Bio

I am responsible for one of the country's largest and most complex NHS Communications and Engagement portfolios, at both a System and Provider Level. Overseeing communications strategy for major programmes, including covid pandemic, vaccinations, organisational design, service development, crisis management, culture change programmes, and community resilience building. • Award-winning communications, strategy, public affairs and culture change professional with over 20 years of experience working in the country’s most challenging public sector arenas, including local and central government. • MBA in Public Sector Management (2012), NHS Top Leaders Programme (2015) and NHS Postgraduate Cert. in Health Communications (2016). Health Care 2025 Future Leaders alumni. • Seven years Trust Board level experience operating within a political context and adept at working in highly pressured environments managing ambiguity, complexity and dynamic relationships with finesse • Outstanding internal/external stakeholder and public affairs background gained in high-profile organisations with excellent relationship-building, persuasion and negotiation skills • Trusted expert facilitator bringing together people from across portfolios and creating a shared vision for change across organisational boundaries • First-class proven crisis media handling abilities on a national, regional and local level • Pre-covid national lead for the NHS on a 24-month programme creating a strategic communications and evaluation framework to define strategic value at Trust Board level • Executive lead for Public Affairs, Stakeholder Engagement, Staff Engagement, Communication, Reputation Management with key leadership role in Culture Change • Highly versatile and adaptable - with executive-level experience in providing leadership of Board Development, Organisational Development, Contact Centre, Clinical Dashboards, Digital Innovation, Council of Governors etc. • Chair of 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 HSJ Mental Health Trust of the Year Award panel • 2021/22 and 2023/24 PRWeek Top 100 Power Book entrant and 2021/22 Big Agency PRWeek judge • 2019 Guardian Public Sector Awards finalist - Citizens UK