Sir David Nicholson

Chair

Sir David Nicholson joined the Trust as chair on 1st September 2022. He is also currently chairman of Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, having taken up his position there in May 2021. David stood down as chair of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in August 2022. Sir David Nicholson’s career in NHS management has spanned more than 40 years and included the most senior posts in the service. He was chief executive of the NHS for seven years from 2006-2013 and then, following a major national restructure, became the first chief executive of the organisation now known as NHS England from 2013-2014. continue reading

Diane Wake

Chief executive

A nurse by background, Diane has worked in the NHS for over 40 years. She has been a chief executive in the NHS for over 12 years. She joined The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust as Chief Executive in April 2017. Diane trained as a nurse between 1984 and 1987 and has an extensive background in nursing, occupying senior leadership positions in surgical specialties of urology, colorectal, vascular, and breast surgery. Diane has a wealth of experience in both clinical practice and leadership roles. continue reading

Gary Crowe

Non-executive director and deputy chair

Gary was most recently a university professor of Innovation Leadership at Keele University Management School. He previously held senior commercial positions in strategy, business transformation and risk & financial management as a director and management consultant in the financial services sector. continue reading

Rachel Barlow

Group chief development officer

Rachel Barlow is the Group Chief Development Officer at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust She led a significant transformation programme which opened the Midland Met in Autumn 2024. The hospital is one of the largest to open in England in the last 10 years and is part of the government’s New Hospital Programme and major projects portfolio. continue reading

Laura Broster

Group Director of Communications

Laura Broster joined in June 2025 as Group Director of Communications for Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust. continue reading

Peter Featherstone

Non-executive director

Peter is a pharmacist by background and an experienced non-executive director, who has previously held senior leadership positions across NHS bodies and local government authorities in transformation, service efficiency, service improvement, and corporate governance. continue reading

James Fleet

Group chief people officer

James Fleet is Group Chief People Officer at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust and The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust. He first joined the Trust on an interim basis as Chief People Officer (CPO) in October 2023, providing executive leadership and support to the people and organisation development directorate and embedding our people plan. continue reading

Jo Hanley

Non-executive director

Jo joined the Trust as a non-executive director in June 2023. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Jo has held a range of senior leadership positions across the Commercial Banking, Group Operations and Wealth/Private Banking divisions of Lloyds Banking Group where she has worked for some 20 years. continue reading

Professor Anthony C. Hilton

Associate non-executive director

Anthony joins us from Aston University where he is currently Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean of the College of Health and Life Sciences. continue reading

Catherine Holland

Non-executive director

Catherine is a writer, speaker, coach/mentor and facilitator, developing the practice of senior leaders. A member of the Golden Egg Academy, she is currently writing a children’s book. Catherine is an associate consultant with ‘Amara Collaboration’, a contributing author to’ Street Smart Awareness’ and ‘Inquiry in Action’; and co-designer and facilitator in transformational leadership development retreats. continue reading

Liz Hughes MBE

Non-executive director

The Dudley Group welcomed Liz to its board in December 2019. Liz is deputy medical director for Health Education England and a consultant in chemical pathology and metabolic medicine at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust and honorary professor at both the University of Birmingham and University of Aston and visiting professor at Worcester University. Professor Hughes established the physician associate role in the NHS, a role that many hospitals now have within their workforce, securing the first ever non-medical faculty at the Royal College of Physicians. She is proud that when it first began in 2015 there were 183 and now there are just over 2,500 physicians associates employed in the NHS.  continue reading

Karen Kelly

Chief operating officer and deputy chief executive

Karen joined us in January 2018 from Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust where she held the post of executive director of operations. A graduate of Keele University, Karen qualified as a nurse in 1993 and worked for more than 23 years at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire where she held a variety of roles including the first matron role for Urgent and Emergency Care before moving into managing the Directorate of Emergency Care. continue reading

Mick Laverty

Associate non-executive director

Mick is a chartered accountant and experienced chief executive. Mick is currently chief executive of the ExtraCare Charitable Trust, a charity that builds and runs the UK’s largest retirement villages. continue reading

