Our Governors

Phillip Lennon

Prior to his retirement in 2016, Phillip had been Director of Finance at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists for 15 years. He has a BSc (Hons) in Administrative Science from Aston University and has been an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants since 1978.

Phillip has over 40 years of commercial experience working in a variety of industries and organisations. He has worked in the Not-For-Profit sector on a number of occasions and understands the importance of public benefit and how this has to work in a commercial environment. He has always been involved in providing good governance, strategic management and effective business operations.

Phillip lives in Essex and is a director and trustee of two other charities. He is a Council member, Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee and a member of the Remuneration Committee at Newman University. He is Treasurer at a local Community Voluntary Service, which covers Basildon, Billericay and Wickford.

Malcolm Bell 

Malcolm has worked in further education for most of his working life and for the last fifteen years of his career was the Principal of a large general further education college in Kent. During that time he undertook several related roles, including being an A-Level Chief Examiner for a decade. For the past ten years he has worked as an educational consultant predominantly in and around the development of apprenticeships and has also assisted several organisations in managing cultural change. He continues to work on a voluntary basis in and around further education and is chair of an awarding body which is involved in offering qualifications to non-traditional learners.

Roger Key 

Prior to retirement, Roger worked in the City for 40 years working at National Westminster Bank, JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank, specialising In Loan Administration and Credit Risk Management. 

Tony Wenden

Tony is a chartered certified accountant. He is the Managing Director and owner of local accounting firm, Elliott Mortlock Busby & Co Ltd. 

Vikki Liogier

Vikki is the National Head of EdTech and Digital Skills with the Education and Training Foundation, whose role is to grow the strength and capacity of the FE profession in harnessing learning and teaching technologies, developing digital skills and redefining pedagogic approaches.

Nicola Curtis

Nicole has worked in Pathology for 25 years and has gained a Biomedical Science degree and Cellular Pathology masters whilst working within Cytology. More recently she moved into a 'Training Manager' role which she thoroughly enjoys. Nicole is also registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and a member of the Institute of Biomedical Science.

Paul Dale

Paul is a Fellow of the C.I.L.T. He is the Asset and Site Director of the Port of Tilbury

Ben Akande

Ben is a college governor who has dedicated nearly two decades of his life to education. He started his career as an ICT/computer science teacher in London schools and has become a respected and valued educator. Known for his passion for teaching and his innovative teaching methods, Ben has inspired countless students to pursue careers in technology and computer science. He is currently the Deputy Headteacher for Thames Park Secondary School which now neighbours USP College, Palmer's Campus where he continues to impact the lives of students and teachers alike. As a college governor, he brings his wealth of experience and expertise to the table, helping to shape the future of education in our community

Dan Pearson

Having worked in education for the past 20 years’ with the last decade of experience being in senior leadership roles. Dan gained a Strategic Leadership qualification from the University of Oxford, and prides himself on his creative and innovative approach to driving improvement in educational quality and outcomes. As well as being Principal & CEO at USP College he is also the Chairman of the Federation of Essex Colleges (FEDEC).

Nick Patterson

Nick is the Head of IT Services.