Governance

Meet Our Governors

External Members

Angela was born in Hull and graduated from Edinburgh University before working for RHM Agriculture as a nutritionist for four years. In 1984 she joined Page Feeds in Tadcaster, near York and has never changed company since but been demerged, merged and sold several times before finally becoming part of AB Agri in 2001. Angela has done a variety of roles including marketing, purchasing, supply chain management, transport, commercial account management, nutrition, quality assurance, food safety and business development. She was recently Director of Feed Safety and moved to a new role as Responsibility Director in July 2021.

Externally, Angela is involved with the Agricultural Industry Confederation and the European Feed Manufacturer’s Federation, the FEFAC Feed Safety Committee.

Angela lives with her husband and son on a small grassland farm in North Yorkshire. She enjoys riding her horse, seeing her extended family, doing as much amateur theatre as time allows and being part of that rural community.

Adam Milner

Adam was born and raised in East Yorkshire, where he spent the first 10 years of his career working in the property sector. Following a change of direction in 2012, Adam pursued his lifelong interest in farming and the countryside by becoming a student at Bishop Burton College, where he studied for a degree in Agricultural Resource Management. Graduating in 2015, he then went on to Harper Adams to undertake an MSc in Rural Estate and Land Management. Adam now combines the knowledge he has gained over two very different careers in his role with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, where he manages the council farm estate.

Not coming from an agricultural background, Adam is particularly interested in encouraging new entrants into the farming sector. He is also a big proponent of sustainable agriculture and of better public engagement.

Adam lives in Kirkella with his daughter, two dogs and an array of chickens. He is actively involved in field sports during the winter months and enjoys spending any remaining free time gardening and walking. He will happily tell you that his years as a Bishop Burton student were some of his best!

Christopher Henson

Christopher was born into a farming family in Somerset. He joined the Army in 1988, attending the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Officer Training and subsequently undertook specialist technical training in ammunition design and explosives safety at the Royal Military College of Science. He was awarded the Queens Gallantry Medal in 1994 for his work as a Bomb Disposal Officer. Over a 35 year military career, he filled a number of leadership roles spanning Supply Chain Management, Capability Acquisition and Training delivery. A graduate of the Army Staff College, he instructed at the UK Defence Academy, founded and commanded the newly centralised MoD bomb disposal and hazardous search training organisation and was Chief Executive of the UK Defence School of Transport in Leconfield for 4 years before retiring from the Army in 2023.

Christopher was selected by the Privy Council to represent the East Riding of Yorkshire as High Sheriff between April 2024 and April 2025, a voluntary role. He also continues to work in an advisory capacity in the area of leadership culture and organisational transformation, working with medium-scale and multinational corporations as well as working with the MoD in a Reservist role.

Christopher lives with his wife and family in East Yorkshire, and enjoys rural life, practical hobbies including tractor renovation and travel.

David Richardson

David was born in East Yorkshire into a farming family, he studied law at the University of Hull and qualified in 2011. After University, David worked for three commercial Law firms in Leeds before returning home to East Yorkshire to take up a position with Wilkin Chapman LLP Solicitors in Beverley where he specialises in Commercial and Agricultural disputes and litigation.

David has a real passion and interest for farming and the "rural life". So much so that he chose specialised as a solicitor in that area. David's family has close links to Bishop Burton College, with three generations of his family having attended the College.

David lives in Welton, Brough with his wife and two young children. When David is not stuck in a soft play centre somewhere, David enjoys getting outdoors as much as possible and enjoying the Yorkshire countryside.

Emma grew up in the East Riding of Yorkshire, attending schools in the county and then university in Manchester and Rochester, New York, leaving with a first degree in Hospitality Management and a PGCE in Secondary Food.

Her primary career has been in teaching, firstly in Goole and then spending ten years in a variety of roles at Longcroft School in Beverley (where she also acted as a Governor) before teaching in adult education.

Since leaving teaching Emma has worked as Catering and Visitor Services Officer for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust based at Spurn National Nature Reserve and specialising in rural tourism and locally produced food; was Regional Development Manager at FareShare Hull and Humber; and was County Organiser for the East Riding Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs. She also studied at Bishop Burton herself and achieved a floristry qualification.

Emma is currently a Rural Development Officer for East Riding of Yorkshire Council. In her spare time, she is an Education Mentor for the Prince’s Trust; volunteers with Ladies in Pigs, a national organisation that promotes British Food and Farming and is a qualified National Federation of Women’s Institutes Cookery Judge.

She lives in Beverley with her two teenage sons and Springer Spaniel Lola.

Graham has substantial experience in Further and Higher Education spanning almost 30 years. He started studying at Hull College as an apprentice Engineer in 1985 and enjoyed 11 years in industry. In 1996 he took up the post of Lecturer in Computer Aided Design and Manufacture at Hull College prior to being promoted to the position of Head of School of Engineering and subsequently Director of Learning for Young People. Graham moved to Bishop Burton College in 2006 as Deputy Principal and then to The Grimsby Institute Group in 2010 as Vice Principal Curriculum and Quality and was subsequently promoted to Deputy Principal. In 2013 he took up the post of Principal of Hull College, part of the Hull College Group.

