Governance & Policies

Julie is an Independent Education consultant having previously worked in school improvement for 13 years in a local authority with strategic responsibility for Leadership Development and Governor Services. Prior to this Julie taught in both secondary schools and in Further Education at a Sixth Form College in Brighton where she was a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

She has experience of teaching on a range of both vocational and academic programmes. Throughout her career in education she has served on a range of school governing boards developing a wide skillset. Julie is passionate about governance and has provided support to Boards and senior management teams in areas such as board effectiveness, preparing for inspections and development of strategic plans.

Julie became Chair of Corporation in July 2020. She completed her degree in History at the University of Sussex and then went on to complete a PGCE at Homerton College, Cambridge followed by a MA in Education at the University of Sussex. She is also a member of the Search and Governance Committee, Finance Committee, Remuneration Committee and the Quality Group. Julie is the Corporation link governor for Safeguarding.

Julie is Vice Chair of the AoC National Chairs’ Council and is the elected representative for Chairs’ for the Southern East region . She is also the Chair of the AoC Curriculum and Quality Committee Chairs' Network for governors and the Chair of the South East Chair of Governors group.  Julie has been a member of working groups to review the AoC Code of Good Governance, develop competency frameworks for Principal’s and Governance Professional’s and develop national guidance on effective Senior Postholder appraisals and Chair Performance Reviews.

Julie brings her enthusiasm for the FE sector, land-based provision and education together in her role at Plumpton College.

Originally from West Sussex, Jeremy grew up on a small holding, where his love of the countryside and interest in wildlife and animals began. 

He went on to study Animal Science at Reading University, and it was after a short period of employment within both the animal and agricultural industries, that he decided to forge a career which would combine his passion for the natural environment with education. Having previously worked at other land-based colleges, including Brinsbury and Hadlow, Jeremy was appointed as the head of Cannington College in 2008, a successful land-based college in Somerset, and was known amongst his peers as the driving force behind its success. 

Jeremy took over as Principal of Plumpton College in October 2015.  He sits on the boards for Landex and the National Land Based Colleges, is the Vice Chair for the SELEP Skills Working Group and is also part of the Management Advisory Group for WineGB, in addition to chair of the WineGB Education and Training Group. 

Helen has a range of experience in Higher Education practice and policy, Managerial Accounting and the Hospitality Industry. She has an Honours degree, an MBA and a PhD. She started work as a clerk at Barclays Bank and also worked as a Hotel Manager. After achieving her degree in Accounting and Finance, she qualified as a Management Accountant (ACMA) working for Eriksson Telecommunications.

She invested the remaining 30 years of her career at the University of Brighton, lecturing in accounting, finance and business strategy, she also had a leading role in quality assurance and enhancement initiatives. Her leadership roles at school and Faculty level culminated in a pan-university role of Director of Education. Working with the Pro Vice Chancellor for Education and Student Experience she focussed on enhancement of learning and teaching practices, student engagement and inclusion across the whole university.

She has a passion for learning and a focus on student growth, development and employability. As a dyslexic diagnosed at 37 years of age, with dyslexic children, she is particularly interested in supporting students with additional learning needs to achieve their full potential. Upon retirement, reflecting on her experience as a school governor, she joined Corporation in September 2019 to volunteer her skills and experience in support of Plumpton’s aspirations and continued development. Helen is currently Link Governor for Finance and SEND.

I have been studying Horticulture at Plumpton College since 2024, with a strong interest in historical conservation. As a historical re-enactor, I value community, teamwork, and the lessons we can draw from the past.

Mark is the CEO and Co-Founder of Ada, the National College for Digital Skills. Ada is the first new FE Corporation in England since 1993. Mark was a member of the inaugural cohort of Teach First in 2003. He has subsequently worked for Lloyds Banking group in the UK and South Africa. He graduated from Harvard in 2011 with an interdisciplinary Masters in Education and has helped establish a school in Uganda. 

