Jeremy Cartwright

Role: Chair

Start of Service: 8th September 2017

Jeremy is Chair of the Stoke on Trent College Corporation Board, a member of the Transformation, Finance & Resources Committee, the Governance Committee and Chair of the Capital Projects Committee. 

He is also Chair of Shropshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire Blood-Bikes, a registered charity supporting the NHS, as well as running his own business as an international consultant & interim manager. Prior to this, Jeremy was Supply Chain Director and HR Development Director for PZ Cussons PLC and has spent many years leading & developing overseas operations in Asia & Africa. 

Jeremy has 35 years’ employed experience that includes strategic development, senior operational management, project, change, and IT management and continues this variety through his freelance work.  He enjoys developing & helping others to succeed often through coaching or mentoring individuals and teams. 

Jeremy has an MBA in Business Administration, a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and a number of other qualifications including one for Coaching and Assessing from the Open University & one for Mental Health in the Workplace, which he studied recently at Stoke on Trent College.

Ben Richards

Role: Vice Chair

Start of Service: 29th February 2024

Ben is Vice Chair of the Stoke on Trent College Corporation and Chair of the Audit Committee. He is also a member of the Governance and Renumeration Committees.

Ben joined the Corporation in February 2024 and is also the Chief Operating Officer at North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust. In addition, he is the Senior Responsible Officer for Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism across the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System.

Growing up in Kidsgrove, Ben was the first in his family to go to university and recognises the impact that education can have both on personal development and social mobility.

Ben holds a Master’s Degree and CMI Level 8 Award in Strategic Direction and Leadership in addition to holding Fellowships in a number of learned societies, including the Institute of Leadership, Royal Society of Medicine, the Royal Society of Public Health and the Royal Society of Arts. He was elected a Chartered Companion of the Chartered Management Institute in April 2025,

Ben is a Chartered Manager, Level 7 Executive Coach and Mentor and a qualified lecturer, holding both Qualified Teacher Status and Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status.

Currently Ben is undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care with The Open University and a Level 7 Award in Strategic Approaches to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

David Shufflebottom

Start of Service: 29th February 2024

David joined the board of Governors in February 2024 and is a member of the Transformation, Finance and Resources Committee. 

He is also the Global Head of Strategic Projects & Transitions at Vodafone Group Shared Services.

David has over 20 years of experience within the Telco sector holding numerous leadership and management roles across a wide range business functions, including Customer, Commercial Operations in both Consumer & Enterprise sectors, Strategy & Transformation, Digital, Data , and Technology, these roles have given him experience across the UK as well as in EU, Asia & Africa.

Growing up in Biddulph and now living with his family in Newcastle under Lyme David is passionate about the city and excited to be part of the team helping the college to achieve our vison and being the college of choice for all Stoke on Trent learners.

Tapiwa Chatora

Start of Service: 22nd May 2025

Tapiwa is a co-opted member of the Stoke on Trent College Corporation and a member of the Transformation, Finance and Resources Committee. 

Tapiwa is an experienced finance, governance and operations professional, specialising in finance and business administration. For most of his career Tapiwa has worked with charities specialising in upholding child rights, diversity and youth empowerment. 

Tapiwa is currently Financial Controller at Global Fund for Children; a global non-governmental organisation working with children and youth across the globe to improve and strengthen education, gender justice, wellbeing, youth power , climate resilience and solidarity in emergencies. 

Tapiwa is a member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) where he specialised in audit and performance management. Tapiwa also holds a Masters in Business Administration and focused mainly on governance and charities administration. 

Tom Nadin

Start of Service: 21st May 2021

Tom is a member of the Stoke on Trent College Corporation, as well as a member of the Curriculum, Quality and Standards Committee and Audit Committee.

Tom is currently the Head of Business Services and Projects at Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce and has worked at the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce since 2012. He is a member of the Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Skills Advisory Panel, a Board member of Staffordshire Partnership for Employment and Skills and a member of the Staffordshire Careers Hub Steering Group.

Tom is a Staffordshire born, experienced Project Manager who has delivered on numerous public sector and private sector funded projects. Tom was instrumental in the successful bid for the Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Skills Hub, the bid for a Staffordshire Careers Hub and leading on the development of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Skills Improvement Plan. Tom also has a BA in Politics from the University of Sheffield.

