This is the governing body of the College, which was established as an independent Further Education Corporation on 1 April 1993 under the provisions of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The Corporation’s Instrument and Articles of Government provide the legal basis on which it operates, specifying the composition of the Corporation, the way in which it must conduct its business, its duties and responsibilities and its role as an employer, with regard to students and with regard to the discharge of its financial responsibilities.
The Corporation is responsible for the strategic direction and the effective management of the College. The Corporation decides on strategic policy and the overall direction of the College, as well as monitoring the performance of the most senior managers in the College. Collectively, the members of the Corporation must ensure that they operate within the legal framework of the College and must observe the duties which are set out for them within these documents.
The Corporation must be properly constituted and each member of the Corporation owes a fiduciary duty to the College, that is, they must show the highest loyalty to the College and act in good faith in its interests. Effectively each member must act honestly, diligently and independently whilst, at the same time, paying due attention to the requirement to take collective responsibility as part of the Board. The Corporation regularly reviews and updates all of its policies and procedures which provide the framework for its operations, to ensure that they are up-to-date and comply with the best practice in the sector and particularly the key principles for public office, namely:
These values are enshrined in the Board’s Code of Conduct which outlines the standards set by the Corporation for Governorship and detailed Standing Orders for the operation of the Corporation and the way in which it conducts its business. These include Rules of Procedure for Membership and an open Register of Members’ Interests which is available for public scrutiny.
The Corporation believes that its business is open to public scrutiny and, with the exception of those items of business which are deemed to be confidential as defined within the instrument of Government, for example the pay and remuneration of an individual, its policy is that the Corporation meetings are open meetings. Entitlement to attend meetings is defined within the Standing Orders. Members of staff who are not Corporation members or senior postholders are regularly in attendance at all meetings and other members of staff are invited where they are presenting particular reports to the Corporation. Papers and minutes of the Corporation are published in accordance with specific arrangements and, with the exception of those items specifically designated as confidential, all papers and minutes are available for public scrutiny as are any documents, Regulations, bye-laws etc. of the Corporation.
The Corporation operates through a number of committees which deal with the detailed work of the Corporation as follows:
All of the committees operate to approved terms of reference and specified membership and there is an approved Scheme of Delegation. Copies of the minutes of Corporation meetings are available from the Clerk.
In addition, Corporation Members also undertake a range of training to support and develop their understanding of the College.
Membership of the Corporation is broadly defined within the Instrument of Government and, within these parameters, the Corporation has agreed the following profile of Corporation Members:
This profile seeks to maximise the College’s opportunities to involve all key stakeholders.
The Search and Governance Committee of the Corporation is responsible for all membership issues and no appointments can be made to the Corporation without advice from the Search Committee. The Corporation is committed to embracing diversity and aims to attract Corporate Members from a wide range of backgrounds who can offer the following:
Anyone who is interested in serving on the Board should contact Jackie Eayrs, the Clerk to the Corporation by email: jackie.eayrs@hsdc.ac.uk
Kurt took up the post as interim Principal & CEO on 5th January 2026. He is a full member of the Board and Chief Accounting Officer. As such, he serves on all Board committees except the Audit and Remuneration committees. Kurt brings significant experience of leading further education colleges through periods of change and improvement, with a strong focus on learner outcomes, financial sustainability and organisational culture.
Penny was appointed in July 2025 and brings to the Board many years’ experience of working, volunteering and as a parent in further education. She has also worked as a senior manager in the health service and as an entrepreneur and employer in commerce. She was elected as Chair for 2025/2026 in December 2025 and, in this capacity, she serves on all Corporation Committees except the Audit Committee.
Stella was appointed to the Board as a full Governor in October 2024. Following a long career in health and social management, consultancy and training in the UK and overseas, Stella brings invaluable skills and experience to the Board to support the education and wellbeing of young people. Stella has a specialist interest in, and knowledge of, the needs of young people in adverse circumstances and, now retired, is currently the Executive Chair of a children’s mental health charity. Stella is a champion of breaking down barriers to achievement and promoting educational opportunity for young people from all backgrounds. She was elected Co-Vice-Chair of the Corporation in December 2025, and she serves on the CQL, HR and Audit Committees. In addition, she is the Board Champion for SEND and the Link Governor for Student Services and Careers.
