Governance

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College Corporation

The Corporation of Cambridge Regional College is committed to the provision of the very best education to the wide community served by the College.

The College is an independent charitable Corporation established under the Further & Higher Education Act 1992. Governors are responsible for setting the strategic priorities of the College, its finances, management and overseeing its performance. The College’s Instrument and Articles of Government determine the duties and responsibilities of the Corporation.

The Corporation is made up of highly experienced professionals with expertise in industry, business, finance, law, education and the local community, complemented by student and staff governors.

The Corporation meets as a full board approximately 6 times a year. The College has also established a number of Committees which report directly to Corporation.

Search and Governance Committee: responsible for recruitment, induction and training of Governors, and overseeing the quality of governance arrangements.
Learning and Quality Committee: responsible for setting and monitoring performance standards.

Finance and Resources Committee: responsible for financial planning, risk management and other resource issues, including HR.
Audit and Risk Committee: responsible for the financial and other controls operating in the College and for implementing the recommendations in audit reports.
Commercial Strategy Committee: responsible for overseeing the College’s commercial activities, including its international business and employer engagement programme.
Remuneration Committee: responsible for setting and monitoring the salaries of the senior post holders and the Head of Governance.

Governors also play an active role in college life through support and advice, as well as attending events and promoting the good work the College does in the community.

The Governors are committed to equal opportunities and aim to ensure that their membership comprises a broad range of skills and experience. The College is always keen to hear of any member of the community who is interested in joining the Governing body. The position of Corporation member is voluntary and unremunerated but it is a very fulfilling role in supporting training and education in Cambridge and the wider area. Please contact the Head of Governance Emily Baldwin if you would like to find out more.

Governors

Heather Du Quesnay CBE

Chair of Governors, Finance & Resources Committee, Search & Governance Committee, Learning & Quality Committee and Remuneration Committee member.

Heather Du Quesnay CBE, is the former CEO of the English Schools Foundation in Hong Kong. In this role, she worked closely with the Hong Kong Government and the ESF Board to transform ESF into an educational business with a long-term financial strategy. Prior to this, Heather was Chief Executive of the National College for School Leadership and Executive Director of Education at the London Borough of Lambeth and Hertfordshire County Council.

Tim Arthur

Deputy Chair of Governors, Chair of Finance & Resources Committee and Chair of Remuneration Committee

Tim is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and has more than 25 years’ experience in senior international executive financial roles, including several as a main board director of public companies. Tim has extensive experience of IPO’s, fund raising, integrating international acquisitions, restructuring, outsourcing and implementing systems. He spent his first seven years of his career with Price Waterhouse, including three years in Chicago.

Mark Robertson

Principal and Chief Executive

Mark Robertson joined CRC as an interim Principal in June 2016 and as acting Principal for HRC from November 2016, before being appointed as permanent Principal for the merged College from August 2017. Prior to that, he was Principal and CEO of Barking and Dagenham College and City of Wolverhampton College. He has a BA (Hons) in Education Studies and has completed the LSIS Aspiring Principals programme.

Nichola Harrison

Chair of Search & Governance Committee and Audit & Risk Committee member

Nichola Harrison is an elected County Councillor for Cambridge City. Her background is in commercial property development, and she has a strong interest in environmental and planning issues in the region.
Prior to joining CRC, she was a governor of the Parkside Federation of Schools and a member of the East of England Regional Assembly’s Regional Planning Panel.

Martin Clapson

Finance & Resources Committee member

Martin Clapson is Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of Price Bailey LLP, a top 30 accountancy and business advisory firm serving private clients and regional, national and international businesses. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ACA).
Martin is also a Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of CamSight, a registered charity working with blind and partially sighted people in Cambridgeshire.

Dr Raj Kumar

Audit & Risk Committee member

Dr Rajinder Kumar is the CEO and Chairman of MeRaD Pharmaceutical Ltd. He teaches a number of modules at the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge and has previously held posts as a Committee member for the Welcome Trust for R&D Fund for India. He is a member of the Royal Society of Medicine and the Institute of Directors.

Martin Doel CBE

Chair of Commercial Strategy Committee

Recently appointed as the first Professor of Further Education and Skills at University College London (Institute of Education), Martin Doel was previously Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges. AoC is the representative body for England’s 330 Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges, who provide almost 10% of all higher education in England. Prior to joining AoC he served for 28 years in the Royal Air Force.

Andy Jennings

Chair of Audit & Risk Committee

Andy Jennings qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG Peat Marwick. He has predominantly worked in the media industry, having been Finance Director of an international conference and training provider, a brand licensing agency, and now the Group Finance Director for the UK companies of a multinational entertainment group.
He was previously a governor of three primary schools (chair of one for nearly 10 years) and an elected member of Greenwich Borough, Huntingdonshire District and St Neots Town Councils.

