Meet our Governors

Mrs Sheila Potipher (Chairman)

Sheila is Chairman of the Governing Body and has been a member for 14 years.  She has retired as Director of an insurance company specialising in offering insurance advice and risk management to the construction industry.  She is actively involved in youth work in the local community and is an officer of the Girls’ Brigade as well as being a trustee of Girls' Brigade England & Wales.  She is also a magistrate sitting on both the Adult and Youth benches. Very recently she has become involved in Magistrates in the Community which visits schools and youth groups explaining the workings of the Magistrates court system to young people. She is also a Street Pastor in Maidstone. She is an ex officio member of the Finance & General Purposes Committee, Remuneration Committee and Search Committee.

Mrs Ann Furedi

Ann has been CEO of the charity British Pregnancy Advisory Service, which provides reproductive health services, since 2003. In the past she has worked for the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority and the Family Planning Association. She graduated in English and Sociology from the University of Kent at Canterbury in 1982 and lives in Faversham.

Mr Edwin Boorman OBE, DL

Edwin is President of the family owned newspaper business the Kent Messenger Group.  He is a former High Sheriff of Kent and is a trustee of the Maidstone Trust (River Walk).  He has extensive experience in the voluntary sector including St John's Ambulance, Kent Youth Trust and Kent Air Ambulance.  He is a member of the Audit Committee.

Mr Ian Daniel

Ian is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and has retired from his role as Director of Finance with a firm that operated leisure centres across 10 London Boroughs.  He is Chairman of the Finance & General Purposes Committee.

Mr Michael Dowden

Mike is Principal Adviser at Kent County Council for School Improvement with responsibility for 14-19 and Specialist Schools.  He is a former English teacher and is a registered inspector for secondary schools.  He is the Governor with special responsibility for Quality.



 

Mr Stephen Grix

Stephen is Principal and Chief Executive of MidKent College. He began his career as a part-time bricklaying student at MidKent College - in total completing eight years of part-time study at the College.  Stephen’s career includes teaching at Bexley, Barking and Basingstoke colleges, as well as Principalship of a Sixth Form College, Senior Civil Servant at Ofsted and as Director of Education in Tower Hamlets LEA.   He is an executive director of the College’s company, MKC Training Services Ltd, which administers the College’s contract to deliver training within the Royal School of Military Engineering at Brompton Barracks.  He is an ex officio member of the Search Committee.
 

Mr David Hamilton MBE

David joined the Royal Engineers as an apprentice soldier and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel with the Royal Engineers after nearly 40 years' service. After leaving the Army he was appointed as Chief Executive of the Institution of Royal Engineers at Brompton Barracks, Chatham. He sits on various Engineering Council working groups, taking a particular interest in Engineering Technician qualifications. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Royal Engineers. He is a non-executive director of the College’s company, MKC Training Services Ltd, which administers the College’s contract to deliver training within the Royal School of Military Engineering at Brompton Barracks.  He is Chairman of the Medway Campus Advisory Committee and a member of the Redundancy Appeals Panel and the Disciplinary Appeals Panel.

Ms Rosie Douglas

Rosie is a Staff Member of the Governing Body.  She is eLearning Manager at the College and is the Governor with special responsibility for Child Protection.  She is a member of the Medway Campus Advisory Committee.

Mr Adrian Horwood

Adrian is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and retired from 33 years in predominantly branch and business banking roles in 2004, having spent the previous 20 years working in Kent. He has extensive experience working with schools, business organisations and charities and apart from involvement with MidKent College currently holds two Trustee Directorships for local organisations. Adrian is Deputy Chair of Medway NHS Foundation Trust. He is Vice Chairman of the Finance & General Purposes Committee.
 

Mr David Innes

David is Chief Executive of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution, a national Care Home charity that runs 17 homes and looks after nearly 1,000 people.  His first career, as a military engineer, lasted 34 years and took him all over the world.  He was lucky enough to reach the rank of Brigadier and his last appointment was as Chief Executive of the Corps of Royal Engineers.  He is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers.  He is a non-executive director of the College’s company, MKC Training Services Ltd, which administers the College’s contract to deliver training within the Royal School of Military Engineering at Brompton Barracks. 

Mr David Nightingale

David is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kent and a lecturer in Classical Studies.  He is a member of the Finance & General Purposes Committee.
 

Mr Henry Nydam

Henry is a partner in a large solicitors’ practice in Maidstone and now works as a consultant.  He is vice-chair of the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce.  He is Chairman of the Search Committee and Chairman of the Maidstone Campus Advisory Committee.

Mr James Phillips

James is a Student Member of the Governing Body and President of the Students’ Union.  He is a continuing A-Level Student studying Government and Politics, and has completed A-Levels in History, Communications and Culture, and English Language and Literature. He has previously been an Executive member of the Students’ Union and a Class Representative for A-Levels. He is also a co-editor of the Medway Mag, a students’ magazine at the college.

Mr Ken Pullan

Ken is a Company Director and owner of business specialising in recruitment/outplacement consultancy services and surveying services. He is trained as a mechanical engineer and developed his career through a number of operational board appointments within the service industry sector before starting up his own businesses in 2002. He currently serves as a Lt Colonel in the Engineer & Logistics Staff Corps RE (V) and is a member of the Institution of Royal Engineers.  He is a member of the Search Committee and Chair of the Redundancy Appeals Panel and Disciplinary Appeals Panel and a non-executive director of the College’s company, MKC Training Services Ltd, which administers the College’s contract to deliver training within the Royal School of Military Engineering at Brompton Barracks.

Mr Julius Pursaill

Julius retired after 20 years in investment management with a series of senior roles in Mercury Asset Management and Merrill Lynch to fulfil a portfolio of non-executive directorships. Julius is a Trustee of the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST). He is Vice Chairman of the Governing Body, and a member of the Remuneration and Maidstone Campus Advisory Committees.

 Mr Anthony Truscott

Tony is a Staff Governor and is Head of Faculty for courses in Health, Child Care and Public Services.  He retired from the army after 33 years having reached the rank of Captain from a Private soldier and went on to become a College lecturer in Public Services.  He is a member of the Search Committee and the Audit Committee and is the Governor with special responsibility for Health & Safety.
 
 

Ms Carol Valentine

Carol has worked for Kent County Council for over 15 years and is currently a Highways Manager. She has had a very varied career in the Council, with roles including Economic Development Officer, Equalities Manager, Policy and Change Manager to name a few. Carol has proven leadership and influencing skills and is committed to equality and diversity issues. She also had a year working at the National Probation Department in London as a Diversity Manager.

Carol has had a number of voluntary roles including the Chair of a national women’s organisation and in her local and regional Unison branch. She is a qualified post 16 tutor and occasionally facilitates training courses for the TUC and other public sector organisations. She is a lay member of the Ashford Employment Tribunal.

Mr Andy Start

Andy is President of the International Business Unit at Harris Corporation's RF Communications Division (RFCF). In this capacity, he is responsible for all RFCD's international business, including International Sales, Business Development, Product Line and Programme Management.  Andy began his career as an electrical engineer working on the Ptarmigan tactical trunk communications system at Siemens Plessey Systems. He fulfilled a number of senior roles within BAE Systems, including UK Corporate Strategy Director and Chief Executive Officer of IFS Defence Ltd - a BAE joint venture company that markets enterprise software solutions to aerospace and defence industries.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a chartered member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Andy serves as a member of the UK Electronics Leadership Council.