Dr Mohit Mandiratta

Non Executive Director

Dr Mohit Madiratta qualified as a GP through the Dudley VTS scheme in 2013. He has spent the last 10 years working at Feldon Practice in Halesowen, where he enjoys the role and responsibility as a GP partner. His role in primary care has allowed him to gain invaluable insight into the health needs of local people and this has been furthered by his involvement in healthcare commissioning (in CCGs and the ICB) since 2016. Mohit enjoys educating our future doctors as a GP trainer and he also supports a national ‘Rebuild General Practice’ campaign where he has spoken to MPs in Westminster highlighting the issues which primary care currently face. continue reading

Martina Morris

Chief nurse

Martina is originally from Slovakia, where she began her nursing career, qualifying as an adult nurse in 1994. Martina then worked in intensive care and operating theatres and in early 1998, moved to the United Kingdom (UK). In late 1999, Martina decided to settle in the UK and after completing a period of adaptation, she secured her first registered nursing post in the UK on critical care unit at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital in North Wales in late 2000. In 2005, Martina relocated to the Midlands region and developed her career focusing on practice development, quality, safety and standards, underpinned by robust governance. In her career, she has worked in a variety of senior roles in acute providers and regionally, within the Midlands and East region. continue reading

Anne-Maria Newham

Non-executive director

Anne-Maria’s previous roles include executive director of nursing at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and has previously held the role of deputy chief executive at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She is currently chair of a healthcare company that provides care for children with life limiting illnesses in their own home. She was awarded a Florence Nightingale Leadership award and a travel scholarship, enabling her to learn from major institutions around the world on best practice for nursing care. continue reading

Vij Randeniya

Non-executive director

Vij is an experienced non-executive director within the health service. He is deputy chairman of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust and sits on the governing body of Aston University. Vij is a trustee of the Royal Society for Public Health and former chief fire officer for West Midlands Fire Service. Vij has substantial experience of large-scale project management, leadership and change management. continue reading

Kat Rose

Chief Integration Officer

Kat joined the Trust in April 2022, bringing with her more than 15 years of NHS experience in programme management, strategy implementation and delivering healthcare transformation. Before joining the Trust, Kat held the role of programme director at Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care, working on several million-pound projects. Prior to that she was associate director of strategy and planning at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust where she worked closely with system partners and managed the strategy, PMO, improvement and planning teams. continue reading

Adam Thomas

Group chief strategy and digital officer

Adam rejoined the Trust in 2009 and brings more than 15 years of NHS experience in clinical and senior management positions to his executive role. A graduate of Aston University, Adam qualified as a pharmacist and proceeded to undertake postgraduate qualifications in clinical pharmacy, independent prescribing and digital healthcare leadership. He worked in medical oncology at The Dudley Group and brings a special clinical interest in improving cancer outcomes for the Black Country. He is also a registered IT professional, holding a Fellowship of the British Chartered Institute for IT professionals. continue reading

Chris Walker

Interim Director of Finance

Chris Walker joined the Trust in 2009 as deputy director of finance and we are happy to announce that he joins the board as interim director of finance, bringing with him over 30 years of experience working within the NHS. Chris was born and educated in Dudley and continues to live local. Chris began his career as a trainee accountant in 1992 with the West Midlands Regional Health Authority based in Birmingham. Chris’s first substantive role was with South Birmingham Health Authority and then in 1994, after Trust’s were first established, went to work for Southern Birmingham Community Health NHS Trust as a financial accountant based at West Heath Hospital in Birmingham. continue reading

Lowell Williams

Non-executive director

Lowell was the chief executive officer of Dudley College of Technology from 2008-2019 and led the college to an Ofsted Outstanding rating in the 2017 inspection. In January 2018, he was named as one of seven appointments to the government’s advisory group, the National Leaders of Further Education, which is made up of principals from colleges who have been rated good or outstanding. continue reading