Our People

Dr Chris Bamber

Dr Chris Bamber, PhD, MSc, MASQ, FCollT is a member of the American Society for Quality and has been the Vice Chairman of the Manchester, UK branch of the Chartered Quality Institute.  Chris holds an MSc in quality management and has been an advocate, expert and consultant for six sigma programme improvements and ISO 9001 quality management systems for over 25 years.  With many years experience in leading transformational change and promoting academic quality assurance he leads the OLC team, as managing director, change agent and chief quality consultant.

Chris has many years of experience regenerating organisations and implementing management systems, auditing of quality for improvement opportunities and implementing accreditation programs.  He is recognised as a fellow member by The College of Teachers for his contribution to education and teaching in the UK. Chris has worked on breakthrough improvement projects in both manufacturing and service industries and is passionate about business process improvement.

Yvonne Farrand

With over 20 years experience of working in the Education sector in a variety of management roles, Yvonne has substantial experience of managing change. 

Formerly the Manager of the International Office of a College of Further Education in the north of England, Yvonne  set up the division and implemented policies and procedures to ensure staffing and systems were in place to manage international student requirements. From admissions through to accommodation, immigration advice to pastoral care systems, Yvonne’s strong focus on the customer journey has lead to the development of support services to improve staff and student well-being to support sustainable business growth.

As Manager of Student and Customer Services, Yvonne was responsible for a large team and managed several major restructures. She was responsible for the management of student support funding in excess of £1m and was a designated Safeguarding Officer.

Working as an independent Management Consultant since 2011 Yvonne has helped education institutions establish robust administrative systems and procedures to support both home and overseas students and has lead organisations to achieve a number of quality standard accreditations.

In the voluntary sector Yvonne is Governor in both Primary and Secondary education and a Local Leader of Governance in the North West of England, Chairing a number of committees her experience in education spans Primary through to higher education.

Dr Allan Lawrence

A Director of Projects Beyond Borders Dr Allan Lawrence was the former International Development Manager of Blackburn College, Lancashire, UK. With a vast experience of  International students recruitment and developing Joint Education Projects with partners from around the world, Allan has also worked at Walsall College, west Midlands, Hopwood Hall College, Manchester in this capacity.

Graduating with a Degree in Botany in 1974, Dr Lawrence  completed his Doctorate in Environmental Botany from Greenwich University in 1993 and also holds Postgraduate Diplomas in Education and Management. 

After running his own business in London in the 1970s, Allan   moved into a career in teaching in FE colleges in London and the North West of England in subjects as diverse as, Science, Textiles and Health and Social Care. Allan has operated as a consultant in education and training and has worked in further and higher vocational education for over 30 years. 

Lecturing at Salford University he specialised in programmes of training that develop Entrepreneurship skills and supported understanding of sustainable operations and development.  Throughout his career he has been involved in the development and management of a large number of international education projects within the European Union, Russia and the Far East. As the Project Manager at the Salford Innovation Park, he was involved in projects with Salford and Manchester-based small businesses, NGOs and the growing third sector.

Allan also works as a consultant for the European Union, assessing applications for funding on behalf of the EU’s Lifelong Learning Programme and Erasmus Plus.

Jolanta Nowak

Founder and owner of the International Centre for Education and Tourism ‘ Karol’, Jolanta Nowak has a wide and specialised experience in the field of education and business. Studying in Poland and overseas, Jolanta obtained a Master’s degree in Pedagogy in 1982.  After graduation she spent many years teaching English in public schools in Poland. Well travelled around the world, Jolanta spent a period of time investigating the field of Local Self Government and Management in the USA in the 1990’s.  She was awarded the diploma of Personal Management from the University of Milwaukee, USA.in 1995.

She has delivered a number of European Social Fund programmes to develop English and German language skills for young people and companies , helping to prepare Poland’s future workforce for the challenge of a 21st Century global business environment. Jolanta has also co-operated on numerous European Funded training and business projects, working with partners from all over Europe including the UK Sweden, Italy and Latvia. Through her role in the Starachowice Special Economic Zone Jolanta works closely with Local Government departments, national and international agencies and companies to develop business opportunities for the region and throughout Poland.