Jade is a senior operational leader in the veterinary sector, currently serving as Head of the London Region for Linnaeus (Mars Veterinary Health). She is responsible for a portfolio of general practice veterinary sites across London, leading strategic planning, clinical development, and operational delivery. A proud Plumpton College alumna, Jade completed her FdSc in Veterinary Nursing in 2013 and qualified as a Registered Veterinary Nurse.

With over a decade of experience in senior leadership roles, Jade specialises in organisational strategy, cultural transformation, and talent development. She is passionate about the veterinary profession and is committed to advancing and shaping the future of veterinary nursing. Jade also holds a CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership and is a trainee British Dressage judge.

Outside of work, Jade enjoys spending time with her four horses and walking her dog in the countryside. She lives locally to the college and maintains strong ties to the land-based and animal care community.

Steve Harper is a partner in haysmacintyre, working within their Charity and Not for Profit team. He is a Chartered Accountant, auditing and advising a wide range of not for profit clients, including those in the education sector.

He has specialised in working with the not for profit sector since 2009 and has worked with a wide range of organisations over this time. In addition to external audit, Steve has led a wide range of other reviews including internal audits, finance function reviews and reviews of overseas country offices.

In addition to his client work, Steve is haysmacintyre's EDI partner which is an area that he is passion about.

He is a qualified Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and holds the ICAEW’s Diploma in Charity Accounting. Over the years, Steve has served as a trustee of several charities including the MapAction, a humanitarian charity which applies geospatial expertise to humanitarian situations.

Steve lives locally to the college in Burgess Hill, though enjoys taking the opportunity to travel whenever he can. Steve is passionate about education and supporting the sector and is delighted to using his professional experience to support the College.

Doug was a Governor from 2019-2024, before joining the Audit Committee as a Co-opted Member in 2024. Doug is NFU Mutual Senior Agent and NFU Group Secretary in Kent and East Sussex.  Prior to this Doug worked as a business consultant specialising in farming, rural and food businesses.  Doug is also a Director of RAMSAK a farming and rural co-operative helping to share farming resources, as well as accessing bulk purchasing prices, covering the counties of Kent, East and West Sussex and Surrey.

Doug has been Chairman and Treasurer for Sussex Young Farmers’ Clubs, was an officeholder for South East YFC and was National Agriculture and Rural Affairs chairman, National Council Member and was co-opted to the board of management for NFYFC.  Doug has also served as a trustee and member of council for the South of England Agricultural Society and was Chief Pig Steward and Chairman of the Sheep, Pig and Goat Committee.

Doug lives in Kent and enjoys spending time at home with his partner, their two girls and their two dogs.

For the past 10 years, Hilary has worked as a local food and drink consultant working in both the public and private sectors. She manages the Sussex Food and Drink Network which encourages collaboration between food and drink businesses with the aim to help them grow.  Hilary is a director of Natural Partnerships CIC a not-for-profit company, delivering projects which support the agri-food community across the region including the Sussex Food and Drink Awards. Formerly manager of ‘A Taste of Sussex’ Hilary has worked extensively in the food and drink sector throughout her career, in manufacturing, marketing, retail and event catering and has wide-ranging experience of the local food and drink sector.

Hilary has been a Sussex resident for over 40 years.  Hilary has been a Governor since January 2021.

Following a 15 year career with Barclays  Bank in various roles across London and the South East, Gill moved into the education sector initially as Bursar in Primary education, moving on to become Personal Assistant to the Principal of Uckfield College and then the Headteacher at Chailey School.

Gill also worked as Exams Manager at both Uckfield and Heathfield Colleges before joining Plumpton College as PA to the Vice Principal in 2017. Gill has had experience in working across a number of areas within the College since that time and became Support Staff Governor in September 2021.

In September 2022, Gill decided to reduce her hours and now works part time in the Registry Team as an Administrator.