After a law degree at Oxford in 1988, Verity pursued a career in Further Education. , On the creation of the Learning and Skills Council in 2001 she moved into senior management, holding a number of positions including Regional Director for the East Midlands and National Director of Funding, Planning and Performance.

Verity was appointed Principal and Chief Executive of Leicester College in January 2013. She is a Board member of the Leicester and Leicestershire LEP, Trustee of the National Space Centre and of the Skills and Education Group, and a non-Executive Director of the Board of the Office for Students. She has chaired the Student Loans Company’s Advanced Learning Loans Stakeholder Group for several years.

Verity lives in Lutterworth with her son Theo.