Alasdair Simmons
Alasdair Simmons joined the College as a Governor in 2021. He is a qualified accountant and accomplished project manager with expertise in project recovery and stakeholder management.
Having worked across multiple Business Sectors, he has detailed knowledge of a wide variety of fiancĂŠ and EPM applications, including IT architecture, support and implementation.
Richard Dimbleby
Richard joined The Bedford College Group in May 2018. He is currently the Vice Chair of the Corporation.
Richard has wide experience of teaching and management in Further and Higher Education in the UK and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He has taught English, communications, education and management. He was Principal at Strode College in Somerset and Principal & Chief Executive at The Bournemouth and Poole College.
Richard has also been a part-time college inspector and a consultant for the Association of Colleges and has been a Governor at the Arts University Bournemouth and at Weymouth College.
Richard was a Director and President of the Dorset Chamber of Commerce. He is a Trustee of the Northamptonshire Community Foundation and Chair of Governors at a Northampton Primary School. He is also co-author of four books on communication, a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Lee Fellows
Lee began his career as an Apprentice in the UK civil service (Ministry of Defence), where he developed a strong foundation in engineering system and project execution. This experience led him into project management. During his time with the Ministry of Defence Lee has been the Chief Engineer for Military Air Traffic Systems, the Programme Manager for Air Traffic Control Systems (including during 9/11), he has run the capability for financial management of the Equipment budget (which included its IT and financial Division), he has been a secretary to a ministerial and executive board within the MoD, the Programme Manager for all Aircraft Systems not permanently fitted (such as ejection seats, parachutes and weapon systems) and finally a Transformation Programme Manager for outsourcing fast jet maintenance. Seeking broader challenges, Lee moved to Lockheed Martin, the worldâs largest defence contractor in 2008. He has led various critical projects that integrated innovation with strategic vision, further enhancing his expertise in large-scale defence programs. Lee ultimately led the Lockheed Martin Ampthill site as Vice President and Managing director for 4 years.
Lee supports various charities in non-executive roles, including the Bedford College Group as one of the 2 vice chairs (Lee is an Alumni). Lee is deeply committed to inspiring the next generation of engineers and leaders, advocating for diversity and inclusion as well as the need for innovation to drive processes and ways of working to improve time to delivery to the customer.
Yiannis Koursis OBE
Yiannis has over 26 years of senior leadership experience both in the private sector and in Further Education colleges across the UK. Before entering the Further Education world, his early career was spent in managing Hotels for National and multinational companies. In 2005 he moved out of the profession to work in Further Education in a variety of roles before moving into Senior Leadership during his time in London.
He joined The Bedford College Group (TBCG) in November 2023. Before joining TBCG, Yiannis was CEO at Barnsley College. Under Yiannisâ leadership, Barnsley College received an Outstanding rating from Ofsted and is a National Association of Colleges Beacon Award winner.
Yiannis is active in a range of networks, and strategic groups and has extensive non-executive experience both regionally and nationally. He is a Regional Councillor at the CBI, a Chartered Manager and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management, a member of the Lifelong Learning Institute advisory group and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He also sits as a Board Member of the Bedford Town Deal Board, is a board member of the Associations of Colleges 2030 strategy board, and is a member of the British Computing Society Schools & Colleges Committee. Through partnership, he has experience in bringing people together and inspiring meaningful results for all stakeholders.
Yiannis was awarded an OBE in the Birthdayâs Honours in June 2022 for services to Further Education.
He is dedicated to supporting students and colleagues in realising their potential and committed to strengthening links which enable the achievement of inclusive growth in the community and across the region.
John Butcher
John joined the Bedford College Group Board in November 2023 for a four-year term.
John has a background in Further Education and has gained extensive experience in the Higher Education sector. He worked as a Professor of Inclusive Teaching at the Open University and served as a Director of Access, Open and Cross-curricular innovation. In this role, he was responsible for the university’s Access Programme throughout the UK and was the lead for the research and scholarship centre for Widening Participation. He also is a Visiting Professor at Anglia Ruskin University in Peterborough. John strongly advocates for the significant role that post-compulsory education plays in providing transformative opportunities for all.
Ann Harris OBE
Ann was a career civil servant latterly holding senior civil service roles in finance, programme management and delivery. Annâs roles in a non-executive capacity include Chair of the Pensions Advisory Service, Non-Executive board member and Audit, Risk and Assurance chair of Money and Pension service, Defence Business Services. Ann has also worked in the voluntary sector as Chair of Dunstable Citizens Advice. She currently holds a role in Sheffield NHS Foundation Trust.
