Corporation Members

Corporation Members

Corporation Members Governing bodies vary in the size and in the balance of the various types of members they have. The balanced membership of the City of Bristol College Corporation ensures that it has the benefit of views from the community served by the College, its learners and staff, its local authority and the business community.

All governors are appointed as individuals, including staff and student governors. They are required to put the interests of the Corporation and the College first and are not allowed to accept a mandate from any other organisation.

Board members

Phil Smith (Chair of the Corporation)

Phil was educated in Caerphilly and the University of Exeter and began his career with Halliburton Inc as an offshore engineer in the oil industry.  After graduating with an MBA from London Business School and the University of California in the mid 1980’s, he moved on to mergers and acquisitions in the corporate finance department of an investment bank based in the City of London. In 1995 Phil moved to Bristol to become the CEO of the West of England Business Link Provider.  In 2003 Phil took on his current position as MD of Business West, which operates Bristol, Bath & Glos Chambers of Commerce, and holds various public sector contracts, including IUK Edge for the South West.

Andrea Arlidge (Vice Chair)

Andrea is an experienced education professional with over 41 years experience in the school sector. She was a secondary headteacher and multi-academy trust CEO and now works to help School Trusts achieve their development ambitions. Andrea was a National Leader of Education and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for Services to Education in 2018. In 2024 she received a Silver Lifetime Achievement Award in the Pearsons National Teaching Awards. Throughout her career, she has been a passionate advocate for inclusion and a strong believer in the power of education to change lives.

Andrea has been a governor for the college since 2019, and was appointed as Vice Chair in December 2024.

Professor Marc Griffiths (Vice Chair)

Marc is the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Regional Partnerships, Engagement and Innovation at the University of the West of England, Bristol.  He is responsible for leading and developing the regional partnerships across all sectors, focusing on skills, education, enterprise, innovation and research opportunities. Marc also provides strategic direction for the Integrated Care Academy (ICA) at the University of the West of England, Bristol.

Marc is a proud Principal Fellow within Advance HE, a Fellow of the Leadership Foundation in Higher Education and a Fellow of the College of Radiographers.  Marc is also the University Executive advocate and champion for neurodiversity across the organisation and creating a growth mindset and transforming lives through education and scaffolded support.

Marc is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors at the City of Bristol College, an appointed Trustee at the Council of Deans of Health, a member of the Futures West Advisory Board and works closely with a number of partner organisations such as NHS England, Avon and Somerset Police and Bristol City Council. Marc is also a Non-Executive Director at the Bristol NHS Group (formerly UHBW and NBT).  Marc is the co-founder of the Let’s Talk Health and Care podcast series and has a passion for connecting with people and achieving brilliant things in everyday life.

Julia Gray (Principal and Chief Executive Officer)

Julia has worked in the FE sector for more than twenty years and has been responsible for the writing, delivery and leadership of all the different provision types in that time, from entry-level programmes to master’s degrees. Julia began her FE career working in land-based teaching within her specialist subject of equine studies, and moved into urban general FE at leadership level, where she felt completely at home serving a diverse community on the doorstep of the College. She has had leadership responsibility for professional services teams including Human Resources, has had Designated Safeguarding Lead responsibility for the last five years, and has an excellent understanding of the broad workings of a further education college beyond the delivery of the curriculum. Julia is passionate about FE and the difference it can make to the lives of the communities it serves.

Tony Antonius (Chair of the Finance & Resources Committee)

Tony is a Chartered Accountant and former partner at KPMG where he worked for 34 years. He is currently a non-executive Director for a number of locally based companies. Tony is Chair of the Finance & Resources Committee.

Dan Amin (Chair of Curriculum & Quality Committee)

Dan has been working in the Higher Education sector, since 2007, and is a Senior Fellow within the Professional Standard Framework of HE teaching. He is Assessment Delivery Manager for Advance HE, as part of their apprenticeship assessment service, and prior to this he spent many years working in various lecturing and leadership roles within college-based higher education. Prior to joining the board at CoBC, Dan spent several successful years as a governor of a college in South Yorkshire.

Dan was appointed as Chair of the Curriculum & Quality Committee in July 2025.

Dan Jones

Dan is a Chartered Human Resources professional with 20 years of experience working in a range of HR roles. He has worked in board level HR roles for the past 10 years across a variety of organisations, including a global education software and services business and a South West university.

He is currently the Director of HR for Clarke Willmott LLP where he leads the development and delivery of the people strategy for the firm alongside working with the senior management team in overall strategic planning and leadership. 

Dan is passionate about the impact that education can have on transforming lives and is looking forward to supporting the College in the critical role it plays to widen participation and provide the skills required for the future world of work. 

Jessica Winkler

Jess joined the Board in September 2023. Jess is a registered social worker with many years of experience in statutory health and social care, specialising in mental health, autism and learning disabilities. She moved to work in higher education in 2017 and her area of focus is risk management. She is currently Head of Complex Student Casework and Safeguarding at the University of Bristol.

Judi Harper

Judi is a highly experienced manager in the FE sector, and her final full-time post was Vice Principal, Curriculum, Performance and Strategic Planning. Eleven years ago she moved into interim FE management and has since worked in a variety of roles in FE colleges throughout the country, including Assistant Principal, Director of HE, Head of Student Services and a variety of curriculum-based roles.

