Leadership and Governance

Andy Micklethwaite – Vice Chair of the Board

Andy is an experienced Chair and Chief Executive Officer and also has financial experience having worked for major blue-chip corporations. Andy also has extensive change management, business improvement and systems implementation experience. Andy was a non-executive director and Committee Chair of Audit Committee and Finance and Resources Committee at a local university. Andy is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant and Chartered Company Secretary.

Anita Lall – Principal & CEO

Anita joined the College in February 2020 as our Vice-Principal and is passionate about creating an excellent learning environment for every student attending Craven College. Anita started her career as a research scientist specialising in childhood cancers and has presented on this subject at national and international conferences. Seeing how she was inspiring girls and young women to study science whilst lecturing part-time, led her to the path of teaching full-time. The past 17 years of her career have been spent in the Further Education sector at a management level leading diverse, multi-disciplinary teams. The quality-focused teams that Anita has led have won awards for innovation in teaching, learning and assessment and employer engagement.

Julie Atkins – Business Support Staff Governor

Julie is the Head of Student Services and Deputy Safeguarding Lead at Craven College. Julie is passionate about the safeguarding and well-being of all students at College ensuring they feel safe in a supportive learning environment.
Julie has worked at Craven for over 14 years initially as a lecturer in E2E and SEND and has progressed into various management roles within the College.

John Craig – Chair of Learning, Teaching & Assessment Committee

John is Pro Vice Chancellor for Education at Kingston University. He has previously held leadership roles at the Higher Education Academy (now part of AdvanceHE), and Leeds Beckett, Huddersfield and Teesside Universities. He has extensive experience of quality management and enhancement and has chaired quality committees for the QAA and AQA. He is a National Teaching Fellow and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).

Heather Kerrick

Heather is currently Assistant Director, Estates and Facilities, at the University of Huddersfield. She has extensive experience in capital projects and facilities management and holds an MBA in Facilities Management

Chris Morgan

Chris has over 18 years’ of experience working in Further Education, in particular the employment and skills sector.  Chris is also highly experienced in curriculum design, quality improvement, management information, and contract management and serves on a number of advisory and focus groups.

Jane Rogers

Jane was employed by the College for many years as an English and history teacher, working at Levels 1 to 6. She was also the College’s lead on Higher Education programmes and responsible for quality and programme design. Since leaving Craven College she is an External Examiner for Access and university courses, does a little consultancy work for the Open University and is a Trustee of the Aire Rivers Trust.

Rob Scott – Chair of Audit Committee

Rob has extensive financial experience having worked in a number of businesses including as Group Chief Finance Officer for Key Group. His work covered income, expenditure and capital expenditure. He has overseen specific projects covering acquisition and capital projects for a number of large national companies. Rob is also a non-executive Director for a local charity providing free professional careers advice and support across Cumbria and Lancashire. Rob is FCA qualified.

Claire Thomas

Claire worked for many years as the commercial manager and event organiser for Equestrian Management Consultants Limited. Claire was also responsible for the commercial arm of the British Equestrian Trade Association, reporting to the Finance and General Purposes Committee and BETA Council. She is experienced in the preparation of monthly accounts and annual budgets, staffing, and in instigating and fulfilling consultancy and sponsorship projects.

Sara Wright

Sara was Director of MIS at Nelson and Colne College and spent almost thirty years in the FE sector, until retirement in July 2023.  Sara has a wealth of management experience in FE funding and the analysis and provision of information, as well as curriculum planning and budgeting. Through a number of college mergers she has played a key role in systems review, and the raising of standards in information capture and analysis in order to inform business decisions. As data lead Sara participated in two Ofsted inspections, both graded Outstanding. Sara now spends much of her time caring for both the older and younger generations in her family, and enjoys a variety of creative hobbies after many years spent at the computer.

Susan Francis – Director of Governance