ASHFORD - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Executive Director of Organisational Development

After many years in a variety of operational management roles within British Gas, Pfizer and Kent County Council, Alison decided she wanted a change in career and entered further education in 2007 as the Lifelong Learning Coordinator at Thanet College, a role which involved facilitating progression into higher education for vocational learners. Since then, she's held roles as the Equality and Diversity Manager and Director of Resources and is now the Executive Director of Organisational Development. Her portfolio encompasses the Group's People Services, Group Resourcing, Governance, Corporate Services (including data protection, health and safety, statutory and compliance matters, complaints, insurance and FOI) as well as the Yarrow Hotel and the Group's refectories and cafés. Alison is passionate about students' development, achievement and experience and believes that students need to be at the heart of everything the Group does. When not working, Alison enjoys spending time on her two allotments, cycling and walking. She loves music and is a keen (and competitive!) Scrabbler and quizzer.

Allan was educated locally, attending Simon Langton Boys School in Canterbury. He left Kent to study Recreation Management and Sports Science at Loughborough University, subsequently Qualifying as a teacher (PGCE). Allan worked as a PE teacher, sports development officer and leisure centre manager before returning to Kent to embark on a twenty-year career with Kent's Youth Service, as a youth worker, officer and manager. During this period Allan studied for an MBA at Canterbury Business School, University of Kent.

Carmel is a lawyer with 20+ years' experience in the City of London. Carmel has worked for the international law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and the Big 4 professional services firm, Ernst & Young. For the past 16 years, she has worked as a lawyer in the London office of a global US Investment Management Firm. Whilst working at Ernst & Young, Carmel dual qualified as a Chartered Company Secretary, and in recognition of her governance expertise and experience, she was awarded a Fellowship by The Chartered Governance Institute in 2016. Carmel read for a degree in Jurisprudence (Law) at Oxford University and attended the Inns of Court School of Law before commencing her legal career. Having lived in Thanet since 2008, she has always been an active volunteer and fundraiser within the local community. Prior to her appointment, Carmel served consecutive terms as a school Governor at a local grammar school and also a local primary school. Carmel is passionate about diversity and inclusion and is a strong advocate for those with special educational needs or disability (SEND). As a mother of two young children and someone who has been educated exclusively within the state sector, she is highly supportive and appreciative of the EKC mission to inspire and empower all young people to achieve their full potential - regardless of their race, gender, class or abilities.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of the Governing Body
• Independent Management Consultant

Charles Buchanan is an independent management consultant and business mentor, having previously been Chief Executive Officer of London Ashford Airport and CEO of Manston Airport in Kent over five years. Prior to this he spent more than 10 years at London City Airport, ultimately as Strategy and Communications Director. Throughout his career in airport management, he has been responsible for commercial development and infrastructure investment programmes, combined with governmental and public relations. Charles trained originally as a civil engineer at Oxford University and joined the developing Channel Tunnel Group in 1985. He was part of the team that submitted the successful bid to build and operate Eurotunnel and latterly was responsible for sales and marketing, both in the UK and on the Continent, through the opening in 1994 and the first years of operation, leaving as Group Sales Manager.

Job Titles:

• Chief Financial Officer
• Member of the Leadership Team

As Chief Financial Officer Chris leads on all elements related to the Group's growing business portfolio, and its funding streams. He heads up all aspects of the Group's strategic financial planning and ensures that the Group remains financially resilient and sustainable. Born, bred and educated in Folkestone, from a young age Chris found a love for music and sport. As a result of his talent he was selected for the junior Kent cricket team at the age of 13. Despite planning to go to university, at the age of 17 Chris decided to follow his dreams and signed a recording deal with an international record label. He performed in a duo, ‘The Clique' and then a Britpop outfit ‘The Prophets of Pop' for around nine years and, to this day, still finds time to enjoy his passion for music with a studio at home, as well as playing cricket for his local village team. Alongside his career in the music industry, Chris worked in retail before joining South Kent Community NHS Trust in 1993. He trained as a management accountant before joining the NHS Logistics Authority in 1998. Remaining in the public sector, Chris joined South Kent College in 2000 as a Management Accountant before being quickly promoted to Head of Finance & Payroll. Chris left South Kent College in 2003 to work with Network Training as a Financial Consultant. This led to numerous opportunities to work across the country with a wide range of colleges, local and central government and private businesses. His consultancy work provided a breadth of experience including financial planning for major college site relocations, financial recovery planning, curriculum re-design and several long-term interim Finance Directorships. In May 2009, Chris decided to set up his own private consultancy business to continue his cross-sector work. Chris joined East Kent College in April 2012, becoming Strategic Director for Finance and Commercial Development. His remit included overseeing the College's finances, introducing greater commercial expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to College operations and providing work experience opportunities for students, through College-run businesses. Chris believes one of his greatest achievements during the period was the transformation of The Yarrow building on Broadstairs campus into a four-star hotel with training facilities for students.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Chief Infrastructure and Transformation Officer
• Group 's Chief Infrastructure and Digital Transformation Officer

