The College's first three principals each made a distinctive contribution to its development. Michael Baber, the first principal, laid the foundations for its long term development. He successfully steered the transition from Local Authority College to freestanding Further Education Corporation, including negotiating freehold ownership of previously shared use sites while developing a strategic partnership with the Local Authority (which included providing its adult education programme and partnership in regeneration projects in North Kensington). Under his leadership the College tripled in size, received a positive inspection report and became the first College in inner London to achieve Investors in People recognition. The College's second Principal, Joanna Gaukroger, was the driving force behind the plan to build a flagship centre at the Chelsea site. part funded by sale of some of the existing College estate. She also used her previous experience as an inspector, to help the College achieve a successful inspection at a time when inspection criteria had become more rigorous, as well as expanding the College's vocational programme. Mike Jutsum, the College's third Principal, added a significant new dimension to its work by securing contracts to provide education in prisons and a young offenders institution in West London. This greatly expanded its educational role while also significantly increasing its income. Although the contract wasn't permanent it provided a valuable financial breathing space at a challenging economic time for Colleges nationally. It was during this period that the new Chelsea Centre, set in motion by his predecessor, was completed. The progress achieved in the College's formative years was clearly due to more than a few individuals, however influential they may have been, i.e. to many managers, lecturers and support staff across the College and over many years. The contribution of lecturers in particular is clear from the inspection reports cited above.