Bradford College

• Home

• About Us

• Corporate Information

• College Corporation
  • Meet the Corporation
    • Andrew Chang
    • Alan Jerome
    • Gordon Senior
    • Richard Wightman
    • Dale Smith
    • Bob Sowman
    • Rawaz Khan
    • Karl Oxford
    • Eunice Durkin
    • Ramindar Singh
    • Michele Sutton
    • Councillor David Robinson
    • Nasreen Karim
    • Saudagar Singh Jagdev
    • Ian McAleese
    • Dr Kath Hodgson

Michele Sutton

“I became Principal and Chief Executive of Bradford College in August 2004. For the previous five years I was Principal and Chief Executive of Hopwood Hall College in Rochdale and prior to that was Vice-Principal of City College, Manchester and Handsworth College (now City College Birmingham). I started lecturing in Business Studies at Handsworth College in 1981 and left 14 years later as Vice-Principal. Whilst working in Rochdale I was also a Council Member for the Great Manchester Learning & Skills Council.

I joined further education as a lecturer in business studies in 1980 after 11 years in industry including textiles, printing and sports marketing. I am passionate about the value that further education colleges bring both to individuals and the communities, towns and cities in which they are located. I am a graduate of Further Education. After dropping out of grammar school at 16, I joined Doncaster Technical College to do a secretarial course, then a business course. I continued my education at Manchester Polytechnic; University of Wolverhampton, where I became a qualified teacher; and Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, USA, where I studied for a Masters Degree in Career and Human Resource Development on an Executive Leaders’ Programme with a range of top American and Canadian companies.

Starting my working life as a secretary has enabled me to gain valuable experience and qualifications on the way. In addition, I have been a mature student and working mother. I have sat on many local, regional and national committees ranging from Learning Partnerships, Regional Quality Improvement Panel, The National Ecumenical Agency in Further Education and the Association of Colleges. In my spare time, I read, cook, travel and spend time with my husband Jeff, daughters Ruth and Louise, son-in-law Simon and dog Ollie.

As Principal I am a full member of the Corporation. The Corporation provides myself and the senior managers with support and advice in terms of the College’s strategic direction and educational character, holds myself and the executive directors accountable for the way in which we spend resources and manage the College, and monitors our performance.

Kevin McGuinness was appointed Chair virtually as I became Principal and since then, through the Search Committee, we have been able to create a Corporation that brings in a variety of skills and is representative of the Bradford community. The members have a wealth of experience and diverse views that support the work of the College.”