Martin joined COL in 2015 and has served as the provider’s chief executive in New Zealand for nearly a decade. He has also served as the executive director of COL New Zealand.

Chairman of the board, Joseph Catanzariti AM, said the selection of the new CEO came after a “rigorous global research” aimed at finding the “right leader”, with Martin standing out through his “experience, clarity of vision, and strong alignment with the college’s mission and future direction”.

Martin is succeeding Neville Carter, who has held the position of group CEO for COL for three decades. Catanzariti confirmed that Carter is set to leave COL, noting he "leaves the College in an exceptionally strong position", and has “become an internationally recognised institution” under Carter's leadership.

Martin will assume the role effectively no later than 1 July.

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Speaking about his appointment, Martin said he is “honoured” to assume the role at “such a pivotal time”.

“The College has a rich history of excellence in legal education, and I look forward to working with the talented teams across the Group to build on this legacy and drive innovation in how we support students and the legal profession,” Martin said.

Catanzariti said the provider’s board is “confident that, under Marcus Martin’s leadership, the College of Law will continue to build on its strong foundations and further its role as a leader in legal education and professional development.”.

The news follows Carter’s statement earlier this week, welcoming a review of PLT programs in Australia, in the wake of commentary from NSW Chief Justice Andrew Bell, and a subsequent report from His Honour, about lawyers’ experiences with PLT training.

Carter emphasised earlier this week that the baseline standard for what COL teaches every student is “non-negotiable” and indicated that “the college agrees it is time for a rethink of the prescribed competencies”.

“An important next area of enquiry following through on the survey should seek to understand with more particularity precisely what areas of knowledge and skill the profession sees as wanting in new graduates in order to inform a next statement of competencies which reflects that view,” he said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include new commentary that was provided by the College of Law.