Cliff Wragg
Cliff joined the Corporation of the Bedford College Group in July 2019 for a 4-year term. He is now into his 2nd 4 year term, and is the Chair of the Resources Committee, as well as being a member of the Governance Committee.
Cliffâs career has been spent in the university sector, where he has served as an HR Director, (with a keen interest in staff development) and then as University Secretary and Clerk to the Board. Subsequently, he has worked as a freelance management consultant, working with universities around the globe. He developed and ran a benchmarking programme for university management with Commonwealth universities, as well as carrying out a range of consultancies dealing with HR, change management and governance issues.
Cliff chaired a national Association for University Administrators and is now an Honorary Life Member and Fellow of AHEP (Association of Higher Education Professionals).
Outside of work, Cliff has for many years been an ITF and LTA licenced tennis official, both as an umpire and as a referee (including having umpired at many Wimbledon Championships).
Luke Ferebee
Luke joined as a Governor of the Bedford College Group in 2021 for a term of 4 years and is a member of the Audit Committee. Prior to the appointment at the Bedford College Group, Luke was an external Governor at Milton Keynes College, and was a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.
An Audit Assistant Manager at KPMG, he has several years of experience delivering assurance services to a variety of private, listed, and public sector corporations in London and the surrounding regions, including colleges and universities. He is a Chartered Accountant, and member of the ICAEW.
Outside of work, Luke enjoys various sports, often regular runs and ski trips to the French alps.
Kasar Singh
Kasar has over 30 years of experience: leading strategic transformation initiatives, across a number of countries in FinTech, Financial Services, Mobile Telecommunications, e-commerce and consulting; advising boards; and driving initiatives from inception through to full execution â to achieve desired results.
A Warwick Business School MBA with a BSc (Hons) in Physics from Durham University, he is also a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers. Kasar has also been a Mentor of Warwick Business School MBA students for the past fifteen years and has a passion for supporting social mobility through education.
Kasar has also been a Non-Exec Director of The Mead Educational Trust for over five years, where in addition to being on their Board he chairs their Finance Committee.
David Moran
David Moran is an accomplished Chief Financial Officer with extensive experience in public sector financial leadership. With a background in both studying and teaching accountancy, David is committed to supporting education that fosters financial literacy and professional development.
Having studied accountancy at further education colleges, David understands the pivotal role they play in shaping career trajectories. His experience includes teaching accountancy across GCSE, A Level, and AAT at Watford College, which has given him valuable insight into the academic needs of students pursuing finance-related careers.
David has since built a successful career as an interim Chief Financial Officer, holding senior roles across various public sector organisations. He currently serves as Interim CFO for Wiltshire Police, where he provides strategic financial leadership and oversight. His professional expertise encompasses strategic financial planning, transformation, change management, and risk governance, all of which inform his contributions as a governor.
David is passionate about leveraging his financial acumen to guide The Bedford College Group in maintaining high educational standards and achieving long-term sustainability.
Laura-Jane Rawlings MBE
Laura-Jane is a passionate campaigner for youth employment and the rights for all young people to access employment and have their voices heard on the issues that affect them. Laura-Jane believes that it is for all of us to create a youth friendly society so that young people can fulfil their potential.
Laura-Jane founded Youth Employment UK in 2012, believing that there was a need to put young people at the heart of youth employment policy and services on a local and national level. Youth Employment UK is a not-for-profit, social enterprise supporting young people, employers, educators, third sector organisations and policy colleagues.
Recognised as a leading youth employment expert Laura-Jane provides support, insight and expertise to many groups Co-Founder & Chair of the Youth Employment Group, Secretariat and Advisor to the APPG for Youth Employment, a founding Board Member of the Youth Futures Foundation, and was a secondary school governor for 6 years.
Karen Sanders
Karen Sanders joined the board of the Bedford College Group in September 2025 as an External Governor.
Karen has over 30 yearsâ experience as an executive level human resources professional and workforce specialist. Karen has worked extensively in the wider public sector having significant experience in the learning and skills and social care sectors and most recently within central government.
A recognised workforce specialist, Karen has led national pay negotiations for the FE sector and provided advice and strategies to government.
Karen has led her organisations through Investors in People & Investor in Diversity accreditations and achieved a 2* status for outstanding workplace engagement in the Best Companies â Best Places to Work list. Karen is a regular contributor to professional publications on employee engagement, culture and HR practice and is frequently invited to speak at conferences and events on HR and workforce related topics.
