Non-Executive Directors

Appointed: Helen joined the Board of Ipswich Hospital in April 2016 and was then appointed to the Board of ESNEFT in 2018. She became Chair of the Trust in June 2019; reappointed from 1 January 2023
Term of office: Expires 31 March 2025

Chair of Board of Directors and Council of Governors; member of Remuneration and Nomination Committee.

Helen’s career in health and social care spans more than 40 years and has taken her from ward to board. After an early clinical career as a nurse, midwife and health visitor, she moved into partnership working with local government and the common theme in all subsequent roles was seeking greater integration of services in the health and care system. Helen has worked at regional and national level including a lead policy role with the Audit Commission and was the statutory director of Adult Social Services in a London borough and a large shire county. The latter part of Helen’s working life has been a portfolio of roles including chairing a safeguarding adults board and trustee and executive roles with voluntary sector organisations in Suffolk.
Helen holds a BA in Health Policy and a Masters in Business Administration.

Appointed: 1 November 2018; reappointed 1 November 2021
Term of office: Expires 31 October 2024

Chair of Performance Assurance Committee and Charitable Funds Committee; member of Audit and Risk Committee and Remuneration and Nomination Committee.

Eddie has held four chief executive roles at the Ministry of Justice, which included head of the Court Funds Office and head of the Office of the accountant general and as HM chief inspector of Court Administration for England and Wales. He is involved with several charities in and around Colchester in trustee and other voluntary positions, and brings extensive experience in political, financial management and change management. He was previously a non-executive director at Colchester Primary Care Trust.

Appointed: 1 November 2021
Term of office: Expires 31 October 2024

Member of Quality and Patient Safety Committee, Innovation Committee (part year), Audit and Risk Committee and Remuneration and Nomination Committee.
Mike lives in Suffolk and before retirement spent much of his working life in director of public health roles in Essex. He started his career as a GP in Clacton and lived in Tendring for more than 30 years.

Appointed: 1 November 2021
Term of office: Expires 31 October 2024

Chair of Remuneration and Nomination Committee; member of People and Organisational Development Committee and Charitable Funds Committee.

John began his career in the NHS as a human resources director before going on to work at board level in four national charities and professional membership organisations – Citizen’s Advice, Royal College of Nursing, Crisis and Emmaus. He has held a variety of non-executive board roles in the public, health, community and voluntary sectors. John is currently a non-executive director of Living Sport, Groundwork East and Emmaus Cambridge. He is also the past regional director and chair of East of England Samaritans and continues to work with the Samaritans as a listening volunteer.

Appointed: 5 April 2019; reappointed 5 April 2022
Term of office: Expires 4 April 2025

Chair of Quality and Patient Safety Committee; member of Performance Assurance Committee and Remuneration and Nomination Committee.

Hussein has experience of working in a senior clinical position in the NHS and substantial senior or board-level experience. He has a track record of executive leadership gained in a complex organisation.

Appointed: 1 January 2021; reappointed 1 January 2024
Term of office: Expires 31 December 2026

Deputy Chair of Board of Directors, Chair of Audit and Risk Committee; member of Performance Assurance Committee and Remuneration and Nomination Committee.

Mark has a long and distinguished career in the NHS as a chief executive and director of resources, having held a number of roles. Mark served as a non-executive director at Royal Papworth NHS Trust for seven years. He was previously elected president of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Appointed: Associate non-executive director 17 April to 30 November 2023. Non-executive director 1 December 2023.
Term of office: Expires 30 November 2026

Karen is an experienced executive with 25 years spent building a career nationally and internationally across all disciplines of HR. She brings board experience and a significant track record of leading through change primarily in the highly regulated financial services industry, within complex cultures.

Currently People Director at Santander with strategic leadership responsibility for Transformation, HR Business Partnering and Service Delivery Operations teams, she is a member of the senior leadership team and sits on several steering committees and management forums where her role is to challenge strategic decisions and guide decisions through influence and advice.

Karen strives for continuous improvement and relishes transitioning organisations through cultural change. Living in Suffolk with her husband and daughter, she is passionate about healthcare and addressing health inequalities and is keen to use her business skills to support her local NHS trust and deliver improvements for the community.

Appointed: 17 April 2023
Term of office: Expires 16 April 2025

Usha Sundaram is Associate Professor in Consumer and Digital Marketing at Norwich Business School University of East Anglia and is currently Associate Dean for the Social Sciences Faculty with portfolio remit for graduate employability and opportunities. She has over 30 years of experience in training, development, leadership and higher education across industries spanning hospitality, tourism, retail and has held teaching, administrative, and leadership roles in UK HE for over 20 years. She researches, writes, and consults with a range of businesses and third sector organisations on areas relating to digital technologies, innovation, placemaking, economic clusters, skills, and green technologies. She mentors several business and tech start-ups.

Usha has nearly 10 years of Non-Executive Director experience in a range of governance settings across charities, social housing, schools, and higher education with experience in governance areas of investment appraisal, service user outcomes and experiences, audit, risk, assurance, and complex digital transformation.

Appointed: 1 November 2018; reappointed 1 November 2021
Term of office: Expires 31 October 2024

Senior Independent Director, Chair of the People and Organisational Development Committee; member of Performance Assurance Committee and Remuneration and Nomination Committee.

Richard is a former director of culture and policy and director of corporate social responsibility at BT, and also worked as the company’s head of strategy and partnerships. Since taking early retirement in 2017, he has been appointed to the Communication Consumer Panel by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and continues to act as an executive coach. He is also trustee of a homeless charity based in Colchester.