The Governors

Alison Watson Bird | Chair

Alison has worked in the Financial Services sector in the UK and Europe for over 30 years. In that period, she has held a number of senior leadership roles across internal audit, strategic development, global operational transformation, regulatory compliance, risk management and supply chain management. For over a decade she has been the Managing Director of her management consultancy business working with a number of FTSE 100, Tier 1 and consultancy clients in developing market leading strategies, solutions and end to end delivery of large scale, complex, business, technology and regulatory transformation programs with typical budgets of £50-£150m. She is passionate in building truly transformative experiences that help businesses excel whilst delivering customer and user experiences that genuinely delight.

Clare Russell | Principal & CEO

Clare has been Principal & CEO at Runshaw College since August 2020, and has worked at Runshaw since 2009, first as Head of School for Digital Technologies, then Assistant Principal Quality and then as Deputy Principal for 7 years prior to taking up the Principal role. Clare qualified as a teacher in 2000 and has successfully taught a wide range of Computer Science and ICT courses, from Entry to Foundation Degree levels, to young people and adults. Since 2014, Clare has also served as a part-time Ofsted Inspector, working with other colleges to help raise standards.

Simon Drew | Chair – Finance & People Committee | Chair – Remuneration Committee

“I am delighted to be part of the governorship of Runshaw College. The role as Chair of the Finance Committee at Runshaw links well with the work that I do for a large local employer in the North West as their CFO couples with the employment opportunities that further education brings to individuals”.

Richard Evans | Vice Chair – Corporation Board | Chair – Standards and Curriculum Committee

Richard is the Vice Principal for education and standards at Kendal College of Further Education.  He joined Kendal College 20 years ago as Childhood Studies lecturer, and has operational experience of full time vocational, technical and academic programmes, apprenticeships and Higher Education. Richard is a member of the Standards & Curriculum Committee.

Martyn Lylyk | Chair – Search & Governance Committee

Martyn has worked in the Banking sector for the past 20 years and is currently a Relationship Director with NatWest. He works with a broad range of corporate businesses across the North West, both in terms of sector and ownership to support their growth ambitions. Martyn also leads the Bank’s technology sector team across the North of England, which is focused on supporting both early stage and established technology companies. With a strong risk management focus, Martyn is an advocate of building (personal) networks to share knowledge and promote business success.

Gary Hall | Chair – Audit Committee

A qualified Accountant, Gary has extensive financial management experience within the public sector, and is also a non-executive Director of a local Credit Union. Through his work, Gary is passionate about making a difference to people’s lives and relishes the opportunity to contribute to the life of the College.

Portia Bailey Barrow

Portia has spent her career in public service across central and local government, holding senior roles in the Department for Education, the Education and Skills Funding Agency, and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. She has extensive experience leading strategic and operational change including as part of the founding leadership team of Bradford Children and Families Trust. A Runshaw governor since 2020, she is passionate about ensuring young people have the opportunities, skills and support they need to succeed.

Dominic Martinez

Dominic has worked in the education sector for over 20 years in both a Higher Education setting and more recently in Further Education. As part of his work on entrepreneurship with the University sector, he helped over 1000 people start their own business and managed a number of business incubation facilities. Over the last few years, Dominic has worked with organisations helping providers and employers with T Levels. He is passionate about education and supporting all learners to achieve their best and helping the vocational element of the education system work even better.

Ade Oladapo

Dr Adebayo Oladapo has been an academic/project management consultant for over 30 years working in several institutions in Africa, Asia and Europe. He has headed BSc/MSc courses in Nigeria and South African and is currently the course leader for the MSc Project Management/MSc Construction Project Management courses at UCLan, Preston, where he is also the Research Ethics Lead for the School of Engineering. He is a researcher who is actively engaged in the global research community contributing on editorial boards/review panels of journals as well as scientific committees for international conferences.

He has over 40 research publications in journals, conference proceedings and book chapters and won the JW Nelson Trust Research Excellence Award in South Africa in 2007. He served on the global panel of judges for the inaugural Association for Project Management (APM) Festival of Education and Research in 2020 to select the best project management research.

Diane Bourne

Diane qualified as a Civil and Structural Engineer from Bradford University and also holds a Diploma in Environmental Management. Diane is the Managing Director at Eric Wright Civil Engineering Ltd, based in Preston and is responsible for a £60m water and infrastructure business which employs more than 250 staff. Diane is also a main board director of the Eric Wright Group and also its Group Technical Director. With more than 30 years in the industry, Diane has held a number of senior positions, including Chair of the North West Civil Engineering Contractors Association.

Diane is also a Trustee of the Eric Wright Learning Foundation, which seeks to provide training opportunities for 14-16 year olds and 16+ young adults, who want to pursue a career in construction and engineering.