Dr Lynn Morgan MBE

Chair of Learning & Quality Committee

Dr Lynn Morgan MBE has a PhD in Organisational Psychology from Manchester Business School. She retired from the Arthur Rank Hospice in 2018, where she had been the CEO for 9 years, prior to that she was the Director of Business and Enterprise at the East of England Development Agency. Lynn is currently an advisor and supporter of the social enterprise The Rising Network and a Commissioner on the Greater Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Commission on Health and Social Reform.

Jo Lancaster

Commercial Strategy Committee member

As Managing Director Huntingdonshire District Council, Jo Lancaster has over 25 year’s experience in public service in local government in District and Unitary Councils, in both urban and rural contexts. She previously held senior management positions at Wolverhampton District Council, Lichfield District Council and at North Shropshire District Council.
She holds the ILM level 7 Executive Coaching and Mentoring and an MSc Public Service Management.

Judith Coplowe

Chair of Audit & Risk Committee

Judith Coplowe is a partner at PEM, Cambridge, a professional accountancy practice. She is an auditor and heads the charities and not for profit team there. PEM has nearly 200 clients in the not for profit and charity sector.
Judith is a regular speaker at seminars on charity accounting and developments in the sector. In the past, she has acted as chief accountant to a shipping group as well as an audit manager.
BA (Hons) Social Science and Administration, Goldsmiths College, London University, FCA, DChA

Paul Gaudin

Commercial Strategy Committee member

Paul Gaudin grew up locally and attended HRC College, then known as Huntingdon Technical College to study mechanical engineering.
Paul has been immersed in the business, design and manufacturing world throughout his working life, picking up design and enterprise awards from an early age. He founded the New York Bagel Company, today an exceptionally well-known brand.
His many innovations include the development of the Q score used to assess health risks and promote healthier lifestyles. He took this business global and has extensive international business experience and networks. He is currently an Advisor and Mentor on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs Scheme, an NIA Assessor as well as chairing two health company boards. One of his more recent projects assists networking of families and friends when a member is ill or in hospital.

Mike Cole

Learning & Quality Committee member

Mike Cole has over 25 years experience in Higher Education and is currently a Deputy Dean and Professor of Forensic Science at Anglia Ruskin University. Mike has developed courses and taught forensic science all over the world from foundation through to doctoral level. In addition to working with other universities Mike has also worked for the UNODC, AAFS, ENFSI and the British Council. He is currently an assessor for the Dutch Register of Forensic Experts (NRGD). At Anglia Ruskin he has a proven track record of leading the development of forensic science, income generation and growth in research in Science and Technology.

Neil Hunter

Audit & Risk Committee member

Neil Hunter qualified as a chartered accountant at Leeds City Council in 1994. His background is in local government and he is currently the Head of Internal Audit and Risk Management at Cambridgeshire County Council. He has had a number of previous voluntary positions including being a CIPFA Council member and Chair of the CIPFA regional network. Passionate about the importance and benefits of a strong community, Neil was Chair of the City of York Athletic Club from 2008 to 2015 with a continuous agenda to increase inclusivity and promote the accessibility of athletics to all.

Abigail Trencher

Finance & Resources Committee co-opted member

Abigail Trencher is the head of Birketts’ employment team in Cambridge and also heads up Birketts’ Education Sector group. She has expertise in advising education clients on a range of employment issues including equal pay issues arising from the implementation of new pay scales, discrimination claims and TUPE. She also acts for clients within the private sector advising on collective redundancy, board level disputes, making changes to defined benefit, final salary pension schemes, changing terms and conditions of employment and TUPE.

Abby Houghton

Staff Governor

Abby is an Employability Tutor, although based at Huntingdon campus, Abby works at both campuses and externally teaches employability courses for CRC across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire.

Lewis Beddow

Finance & Resources Committee member (Staff Governor)

Lewis Beddow is a caretaker in the facilities department and has worked at the college since August 2017.

Theresa van Ruth

Commercial Strategy Committee and Learning & Quality Committee member (Staff Governor)

Theresa is CRC’s Community, Leisure and Commercial Training Manager for both campuses.

Cordelia Williams

Student Governor

Cordelia is studying Access to Nursing at our Huntingdon Campus.

Yeish Mohamad

Student Governor

Yeish is studying Access to Business, at our Cambridge Campus.

Emily Baldwin

Head of Governance, Cambridge Regional College

Meetings & Minutes

The timetable of Corporation and committee meetings is provided on this website and is updated regularly. Corporation and Committee meeting minutes are posted on the website once they have been confirmed and approved by Governors at the subsequent meeting. Members of the public are allowed to attend meetings for certain items, subject to the agreement of the Chair in advance of the meeting. If you would like to attend, please contact the Head of Governance.

If you require a draft set of minutes before they are posted on the website, or would like to view a particular paper, please contact the Head of Governance.

2020-21 Corporation Committee Meeting Schedule