Dan Shelley acts as the Group's Chief Infrastructure and Digital Transformation Officer. His role sees him taking the lead on all of the Group's transformation programmes, delivering against the ambitious capital programme as well as our digital and physical estate. His role sees him bringing forward innovations that will enhance the operation of the Group, delivering clear impacts that help to support both the community and employers across the East Kent geography. Dan joined the Group from East Sussex College Group (ESCG) where he was the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement. His role saw him leading the development of the group's curriculum strategy, as well as leading a range of strategic relationships that ensured ESCG was at the forefront of developments within the communities it served. Amongst this agenda Dan led projects that secured more than £4.5m of funding for 2021-2022 from a range of sources that included the ESF, Town Deal Fund, Strategic Development Fund and the Community Renewal Fund. Dan also acted as the senior officer leading relationships with a wide range of employer and community bodies, such as the Local Enterprise Partnership, Skills East Sussex (on which he chaired two of its employer sub-groups), the Hastings & Rother Economic taskforce, Hastings & Newhaven Town Team Boards and the South East LEP Skills Advisory Board. Prior to this Dan worked in a range of senior roles in FE and skills organisations across the Sussex area, developing a broad range of specialist skills that include (but are not limited to), marketing and PR, Management Information, Higher Education, student voice, funding bids and leading a variety of national and international projects. Dan's appointment at EKC Group sees him return to familiar ground, as he is a former student of Canterbury College's, where he studied for three A Levels in 1992, before returning to his hometown and progressing to the University of Derby to take a degree in Social Sciences, where he maintained his love of the might Rams, Derby County. Although a passionate champion for East Kent, he lives in East Sussex with his partner, Kirsten and 16-year-old son, and enjoys spending time with his other son who has now flown the nest, studying at University in Bristol. A regular runner, he's taken on four marathons, and aspires to tackle the six international city marathons before his retirement. In his spare time Dan has a number of voluntary roles, which include acting as a Non-Executive Director of Sussex Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the Sussex Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) Board and a trustee of the Rye Partnership, a local regeneration partnership.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive Officer
• Member of the Leadership Team
• Director of Business, Creative

As EKC Group's Chief Executive Officer, Graham leads the EKC Group at a strategic level. Acting as the senior leader in the organisation, Graham is accountable for all elements of the Group's performance and services across East Kent. He took on the role following the successful merger between Canterbury College and East Kent College which resulted in the creation of the EKC Group. In his previous role as Principal shared between the two colleges, he managed to deliver significantly enhanced efficiency while improving outcomes. His work saw Canterbury College achieve an Ofsted ‘Good' grading for the first time in more than a decade, while at the same time maintaining East Kent College's Ofsted ‘Good' with a number of Outstanding features. He served for two terms as a member of the Department for Education's Principals' Reference Group, and remains a current National Leader for Further Education. He began his career in further education when he joined South Kent College as its Sports and Recreation Manager after graduating with a degree in Mathematics and Accounting from the University of Kent in 1993. Progressing rapidly, Graham took his first leadership role as the Head of Mathematics at the College successfully leading it from an unsatisfactory OfSTED grade. This led to him being appointed to the Head of Academic Studies role in 2000 where the College achieved a 100% A level pass rate and were placed 2nd in England for value added on A level programmes. In 2002 Graham Razey was appointed to the role of Director of Business, Creative and Sixth Form Studies and then as Assistant Principal in 2004. A successful OfSTED inspection in that year marked a successful recovery for the College. In April 2006 Graham joined East Surrey College and held the post of Vice Principal Finance and Resources for sixteen months. His work ensured the College swiftly recovered from a deficit position, achieved Action for Business Colleges accreditation and submitted an Application in Principle for a new campus in Redhill. In August 2007 he joined Hastings College and undertook the role of Deputy Principal Curriculum until April 2010. During this time, he established Academy 6, a new energy centre and was part of the team who oversaw the development of two new campuses at Station Plaza and Ore Valley. In April 2010 Graham was appointed as Principal and Chief Executive of the former Thanet College. He led the College's rebrand to East Kent College, growing its prominence throughout the county and developing its performance. He has also served on the education board of the Institute of Financial Services as the Further Education representative and as a school governor. He lives in Maidstone with his wife, Shireen and his son Charlie. A keen sportsman, Graham plays cricket in the Kent League for Offham CC and recently completed the London Marathon to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust after the loss of one of his students to the illness. He received an OBE in the 2020 New Year's Honours for his services to education.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Executive Director for the Office of the CEO

