David Warnes has been working in the Further Education sector for over 25 years.  After qualifying as a lecturer in 1996, he started his teaching career at Richmond upon Thames College, teaching A-levels, vocational courses and assessing Apprenticeships.  He progressed into various management positions, including Curriculum Director of IT, Business, Travel, Sport and Leisure.  He then went on to chair the national network of Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) in Sport, before being seconded to work on the education programme for the London 2012 Olympics.

David has been the senior strategic lead for Apprenticeships, Business Development and HE at both East Surrey College and London South East College, and latterly Deputy Principal at West London College, before joining Chelmsford College as Principal and Chief Executive in October 2022. 

David is a keen amateur gardener and walker, and particularly enjoys exploring the remote corners of the West coast of Scotland.