Daniel Braithwaite

Daniel Braithwaite is Principal and CEO of Lancaster & Morecambe College and Vice Chair of The Lancashire Colleges (TLC). Danny commenced the role of Principal at LMC in September 2023 following a career spanning 25 years in Further Education and training. During his career, he has gained extensive experience in curriculum management, development, quality assurance and teaching and learning, working in roles as a lecturer, middle and senior leader. Danny is extremely proud to have completed an apprenticeship route in his early career which, has provided an excellent grounding for Further Education. Making a difference to the lives of people through opportunity and learning is core to Danny’s values and is realised through his passionate and dedicated approach to educational leadership.

Gary Crowe | Safeguarding Governor

Gary Crowe has over 25 years’ service as a Police officer with Lancashire Constabulary. Having served in a number of operational and specialist roles Gary is now a senior leader with responsibility for day-to-day delivery of Policing services across Central and South Lancashire.

An alumni of Runshaw College, Gary undertook his undergraduate degree at Loughborough University before receiving his Masters in Police Leadership & Management at the University of Leicester. Returning to Runshaw, Gary completed his Certificate in Education and Teaching with our School of Public Services. Gary works closely with strategic public sector partners across the North-West, and is the Armed Forces champion for Lancashire Police. Email crowe.g@runshaw.ac.uk for any safeguarding concerns.

Harriet Longworth | Student Governor

Harriet is currently studying A Levels in English Literature, Psychology and Geography. Harriet has a keen interest in piano having played in multiple events and has also participated in a range of fundraising activities. Harriet is a member of Explorers in Euxton and is also a young leader at Cubs, both of which have given her the opportunity to lead initiatives and boost her confidence. Harriet is particularly interested in the area of mental health and is keen to support the college to further develop its work in this area. Harriet aims to progress to university to study English Literature and ultimately to become a Marketing Manager for a publishing company. Harriet is looking forward to joining the Corporation Board and making a valuable contribution as Student Governor.

Marc Balshaw | Co-opted Member

Marc is a Senior Tax Manager at Grant Thornton LLP and supports companies across the North West from small owner managed businesses to multi-national Corporations. He advises clients on a range of areas including corporation, entrepreneurial and transactional tax matters. Marc graduated from the University of Manchester with a first class honours degree in Mathematics with financial maths and used to play rugby at a semi-professional level.

David Grime | Co-opted Member

David is the Catering Services Manager at Edge Hill University. David has previously worked as a College lecturer in catering and hospitality as well as in restaurant and event management. Involvement in the local community is something that is important to David, and he is keen to ensure that students receive a great experience whilst learning something that he is passionate about.

Steven Haycocks | Co-opted Member

Steven is the Headteacher at Balshaw’s High School. He has been in education for 24 years with 10 years as a senior leader in 11-18 schools prior to headship at Balshaw’s. His degree is in English Literature and Linguistics, but he also takes a keen interest in the use of technology in education having also been a Head of ICT. With a number of years specialising in curriculum design and implementation, Steven sits on the Curriculum and Standards Committee.

Neil Cordell | Co-opted Member

Neil is an experienced technology professional with over 40 years’ experience software development, IT operations, enterprise architecture, information/cyber security and data protection. He has successfully developed and delivered information security strategy and roadmaps to improve the information security posture of the organisations. He has held senior management positions at two UK Universities and within several private sector organisations.  Additionally, he has extensive knowledge and experience in data protection previously holding the position of Data Protection Officer (DPO).

David Chamberlain | Co-opted Member

David is the co-founder of a web-based content creation platform, Viddyoze, which has 200,000 customers worldwide. David is a proven entrepreneurial leader with a passion for building and scaling businesses in the digital and technology sector. Having led the business from inception, David has developed a wide range of skills within sales, marketing, development and operations.

Stuart Hide | Academic Staff Member

Stuart is the T Level Course Leader for Design, Surveying, and Planning, a role which allows him to inject creativity and ambition into every element of the program, ensuring that students receive a well-rounded and industry-relevant education. Stuart received a Staff Excellence Award during Runshaw College’s 50th Anniversary in April 2024, highlighting his commitment to advancing T Level planning and development.

Having transitioned through various educational roles, from KS3/4 educator to Assistant Headteacher, Stuart has consistently contributed to student success and personal growth. With a diverse professional background in military engineering, security, architecture, and a first-class honours degree in interior architecture and design, Stuart brings a wealth of industry knowledge and leadership experience to his role as Academic Staff Governor.

Deborah Adams | Support Staff Member

Deborah has worked at Runshaw College for 17 years, starting in Runshaw Dining and now as part of the Facilities team. During that time, Deborah has worked alongside many dedicated, hardworking and supportive colleagues across the campus, and has always valued the strong sense of teamwork that makes Runshaw special.

Support staff play a vital role in helping to create the right environment for both staff and students to thrive, and in supporting Runshaw’s commitment to excellence. As Support Staff Governor, Deborah is keen to help ensure that colleagues’ voices, ideas and concerns are heard, valued and represented fairly. Deborah is committed to supporting an inclusive, diverse and respectful culture, making Runshaw a great place to work and study.