Jo is a qualified solicitor who has spent her legal career in Kent at Brachers LLP. During her 29 years she practiced as litigator, initially undertaking personal injury litigation, before changing to employment law in 2006. Since 2013 Jo has been Managing Partner at Brachers and during her term, with the help of a clear strategy, she has delivered sustainable organic growth and a much improved financial position whilst driving investment and client care. Jo is a continuous learner, collaborative and embraces change but what motivates her the most is building the right supportive culture to enable reach their full potential. Jo has some experience of the Education sector from her client work acting for FE Colleges, Academy's and maintained schools. She is a Governor at Five Acre Wood, a special needs school, near Maidstone. During her 2 terms as a Governor she has seen the School experience 2 Ofsted visits (both of which were Outstanding), the opening of 2 alternative teaching sites within mainstream schools, a new build and the creation of KSENT which is a co-operative of special schools of which Five Acre Wood is a Member. Jo holds a number of other appointments on boards across Kent keeping her close to the business community. Jo lives in East Farleigh with her husband and 9 year son and any free time they have is spent exploring the Kent countryside accompanied by their faithful but stubborn basset hound.

Job Titles:

• Assistant Principal
• Member of the Leadership Team

Having previously been our College Services Manager, Joanna will continue to ensure in her new role as Assistant Principal that our student's education and wellbeing is of the utmost importance. Joanna brings with her a wealth of experience after having worked in secondary education and FE colleges for 25 years in a variety of roles. She is driven to ensure the student experience at Ashford College is outstanding, giving every student the opportunity to reach their full potential. Joanna is also keen to engage with local community groups and always seeks out opportunities to support them, which has helped Ashford College in recent years make a real difference in the community and in the lives of our students.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Executive Director of Employer Engagement

Job Titles:

• Deputy CEO
• Member of the Leadership Team

Miranda has enjoyed a vibrant career in the Marketing industry, having worked at a senior management level for News International and Kent Messenger Group, and is the Managing Director of Pillory Barn creative agency. Miranda specialises in business strategy and gained a distinction with the Open University in Developing Entrepreneurial Opportunities. Over the past 10 years, she has been responsible for projects for companies and organisations such as Skanska, Ashford Ring Road, Channel Corridor Partnership, Golding Homes, Eurotunnel Le Shuttle and Discovery Park. Her work with Discovery Park has enabled her to establish strong links with UKTI, Locate in Kent, and DCLG.

Following a long career within the further education sector, Mr John Korzeniewski has had experience within lecturing, curriculum management and as a Principal. Beginning his career as a Graduate Trainee for Yorkshire Bank plc in 1971, it didn't take long for Mr Korzeniewski to be drawn into the education sector, and he became a lecturer in Business Studies at Coalville Technical College (now Stephenson College) in 1974. His successes saw him progress through a variety of posts until he received his first Principal's role at Mid-Cheshire College in 1992. He progressed into his second role as a Principal in 1994, this time for Solihull Sixth Form College, remaining there for eight years. During this time he was responsible for academic leadership and the college budget, ensuring that education standards improved, through a focus on teaching quality. In 2004 he joined the Learning and Skills Council as Executive Director for South Yorkshire, before moving to be Regional Director for the North West. In this post Mr Korzeniewski took responsibility for directing the largest region outside London with budgetary responsibility for in excess of £1.3 bn. Now retired, Mr Korzeniewski lives with his wife in East Kent, and has a wide range of hobbies. He's a passionate supporter of Huddersfield Town Football Club and enjoys road cycling, walking and reading. A lifelong learner, Mr Korzeniewski is currently also learning Polish.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Executive Director Education