Romy was appointed to the Board in March 2018. Following extensive experience and leadership in HE, FE, school and early years, as well as local authority and business experience, she is self-employed within the HE/FE sector. Her current focus is on providing curriculum and project management advice on setting up a new college, as Project Director at the London South Bank Technical College which is part of the South Bank Colleges/LSBU Group. With this experience, Romy brings significant knowledge of Further Education and Higher Education to the Board. She was elected Co-Vice-Chair of the Corporation in July 2025 and, in that capacity has shared responsibility for the Search and Governance Committee and the Remuneration Committee. She currently serves on the Curriculum, Quality and Learning Committee, the Search & Governance Committee and the RSA Committee.
Ian was appointed to the Board in July 2024. He is a qualified accountant, has extensive public sector and HE experience in senior finance and operations roles, and is currently Interim CFO at the University of Brighton. He serves on the Finance & Estates Committee and was elected Chair in November 2025.
Simon previously served on the Havant Sixth Form College Board as both Vice-Chair and Chair of a number of committees. As well as a range of business and engineering experience, in England and abroad, he also has extensive Higher Education experience and was Dean of the Faculty of Technology and Dean of the Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) at the University of Portsmouth. Simon is the Chair of the Estates Strategy Group and also serves on the Finance & Estates Committee of the Corporation. In addition, he is the Board Champion for HE.
Jackie joined the HSDC team as the Clerk to the Corporation in July 2019. She has 25+ years’ experience in the Further Education sector and was formerly the Clerk at Fareham College for 18 years.
Keryn was appointed to the Board as a full Governor in July 2025. She has significant experience across the Banking industry and is currently Head of Corporate Partnerships with the Lloyds Banking Group. With this professional experience, Keryn brings substantial experience and understanding of Risk Management and Cyber Security to the Board and she currently serves on the Audit Committee.
Mike was formerly the Chair of the Havant Sixth Form College Board and was Chair of the HSDC Board from 2017 to 2021. Before he retired Mike was Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth and he has significant experience in Further and Higher Education. He currently serves on the Estates Strategy Group, the HR Committee and the Recovery, Sustainability and Accountability (RSA) Committee. In addition, he is the Board Champion for Health & Safety and Environmental Sustainability.
Kamlesh was appointed to the HSDC Board in March 2021. After graduating, he joined IBM and stayed with the company until 2010. Within IBM he worked in most areas of the business, being promoted up to Global Head of Service Management and then Service Delivery Director. As Director he led on revenue generation, cost control, global delivery teams, service management, service desk, IT operations, desk side, programme and project office, technical architecture and network support. He oversaw a global team of 300 and had oversight of a portfolio of IT projects valued at £15m. After leaving IBM he held senior service delivery roles with Transport for London, HP, Phoenix IT Services and joined NTT as Head of Global Transition in 2014. With NTT he progressed to become Service Transition Director where he partnered with clients to oversee major IT change programmes, through a team of 20+ managers based across Europe. Kamlesh lives in Waterlooville and retired in July 2021. He currently serves on the Finance & Estates Committee and the Curriculum, Quality and Learning Committee and he is also the Board Champion for Cyber Security.
Mike Tiller was appointed to the Board as the Teaching Staff Governor in December 2023 following a successful election process. He is currently a Lecturer in Business and Finance and Construction and he is the Course Leader for Design, Surveying and Planning for Construction T Level and for Business and Administration T Level. Mike has some experience of governance having been a Governor of two schools and a Trustee for two Charities and he currently serves on the Curriculum, Quality and Learning Committee.
Mel was appointed to the Board as Support Staff Governor in July 2025, having been nominated for the role by the Support Staff body. She has worked at HSDC for 6 years and currently works in the Finance Team. Mel brings a valuable perspective to the Board as Staff Governor and she currently serves on the Curriculum, Quality and Learning Committee.
James was appointed to the Board in July 2024 having been elected as one of the chosen nominees for the role of Student Governor by the student body. When appointed, he was a Level 2 Commis Chef Apprentice and he returned to College in September 2024 to complete a Level 3 course in Catering. James provides an invaluable student perspective, and he serves on the CQL Committee.