Hannah Molloy

Start of Service 20th May 2022

Hannah is a member of the Stoke on Trent College Corporation, as well as a member of the Audit Committee, the Capital Projects Committee and the Skills and Apprenticeships Task and Finish Group. 

Hannah is currently Head of Customer Success at UNLEASH Limited, a leading global media and events company in the HR Tech sector. Hannah has over 16 years of leadership and management experience with a strong emphasis on development, strategy and business principles.

Hannah has also worked for the Donna Louise Hospice as the Head of People and Community Engagement and Compliance Manager.  Hannah is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management and has a Masters in Employment Law from Staffordshire University.

Stephen Sawbridge

Start of Service 12 May 2017

Steve Sawbridge is a member of the Stoke on Trent College Corporation Board and a member of the Curriculum, Quality and Standards, and Audit Committees

Steve has a 32-year career in further education and has worked in teaching and management roles in colleges; as a freelance consultant working with colleges on a number of further education improvement initiatives including leadership and governance; and on further education policy and strategy at the former Learning and Skills Council.

From 2007 to until retirement in June 2017, Steve was the West Midlands Regional Director for the Association of Colleges responsible for promoting, representing and supporting the 35-member colleges in the region. As a member AoC’s senior management team, Steve contributed nationally to AoC’s policy work on quality, funding and, more recently, on skills devolution.

Steve has been a non-executive Board member of a number of organisations including Crescent Purchasing Limited and the West Midlands Regional Observatory.  He has also been an elected staff governor at a Further Education college in the West Midlands.

Steve has an MA in Education Management from the University of Wolverhampton and recently completed an MA in Garden and Landscape History at the University of London.  Steve is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Raheel Nawaz

Start of Service: March 2025

His pioneering degree apprenticeship model has outperformed top UK universities, including Oxbridge, in graduate outcomes, influencing programmes across the globe, from Canada and Spain to Pakistan and New Zealand. A National Teaching Fellow and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Professor Nawaz has published more than 200 research articles, graduated more than 30 PhD students, and secured more than £14 million in research funding.

A globally cited scholar in Applied AI and Digital Education, he is the author of four books and a recipient of the 2025 Muslim News Award for Excellence in Education. His work has transformed student outcomes and pedagogical innovation worldwide.

Beyond academia, Professor Nawaz has advised heads of state and governments across the world, shaping national policy on education, skills development, digital transformation, and AI.  He has contributed to high profile criminal investigations and led collaborations with CERN and MIT on research related to the Large Hadron Collider. A former officer in the Pakistani Army turned academic, he is widely respected for combining academic rigour with meaningful social impact.

He passionately believes that kindness is the most impactful leadership trait and being an intrinsic giver in life is the most sustainable route to happiness, this was also the topic of his TEDx talk.

He also serves as a Trustee and Board Director at both JISC and UVAC.

Sally Garratt

Start of Service 9th November 2022

Sally is a member of the Stoke on Trent College Corporation and the Curriculum, Quality and Standards Committee. She is also Chair of the Skills and Apprenticeships Task and Finish Group and the College’s Safeguarding Link Governor.

Sally is currently CEO at the Petty Pool Trust, a charity delivering education programmes for young people who are neurodiverse to support them into employment and lead independent lives. Prior to her role at the Petty Pool Trust, Sally was the Director of Operations for the LTE Group where she had 17 years delivering education contracts for learners in secure settings. Sally is an experienced strategic leader in organisation development and change with a focus on quality improvement and colleague engagement, she also has experience in developing business plans, solutions for curriculum design and delivery to support employer and sector need. Sally is also an Executive Coach working with leaders to develop their teams.

Sally holds a BSC (Hons) in Health and Social Care, is a qualified teacher, Level 3 Designated Safeguarding Lead and has a post graduate diploma in Health Promotion and Education from the University of Liverpool.

Bernard Kumeta

Start of Service 27th July 2023

Bernard is a member of the Stoke on Trent College Corporation and a member of the Transformation, Finance and Resources Committee. 

