Meet our non-executive directors
Our non-executive directors share the corporate responsibility for ensuring that the Trust is run efficiently, economically and effectively. They use their expertise, interest and experience to scrutinise the performance of management, monitor the reporting of performance, and satisfy themselves as to the integrity of financial, clinical and other information. The non-executive directors also fulfill their responsibility for determining appropriate levels of remuneration for executive directors.
Former business management executive Julie Houlder joined us as a non-executive director in October 2018, marking her second NHS trust board role within the NHS in the Midlands. Julie, from Solihull, is the vice chair of George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust in Nuneaton, where she has served on the board since 2016.
A qualified accountant, Julie rose through the ranks at West Midlands public transport firm Centro over a span of 32 years, being appointed to increasingly senior financial positions. She served as head of business management and chief audit executive for four years until 2016, when she left to pursue her consultancy, charitable and health service interests.
As a personal development coach she runs her own consultancy and is qualified in psychological coaching, stress management and NLP (Neuro Linguistic) training. She is involved in a charity which provides housing and care for older people.
Her NHS involvement marks a return to her roots in healthcare – one of her earliest jobs was as a trainee in finance at West Midlands Regional Health Authority between 1979 and 1984.
Ian has a wealth of experience in the commercial sector - from 2008 to 2011 he was chief financial officer of Tarmac Building Products Ltd and went on to be the company's chief executive from 2011 until 2014, when he completed the successful sale of the company. Prior to this, he held several senior finance and commercial roles and has extensive board level general management and functional leadership experience, including managing a number of joint-ventures.
He has significant experience in restructuring, reorganising and rationalising businesses and has led the acquisition, integration and sale of several companies. He is particularly interested in delivering cultural and behavioural change in organisations as well as ensuring a safe and healthy working environment.
He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has enjoyed an international career, living in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China.
Ian is married with a daughter and lives in Bakewell. He is the chair of the Quality Business Committee and sits on the Audit and Assurance Committee, and holds the Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) portfolio. He likes swimming, running, windsurfing and riding and restoring motorbikes and enjoys travelling and spending time with his family.
James retired in 2016 after five years as Chief Executive of Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust. Prior to that, he served for 27 years in London local government in Brent, Hackney and Hammersmith & Fulham where he held executive positions responsible for social services, housing, community safety and regeneration. Prior to this James worked through his Church in education and community development in the Philippines and Zimbabwe where he grew up.
James is Chair of MHA (Methodist Homes), a charity providing care homes, retirement living and community support to older people across the UK. He is an associate of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services having served on its executive and chaired the London Region for five years. For four years, James was the independent Chair of the Adult Safeguarding Partnership Boards of Camden and Islington Borough Councils. He Chairs the Trustee Safeguarding Committee of the Jesuits in Britain (a Catholic Religious Order). He has served on a number of national and London commissions tasked with recommending improvements to services, their governance and that of the professionals working in them. He has served as a Trustee on a number of charity boards. In these roles, he has exercised a range of board responsibilities. He remains active in his church.
James is married with two adult children and lives in London. In addition to travel to remain in touch with family across the globe, he enjoys reading, cinema and theatre.
Kaye has a passion for bringing the best out of people, teams and organisations.
With a first class degree from Loughborough University, Kaye worked for the UK’s leading human resourcing organisation and has since continued to focus on employee communication, engagement and change management. She has held senior roles in the NHS and Police Service and has over 20 years consultancy experience, delivering major change programmes with diverse clients including NHS Trusts, local authorities, national charities, and international companies. An experienced coach, she provides leadership development and coaching in a range of settings, including the NHS and Higher Education.
Kaye has operated at a national level advising on policy development and has undertaken a number of international assignments supporting major change programmes in central Europe and Asia.
An experienced non-executive director, Kaye has served on the Boards of strategic health authorities before becoming chair of Health Education East Midlands, and more recently, Better Care Together, the transformation programme for health and care in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. A trustee for two charities, she has a masters degree in Human Resources Development, is an associate of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and a visiting lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.
When she’s not working, Kaye teaches Tai Chi and Qigong, and volunteers for two animal rescue charities.
Kay Fawcett has nearly 40 years’ experience of nursing, clinical leadership and clinical education throughout the Midlands and was honoured with an OBE for her services to nursing in 2014. Her appointment to our board started on 1 October 2018 and is her first non-executive directorship within the NHS.
Kay has held many senior positions within NHS Trusts as well as undertaking advisory and consultancy roles. She was executive director of nursing for Derby Hospitals for two and a half years up until January 2008.
More recently she held positions as chief nurse at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust for nearly six years and as interim executive director of nursing at George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton, for six months until February 2018.