In 2017 Graham set up his own Management Consultancy specialising in quality improvement and development of management talent. He has worked with a number of Colleges across the Country, as well as the Association of Colleges as a Peer Advisor. In 2018 he took up the role of Interim Vice Principal (Curriculum and Quality) and subsequently Interim Principal and Chief Executive at Blackburn College. Since 2019 he has worked as a Coach and Mentor to a significant number of leaders and managers in Further and Higher Education.

Graham is married to Sharon and has two daughters, two grandsons and a granddaughter.

Ian was born in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, following local education he left school at 16 and attended Norcat in Kings Lynn on the YTS programme and then attended Easton College on a part time basis, where he gained an NCA whilst working for Booker Farming near Kings Lynn. His educational history makes Ian a firm believer in work place education.

Ian moved to Louth in 1994 to work on another Booker Farming, Louth Park Farms. Ian has held various roles at Louth Park and in 2008 he became overall manager of both the arable and pea operations. Since 2008 he has remained at Louth, but the business has seen various corporate owners, in 2018 the business transferred to private family ownership.

Ian has been Chair of Governors at a primary academy in Louth for over 15 years, a role he has recently stood down from. He has attended both The John Edgar Trust course and The Worshipful Company of Farmers 62nd Advanced Agricultural Business Management course, and he is also the current President of Louth Young Farmers.

Ian is married to Kathryn, a Community Nurse Practitioner, they have 2 sons, one of whom is an ex-Bishop Burton student and one who is currently studying at Bishop Burton.

Jim Harris

Jim went to school in Brigg and from there to university in Nottingham on a British Steel sponsorship to study Applied Chemistry.

In a life-changing moment on graduation he decided that working in a people environment rather than in heavy industry was the way forward. There followed a successful career in retail and facilities management.

This included five years in the early noughties running his own security and cleaning business and then coming to Hull in 2009 to take over the newly-completed St Stephens shopping centre. A visionary employer allowed Jim to complete his master’s degree in Facilities Management and also to become involved with the local community. He is now the director of Hull Business Improvement District and the Hull and Humber Chamber of Trade as well as being a Trustee at Dove House Hospice.

Prior to joining the board at Bishop Burton, Jim was a governor at East Riding College.

Jim lives just outside Beverley with a big enough garage to indulge his passion for classic cars and access to lots of great golf courses.

John Hurst

John was brought up at Bishop Burton where his father became the first Vice-Principal of the college when it opened in 1954, becoming Principal in 1964 and remained in the post until his death in 1985. John graduated from Walford College in 1976, following two years in farm management in Shropshire. He then spent the following three and a half years working as a fieldsman for Birdseye in North Lincolnshire before returning to farm management. For the last 30 years, until his retirement in July 2018, John worked in corporate farming, responsible for the management of 26,000 acres on five estates across the country. He was also responsible for the company’s Management Trainees and Apprenticeship training schemes. Following his retirement from corporate farming, he was appointed chairman of “The Green Pea Company”, which he held until February 2023.

John attended the 40th Worshipful Company of Farmers - Advanced Farm Management Course in 1990 and he still meets up annually with his fellow colleagues. He is a member of the Oolitics farmer discussion group whose 14 members meet monthly. John is married to Gill (who graduated from Bishop Burton College), they have two children David and Emma. John lives at Saxby all Saints on the South Bank and is a keen cyclist and walker.

Martyn was born and brought up in Sheffield. He studied Economic and Social History at the London School of Economics and Political Science and enjoyed eleven years in London, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Touche Ross and Co.

On moving to Beverley, Martyn worked for Kingston Communications in various roles for eleven years before moving to TSYS International based in York, where he is currently Director, Finance & Accounting.

Martyn has two children, both working in the UK, and two step-children, one at Imperial College, London and one at sixth form college. He moved to Brighton in 2020 and is based in the TSYS London office. He is trying to keep fit, is a dedicated supporter of Sheffield United, and sometime trumpet player.

External Governance Review

As detailed in the DfE’s External Governance Reviews: Guide for FE College Corporations and Designated Institutions, it is a requirement that all Further Education Corporations undertake an External Governance Review every 3 years.

The Corporation commissioned an AoC facilitated External Board Review to be undertaken in the Spring Term of the 2022/2023 Academic Year.

In accordance with the guidance noted above the details will be included, as appropriate, in the Annual Report and Financial Statements of the College.

Mindful always of its purpose, respect and responsibility to the stakeholders and the communities it serves, the Corporation welcomed and embraced the External Board Review which provided an opportunity to celebrate, reflect, discuss and enrich the governance sitting at the heart of the College

The Corporation will now seek to embed its recommendations whilst continuing to deliver excellence in practice as evidenced by the College’s two most recent OFSTED Inspections; an Outstanding in residential accommodation and a Good for its overall effectiveness with two Outstanding judgements

Such success, continual evolvement and enrichment, alongside the dedication of all those associated with the College, is an absolute testament to us being, and remaining, the College of first class, first choice technical education

Policies and Key Documents

Check out our policies and reports page for access to a range of useful documents, including minutes from our governance meetings.