Bernard is an experienced senior executive with a wealth of sector experience in aerospace engineering; waste water engineering; TV post production, commercials and film production; direct marketing; commercial property investment and letting; aviation security services; education foundation trust. Bernard has been Strategy Director and then CEO of a £30m AIM plc; CEO of a £17m to £100m+ MBO; Divisional Managing Director in a FTSE 250 plc and Finance Director and Commercial Director in a mid-sized charity environment. 

Bernard is Trustee of the William Hulme’s Grammar School Foundation Trust in Manchester and is a fellow of the ICAEW.

Rob Fisher

Start of Service: 1^st October 2018

Rob is a member of the Stoke on Trent College Corporation, Chair of the Governance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. Rob is a fully CIPD qualified Human Resources professional with a first class Business Management degree. He is currently Managing Director at Strategi Solutions Group Ltd and is experienced in a wide range of sectors but with particular experience within the Manufacturing and Transport sectors.

Prior to his Director role at Strategi Solutions Group Ltd, Rob was the HR Business Partner at Ornua Nutrition Ingredients and Group HR Manager at Steelite International Plc. Rob has a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management, as well as a BA (Hons) Business Management from Staffordshire University.

Marcin Musial

Start of Service: 22nd May 2025

Marcin joined the board of Governors in May 2025 and is also the Finance Director at Principal Insurance Limited, a UK-based independent specialist insurance group headquartered in Sale, Cheshire.

Marcin lives in Stoke-on-Trent and has a background in finance and business management. His experience spans across most aspects of business management and finance, including budgeting, financial planning and analysis as well as regulatory matters.  He is also an excellent leader with a hands-on approach, experienced in managing the operational finance function of an organisation turning over c. £250m of insurance premium. 

Marcin has a track record of businesses integration, transformation and optimisation with his experience including integrating a number of finance functions of acquired businesses as well as the cost and income optimisation.

Chrissy Pawliszyn

Business Support Staff Governor

Start of Service: 14th December 2023

Chrissy has been working with young people for the last 19 years and her work has involved working for youth services and charity organisations as well as training to be a careers advisor.

Chrissy has been very fortunate to have worked in the majority of secondary schools and 6th forms in Stoke on Trent and has a good understanding of the challenges facing the young people and education sector in the city. 

Chrissy has a passion for supporting young people to achieve their goals and to raise their aspirations and reach their potential. She feels she can bring a wealth of experience to the board of governors and support the college to achieve its goal of being the leading technical and vocational college in the area. She can use her knowledge and experience within the education sector to give back to the young people of the city.

Jenny Scrivens

Academic Support Staff Governor

Start of Service: 14th December 2023

Jenny is the Head of Apprenticeships & Skills, a dedicated leader in further education with 15 years’ experience in the sector.

Passionate about improving lives through quality of education.  As a qualified teacher, assessor and quality assurance practitioner with particular skills and focus on apprenticeships, quality improvement, strategic planning, curriculum quality, design and implementation.

Very enthusiastic about supporting learners, staff and employers of Stoke-on-Trent College and the local community.

Eli Bray

Student Governor

Start of Service: 1st August 2025

Hello, my name is Eli Bray and I am 17 years old. I first joined Stoke on Trent College in September of 2023. I put myself forward for presidency of the student union because I wanted to attempt to make enrichment more inclusive for other students, and to be a shining example of leadership and kindness among the college committee.

I strive to help wherever I can, support whomever may require it and push the already established agenda of hard work in the classroom to my fellow learners. I promise to work hard, listen to advice eagerly and be a patient, caring representative of Stoke on Trent College.

Kay Kavanagh

Director of Governance

Start of Service: 14th December 2023

Kay is the Director of Governance at Stoke on Trent College. She has worked in Governance for 10 years, covering schools, multi-academy trusts, and for the last 5 years in the FE Sector.  Her role at the College is to support the Board of Governors and provide independent advice and guidance.  Kay is also the Data Protection Officer for the College.

She is also the Company Secretary for Stoke on Trent Limited and Education Business Services (Stoke) Ltd.

Kay is also a trustee at The Villages’ Multi Academy Trust and is Chair of the Audit Committee for the trust.