Governance and Strategy

Simon Anderson is a barrister with almost 30 years’ experience, specialising in personal injury and occupational disease, with a national practice focused on complex, high-value litigation. He is recognised for his expertise in occupational stress and psychiatric injury claims. He has extensive experience of advocacy in the High Court, Court of Appeal and tribunals, and brings strong analytical and strategic insight to governance.

Simon is a Director at Park Square Barristers, where he holds Board-level responsibility for people and organisational performance. A product of further education, he brings a personal understanding of its impact and importance. He has previously served as an elected member of the Bar Council of England and Wales and as a Trustee of the Margaret Carey Foundation, and now contributes to oversight of strategy, performance and governance as a Governor of Harrogate College.

Simon is a co-opted member of the Harrogate College Board.

Robin is the staff member serving on the Harrogate College Board.

James is the Chief Executive Officer at Haddletons, a legal and professional services company based in Harrogate. With a background as Group General Counsel and company secretary at a large pharmaceutical company and a partner at 2 large commercial law firms, James has a wide range of experience. In private practice, James has advised both HE and FE sectors with matters of governance and compliance. In public service, James has served as President of Leeds Law Society and as a member of the risk and audit committee of Leeds Community Foundation. His skill set includes leadership and consensus-building. James believes in, and acts on, ensuring that opportunities are spread across society irrespective of background and that everyone has something to give.

James is a co-opted member of the Harrogate College Board.

Lisa has worked for Henshaws Specialist College since 2016 and is currently Head of the Arts and Crafts Centre, which offers workshops such as pottery, woodwork, mosaic and Music. She is also the Head of Risk and Audit. She has worked in the education sector for over 15 years in roles including project management, business management, risk and safeguarding. In her career at Henshaws she was previously Deputy Principal and Designated Safeguarding Lead for the charity. Lisa has also a been Governor for a primary school in Skipton for 10 years and has sat on a number of Governing boards in her professional roles.

Paul is Professor of Cultural Research Development for the Arts and Management at the University of Bolton and is Fellow of the Cybernetics Society. He has written extensively on themes of music and musical subcultures and education technology. His current work is focussed on deindustrialisation and music, more specifically on electronic music in Yorkshire. For over a decade Paul directed the Jisc national innovation support, the Centre for Educational Technology and Interoperability Standards (CETIS) and has extensive experience of Higher Education (HE), HE governance and management. His Phd was focussed on the efficacy of immersive environments in formal educational settings.

Paul is a co-opted member of the Harrogate College Board.

Bill was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Luminate Education Group in January 2026. Bill joined Luminate Education Group in 2015 working most recently as Deputy CEO & Executive Principal of Leeds City College. Prior to moving to Leeds, Bill was Executive Director of Planning & Performance of Sheffield College. He has worked in further education for over 30 years; he is passionate about the power of TLA and pedagogy to transform lives. and having started as an English teacher means Bill is a keen advocate of ESOL. Luminate Education Group is a member of the Leeds Anchors Network, through the network Bill and the other members leverage their organisations’ collective influence to address poverty and improve life for all Leeds residents.

As Group CEO Bill is a governor of the Luminate Education Group (Group Board) and sits on each board within the group’s governance structure; he is also a member of the Finance Committee, Governance & Nominations Committee and Property Strategy Committee.

As a chartered accountant, Jane’s experience has included senior management in three further education colleges as well as finance and operations roles in several private and public sector organisations. She has a wide knowledge of schools, FE and HE governance. Jane is currently undertaking a PhD in the field of comparative vocational education and training policy at the University of Huddersfield and is developing a portfolio career as a researcher. Jane has lived in Leeds for over 20 years and is passionate about improving educational opportunities for young people and adults across the city.

Jane is a governor of Luminate Education Group, sitting on both the Group Board and the Group Finance Committee and is Chair of the Harrogate College Board.

Alison is a senior finance and commercial leader with more than 20 years’ experience helping some of the UK’s largest financial services organisations deliver strategic transformation, commercial performance and sustainable growth. Her expertise spans business strategy, financial management, and operational performance. Alison is particularly passionate about helping organisations make informed decisions that balance commercial success with positive outcomes for customers, colleagues and the communities they serve.

As a board member at Harrogate College, Alison is committed to supporting the College’s mission of providing life-changing educational opportunities for learners across the region. She is a strong advocate for developing the skills and confidence that enable people from all backgrounds to achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential.

Alison is a co-opted member of the Harrogate College Board.

Annabel has over twenty five years of strategic and operational experience within the post 16 sector and is passionate about the transformative role of education. She began her career as a volunteer, supporting ESOL and literacy learners, before deciding to undertake teacher training. She secured employment as the Neighbourhood Learning Co-ordinator for a London based FE college and worked across colleges and adult education providers in London as a teacher trainer, curriculum manager and head of department, before moving to North Yorkshire in 2016.

For the past 9 years, Annabel has worked for the WEA, a large national educational charity for adults, where she has strategic oversight of the organisation’s qualification based provision. During her career, Annabel has developed strong leadership and management skills. She has a proven track record of quality assurance and has developed an extensive knowledge of quality frameworks that underpin effective teaching, learning and assessment. She has championed and led a range of curriculum and quality improvement activities such as observation and learning walks, subject reviews and deep dives, peer reviews, performance reviews, self-assessment, quality improvement planning, funder audits and subcontractor checks. Most recently, Annabel has gained experience of governance whilst volunteering as a Parent Governor for a local primary school where she has undertaken class visits, linked with staff and pupils, monitored the implementation of the school development plan, and contributed to Ofsted preparations.

Isabel was born and brought up in Silsden and is now happily back home, living in Harrogate since 2020.

After a career in the qualifications, assessment and quality assurance sector, including being NCFE’s Chief Executive, Pearson’s Regulation, Standards & Research Director and Chair of the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB), Isabel now works as an independent education & skills consultant and is a busy non-Exec.

She chair’s IfATE’s Independent Assessment Panel, CIPS Awarding Body Board and City & Guilds Quality & Standards Committee and is also an AQA trustee.

She is passionate about the role assessment and qualification structures should play in supporting the lifelong learning and skills needs of learners and, on joining NCFE in 1990, she became – and continues to be – an ardent champion of FE.

Isabel is an Oxfam volunteer and a keen walker.