Our team
Lord Baker
Chairman
Lord Baker is actively involved in promoting UTCs through Baker Dearing, the charity he founded in 2009.
bakerk@parliament.uk
Simon Connell
Chief Executive
Simon runs Baker Dearing and leads on all policy initiatives for UTCs, particularly engagement with the DfE, ESFA and other key stakeholders.
sconnell@utcolleges.org
Ken Cornforth
Director of Education
A very experienced ex-headteacher, Ken leads on all of Baker Dearing’s initiatives to raise UTC standards.
kcornforth@utcolleges.org
Kate Ambrosi
Director of Innovation and Learning
Kate manages all the UTC specialist network activities, serves as exam board liaison, and handles aspects of employer and university engagement.
kambrosi@utcolleges.org
Magdalin Clancy
Senior Advisor
A highly experienced school leader, Magdalin leads on our support for all UTC finance-related issues.
mclancy@utcolleges.org
Mike Halliday
Senior Advisor
Mike is responsible for Baker Dearing’s employer engagement support for UTCs and the UTC Core Employers Group.
mhalliday@utcolleges.org
Ros Kipps
Events & Communications Manager
Ros manages Baker Dearing’s successful events programme and handles communications with UTCs and the outside world.
rkipps@utcolleges.org
Ian May
Finance Director
Ian manages the day-to-day finances for Baker Dearing, including UTC Licence arrangements.
imay@utcolleges.org
Tom Revington
Senior Advisor
An experienced strategy and leadership consultant, Tom is a longstanding advisor on all Baker Dearing’s policy initiatives.
trevington@utcolleges.org
Nicholas Heslop
Senior Advisor
Nicolas is well-known around the corridors of Westminster and supports Baker Dearing with policy and lobbying.
nheslop@utcolleges.org
Colleen Bower
Senior Advisor
Colleen works with UTCs and sponsors to support the development of productive partnerships and meaningful sponsor engagement.
cbower@utcolleges.org
Amy Sutcliffe
UTC Projects Coordinator
Amy is an experienced events lead and coordinates projects across the UTC network, supporting the UTC specialist network activities for Baker Dearing.
asutcliffe@utcolleges.org
Louise Wilson
CEO’s Assistant
Louise helps Baker Dearing to run smoothly and, amongst her many tasks, manages Simon’s diary.
lwilson@utcolleges.org
Kathy Fogarty
Chairman’s Assistant
For over 30 years, Kathy has helped Lord Baker to manage his parliamentary, professional, charitable and literary commitments.
kfogarty@utcolleges.org
Rachel Bolton
Administrative Assistant
With a background in education and apprenticeships, Rachel supports the Baker Dearing team with all things admin, working closely with Kate and Amy as well as the wider team.
rbolton@utcolleges.orgWhat our supporters say...
I worked in manufacturing before becoming a MP, and I know how important it is to have the right skills. When you talk to UTC students, you get a true sense of the passion and enthusiasm they have for the skills they are learning here. It is truly inspiring, and we need to be doing more of this.
University Technical Colleges impress me because they are not just training the next generation of STEM professionals and developing a much-needed skills pipeline to the careers of the future, they are also offering their students the opportunity to make the important connection between what they learn in the classroom and how it relates to the real world.
Given the importance of science and engineering to our economy, and the potential skills shortage in these areas, the idea of a school like this is obvious and yet it takes someone to actually do it. That is the genius of the place, that someone has got the concept up-and-running and that they are delivering the curriculum in partnership with organisations such as the Science and Technology Facilities Council.
Over half of the roles in the Royal Navy are engineering. That’s why it’s great that UTCs provide an exciting environment for students to learn all aspects of engineering. We are privileged to be supporting young engineers. We need to encourage this area of expertise. If we do not get this right, we sink and we are not protecting the country. Engineering is our future and young people are our future.
Contact Us
To get in touch with the Baker Dearing team, please use the form below. If your enquiry is about a specific UTC, why not visit the UTColleges website