Governor Membership and Terms of Office

Structure of the Corporation

College corporations vary in size, and in the balance between various types of members. Since 1st August 1999, corporations can have no less than 12 members but no more than 20. Changes to the Instruments and Articles of Governance came into effect on 1st January 2008. The major change is the removal of the categories in the composition of the corporation. This increases the flexibility of the College to recruit governors with the skills and knowledge to respond to our needs and those of the community and provides us with an increased level of autonomy. The revision also increased the number of student governors from one to two.

The Hartpury College Corporation membership is composed of:-

• 15 Governor Members
• 1 Parent member
• 1 Staff member
• 2 Student members
• The Principal.

Attendance at Corporation Meetings

The Corporation is required to meet at least once per academic term and is quorate only when at least 40% of its Members are present. The Corporation agrees annually its Governance Targets which includes targets for attendance at Corporation and Committee Meetings.

The Clerk to the Corporation attends and minutes all Corporation and Committee meetings. The Vice Principals are normally 'in attendance' for all or part of each Corporation meeting.

Terms of Office and Filling Vacancies

Corporation Members can serve a term of office up to four years and, on retirement at the end of their term of office, they are normally eligible for reappointment. The Hartpury College Corporation has 3 Members who serve for less than 4 years, 2 Student Governors and a Parent Governor. The Student Governors are elected and nominated by Hartpury students on an annual basis. The Parent Governor serves for a term no longer than his/her child is at the College.

A number of circumstances, such as having been adjudged bankrupt or holding a criminal record, make certain individuals ineligible for office and these are laid down in section 8, Persons Ineligible to be Members, of the Instrument and Articles of Government.

Corporation Members appoint both the Chairman and Vice Chairman from amongst their number and both can hold office for as long as is determined by the Corporation. Neither the Principal nor any staff or student member is eligible to be appointed Chairman or Vice Chairman.

The process for making appointments to the Corporation has to be both open and transparent. The Corporation takes advice and recommendations from its Search Committee in respect of new Members. The Corporation must formally approve the appointment of all Members.

A Member can resign at any time by giving notice in writing to the Clerk to the Corporation and the Corporation can remove a Member from office if it is satisfied that he/she has been absent from meetings for a period longer than 6 months without permission from the Corporation.

Members of the Corporation are required to declare and sign a ‘Register of Interests' annually and to agree to take note of the current 'Code of Conduct for Corporation Members' on appointment.

*Governor at Incorporation

Members of the Corporation

Mr. Martin Baber
Martin is a recently retired local dairy farmer and a former student of Hartpury College. His association with the governance of Hartpury College precedes Incorporation. He is a past Chairman of Gloucestershire National Farmers Union. Martin currently chairs the Staff Information and Consultative Committee and he sits on the Governors' Management Committee, Special Committee and Search and Governance Committee and has the Link Governor responsibility to Learning Support and Skills for Life.

Mr. Bob Barnett
Bob Barnett was elected to the Board of Governors in March 2009.

Bob is a Chartered Accountant and worked in the Financial Sector both in this Country and North America. After Post Graduate work at the Harvard Business School Bob founded his own Management Consultancy business which was subsequently sold.

Bob is Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of BRACE, a Bristol based charity supporting Alzheimer research and Non-Executive Director of Molson Holdings an affiliate of Fiat of Italy and Kobelco of Japan. Bob is a member of the Governors Management Committee and Remuneration Committee and Link Governor for HE Business and Sports Sciences.

Mr. David Barnett
David Barnett is an agriculturalist with extensive experience in the land based education and training sector. He was appointed to the Corporation in February 2001. A former Deputy Principal of Hartpury College, he now operates an educational training and consultancy business. He has been a member of his local Milk Development Council Focus Group and sits on the Quality and Standards Committee. David also is the Link Governor for HE Animal and Land Sciences.

Mrs. Rosamund Blomfield-Smith
Rosamund joined the Corporation on 12 August 2006. She represents the University of the West of England and is Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of Search and Governance Committee and Special Committee. Rosamund is currently Non-Executive Director of British Empire Securities plc, Board Member of Wales Audit Office, Chair of Moat Homes Ltd and Director of Thames Water Ltd. Rosamund acts as Link Governor for HE Quality.

