The Board

The NHS North West London Board operates to a constitution and is responsible for arranging health services in the area. The Board is led by Penny Dash as our Chair. Below is a list of our Board members.

Board Chair: Penny Dash

Non-Executives

  • Anita Charlesworth
  • Nicola Gilham
  • Dr Ben Maruthappu
  • Geoff Skingsley

Executive Directors - Statutory

  • Chief Executive Officer: Rob Hurd
  • Chief Finance Officer: Steve Bloomer
  • Chief Medical Officer: Dr Charlotte Benjamin
  • Chief Nursing Officer: Prof Charlie Sheldon

Executive Directors - Named participants

  • Director of Strategy & Population Health: Toby Lambert
  • Chief of Staff: Merav Dover

Named Participants

  • Lead Chief People Officer: Charlotte Bailey*
  • Lead Chief Information Officer: Kevin Jarrold*
  • Lead Director of Communications & Engagement: Rory Hegarty*

Partner Members (others currently being nominated)

  • NHS providers partner member: Lesley Watts
  • Mental health services partner member: Carolyn Regan

The NHS North West London Board also has named participants from partners within the Integrated Care System – NHS Trusts, Local Authorities, Borough Based Partnerships and other ICS Leaders.

*Will be reviewed later this year as they are all subject to transition to new ways of working in the period ahead.

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Click here to download the NHS NW London Board structure chart.

View the register of interests


Details of our board meetings can be found here.

Dr Penny Dash.png

Penny has focused her career on improving the quality and efficiency of health and care services in order to improve life expectancy and quality of life in multiple countries across the world.   

She has worked as a hospital doctor and as a public health doctor in NW London, as a senior manager in the NHS and as an advisor/consultant to a wide range of organisations across the healthcare landscape.
Penny was a partner with McKinsey & Company from 2009-2021. As a Senior Partner, she led McKinsey’s healthcare practice across Europe and supported improvements in health and care in multiple parts of the UK, wider Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and North America.   She has previously spent time as Director of Strategy of the NHS and the Department of Health, vice Chairman of the King’s Fund and a Non-Executive Director on the board of Monitor, the Regulator of Foundation Trusts.

Penny is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London. She has an MSc in Public Health Medicine and a MBA from Stanford Business School where she was a Fulbright Scholar. In 2011, Penny was voted “Advisor of the Year” from Health Investor Magazine.
 

Non Executive Directors

Anita Charlesworth.png

Anita Charlesworth is the Director of Research and the REAL Centre (Research and Economic Analysis for the Long term) at the Health Foundation, and Honorary Professor in the College of Social Sciences at the Health Services Management Centre (HSMC) at the University of Birmingham. 

She is a health economist and has a background in government and public policy. Before joining the Health Foundation in May 2014, Anita was Chief Economist at the Nuffield Trust (2010–14) where she led the Trust’s work on health care financing and market mechanisms. Prior to that she had roles as Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Advisor at DCMS (2007–10), Director of Public Spending at the Treasury (1998–2007), and worked as an Economic Advisor at the Department of Health and for SmithKline Beecham pharmaceuticals. 

She has worked as a non-executive director in the NHS – for Islington PCT (2007–2011) and The Whittington Hospital (2011–2016). 

Anita was specialist advisor to the House of Lords' Select Committee on the long-term sustainability of the NHS in 2016/17, and has recently been appointed as an expert adviser for the Health and Social Care Select Committee and also sits on the expert and advisory panel for the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid. Anita is Chair of the OHE Policy Committee (2020) and is also a Commissioner for The Lancet Global Health Commission on Financing Primary Health Care. 

Anita has an MSc in Health Economics from the University of York. She is a Trustee for Tommy’s, the baby charity, and also a Trustee for the Office of Health Economics. She was awarded a CBE in The Queen's 2017 Birthday Honours List for Services to Economics and Health Policy.
 

Nicola Gilham.jpg

Nicola is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) with a track record in financial and risk management, organisational governance and people management.

