Trust Board Members

Baroness Julia Neuberger, Chair

Baroness Julia Neuberger became our Chair on 1 April 2020.

Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE is also Chair of University College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. She was Senior Rabbi of the West London Synagogue from 2011 until March 2020 and is now Rabbi Emerita. She is a cross bench Peer in the House of Lords, former CEO of the King’s Fund from 1997 to 2004, and a founding Trustee of the Walter and Liesel Schwab Charitable trust, set up in memory of her parents.

She was a Trustee of the Van Leer Group Foundation and Chairman of the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. She chaired the Review of the Liverpool Care Pathway for Dying Patients in 2013 and was Vice Chair, Mental Health Act Independent Review 2017-2018. She is also a member of the Executive Board, Leo Baeck Institute London and she is a Trustee of the Rayne Foundation, she was until recently Chair of Independent Age and a Commissioner of the UK Commission on Bereavement. She is also a Commissioner on the Integration of Refugees. Baroness Neuberger is also a Trustee of Yad Hanadiv (Charitable Foundation) recently appointed Chair of the City of London Oversight Committee. She is also a Public Voice Representative, on the Jewish Community’s BRCA Testing Programme.

Her latest book on Antisemitism ‘What it is. What it isn’t. Why it matters’ (Orion Books) was published in May 2019. She is currently working on a book on pain and how we approach pain relief.

Non-Executive Directors

Amanda Gibbon, Non-Executive Director and Vice-Chair

Amanda was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 May 2020 for a term of four years, extended to 30 April 2026, and is governor at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) where she chairs both the UCLH Organ Donation Committee and the University College London / UCLH Biobank Ethical Review Committee.

She is a lay member of the NHS Blood and Transplant’s National Organ Donation Committee. Amanda is a member of the Human Tissue Authority and is also a trustee of various charities and a Justice of the Peace and Deputy Chair of the Youth Panel, North London Bench.

At Whittington Health, Amanda is a member of the Audit and Risk, Finance & Business Development, Quality Assurance (Deputy Chair) and Arts Committees.

Junaid Bajwa, Non-Executive Director

Junaid Bajwa was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Whittington Health Trust Board on 14 April 2022 for a four year term. He is a practising physician in the NHS, and the Chief Medical Scientist at Microsoft Research. Junaid was previously the Global Lead for Strategic Alliances and Solutions for the Global Digital Centre of Excellence, at Merck Sharp & Dohme where he led a range of strategic initiatives to improve patient care, including establishment of internal partnerships across the enterprise and external partnerships across the health care ecosystem.

He co-founded “VelocityHealth” as Europe’s first prevention-focused digital-health accelerator, in partnership with Telefonica, and led his team to deliver the "NHS Testbed" in partnership with Verily Life Sciences (part of Alphabet) which the Health Service Journal recognized as the "Best Pharmaceutical Partnership with the NHS” in 2018. Junaid has worked across primary care, secondary care, and public health settings in addition to acting specialising in informatics, digital transformation, and leadership.

He has consulted for health care systems across the US, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Europe, in addition to being seconded by the NHS to work with IBM. Junaid completed his MBA at the Imperial College Business School in London and has studied health strategy and quality improvement at both Harvard and the Institute of Healthcare Improvement in Boston. Academically, he is a Clinical Associate Professor at UCL, and Visiting Scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health. Junaid is also a Non-Executive Director at University Hospitals London NHS Foundation Trust.

Professor Mark Emberton, Non-Executive Director

Mark Emberton is Professor of Interventional Oncology within the Division of Surgery and Dean of the Faculty of Medical Science at University College London. He is clinically active and holds the position of Honorary Consultant Urologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Trust where he works as a specialist in prostate cancer.

His academic work has focused on developing novel diagnostic strategies and new therapies for men with prostate cancer. His research has resulted in the transformation of both the diagnostic and therapeutic pathways. These have been incorporated into international guidelines.

He has published over 500 peer review papers, holds a large grant portfolio, and lectures widely around the world and holds international honorary professorships.

He is a founding Pioneer of the charity Prostate Cancer UK.

Nailesh Rambhai, Non-Executive Director

Nailesh Rambhai became a non-executive director at the Whittington in October 2023. A lawyer by background, his international career included senior roles with Linklaters, McDermott Will & Emery, Coventry Building Society, Petronas and Gavi (COVAX).

Nailesh is a graduate of Oxford University and Nottingham Law School. A former local resident, he has strong links to the Whittington including as the birthplace of his eldest child.

Baroness Glenys Thornton, Non-Executive Director

Glenys was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 May 2020 for a term of four years, extended to 30 April 2026, and is from three generations of family that have accessed and used the range of NHS services in Camden.

Glenys has been a member of the House of Lords since 1998, including Junior Health Minister from 2008/10 and Shadow Health Minister from 2010/2012, a position she picked up again in 2017 and still holds. From 2015/2017 Glenys was CEO of the ethnographic research organisation The Young Foundation, and is now a senior fellow.

Following this, Glenys held the position of Shadow Equalities Minister until 2015. She is also Chair of the Advisory Committee to the Healthcare and Assistive Technology Society (HATS), which regulates the manufacturers and suppliers of aids and technology for health and social care. In the NHS, she was previously a lay member on Camden Clinical Commissioning Group’s Governing Body.

At Whittington Health, Glenys sits on the Quality Assurance, Workforce Assurance and Audit and Risk Committees. She is an Emeritus Governor of the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Council member of the University of Bradford.

Rob Vincent CBE, Non-Executive Director

Rob was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 1 May 2020 for a term of four years, extended to 9 October 2026. Rob has wealth of experience from local government and was Chief Executive of two councils in Yorkshire. He also has experience as a member of the Electoral Commission.