Job Titles:

• Chief Education Officer
• Member of the Leadership Team

Nick started his career in the FE sector as a Lecturer in Art and Design before taking time out to work in India to develop an art school in Rajasthan. On his return to the UK, Nick went on to gain experience in Advertising, but ultimately came back to FE and focused on building a career in the sector. During this time, Nick progressed through the ranks and went from Course Leader, to Assistant Principal for Partnerships in a matter of years.

Job Titles:

• Chief Information and Strategy Officer

Paul is the Group's Chief Information and Strategy Officer. His role sees him lead on the Group's strategic work, its MIF function and planning for future growth and projects. He also takes the lead on key stakeholder engagement, developing partnerships which support the Group's strategic objectives across its provision. This involves him investigating how the Group can explore and exploit strategic initiatives with our key partners, while building new networks and consolidating existing partnerships. His role also sees him take responsibility for Group services. Paul led on the merger of East Kent College and Canterbury College which has delivered the EKC Group. His expertise in stakeholder management ensured that this complex transaction was negotiated at a pace, and resulted in exceptional outcomes for all partners. Holding a degree in Human and Computer Sciences, Paul began his career in the executive search sector, developing his talent for building relationships. He then moved to the Learning and Skills Council (the Skills Funding Agency's predecessor), leading project teams responsible for implementing organisational change and performance management systems. Paul progressed through a number of roles before becoming a Partnership Director where he developed relationships with FE Colleges and strategic partners across Kent, ensuring the delivery of key government policies and programmes including Apprenticeships, capital investment programmes and vocational education reform. Before leaving the SFA, Paul worked as Head of Area Relationships with responsibility for £150m of public and private sector education and training contracts, as well as for strategic stakeholder partnerships. Paul is married and lives in Tenterden with his wife Frances and their two children. Frances is a musician who works at the Royal Opera House accompanying ballet dancers and she also teaches piano. Paul is involved in music production but also enjoys hiking and running.

Job Titles:

• Manager
• Strategic Retail Leader

Peter Corr is the Centre Manager of McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Ashford. Peter is a strategic retail leader with a proven track record of delivering increased asset equity, sales and profit for the McArthurGlen group since joining in 2010. Shortly after graduating from his MBA at Glasgow Caledonian University, he joined Swindon Designer Outlet as Retail Manager, working closely with the team to support and deliver the redevelopment of the centre's additional space of 70,000sqft, 25 retail and 5 Food & Beverage units. In this role, he worked alongside facilities, leasing, marketing, external contractors and local council bodies to ensure the successful delivery of each phase. Following his four years in Swindon, Peter transferred to East Midlands Designer Outlet where he was appointed as Centre Manager. Here, he worked on maximising marketing initiative, led discussions on the potential growth opportunities and secured further brand and store openings within the centre. In 2016, Peter joined Ashford Designer Outlet to lead and deliver the largest single re-development within the McArthurGlen Group. Overseeing the £90m expansion project, which opened in Autumn 2019, the new Phase of the centre includes:

Job Titles:

• Member of the Leadership Team
• Principal

Before joining FE 8 years ago, Susan was an experienced Producer with a long history of working in the film and media production industry. Joining us in the summer of 2021, Susan has become the second Principal of Ashford College under the management of EKC Group. Now in her second year as Principal, her ambition for Ashford College continues to grow with student success and community involvement at the forefront of the college's growth. Under her leadership, the college has successfully received funding for Phase 2 of development plans, bringing a new Engineering hub to the college when work starts later this year. The college and Susan's work as principal has also been highly regarded during visits by Further Education commissioners and special guests such as the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Job Titles:

• Digital Production, Design and Development / Education and Childcare