Our Executive Team

Matthew Burgess

Principal and Chief Executive

Matthew joined the College in 1998 as Vice Principal for Finance. Since that time he has had many roles and responsibilities for most parts of the College at some point, including business development, apprenticeships, curriculum, planning and IT.

In 2013 Matthew was appointed as Principal and he is accountable to the Board of Governors for all aspects of the College, including its strategic direction, educational character, student outcomes and financial position.

Matthew went to Aston University where he graduated in Management in 1989, then began his career with KPMG in Manchester. He then moved to Stockport College as Head of Finance in 1994 before joining Gloucestershire College. His interest in business remains strong; as well as being passionate about helping young people to achieve their potential, he is a strong advocate for apprenticeships and how FE supports local businesses.

Matthew has a number of external roles, including Board Member of the Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, Council Member of the University of Gloucestershire and Trustee of the Aspire Sports and Cultural Trust.

Andy Bates

Chief Financial Officer

As Chief Financial Officer, Andy is responsible for leading financial strategy, facilities and commercial activities at Gloucestershire College.

Since joining the College in 2014, Andy has driven a number of high profile projects, including forming vocational training partnerships with The Francesco Group and The Brasserie Group, which provides students with the opportunity to gain invaluable work experience at Graduations at No.9 salon in Gloucester and Chelsea Bar and Brasserie in Cheltenham.

Andy was also responsible for outsourcing the College’s on-site nurseries to Tinies, improving financial reporting and budgeting, and supporting the growth of the College’s professional courses.

After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Business and Finance, Andy qualified as an Accountant at EMI Music PLC. He then went on to enjoy successful careers as a Business Analyst at the Daily Mail Group and Finance Manager at EMAP, before becoming Head of Finance at City and Guilds.

Andy is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. 

Dr Karen Morris

Vice Principal, Curriculum and Quality

Karen is responsible for developing outstanding teaching, learning and assessment across the schools of Arts and Media; IT and Computing; Early Years and Health and Social Care; English and maths; Business; Sport, Public Services and Outdoor Adventure; and Travel and Tourism.

Karen joined the College as a Lecturer in 1992 and has enjoyed various roles in the organisation over the years, including Personal Tutor, Curriculum Leader, Staff Governor and Head of School. Her life-long passion for supporting students, learning and developing new skills has resulted in extensive experience in the education sector prior to this, spanning both higher and further education.

Karen’s team has been recognised as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and awarded Artsmark Gold for its work with employers and utilising live briefs. While Karen herself has helped design and implement a number of successful training sessions on everything from lesson planning and schemes of work to Moodle courses and using value added data.

Karen gained her BA(Hons) in Sociology and Criminal Justice at John Moores University, followed by her PhD at the University of Bristol, PGCE at the University of Wales and her QTLS at the Institute for Learning.

Carly Rosser-Mayo

Executive Director of HR and Designated Safeguarding Lead

With a background in technical recruitment, Carly started her generalist HR career at the NHS. She joined Gloucestershire College in July 2012 and her role as Director of HR incorporates Learning and Development, Organisational Development and Reward. She leads an experienced team of HR professionals across our 3 campuses.

Since joining the College, Carly has led a number of large scale changes, has developed a strategic approach to resourcing and implemented Employee Voice.

Carly expanded her role to take on the position of Designated Safeguarding Lead in September 2019 working with the Board of Governors, Executive Team, external agencies and the Colleges safeguarding team to develop and embed safeguarding practice across the College. 

After graduating from the University of the West of England with a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resources, Carly went on to become a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in July 2011.