Our Board

Trust board members

David Wakefield, Chairman

David Wakefield was appointed as chair for a four-year term of office on 3 April 2018. David is a qualified accountant and has held several senior executive posts, including Commercial Finance Director for Royal Mail. He has also held a number of non-executive directorships, including the Chair at other NHS trusts.

Tracy Bullock – Chief Executive

Tracy qualified as a Nurse in 1987 at Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust and throughout her 18 years there she progressed through roles of increasing responsibility; Ward Manager, Clinical Risk Manager, Governance Manager and Directorate Business Manager. During this time and until 2019 Tracy held a seconded role undertaking investigations and reviews for the Commission for Health Improvement, the Health Care Commission and more latterly the Care Quality Commission

In 2002 Tracy started working as an Associate Director, with a newly formed national team of healthcare professionals who were instrumental in providing support to some of the most challenged NHS Trusts in the country to achieve turnaround and latterly Foundation Trust status. During this time Tracy gained experience working in Acute, Primary Care, Ambulance and Mental Health Trusts.

In 2006, Tracy joined Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as Director of Nursing and Quality and was subsequently given the responsibilities of Chief Operating and then Deputy Chief Executive until becoming the Chief Executive in October 2010.

Tracy joined UHNM as the Chief Executive in April 2019 and is a highly regarded leader who has served the NHS for the entirety of her 36-year career.

Simon Evans – Interim Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Simon has a strong operational background spanning 25 years in the NHS working in a variety of NHS sectors and roles such as informatics, performance management, programme management and strategy. Simon also has a track record of working as a COO in large, complex and challenged organisations and systems. For the last six months Simon has been working for the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board as the System Executive Director of Clinical Integration and Leadership Development. The previous four years were spent as the Chief Operating Officer for North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust and more latterly the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

Dr Matthew Lewis – Medical Director

Dr Lewis has worked as a gastroenterologist in the out-patient and endoscopy departments. He was a consultant in general medicine and gastroenterology at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals from 2002 to 2018, where he also worked as Group Director for Medicine and Emergency Care.

Matthew carried out his clinical training in Manchester and north-west England. He has a Masters in medical leadership from Warwick University, which has given him an insight into the opportunities afforded by understanding different approaches to health care across the United Kingdom and overseas. He is also a part-time Visiting Fellow at the King’s Fund.

Ann-Marie Riley – Chief Nurse

Ann Marie became a registered nurse in the early 1990’s and has a clinical background in critical care nursing. She has held a number of nursing leadership roles, including Deputy Chief Nurse at Nottingham University Hospitals where she supported the organisation to attain both internationally accredited Pathway to Excellence and Magnet Designations, and Director of Nursing at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.

Ann Marie is passionate about creating positive practice environments, supported by collective leadership approaches and patient co-design, to positively impact on patient outcomes, patient experience and staff experience.

Mark Oldham – Chief Finance Officer

Mark is an experienced Director of Finance who Joined the Trust in June 2019 having moved from Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust where he served 10 years as their Finance Director. Originally joining the NHS from Local Government in 1990 Mark has 30 over years’ experience in both the acute and community sector in a wide range of finance roles.

Helen Ashley – Director of Strategy and Performance

Helen Ashley joined the Trust in 2016 following nearly seven years as Chief Executive at neighbouring Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Helen has a strong finance background and is leading on the transformational aspects of finances at UHNM.

Jane Haire – Chief People Officer

Jane has more than 30 years’ experience in the NHS, starting out in administration and as a people professional since 1998. She has worked in both Staffordshire and Cheshire health and social care systems including Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority, East Cheshire NHS Trust, Cheshire HR Services, Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership Trust and most recently as Deputy Chief People Officer at UHNM.

She has worked in the Staffordshire health system for 10 years and held Associate and Deputy Director roles both in the Cheshire and in Staffordshire since 2004. As UHNM Deputy Chief People Officer she had lead on strategic and operational HR, transforming people practices, workforce development, workforce planning and playing a lead role in the workforce response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jane, who has an MSc from Manchester Business School in Leadership has also worked with the Chief People Officers and people professionals from across the health and social care system in shaping policy, collaborating and pooling of expertise and knowledge in pursuit of excellent people practices that underpin everything we do for our patients and service users. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and passionate about the development of our people both within the people profession and within the NHS roles more broadly.

Lorraine Whitehead – Director of Estate, Facilities and PFI

Lorraine has worked for the Trust for many years commencing as an admin trainee in Trust Headquarters in 1987. Exposure to the executive agenda gave her an appetite to pursue senior management in the NHS as a career path. Lorraine subsequently worked in various managerial roles at all levels before becoming a Deputy Director.

