Our Leaders

Jason Austin is CEO and Principal of the RNN Group. His experience incorporates 30 years of teaching and managing in the Further Education sector.

Tracey Mace-Akroyd is Deputy CEO/Principal of the RNN Group. Tracey’s teaching career began as a lecturer in landbased at Rother Valley College.

Jane Hartog is the Executive Director of Human Resources, Organisational Development and Marketing at the RNN Group.

As Executive Director for Strategic Planning and Corporate Services, Cath Mollart has responsibility for the strategic leadership of key support areas and the development of strategies to ensure the effective delivery of the core corporate functions/services.

Sue Saunders is Executive Director of Finance and MIS of the RNN Group and has strategic responsibility for the organisation’s financial management, funding and student data.

Lucy is the Director of Learner Recruitment and Marketing and has strategic responsibility for the organisation’s engagement with all stakeholders throughout the Rotherham and North Notts areas.

Mark is the Vice Principal – Curriculum across the Group. Mark has strategic responsibility for all curriculum areas along with day-day oversight of all curriculum and learning within the group, leading to student/customer success.

Daniel Stanbra is the Vice Principal for Adult Education, Commercial and Partnership Strategy at the RNN Group. Daniel has strategic reponsibility for the organisation’s engagement with the diverse communities across the Rotherham and North Nottinghamshire regions.

Natalie’s professional journey into Further Education (FE) began approximately 15 years ago, following a successful early career in entertainment and radio broadcasting, which developed her exceptional communication and rapport-building skills.

As Director of Employer Partnerships for RNN Group, James is responsible for building and maintaining employer relationships to support our students transition to the world of work, along with supporting local employers to access the skills needed in industry.

Stacey’s key emphasis is to remove barriers to learning and ensure all individuals and community members are able to access a wide-ranging curriculum offer.

As Assistant Principal Quality and Learner Experience, Cheryl Martin is responsible for maintaining and improving all aspects of quality assurance and improvement.

As Director of Estates, Facilities and Health & Safety, Abi is responsible for shaping the strategic direction of our Group’s investment priorities within Estates and Facilities.

Jemma leads the Group’s digital strategy, overseeing everything from core IT infrastructure to the safe and practical introduction of AI tools.

Laura drives the Group’s commitment to FREDIE (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement), and is the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Prevent Lead.

Mel has over twenty years’ experience working in the Further Education sector, leading a diverse range of curriculum including Accounting, Business, Community, Employability, ESOL and Travel.

Louise brings over 25 years of specialist experience across Further Education, driving innovation in SEND, High Needs provision, curriculum development, and quality improvement.