Corporate Information

Gemma leads on the College’s communications, professional apprenticeships, projects, careers, industry placement, PR, marketing, admissions, sales and stakeholder engagement strategies.

Gemma has a MBA from Arden University and having worked in the further education sector for over 14 years she is experienced in business transformation including business growth and customer experience improvement as well as in lobbying and shaping government policies.

In 21/22 Gemma secured over £3m of grant and commercial funding contracts and is currently leading on the UK’s largest Strategic Development Capital Project. Gemma has studied at Warwick University, Said Business School – Oxford University, Babson College in the USA and has completed an MBA with distinction with Arden University. She has a real passion for the learner experience and the transformative power of education.

Anthony is an independent consultant and interim senior manager working in the Education and Skills Sector. He has over 20 years of experience in leadership and management in Further Education, and specialises in strategic planning, information management and the use of digital technologies. Anthony is a member of the Finance and Resources Committee.

Tina is a retired Vice Principal who has extensive experience and knowledge of the FE sector, where she had worked for some 30 years.  Tina started her career in FE as a science lecturer, teaching both GCSE, and Anatomy and Physiology modules across a range of BTEC National Diploma qualifications.

Prior to her retirement and following a successful career as Curriculum Lead / Director for Hair and Beauty, Health, Science and Childcare Tina spent the last 5 years of her career as one of two Vice Principals at a very large inner-city FE College.  Her portfolio of responsibilities included Apprenticeships, Technical Education and Study Programmes. She had strategic responsibility for the introduction of T Levels across the College, working with stakeholders to develop comprehensive implementation plans. She took a lead on the bidding process for all elements of T Levels, including securing capital money and capacity delivery funds for industry placement. She was responsible for monitoring spend and completing comprehensive reports for external bodies.

Along with her other responsibilities, Tina was also the College lead and responsible for the successful outcome at stage 1 of an Institute for Technology funding bid. Tina had responsibility for leading and driving improvements in teaching, learning and assessment, including leading on efficiency plans; planning and developing the curriculum; efficient delivery of programmes enabling the College to meet its strategic aims, funding agreements and financial/growth targets.

Tina contributed to, and was instrumental in creating and maintaining a culture of continuous improvement, focussing on high expectations and achievement. She has significant experience of the inspection process, both as a member of the Senior Leadership Team and as a Director/Curriculum Lead.

Tina Joins Coventry College as Chair of the Education and Standards Committee.

Donna Kendell is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Student Journey) at Coventry University responsible for strategic developments and high-level programme and project planning across the University Group.

This includes line management of the Strategic Transformation Office, oversight of appraisal evaluation and control measures, provision of infrastructure and resources, as well as planned programmes of activity for key strategic developments.

Donna was previously Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Continuous Improvement) and Director of Human Resources at Coventry University. Prior to joining Coventry, Donna was director of Human Resources and Organisational Development for a London-based NHS organisation and has held a number of senior positions in the field of human resource management.

Rachel Barr grew up in Birmingham, beginning her working career in Castle Vale Housing Association before moving to work for Signet, the leading jewellery retailer. These roles saw her develop expertise in IT purchasing.

Subsequently, Rachel has undertaken procurement and commercial roles with a range of blue chip organisations including TUI, Jaguar Land Rover and Cadburys Foods. Whilst at Cadburys Rachel undertook a series of leadership roles, including through the takeover by Kraft Foods and the subsequent creation of Mondelez International. In 2014 Rachel joined Coventry Building Society as Head of Procurement and Supplier Relationship Management Function to create a Procurement function. Rachel moved to Sainsbury’s in 2021 to join their Procurement leadership team. Rachel has extensive experience of managing and leading teams, negotiating complex supply arrangements, and delivering complex IT and system upgrade projects.

Away from work Rachel enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, walking, and appreciating great music.

Rebecca is a barrister practising in Birmingham. Originally from a village in Cambridgeshire, Rebecca moved to Coventry in 2005 to attend university where she completed a BA(Hons) in History and Psychology. Rebecca thereafter attended the College of Law (now the University of Law) and completed the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Bar Vocational Course whilst working at a local financial institution. After being called to the Bar in 2010, Rebecca has held a number of positions in the law, both self-employed and employed, and completed an LL.M in Legal Professional Practice (specialising in Commercial Law) and an MSc in Law, Business and Finance together with the Legal Practice Course and Higher Rights of Audience in both civil and criminal law. Rebecca was the first generation in her family to attend university and has faced various challenges along the way that resulted in her taking an unusual route to the bar, seeing her qualify as a Fellow of CILEx and a solicitor as well as a barrister. As well as her day-to-day work, Rebecca is involved with various universities and schools to assist with mentoring students and providing advice to anyone who is considering a career in the law.

I have worked in the FE sector for the past 20 years in various roles- training co-coordinator, NVQ assessor, tutor and more recently as a placement coordinator; concentrating on the vocational/ practical elements of a study programme. I started my vocational career in Early Years and have always considered a ‘child/ student first’ approach to be best, and believe our students deserve the right support to be able to achieve their full potential whilst they are with us.

Thomas Crane is the General Counsel of Coventry Building Society, the UK’s second largest society. He had responsibility for legal, data protection, corporate governance and procurement matters at Coventry. Thomas is a member of the Audit Committee.

With over 25 years’ experience in HR, Jemma joined SSP Limited in March 2017 and is responsible for global human resources. Jemma previously worked for the Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors as Head of HR for six years, where she was key in leading change to support the organisation in becoming one of the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For. In her early career, Jemma worked with Domestic & General Insurance to set up a 24/7 contact centre service for its Domestic Appliance insurance product and spent 10 years with TUI Travel (Lunn Poly, Thomson Holidays, First Choice), leading the HR support for its retail outlets and contact centres.