Kay, who lives in Nuneaton, launched her own consultancy company five years ago and also holds a position as a non-executive director with the Royal College of Nursing’s publishing arm, RCNi. Having been an executive nurse in large teaching hospitals for much of her career, her involvement with us marks her first role within a community trust.
Stuart is a fully qualified accountant with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), qualifying in 2007. He has significant experience of public sector services from working in a variety of Civil Service roles across Central Government Departments and their Agencies in a career spanning 37 years.
He has a wealth of experience in finance and governance, as well as broader interests in change, transformation, process improvement, people and leadership. In his most recent Civil service role, he was Finance and People Director for the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) within the Department of Education, where he was responsible for the financial management and stewardship of c£60bn of government spending, as well as leading the People function for the Agency. Prior to that role, Stuart had been Transformation Director of a major programme aimed at re-organisation and improvement of the Finance function within the Department for Work and Pensions.
He has recently taken retirement from the Civil Service to pursue other interests and takes on his role as Non-Executive Director (NED) within the Trust as his first NED appointment.
Stuart is a life-long resident of the Peak District, having been born and brought up in and around Buxton. He’s lived in Whaley Bridge for almost 30 years, and is married to Alison, and has two grown-up sons. Outside of work, he loves walking, reading, music, sport – cricket as a spectator, and as a season ticket holder of Buxton FC – and has recently re-ignited his interest in drawing and painting, mainly portraits inspired by the Sky Arts programme.
Janet joined the board as a non-executive director in November 2021. She is also a non-executive director at North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust which she joined in 2019 and where she is Vice-Chair and Chair of the People, Culture and Development Committee. Janet is Deputy Chair of Manchester Metropolitan University having joined their board as an Independent Governor in 2015 and chairs the University Remuneration Committee. She also acts as an independent advisor to the Remuneration Committee of Frederic Robinson Limited, a family brewing firm based in Stockport. Janet is an Ambassador for Women on Boards and treasurer to her local Parochial Church Council in Staffordshire.
Janet had a long executive career in compensation and benefits specialising in occupational pensions and is a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute. Latterly in her career she moved her focus to generalist HR as Group HR Director for Carillion allowing her to extend her career internationally and to champion wider diversity of all kinds in the workforce in the UK, Middle-East and Canada.
Asma joined us in June 2021 as an associate non-executive director.
Asma is also a non-executive director in the care sector for Birmingham-based Lisieux Trust, who provide supported living for adults with learning disabilities and has held leadership roles within the NHS technology sector for the past 11 years.
She is the associate director of business intelligence at NHS Arden & GEM Commissioning Support Unit where she has worked since November 2020. Within Arden & GEM she is responsible for the provision of business intelligence services to NHS England, and has more latterly been involved in the development of the strategy for the future of directly commissioned business intelligence services within Integrated Care Systems.
A solicitor by background, Asma holds a Masters in Healthcare Leadership (NHS Leadership Academy) and she was part of the NHS’ NExT Director scheme to nurture talent for NHS Boards of the future.
Asma’s career path includes a previous role as deputy director of intelligence, planning and performance within the merged Coventry and Rugby/Warwickshire North Clinical Commissioning Groups, and she has experience of contracting, transformation, planning, performance and business intelligence in healthcare.
Asma grew up in the East Midlands and is looking forward to her role with us as an opportunity to come back to her home roots and offer a different lens on our work. She is passionate about equality, diversity, and inclusivity at all levels and championing the need for culturally appropriate services.
In her spare time Asma is kept busy with her four children (aged 12, 10, 8 and 2), as well as pro bono legal support within her communities in the Midlands.
Amo joined us in June 2021 as an associate non-executive director.
Derby-based Amo is chief executive and a founding member of staff for Disability Direct, the biggest user-led disability group in the Midlands. For 20-plus years under his leadership Disability Direct has developed business services nationally for people with disabilities which now generate 95% of the income required to run activities in the local area. One of these business schemes is the Nimbus card, a widely recognised disability access card, which attracted 30,000 registered users soon after its launch on social media in 2020.
As a disabled person from a BAME background Amo has faced double discrimination. Now in his fifties, Amo left school without qualifications and has had to fight hard to overcome society’s expectations and use his experience to empower others. Amo believes passionately in diverse services delivered by a diverse set of people and has a successful track record of encouraging a culture of opportunity around him.
He runs his own consultancy business which supports and mentors tomorrow’s leaders and offers his expertise as a business mentor with Pilotlight UK to tackle disadvantage.
More recently, Amo has disclosed his life-long battle with depression across his social media platforms. A semi-biographical book is in production which charters his journey from a disabled child to his modern-day success.
He is married with three grown-up children and is a former Derby city councillor and also a former Bhangra singer, whose songs are still played on UK radio stations and on the dance floor