Meet our board of Trustees

Year joined: 2017 Areas of expertise: Clinical (nursing) About Ruth: Ruth has nursing experience with both adults and children, with particular experience in children’s care and safeguarding. She has significant nursing qualifications including adults’, children and clinical teaching (SRN, RSCN, RCNT, Diploma in Nursing, MSc). Ruth has previously held a senior nursing role at a London teaching hospital, and has significant experience in clinical governance, having been a specialist advisor to the CQC. She’s also been a member and chair of a children’s nursing group, undertaking work for the Chief Nursing Officer for England, and government.

Area of expertise: People and culture About Barry: Barry is an internationally experienced people & culture executive with a proven track record designing and delivering people & change management solutions. He has cross-sector experience with some of the most recognised global brands including Ford Motor Company, IBM and American Express. Barry has established a reputation as someone who energises his teams and their networks to accomplish goals aligned with the strategic and financial objectives of the organisation. When Barry is not working, he likes to keep fit by running and is a regular traveller. He is a dog lover and, together with his partner, enjoys exercising his dogs.

Year joined: 2021 Area of expertise: Finance About Ros: Ros is a retired charity Finance Director.  She has a particular interest in the children’s hospice movement, having served as a trustee for a number of years with Together for Short Lives. The merger is a positive step towards consolidation within the sector and is vital for the sustainability of all hospice services

Year joined: 2018 Area of expertise: Business, marketing and commercial About Karen: Karen has had a wide career in financial services over the last 30 years after graduating in Business from Brighton University. She has held several senior positions in marketing, distribution and commercial roles. She is currently Managing Director, Distribution at Wesleyan and is a member of their Executive Committee. Karen was originally a Trustee with Martlets and joined the Board of the combined hospice group following the merger.

Year joined: 2018 Area of expertise: Financial services About Jill: Now happily retired from corporate life where she held various senior roles, Jill is a Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute and a Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing. Wanting to continue to use her skills as a volunteer, she had the opportunity to join Southern Hospice Group, which provides a vital service to the local community.  Jill is also a trustee of the Springboard Project in Horsham, which provides many different services for children and young people.

Year joined: 2016 Areas of expertise: Property; design and construction About Tony: Tony was born in London but has been a Worthing resident from a young age, where he has worked as Chairman of a large architectural practice spanning Worthing, London and Bristol. Throughout his career, Tony has worked on large scale construction projects such as the Mary Rose Museum and Body Shop Headquarters.

Information coming soon…

Areas of expertise: Healthcare About Tony: Tony, previous Trustee of the Roy Kinnear Trust, was a paediatric plastic and reconstructive surgeon for 28 years, retiring from clinical practice in 2007. He has also made several trips to the Pacific Islands with the Australian Government Interplast Programme. From Tony: “Having been an NHS doctor that dealt with children and the terminally ill, I feel that I can contribute to the continuing high standards in all aspects of care provided by St Barnabas House and Chestnut Tree House.”

Year joined: 2021 Areas of expertise: Legal About David: Prior to his retirement from full-time working in May 2020, David Rennie worked for 24 years as a Criminal Law Barrister, defending and prosecuting cases in the Crown Court. In 2001, he was appointed as a Circuit Judge and presided over serious criminal trials in Sussex and at the Old Bailey for the next 19 years.

Year joined: 2023 Area of expertise: Quality governance and quality improvement About Dan: Dan has held senior positions across the NHS, private healthcare and charities since 2010 and has in-depth knowledge of the operational models across different healthcare economies and sectors and an understanding of the complexities and co-dependencies in delivering high quality care services in partnership. Dan is passionate about improving the quality, safety & experience of care for patients and staff, whilst reducing inequity and health inequalities.

Year joined: 2021 Areas of expertise: Business and ICT About Ian: Ian brings senior leadership experience in SaaS and technology businesses, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, transformation, and restructuring. Ian has designed and delivered ICT strategies and introduced new technologies to improve resilience and performance. His background spans HR, finance, sales, and marketing, with a strong commitment to supporting staff and building trusted customer relationships. As a trustee, Ian also focuses on delivering sustainable solutions that best serve our community.

Year joined: 2025 Area of expertise: Finance, investments, property About Isha: Isha has spent nearly 20 years working in investment management for several banks including HSBC, Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs. During this time, she held multiple senior roles across sales and advisory. In her last banking position, for the Portfolio Advisory Group at Goldman Sachs she was responsible for portfolio construction, implementation, and fund selection for key clients across Europe. Isha left banking in 2023 and now runs a property development company, focusing on boutique residential developments in the south-east. Isha has two young children so any time outside of work tends to be spent ferrying them around. She loves eating out, travelling, and visiting art galleries.

Year joined: 2025 Area of expertise: Clinical (Registered Nurse); quality and safety; healthcare workforce planning, delivery and assurance. About Emma: Emma trained as an adult nurse in Kent and has worked with various teams of NHS colleagues for more than 10 years across London and the south east. Emma’s work has predominantly been in acute hospital Trusts plus as a Director of Quality & Safety for an Integrated Care Board (ICB.) Emma is a Patient Safety Specialist and her recent portfolios have focused on quality, safety and patient experience.

Year joined: 2025 Area of expertise: Legal About Will: Will qualified as a solicitor at the law firm Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman) before moving in-house. The majority of his career has been in the infrastructure and property development sectors and he has been involved with the financing, construction and management of several landmark projects as well as corporate governance and capital structuring. Will is currently Head of Legal at Hammerson, a FTSE-listed owner, operator and developer of real estate across the UK, Ireland and France.