She holds a number of non-executive positions with organisations across the health and social care sector including Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Brighter Futures for Children, Child Bereavement UK and Turning Point – a business providing a range of health and wellbeing services for those with substance misuse issues, mental health problems or learning disabilities. She is a proven Chair of both Finance and Audit committees having held such roles across multiple organisations.

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Dr. Ben Maruthappu started his career as doctor working at both Ealing and Chelsea and Westminster Hospitals.  He is co-founder & CEO of Cera, a multi-award winning company delivering digital-first healthcare services at home.

Formerly, he advised the CEO of NHS England on technology, co-founding the NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA), also serving on the Board's of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Skills for Care. He has a strong interest in research with over 100 peer-reviewed publications and 75 academic awards. Ben has advised a range of organisations, from start-ups to multilaterals, including the Swiss government, Bain & co. and the WHO. 

He is Chairman of the UK Medical Students’ Association (UKMSA), and has authored three medical books. Ben was educated at Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard universities. He was listed in WIRED’s Top 10 Innovators in Healthcare, named Disruptive Leader of the Year and awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Years Honours list.
 

Geoff Skingsley.jpg

Geoff studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and Oxford University, where he read PPE, before starting a marketing career at Procter & Gamble.  


He moved to L’Oréal in 1986, where he has spent the last 36 years, with marketing and general management positions in the UK, the Netherlands and India (the latter being a new market entry).  
In 1999 he returned to Europe to manage L’Oréal UK & Ireland as Managing Director and in 2005 he joined the Executive Board of L’Oréal in the Paris Headquarters as Executive Vice President - Human Resources, a position he held for 6 years before becoming Zone Director for the Middle East & Africa.  
Since June 2016 he has been Chairman of L’Oréal UK and Ireland.


Apart from positions at L’Oreal, Geoff is a director at the Médecins Sans Frontières Foundation and a trustee of the International Voluntary Service Organisation (VSO). He also holds roles on the CBI London Council and the Leadership Council of Said Business School at Oxford. 
 

Executive Directors - Statutory

Rob Hurd.jpg

Rob brings decades of experience to this key leadership role. He worked at the North Central London (NCL) ICS where he was on secondment from his role as Chief Executive of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust (RNOH), jointly leading the NCL response to the pandemic in partnership with local authorities. This included NCL’s learning on its ‘rapid accelerator’ response to improving waiting lists. At RNOH, Rob led the high profile national programme ‘Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT)’ as part of the National Clinical Efficiency Programme for NHS England

Steve Bloomer.png

Steve became Chief Financial Officer at North West London CCGs & ICS in November 2020.  He was previously the Chief Financial Officer for the North West London STP. Steve has held a wide range of senior roles across the NHS and before moving to North West London was the finance lead at a number of London hospitals. 

Charlotte Benjamin.jpg

Charlotte has a wealth of experience from a wide perspective gained from some 20 years as a GP partner, coupled with 10 years of system leadership at Board level.  She currently sits at the primary and secondary care interface in her role as co-Chair of the NCL-wide interface group and the Royal Free primary-secondary care group.

Charlotte played a strong role in the North Central London ICS and CCG and has worked to build and be at the heart of a professional clinical leadership community in her patch. An advocate of the necessity for a strong patient voice across Barnet, she also developed the role of clinical SRO for the NCL estates programme, using this programme to advance system transformation. In addition to her role as Chief Medical Officer, Charlotte will maintain her clinical role as GP Partner at St George’s Medical Centre, Hendon. 
 

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Charlie trained as a general nurse before undertaking his orthopaedic nurse training. He worked in clinical and leadership roles at the Chelsea & Westminster, St. Thomas’ and the Royal London Hospitals before being appointed Deputy Chief Nurse for education at Bart’s. He held Chief Nurse roles at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital and the Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Hackney and prior to his appointment as Chief Nurse, Charlie was Director of Nursing and Therapies at CLCH for five years. Charlie was also Chief Nurse at CLCH. Charlie was appointed as an Honorary Visiting Professor at City, University of London in 2010.