Karen is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, has a BSc (Hons) in Psychology, MSc in Human Resource Management and Organisational Development. Karen has been nominated as HR Director of the year on three occasions and received an âOutstanding Contributionâ award from the CIPD in 2022.
Justin Richardson
Justin Richardson is Chief Executive of the Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, where he has led a period of investment and growth since 2018. He has more than 20 yearsâ experience in finance, manufacturing, logistics and business support, with a particular focus on strategic leadership, business development and partnership working.
Having lived in Northamptonshire for over 20 years and worked in Bedfordshire for much of his career, Justin has a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing the region. Alongside his Chamber role, he serves on the South Midlands Business Board and contributes to a number of local boards and advisory groups focused on skills, inclusive growth and economic development. He is also a trustee for two charities.
Justin is a member of the Groupâs Curriculum & Quality Committee and is committed to supporting collaboration between business, education and communities, helping to create opportunities for learners and employers across Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire.
Mandy Crawford-Lee
Mandy is currently the CEO of the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) and has been since October 2021. She had been, for four years, the Director of Policy and Operations at UVAC. Since 2014, Mandy has run her own consultancy, M13 Skills Associates Ltd providing consultancy services to universities and other organisations about apprenticeships and skills strategies. Earlier roles have included working at the Learning and Skills Council, National Apprenticeship Service, BIS, City and Guilds and University of Bolton.
Jon Lever
A Chartered Quantity Surveyor and Managing Director with over 35 years of experience. Key skills in strategic planning, financial management, and training. Founder owner of DeLever, supporting assessment of professional competence in the Construction industry
Alan Carvell
Having spent 30 years in investment banking, including working and living in the Far East and Germany, Alan is now contentedly retired and busier than ever. Alan is a consultant to a global executive recruitment firm as well as a founder of a UK technology company. Alan is also re-joining the Board of BC having chaired a subsidiary for the last 4 years.
Faheem Mir
Faheem is an accomplished Non-Executive Director and agile transformation leader with over 24 years in governance, financial assurance, and digital transformation. Faheem has spearheaded global projects in financial transformation, cost assurance and process automation, delivering multi-million-pound savings, working with prominent telecom companies across the UK, Europe, US and India.
As a former Chair of Central Bedfordshire College and Chair of Finance & Resources Committee, he has extensive governance experience in board best practices and facilitated a successful merger. Known for his strategic insight, he excels in creating collaborative, high-performance environments across culturally diverse teams. Faheem is a recipient of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Enterprise Fellowship award.
Alice Wilby
Alice is Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience at the University of Northampton. She has spent her career in higher education, initially running widening participation projects at the University of Oxford, before moving into leadership roles at Oxford Brookes and the University of Wolverhampton. She spent four years as a Pro Vice-Chancellor at University College Birmingham, before working as a consultant with several universities, including Royal Holloway and the University of South Wales.
Aliceâs research interests focus on transitions between FE and HE, particularly looking at how universities can better support students who have taken BTECs to succeed. She is particularly passionate about the impact that education can have on reducing inequalities and supporting all students to achieve their potential.
Shaun Wilson
Shaun is the Course Manager for Access to HE â lecturer in Psychology & social sciences, a role he has held for 4 years and has worked in various roles and departments at Northamptonshire campuses for 15 years, including in Construction.
Shaun is passionate about the mental health and wellbeing of students and staff and has delivered Mental Health Englandâs Youth Mental health first aid course across the group for the last 7 years and is also the Menâs Health Lead.
He is keen to ensure The Bedford College Group promotes and recognises the benefits of an environment that promotes staff and student wellbeing and proactively supports student and staff mental fitness and wellbeing.
Katt Perry
Katt is a Learning Excellence Coach at Tresham College, Northamptonshire, where she teaches on Teacher Education courses. With 8 years’ experience as a Performing Arts lecturer and former Advanced Practitioner, she is passionate about Teaching, Learning and Assessment and supporting educators. Katt holds Fellowship status (FHEA) and has experience teaching across both FE and HE sectors.
Utsharja Bhandari
Utsharja is originally from Nepal. She is currently studying Performing arts [Acting] in Bedford College and serving as Student Governor.
Ruby Emelanor
Childcare and Social Care Level 3 student at Bedford College. Committed to empowering student voices, fostering inclusivity, and creating lasting positive change