In the NHS, he previously served as Deputy Chair of Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust. At Whittington Health, Rob is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and is lead Non-Executive Director in support of the Freedom to Speak up Guardian. In October 2020 Rob also joined the Board of University College Hospitals London NHS Foundation Trust where he chairs the Workforce Committee.

Executive Directors

Dr Clare Dollery, Acting CEO

Clare is our Trust's acting CEO and accountable officer.

Clare was Executive Medical Director between 2019 and 2024, joining us from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where she was Deputy Medical Director.

A cardiologist by background, Clare has extensive clinical leadership experience with a focus on safety and improvement. She was previously the Deputy Medical Director at Barts Health NHS Trust and, prior to that, a Divisional Clinical Director at The Heart Hospital at UCLH. A local resident, Clare has worked in and trained at a number of London trusts during her career.

Chinyama Okunuga, Chief Operating Officer

Chinyama (Chin) joined Whittington Health NHS Trust in September 2022. Chin has a wide range of experience working in the NHS, spanning roles at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust and Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust before becoming Deputy Chief Operating Officer and then Managing Director at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust.

Dr Charlotte Hopkins, Acting Medical Director

Charlotte became Acting Medical Director on 3 June 2024.

She trained at UCL Medical School and served Whittington Health regularly throughout her training. As a newly qualified Doctor, her first House job in surgery was under Prof Wylie and then Mr Ron Miller. After gaining her Membership of the Royal College of Physicians, she then held a role in Whittington’s ITU (Intensive Therapy Unit) before heading off for a stint in Australia.

On her return, she undertook her specialist training, then was appointed as a Consultant in Sexual Health and HIV Medicine with Barts Health. Clinical leadership has always been a passion of Charlotte's; at Barts Health, she held several leadership positions, from Clinical Director to Deputy Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and gained board experience when she was seconded to University Hospitals Sussex as their CMO.

Sarah Wilding, Chief Nurse and Director of AHP

Sarah began her career in the NHS as a nurse. Her previous role was the Director of Nursing for Integrated and Specialist Medicine at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, where she provided nursing leadership to a clinical group with around 8,000 staff and which included a large number of services, including acute and general medicine and integrated local services.

Liz O'Hara, Chief People Officer

Liz O’Hara was appointed as director of workforce for UCLH in March 2020, having previously held the positions of Interim Director of Workforce and Deputy Director of Workforce there since she joined the trust in 2012.

In 2018, she undertook a secondment to Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as interim director of workforce. Prior to working at UCLH she was Head of Human Resources at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Her particular interests are staff experience, engagement and partnership working.

Terry Whittle, Chief Finance Officer and Deputy CEO

Terry took up his post in November 2023. He joined the Trust from Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where he has worked as Director of Finance since 2021. Prior to joining Milton Keynes, he was Director of Financial Performance for the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Terry began his NHS career with the NHS graduate programme and has subsequently held a number of senior finance roles including Head of Finance for NHS Improvement in London, as well as in a national capacity for the Department of Health and Social Care in England.

Jonathan Gardner, Chief Strategy, Digital and Improvement Officer

Jonathan Gardner joined Whittington Health in May 2018. Jonathan is responsible for digital, estates, communications, strategy, and corporate affairs as well as the Whittington Health Charity. Prior to this role, he worked on Cancer Programmes and Strategic Development projects at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Jonathan’s previous NHS roles include operational management in specialist services at UCLH, followed by surgery and then the A&E and Medicine Division at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust. He has a varied background in both private and public sectors, having previously held several roles at the Department of Health over a number of years as well as working as a management consultant and an entrepreneur. He has in the past been Chair of Governors at a local primary school and a Churchwarden.

Swarnjit Singh, Joint Director of Inclusion

Swarnjit has extensive experience in working with boards in the civil service and NHS.

He previously worked as Private Secretary to the Parliamentary and Health Service and Ombudsman and as Trust Secretary at Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust. He was diversity and inclusion lead at Guy’s at St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust and secured them exemplar status from NHS Employers. He went on to lead inclusion work at the London Strategic Health Authority and then became the national NHS Equality Delivery System Manager.

Swarnjit is also the Management Side Co-Chair of the NHS Staff Council’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Group, and is member of the North Central London Integrated Care Board’s Population Health & Inequalities Steering Group.

Tina Jegede MBE, Joint Director of Inclusion

Tina has worked in healthcare since 1989, starting as a nurse and later becoming a midwife. She specialised in Sickle Cell Disease as a nurse practitioner at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital before becoming one of the Trust leads, collaborating with McKinsey Consultants on change management projects.

Tina has management experience in the Renal and Urology Outpatient departments, where she helped establish an award-winning one stop urology clinic, and she has served as a senior Matron in Medical Wards and Older People Services.

She is also the Lead Nurse for Quality and Assurance for Islington care homes, a role jointly funded by Islington Council and Whittington Health. A Queen's Nurse and Workforce Race Equality Expert (WRES), Tina is dedicated to promoting inclusion, equity, and organisational culture change. She is a member of the NCL Workforce Development Delivery Board.

Board Members Declarations of Interest

The public rightly expect the highest standards of behaviour in the NHS, and we take our responsibility as custodians of taxpayers’ money very seriously. Decisions involving the use of NHS funds should never be influenced by outside interests or expectations of private gain, but we recognise that conflicts of interest are unavoidable in complex systems.

That is why we publish a Declaration of Interests for our Board Members, downloadable below:

Trust Board declarations of interest

Last updated01 Apr 2025