Corporation News

The Corporation have had a busy term, both in terms of their formal business cycle but also with student representative lunches, meetings with staff and a ministerial visit (with a diversion to see Carl and his charges in the ZEC!)

We welcome Angelique Wright (previously a governor at CBC) who will join the Resources Committee.

This role also inevitably involves goodbyes and Sharon De Leonardis left the Board in March. Sharon was an active governor for nearly four years and greatly increased the profile of EDI on board agendas as well as supporting internal groups. I will miss Sharon’s energy and passion on the Board, and will continue to work with TBCG Board and other FE boards to increase awareness of the benefits of harnessing different perspectives in decision making. I’m sure Sharon will continue to support TBCG.

I also need to formally convey the news of Linda Hockey’s death on 31 March 2023. Some of you will have worked with Linda as she served as a governor for circa 10 years, finally relenting and becoming the first female chair of the Corporation in 2016-2017, taking us smoothly through the Tresham merger. Most of you will not have met Linda but on her retirement from the Corporation Linda agreed to Chair the Board of BCPS Limited and did so for a number of years. In that role she was the driving force behind positive changes to the BCPS contracts. A reminder that not everyone who influences our lives for the better are clearly visible to us.

Linda was a mentor, a coach, a huge support, someone I considered a true friend and ally. We had planned a lunch that never happened and I was saving so much to tell her. For the sake of your own wellbeing and for someone else, make the time to take your own version of that lunch soon, encourage and inspire each other, or just have a laugh.

Caroline Biddle Executive Director of Human Resources cbiddle@bedford.ac.uk