Meet our Principal and Governors

Our governing body is made up of volunteers from the local community. Together they bring a diverse and impressive range of expertise to the College Corporation.

The Board has an extensive range of responsibilities, including determining the educational character and mission of the College – something that’s reflected in the members’ wide-ranging backgrounds, interests and areas of expertise.

West Herts College is part of the WHC Group of colleges which includes Barnfield College. West Herts has campuses in Watford and Hemel Hempstead while Barnfield is based in Luton. These three towns sit close to the M1 motorway, in a local economy which is significant for its concentration of employment, diverse communities and connectivity to Central England and London.

Phil Thompson

Chair of Corporation, appointed September 2018

Phil Thompson is a chartered engineer whose career in telecoms took him to board level and onward into senior consultancy roles. His expertise spans responsibility for strategy and operations – the springboard for which was a professional apprenticeship in engineering. Not surprisingly Phil has a passion for further education and is a life-long advocate of its power to create dynamic opportunities. He joins us having gained considerable college Board experience including time as an FE Chair of Governors.
Gill Worgan

Principal, West Herts College, member of Search and Governance Committee & Capital Projects Steering Group, appointed January 2011

Gill joined the senior management team at West Herts College in 2002, directing a range of curriculum and business functions before being appointed Deputy Principal in 2008. Gill’s focus at this time was quality and curriculum development – work which culminated in 2010 with the College’s Ofsted rating of Outstanding. In January 2011 she was appointed West Herts College Principal and Chief Executive.
Ben Stapleton

Chair of Audit Committee, appointed October 2015

Ben is a chartered accountant within KPMG’s audit practice. His client base includes both private sector and not for profit companies, including further education colleges. He has experience at advising on best practice corporate governance and financial controls. His wider interests include acting as voluntary trustee and treasurer for a local homelessness charity.
Chris Nicholls

Governor, appointed September 2019

Chris has a wide range of professional experience in Education. His roles in the sector include extensive work across school-improvement in Bedford. Chris retired as Principal of Luton Sixth Form College in 2018 and maintains his extensive voluntary work in the town and local area.
David York

Business Support Governor, appointed September 2017

David is a senior technician and manages the Technical Services team at Barnfield. David holds vast knowledge of college systems and is honoured to be elected for a third time as a staff governor.
Irina Kendix

Governor, appointed September 2019

Irina has more than 20 years of experience in financial services, including a consultant, risk manager and Internal Audit Director of an international insurance division and of a global asset manager. She is particularly interested in risk management, business strategy and corporate governance.
Jason Smith

Governor , appointed September 2021

Jason is local to Barnfield College and is a qualified accountant with extensive experience in a wide range of operational finance roles within the leisure and hospitality sectors both in the U.K. and internationally.
Guy Ainsley

Governor, appointed July 2017

Guy’s background is in the automotive industry spanning a wide range of commercial activities from production to retail. Guy has extensive directorship experience including as an executive director with a UK plc and as a non-executive director with a US based start-up/SME. Recently, Guy has developed an HE teaching practice with roles at Loughborough University and University of Birmingham’s Business School.
Matt Lueshi

Governor, appointed October 2017

Matt Luheshi is a geoscientist by profession with over 37 years of experience in oil and gas exploration. He gained most of his experience with BP (24 years) where he held a variety of technical and management roles. Following retirement from BP he has worked as a consultant with a number of major and independent oil companies as well as government oil organisations.
Paul Thompson

Governor, appointed October 2019

As the Employer and Skills Manager for SEMLEP, Paul is responsible for working with partners to develop a range of initiatives that support skills enhancement for young people and adults, including apprenticeships, with the aim of producing a skilled and adaptable workforce, supporting existing employers and future growth in the area.
Phil Berry

Governor, appointed September 2018

Phil Berry is Director of Academic Quality at Middlesex University. He has held a number of director level roles within universities, in posts ranging from large-scale operational management in the student-facing environment to the development of strategy in relation to academic partnerships, trans-national education, government policy and the changing higher education environment.
Richard Lewis

Governor, appointed October 2017

Richard is a senior lawyer in the Government Legal Department, where he has advised on consumer law, state aid and trade union and employment law. He has also been a deputy director in the professional and technical education directorate of the Department for Education, where he worked on the Technical and Further Education Act 2017 and on the restructuring of the further education and sixth form college sectors. Before becoming a civil servant, he was a partner in one of London's leading commercial law firms.
Anne-Marie Kinsella

Clerk to the Corporation, appointed September 2021

Anne-Marie, the Clerk to the Corporation, joined us in August 2021 and has 16 years’ experience in clerking for schools and academies. Alongside her clerking role she has worked within education in a variety of roles including, Ofsted inspector and City & Guilds Verifier for post-16 qualifications in Hospitality and Catering. Her career started as the Training, Development and Quality Manager for the catering department at Shell UK Ltd.