Executive Directors - Named Participants

Toby Lambert.jpg

Toby has a wide and varied background working across health and care, including stints in community trusts, running the national tariff, as director of strategy for a major teaching hospital, nationally as Monitor’s director of strategy and policy, in consultancy, where has worked extensively in many countries on how to improve, reform and reshape health and care systems to deliver better outcomes for residents, and immediately prior to joining NW London as policy lead for Test & Trace. He is passionate about bringing about real change in health, particularly developing and implementing practical solutions to big problems, and in ensuring that care is designed with, and around the needs of, residents.

Merav Dover.jpg

Merav is a spirited action and results oriented experienced Board executive with a clear focus on improving value to patients and populations.

She delivers high impact across organisational boundaries with a track record of collaboration and pursues benefits relentlessly whilst developing relationships. 

Merav started her career as a disability activist, working for the voluntary sector and local government before joining the NHS. Merav brings to the ICB a valuable and varied NHS career having worked at executive level in primary, community and acute care and at national level leading health and employment in the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit and leading the regulation of Foundation Trusts. Merav has always worked and lived in the Capital, energised by its diversity and opportunities; she has spent the last five years working in NW London.

Named Participants

(roles to be reviewed later this year)

Charlotte Bailey.jpg

Charlotte has worked in the public sector for 25 years as an operational and corporate leader. She joined the NHS in 2017 after 20 years in Local Government.

Charlotte is currently the Chief People Officers at Central North West London Trust and prior to coming to London was Executive Director of Strategy, People and Partnerships at a large Mental Health Trust in Birmingham.  Here she had responsibility for the mobilisation of New Care Models in Mental Health across the West Midlands, working with 7 Mental Health Trusts, Specialised Commissioning and CCGs to set up new ways of delivering care through provider collaboratives.

Charlotte started her career in child psychology where she spent many years working clinically with children and young people. Her journey into corporate services began after leading two major turnaround transformations in social care, where Charlotte realised her approach with the workforce was what made change and transformation a success. Charlotte has run workforce, communications, performance and transformation teams in large and complex organisations. She has been a senior executive in Local Government in the North West and led for Public Service Reform in Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.

Charlotte has a passion inclusion and integrated working. She was named as one of the top innovators by the HSJ for integrated service delivery and was awarded runner up public servant of the year in for inclusive practice, she has published multiple books and articles and has worked as part of a national advisory group for the introduction of a new profession in education.

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Kevin has been the CIO for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust since 2011.  Prior to that he was the CIO for NHS London – the Strategic Health Authority for the capital.  In 2016 he combined the role at Imperial with the additional role of CIO for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust when the decision was made to extend the use of the ICHT Cerner Electronic Patient Record to Chelwest.  This led to both ICHT and Chelwest being recognised as part of the NHS Global Digital Exemplar programme.  Kevin will continue in these roles alongside his ICS role where he is leading on the development of the system-wide digital and data strategy. 

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Rory has over 30 years’ communications experience, including 19 years at a senior level in the NHS. Over the last ten years, Rory has led service change programmes in three London regions, working closely with residents, communities and partner organisations to develop best practice approaches to public involvement and participation. Rory has previously led communications for Imperial College Healthcare Trust, West London NHS Trust, Healthcare for London and Carers UK.

Partner Members

(others currently being nominated).

Lesley Watts.jpg

Lesley is chief executive of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and was also chief executive of the North West London Integrated Care System (ICS) until November 2021. A nurse and midwife by training, Lesley has extensive executive managerial experience, having led the Trust since 2015, and was previously chief executive for East and North Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group. In 2020, under her leadership, the Trust was awarded a CQC rating of Outstanding for well-led and use of resources.

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Carolyn is a highly experienced Chief Executive across both healthcare and the justice system. She joined the Trust as Chief Executive in December 2015. 

Carolyn’s career highlights includes:

  • Establishing West London Clinical Commissioning Group
  • Chief Executive of the Legal Services Commission
  • Chief Executive of North East London Strategic Health Authority
  • National lead for health for the successful London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic bid.

In the evolving North West London integrated care system, she’s the lead for mental health, learning disabilities and autism and for health inequalities.

Carolyn was named in the Financial Times OUTstanding top 20 LGBT public sector leaders in 2017 and as an outstanding leader by the NHS London women’s leadership network in 2018.

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