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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Learning & Quality Committee member
Danièle Gibney is Interim Education Policy Manager at the Royal Society of Chemistry. In that capacity she maintains awareness of policy developments in education in a broad sense, including in relation to further education and technical qualifications. She has previous experience in assessment, contributing to the most recent redevelopment of GCSE and A-level qualifications for an awarding organisation, and in educational publishing.
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.
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.
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.
Finance & Resources Committee member (Staff Governor)
Lewis Beddow is a caretaker in the facilities department and has worked at the college since August 2017.
Commercial Strategy Committee and Learning & Quality Committee member (Staff Governor)
Theresa is CRC’s Community, Leisure and Commercial Training Manager for both campuses.
Student Governor
Cordelia is studying Access to Nursing at our Huntingdon Campus.
Student Governor
Yeish is studying Access to Business, at our Cambridge Campus.
Head of Governance, Cambridge Regional College
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.
Corporation & Committee Meetings Schedule 2020-21 |
Agenda 16 December 2020 |
1 October 2020 |
30 June 2020 |
21 May 2020 |
25 March 2020 |
17 December 2019 |
25 September 2019 |
2 July 2019 |
22 May 2019 |
27 March 2019 |
17 December 2018 |
27 September 2018 |
Terms of Reference |
1 December 2020 – Agenda |
14 September 2020 |
16 June 2020 |
17 March 2020 |
26 November 2020 |
18 June 2019 |
26 February 2019 |
27 November 2018 |
Terms of Reference |
Agenda 7 December 2020 |
2 June 2020 |
5 December 2019 |
13 June 2019 |
14 March 2019 |
6 December 2018 |
3 March 2020 |
12 November 2019 |
11 June 2019 |
5 March 2019 |
13 November 2018 |
Terms of Reference |
15 September 2020 – Agenda |
5 May 2020 |
12 September 2019 |
16 May 2019 |
13 September 2018 |
Terms of Reference |
Terms of Reference |
Instrument and Articles October 2020 |
Standing Orders June 2020 |
Summary Code of Conduct |
Register of Interests Summary |
Identification and Appointment of Governors |
Policy for the Remuneration of Senior Postholders |
Other Corporate documents are available at College Policies and Reports https://www.camre.ac.uk/about/policies-reports/, including the College’s Strategic Plan, Financial Accounts and Whistleblowing Policy.