Christopher Stark Chair of Local School Board Christopher Stark is a consultant and strategic advisor to multi-academy trusts, academies, local and central government agencies and works nationally to support organisations to deliver the best possible educational outcomes for young people. Having started his career as a journalist and having worked in the civil service, the IT service industry as well as large international consultancies, he now runs his own business – based in the Stroud region.
With extensive experience in supporting and leading boards in matters of growth, risk and strategy, Christopher is passionate about ensuring that educators are free to deliver teaching and learning and avoid getting distracted from this core function by estates, IT, legal, commercial or operational issues. Having delivered two new SEND Free Schools and over 25 academy conversions to date, Christopher brings a wealth of current sector expertise to the Trust.
Phil Spiers Local School Board Member Phil is a Chartered Engineer currently Head of testing at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre a part of the University of Sheffield. Phil has spent the majority of his career in the aerospace engineering world working for Rolls –Royce, Martin Baker and Messier Dowty. Phil is passionate about engineering and manufacturing in the UK and sees the future in bringing the young to appreciate the value of a career in the industry at all levels. Phil is a Fellow and council member of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a trustee of the Vulcan to the sky trust.
Outside of work he has a passion for mechanical clock making and lives in Coaley with his wife and 4 children who are all still in school.
Nick Jones Local School Board Member Nick is a retired headteacher having lead schools in Bristol and West London. He was principal of the first state funded school in the UK to be sponsored by an overseas organisation and, more locally, was a founding leader at John Cabot City Technology College. He is now an educational consultant working in the UK and overseas.
Nick is the Senior Education Advisor for the Baker Dearing Educational Trust and is heavily involved in supporting young people on the autistic spectrum, especially in projects that allow autistic young people to live independently in the community. He is a ‘hands-on’ craftsman and engineer who enjoys making ‘one-off’ pieces of furniture. Nick lives in Keynsham with his wife and has three grown-up sons.
Jonathan Dormer Local School Board Member After gaining a BSc and PhD in Chemistry, Jonathan has worked within the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years and is currently work for a multi-national pharmaceutical company as a Director of Quality.
Jonathan realises the importance of developing our scientists, engineers and cyber technologists and of ensuring that UK employers have access to the talent, skills and experience that they require.
Jonathan believes that the Berkeley Green UTC is uniquely placed to help educate and train our future generations for their working futures and is delighted to be given the opportunity to serve as a governor at the start of the UTC’s journey to become an outstanding educational establishment.
Annys Samuel Local School Board Member Annys served for 14 years with the Royal Air Force in a variety of military intelligence roles before transitioning into the commercial sector during 2016.
Annys is currently a Senior Cyber Security Consultant for CGI, specialising in Governance, Risk and Compliance. She has vast knowledge of cyber security in both offensive and defensive cyber fields and the management of cyber security risk assessment covering both strategic and operational change management. Working in a field where only 11% of her peers are female, Annys is committed to encouraging more young women into studying STEM subjects and forging careers within the Cyber security field.
Mark Plenty Local School Board Member For the last 15 years of his career, Mark has been an Operations Director, responsible for the management of 15 Project Management staff delivering construction and refurbishment projects ranging in value from £100,000 to £30,000,000.
Quality focussed, Mark is now keen to give something back and use his knowledge, skills and experience to support Berkeley Green UTC as it strives to become an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ learning environment.
Dr Abu Alam Local School Board Member I am passionate about my research in Computer Science and about my teaching and demonstrating work. My previous employment has been as a software engineer, a software architect, a research assistant and currently as a senior lecturer. I am currently working at the University of Gloucestershire as an Academic Course Leader in Degree Apprenticeship Cyber Security. My technical skills include several programming languages, development tools and methods. I have solid experience in maintaining information and software security as well as in implementing and updating effective security systems for organisations. I also earned the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science.
I believe my experience in Computer Science and Cyber Security will add value to the Local School Board of SGS Berkeley Green UTC. I look forward to continuing a productive and pragmatic relationship with the school.
Stuart Evans Local School Board Member Stuart is Assistant Principal 16-18 at SGS College. He holds responsibility for the provision of Study Programmes from Entry Level through to Level 3 with this encompassing Academic, Technical and Vocational pathways across SGS College’s 5 Campuses.
In addition to his role at SGS, Stuart sits on the Post-16 Skills Group for Bristol City Council and also works with South Gloucestershire Council for their Post-16 provision.
As the School Board member linking SGS College with the UTC, Stuart is focused on ensuring that all learners have the opportunity to achieve their potential and that the UTC provides an educational environment in which learners can thrive
Lisa Grant Parent Local School Board Member I have worked for Local Government in Environmental Health for 28 years.
As a parent of a student at the UTC, I believe that all students should do well but most importantly feel happy and secure in their environment. Unless students feel happy and secure, they will not achieve their full potential. I am passionate about education and welcome the opportunity to support the UTC Senior Leadership Team, providing feedback from a parental point of view.
Valentina Harbord Parent Local School Board Member Valentina has a degree in Telecommunications Engineering with over 25 years experience in the networks industry. She is a Principal Solution Architect at BT/EE, delivering end-to-end design of innovative mobile services, translating business requirements into technical designs across all domains within the EE network. Her role has made her a subject-expert, sharing knowledge within the company through master classes and acting as ambassador of the architecture team across the wider business.
She believes young people can achieve if they are well motivated and surrounded by an inspiring environment. She is committed to ensure Berkeley Green UTC keeps high standards while crucially maintaining the student’s motivation at their highest.
In her free time, Valentina supports the elderly by hosting tea parties and loves long walks in the country side. She is married, mother of 3, has a dog and two cats.
Lisa Day Clerk to the Local School Board
SGS Berkeley Green UTC 
SGS Pegasus School 
The Forest High School 