leadership, Motivation, Team Building, Personal Presentation, Getting the best from People and Giving a Presentation. He was also involved with the planning and assessment of training for officers and other ranks in military and trade training. He continues to maintain his military links as Employer Support and vice-chair of the Lincolnshire Committee of the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association.

For over 12 years Ron was a visiting lecturer at The Nottingham Trent University where he lectured in Construction Technology, Management and Economics and at Loughborough University where he ran their Project Evaluation and Development module. He was involved with the establishment of a distance learning programme for the British Army's Royal Logistic Corps and wrote a number of distance learning modules for them and for The Nottingham Trent University, also acting as a tutor for distance learning and online courses. He has written and published two books, Successful Property Development and Management for the Professions, as well as numerous magazine articles and online study units.

After retiring from business Ron lectured at Lincoln College in Building and Civil Engineering Studies and was responsible for the development of new programmes and courses for their School of Construction before leaving to take up the position of Director for Gates MacBain Associates Limited, a Construction Education and Training Consultancy and Provider. He is the Director of the Construction Learning Gateway which provides online courses for construction qualifications and the Technical Expert Author Advisor and Editor to the constructionsite.org.uk, the national e-learning and resource website for Higher and Further Education Institutions. In addition he is the founder of and maintains and contributes to the Famous Historic Buildings website. He is involved in the assessment of NVQ qualifications and is a visiting lecturer in Heritage Studies at Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln.

A member of the Chartered Institute of Building East Midland Regional Committee, Ron has also sat on their Strategy and External Relations Committee and was involved with the development of the criteria for Incorporated Engineer status through the Institute of Highway Engineers. A member of the Society of Architectural Historians he has travelled extensively in pursuit of his interest in history, particularly with regard to buildings, their construction and the influence they have had on civilisation: A subject that he gives talks on as a guest speaker for special interest groups and on cruise ships throughout the world.

In 2010 Ron was recognised in the Individual Award Category of the National Training Awards (NTA) for his outstanding achievements in training and development and the benefits that had provided to others and was invited to become an NTA Ambassador.