Mrs. Barbara Buck
Barbara is the Staff Governor. Her date of appointment was March 2008, for a term of 4 years, terminating 5th March 2012. Bararara has been a fulltime lecturer in the National Diploma Sport - Outdoor Education - since 1999. She is a Key Skills Champion and First Aid Instructor. Her areas of interest/research are Health & Fitness Training, Health Studies, Leisure Studies and Injury Management.

Mr. Mike Burton
Mike Burton was appointed as a Co-opted Governor in June 2005. After leaving school in Gloucester he soon made his mark as a rugby union player going on to represent Gloucester RFC, whom he captained in 1975, England , the Barbarians and the British and Irish Lions. After retiring from the game in 1978 Mike went into business in areas directly related to sport and is now Chairman of the Mike Burton Group a leading corporate hospitality, sports travel and player management company. He sits on the Governors' Management Committee and is "Link Governor for HE Business and Sports Science".

Mr. Duncan Clegg
Duncan became a member of the Corporation in October 2008.  Duncan has a background in Merchant Banking and is past Vice-Chair of the Port of London Authority. Duncan was a member of the Oxford Boat crew in 1965 and 1966 winning on both occasions and was President of the OUBC in 1966.  Duncan had responsibility for the organisation of the boat race from 1984 until 2004.  Currently Duncan is Chair of the Dorney Blake Trust, the 2000 metre rowing course at Eton which will be the venue for the rowing and canoeing events for the 2012 London Olympics. Duncan is a member of the Remuneration and Audit Committees and Link Governor for Learning Resource Centre.

Mr. David Crawford
David became a governor in October 2009. He graduated from Loughborough University and took up a career in education latterly becoming Headmaster of Colstons School in Bristol. He is a past Chair of the Society of Heads of Independent Schools, a Governor of the Merchants' Academy of the Society of Merchant Ventures and Chair of the independent Monitoring Board of Ashfield Young Offenders' Institute. David also Chairs the Quality and Standards Committee, is a member of the Equality and Diversity Committee and Link Governor for A Levels.

Mr. Mark Davison MBE
Mark is a local farmer and businessman and is also an ex- Governor of the University of the West of England and has held the chair of the CULTIVA (ELITE) Consortium and the Gloucester Federation of Colleges. He was a local county councillor and involved in the setting up of Severn Sound. Mark was Chair of the Corporation for 17 years but recently retired from this position but remains a Governor. Mark is the 'Link Governor' for FE Sport and Leisure. Mark is a member of the Governors Management Committee, Remuneration and Search Committees. Mark was awarded an MBE in 2008 for his work for the local community.

Ms. Laura Entwistle
Laura is a student in her first year of a BSc Hons in Equine Science and as Chair of the Faculty Student Body has become a governor in November 2010. Laura previously studied at the College a National Diploma in Horse Management which she passed with distinction. She also acts as a student ambassador and is a member of the Health, Safety and Safeguarding Committee.

Councillor Tony Hicks
Tony Hicks is an elected Member of Gloucestershire County Council, and a Trustee of Tetbury Hospital. He has a farming background, an extensive business background with ICI in Africa and has been a Member of the Corporation since October 1999. Tony is a member of the Audit Committee and Chairs the Special Committee and is the designated ‘Link Governor' to Quality FE and Business Development. Tony Chairs Gloucestershire Supporting People Initiative and Gloucestershire Health Community and Well Being Partnership and is the Colleges nominated governor for Child Protection.

Mrs. Jane Holderness Roddam CBE
Jane was the first British woman to compete in an Olympic 3 Day Event, winning a Team Gold Medal at Mexico in 1968. She has also won Badminton and Burley and was a member of the Gold Medal Team at the European Championships at Burley in 1977 and went to the World Championships in Lexington, Kentucky in 1978. The following year she doubled for Tatum O’Neal in the film “International Velvet”. Jane is a past Chair of the Riding for the Disabled Association and the National Riding Festival; President of the Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy, British Eventing, the British Equestrian Trade Association and The Caspian Horse Society and Council Chairman of British Equestrian Federation. She is also the author of over 25 equestrian books and is a Lady in Waiting to HRH the Princess Royal. She was awarded a CBE for services to equestrian sport in 2004. Jane has 'Link Governor' responsibility for FE Equine, Land, Animal Studies and Agriculture.

