Richard Harris
Deputy Principal and Chief Executive
Richard joined City of Bristol College as Vice Principal Finance and Professional Services, with a remit of ensuring the effective and efficient operations of the College across Finance, Management Information Services, Estates and Infrastructure, and Marketing and Customer Services, as well as having a general responsibility for maintaining the College’s ongoing financial sustainability.
Richard is an experienced finance professional and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants, with a strong background in Further and Higher Education and a very clear belief in the value of education and the opportunities it can bring in terms of social mobility and widening participation.
Before joining City of Bristol College, he was Vice Principal at New College Swindon, where he developed and implemented a new strategy for partnership working, and before that was Director of Finance and Acting Chief Operating Officer at a small and specialist university, where he modernised the finance function and sourced significant extra funding for the university. Prior to this, Richard was a senior manager at the government body for funding Higher Education (HEFCE) and has also worked in local NHS Trusts, having started his career in the private sector with the Bank of Scotland and other financial institutions.
Born in Bristol, Richard has spent most of his life in the area and currently lives on the outskirts of the city with his wife, two children and his cat, Walt.