Neil Dimes

Neil is a Chartered Accountant having recently retired as an Audit Partner at BDO LLP. Prior to that he held a number of senior roles within various National and International accountant practices based in the Bristol area, where he specialised in advising Entrepreneurial growth business and not-for-profit organisations. Neil is Chair of the Audit Committee.

Palie Smart

Palie is a Professor in Operations Management and currently holds the role of Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Civic Engagement at The University of Bristol. This role involves working closely with the City of Bristol partners as well as national and international collaborators.

Previously, Palie was the Head of the School of Management. Her research interests are focused on new models of innovation for sustainable business and she has had works published in world-leading and international academic journals.

Sandra Gordon

At the heart of everything Sandra does is one central aim – to give everyone a chance to be the best they can be and to bring balance and equality to those groups who are disadvantaged in our society.
Her business provides organisations with services to assist their EDI journey, including organisational culture, mainly in supporting organisations in areas of Gender and Race. It also provides Life coaching, Career coaching, Executive coaching, Leadership coaching -especially supporting women into these positions and equitable, inclusive leadership.
Sandra has worked as a senior leader for a number of trusted brands, including managing call centres for Royal Mail. A career break allowed her to undertake voluntary work in Africa, job coaching the homeless, and to become an accredited Life Coach. She has a creative business where she works collectively with Artisans in Africa, which helps to support their sustainability.
Sandra is a co-founder of Rise, which provides opportunities for Black and Brown businesses to promote what they do to a wider audience.
Her work for women’s equality includes working with Bristol Women’s Voice, and as a member of the Mayoral Women’s Commission. She is currently a Director for the Bristol Women in Business Charter, whose ambition is to help accelerate the pace of change for the benefit of women, the businesses they work in and the communities they live in.

Sandra became a Commissioner and Co-Chair for the Mayoral Commission on Race Equality to help work on collective solutions to tackling the race inequalities faced by so many in the city. She is also passionate about inclusion and representation and was honoured to be appointed as a Magistrate and as a Governor of City of Bristol College.

Ruth Pickersgill MBE

Ruth was a teacher in London and had a professional career in various management roles in education, local government, and the voluntary sector. Before she retired, she held senior roles at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College and Leicester College. During this time, she became totally committed to FE and witnessed the difference it makes to people’s lives.

Ruth has a lot of experience of governance, as the Chair of Governors for a local secondary school, a board member of various charities, and as the Chair of a large disability organisation. She was also a Bristol City Councillor for Easton from 2016-21. She is particularly passionate about equality issues, and loves working in diverse communities; ensuring that the voices of young people are heard.

Shawn Smith

Shawn is a certified accountant and has held senior finance roles in a number of industries, most recently having been the Chief Financial Officer for Europe and India for a major aerospace company. The role required significant regular travel throughout the UK, Europe, India and Canada however, Shawn is now enjoying spending more time in his home city of Bristol.

Shawn likes to spend his spare time attending the theatre, concerts and cricket matches.

In addition to his role at the college, Shawn is also a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee at North Bristol NHS Trust, a Non-Executive Director at Elim Housing Association and a Trustee of Frank Water. 

Steve Bennett

Steve returned to live in the Bristol area, after a career in London. He is an experienced further education professional, who started his career as a secondary geography teacher before entering further education. Steve took on various leadership roles in two London colleges and most recently was assistant principal with a sharp focus on curriculum, outcomes and student experience. Steve helped lead his former college to successive ‘good’ Ofsted grades. Steve was seconded to a London-wide ‘value-added’ project for two years during which he visited over 30 of London’s colleges and 100 of its schools. Steve remains a committed friend and supporter of the work that colleges do for their communities.

Staff Governors

Danny Alfaraj (Curriculum and Quality Committee)

Danny has worked in FE for over 20 years in a variety of settings including City of Bristol College for the past 12 years. From starting as a Prince’s Trust Team Leader, Danny progressed to Head of Department and has successfully managed the SEND and Foundation & Community Learning department for over 3 years.

He is a strong believer in providing opportunities for all of our students and ensuring that they have the best experience whilst studying with the college.

Steven Tunn (Finance and Quality Committee)

Steven is a lecturer within the Further Education Team at City of Bristol College and became a Staff Governor in July 2024. Steven is a member of the Finance and Resources Committee.

Co-opted members

Jo Greenwood (Audit Committee)

Jo joined Business West, in 1996 as a management accountant and progressed to the position of Finance Director in 2000. In the last 20 years, she has been responsible for the strategic financial direction of the company, which has grown from £3m turnover to over £15m. Business West is now recognised as one of the most influential independent business leadership organisations in the UK. Jo is also a director of Destination Bristol, Bristol’s Destination Marketing company, Recognising Excellence and Bristol Chamber of Commerce. Jo was a Governor of her local village primary school for 8 years.

Contacting The Corporation

If you would like to know more about the Board of Governors, or about membership, please contact Lynette Wilson, Director of Governance and Clerk to the Corporation, at lynette.wilson@cityofbristol.ac.uk.

Governor vacancies are advertised as they arise, and applications are welcomed from all groups across the community.  For an informal discussion about becoming a governor, or for any other matters relating to governance, please contact governance@cityofbristol.ac.uk.