Mr. Edward Keene
Edward is a local businessman involved with managing the family farming business who joined the Corporation in August 2006. Edward is Chair of the UK Blackcurrant Committee and a member of Highnam Parish Council.  He is Vice Chair of the Corporation, Chair of the Equality and Diversity Committee and a member of the Governors’ Management Committee and Special Committee. Edward is the Link Governor for HE Animal and Land Sciences.

Mr. Miles Murphy
Miles was elected as a Student Governor representing Further Education in March 2011 and is a first year A Level student studying English Literature, History and Environmental Studies. Miles is also a member of the Health, Safety and Safeguarding Committee.

Mr. Ken Nottage
Ken was appointed a Governor in July 2008.  He was educated at the University of Sunderland and the University of Northumbria and later returned to the University of Sunderland as Head of Student Recruitment.  Ken later became Chief Executive of Newcastle United FC Sporting Club and is currently the Managing Director of Gloucester Rugby Limited.  Ken has represented England and Great Britain at Basketball and previously held a Guinness Book Record for the most Premiership appearances.  Ken is a member of the Search and Governance Committee. Ken is Link Governor for FE Sport and Leisure.

Professor Ron Ritchie
Ron was appointed as a governor in Mach 2011 and is the nomination of the Vice Chancellor of the University of the West of England. Ron is Assistant Vice Chancellor of the University for Partnerships, Diversity and Civic Engagement and he has also become a member of the College Quality and Standards Committee.

Mr. David Seymour
David was elected to the Board in October 2010 as a Parent Governor and has a daughter at the College studying Horse Management. David for most of his career has been a journalist. He was Political Editor of Mirror Group Newspapers for 12 years and has also had several books published. He is also the founder and editor of Student Mirror, a termly newspaper distributed to 500,000 university students, a Trustee of Headliners and a board member of the Countryside Alliance. David is a member of the Health, Safety and Safeguarding Committee.

Mr. Graham van der Lely
Graham is a local nurseryman with business interests in both the horticultural and equestrian industries and is a Governor of the University of the West of England where he sits on the Finance Committee. His association with the governance of Hartpury College precedes Incorporation. Graham is Chairman of the Corporation and also chairs the Governors’ Management Committee, Search and Governance Committee and Remuneration Committee.

Mr. Malcolm Wharton
Malcolm was appointed Principal of Hartpury College in May 1990. He is an agriculturalist with strong interests in equine and sport industries. Malcolm chairs Academic Board, sits ‘in attendance' at Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee, and attends as a full Member of Farm and Estate Committee, Governors Management Committee, Quality and Standards Committee and Search Committees. He is Principal and Chief Executive of the College and Assistant Vice Chancellor of the University of the West of England.

Mr. Charlie Whitehouse
Charlie is a local farmer and business man and has been a member of the Corporation since June 2005. He is the Link Governor for FE Equine, Land, Animal Studies and Agriculture and was originally elected as a Local Community member of the Corporation representing the National Farmers Union. Charlie is a member of the Governors Management Committee and is chair of the Health and Safety Committee.

The Clerk to the Corporation
The Clerk to the Corporation is responsible for organising the proper conduct of the Corporation's business. The Clerk is appointed by the Corporation, works directly for the Corporation and is answerable directly to the Corporation for the proper discharge of his duties as Clerk. The Clerk must provide independent advice to the Corporation and work closely with both the Chairman and the Principal in managing Corporation business. Specific duties of the Clerk include, but are not limited to:

• Summoning meetings
• Preparing agendas and papers
• Minuting meetings
• Advising the Chairman on procedure
• Ensuring that the decisions of the Corporation are conveyed to those with responsibility to implement them
• Undertaking correspondence on behalf of the Corporation

Additional Downloads:
Download the Governors Terms of Office