Amy Freeman – Director of Digital Transformation

Amy has worked in the field of information technology (IT) support and digital since 1998, she joined the NHS in 2002. She has held senior IT and digital leadership roles at NHS Connecting for Health (now NHS Digital), NHS Commissioning Board (now NHS England), Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Partnership NHS Trust (now Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust) and Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Amy moved to work for NHS provider organisations to be closer to frontline care (community and acute) to help make a difference to the safety and quality of care provided to patients. This has included the delivery of a range of clinical systems most notably electronic patient record systems, patient portals and a virtual clinic solutions. Amy’s ambition is for “geeks to save lives”. Using technology to support the clinical decisions clinicians make with their patients about their care and treatment. Reducing the risk of error. More recently Amy has been interested in how digital can help (or in some cases hinder) the equality and diversity agenda. Using data to drive a better understanding of our citizens. Amy is the co-chair of the Midlands Skills Development Network, which has a remit is to provide the infrastructure for improving leadership and professional development skills, raising standards, and sharing best practice through economy-wide learning.

Lisa Thomson – Director of Communications

Lisa is a highly experienced communications, strategy and corporate affairs director, with a diverse background working in both highly regulated private and public sectors. She has worked as an executive director in the NHS for over 17 years in acute trusts, community services and at a national level working with Lord Darzi on High Quality Care for All. Passionate about communications, Lisa has led on a wide range of areas including patient experience, outpatient and community services, and fundraising.

Gary Crowe – Non-Executive Director

Gary Crowe is a university professor of Innovation Leadership attending at Keele Management School and Loughborough University. He previously held senior commercial positions in strategy, business transformation and risk & financial management as a director and management consultant in the financial services sector. Gary holds a number of external board appointments, He served as an independent Non-Executive Director with another NHS Trust since 2015. He is a qualified Chartered Banker and Fellow of a number of professional organisations and learned societies.

Leigh Griffin – Non-Executive Director

Leigh Griffin has spent 12 years as an NHS Chief Executive and has worked in consultancy practice, specialising in the provision of advice to health systems on transformation, integrated care and population health management. Leigh has worked in commissioning and commissioning support units during his career and brings a wealth of NHS experience.

Andrew Hassell – Non-Executive Director

Professor Andrew Hassell is Head of the School of Medicine at Keele University and is a consultant rheumatologist at the Haywood Hospital in Burslem. He represents the University as a non-executive director on the Board. As well as his clinical and academic activities, Andrew is chairman of the Haywood Foundation, a local charity committed to improving the lives of people with arthritis and related conditions.

Katie Maddock – Non-Executive Director

Dr Katie Maddock has been Head of School at the School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University, since 2018 and a Reader in Clinical Pharmacy since 2016, having previously been the MPharm Course Director and Associate Dean for Education for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Her research interests lie within the field of pharmacy education, particularly technology enhanced learning, augmented reality simulation, and interprofessional education. Prior to her career in academia, Katie was a hospital pharmacist working extensively across the Black Country.

Tanya Bowen – Non-Executive Director

Tanya Bowen is a data and digital specialist from the retail technology sector, having been on tech corporate boards driving areas of innovation and governance. She has worked in strategy and execution for both retailers and software providers. Her main focus is on new technologies that improve customer experience and employee engagement, and on open systems that allow greater collaboration between partners.

Professor Sunita Toor – Non-Executive Director

Sunita is Professor of Human Rights and Gender Justice Practice at the world leading Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, Sheffield Hallam University. She is an award-winning academic, activist and advocate who is passionate about combatting gender-based violence, advancing women & girls rights across the world and shaping justice sector reform and architecture to promote human rights for all. She is a cutting-edge thought leader who champions rights, equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Sunita’s work is underpinned by a commitment to making human rights and justice accessible to the most marginalised individuals and communities in the world.

Sunita is wonderful mentor and champion of others, and actively supports the next generation of human rights activists and academics.

Sunita is passionate about protecting and championing human rights through fusing practice, cutting edge research and academic rigour to deliver international projects that transform lives.

Sunita is UHNM’s maternity safety champion and committed to advancing the Trust’s EDI agenda.

Alison Rodwell – Associate Non-Executive Director

Alison is an experienced Executive and Non-Executive Director and Chair, combining strategic leadership and driving transformation with a solid understanding of governance, financial strategy and Environmental and Social Responsibility. Alison’s career spans private, public and charity sectors including Europe and South America which gives her a depth and breadth of skills. Alison graduated in Physics and Materials Science at Cambridge University before training as a Management Accountant with CIMA.

Arvinda Gohil – Non-Executive Director

Arvinda Gohil is an experienced leader and brings significant experience of working in the housing, homelessness, charity and social enterprise sectors.

Her last executive role was as the Chief Executive of Central YMCA. Previous roles include Community Links in Newham London; Emmaus UK; National Housing Federation; Housing Corporation, capacity-building agency in South Africa, Chief Executive of Black led housing associations in London and Leeds, a women’s refuge for Black and Asian women and children, a positive action employment programme, and a regeneration partnership.

In addition to the Executive roles, Arvinda has held several Board and Trustee roles including in Housing Associations, refugee organisations, a university and a social investment charity.

She is currently Chair of the Future Economy Alliance, Co-convenor of the Better Way Network, a Board member at Sanctuary Housing Group where she also Chairs its subsidiary Swan, a Trustee at Voluntary Action Camden and Board director at the Conduit.

Arvinda is passionate about addressing inequities in society and has spent her working life demonstrating the change we can make to address these. She shares her experience by mentoring and coaching people from minoritized communities.