Non-Executive Directors

Richard joined the Trust in December 2020 as a Non-Executive Director after almost 26 years as a local authority Chief Executive. He was appointed as the Senior Independent Director in November 2023 and is the Chair of the Trust’s Integrated Care & Commissioning Committee.  

Richard was the first Chief Executive of Central Bedfordshire Council, a unitary authority created from the merger of a County Council and two District Councils in 2009. In his 11 years at the helm, the Council delivered significant improvements in key areas such as Children’s Services, Adult Social Care and Regeneration, against the background of a challenging financial climate.   

Richard has worked for seven councils throughout his career. He became Chief Executive of East Cambridgeshire District Council in 1995 and then Aylesbury Vale District Council in 2000. He then took the helm at Wolverhampton City Council in 2006.  

Between May 2017 and October 2020, Richard was the Senior Responsible Officer for the Bedfordshire, Luton & Milton Keynes Integrated Care System (ICS) serving a population of a million people and comprising fifteen organisations straddling the NHS and local government. Richard has also been a university Governor and a Governor of two colleges of further education as well as being the Interim Managing Director of Colchester Commercial Holdings Ltd.  

Richard now runs a small management consultancy whose assignments have included working with the Department of Health & Social Care as part of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. He is appointed to the Ministry of Housing, Local Government & Communities and is also Managing Director Commissioner at Woking Borough Council and Chair of the Improvement Board, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority.  

Vivek joined the ELFT Board in September 2025.

Vivek is an experienced NED and digital transformation leader with over 30 years’ experience across global life sciences and technology organisations. He has held senior leadership roles at Eli Lilly, Pfizer, and Boehringer Ingelheim, where he led digital health innovation, governance, and patient-first technology strategies.

Vivek brings deep expertise in AI, cyber security, and digital operating models, and has successfully led large-scale transformation programmes that delivered measurable improvements in operational efficiency, patient outcomes, and stakeholder value. He has also served on NHS trust boards with a focus on aligning technology with care quality, patient safety, and regulatory assurance.

Vivek is a co-founder of the Global AI Leaders Network (GAIL), a platform supporting organisations to ethically scale AI innovation. He also advises a number of AI startups and contributes to global healthcare and technology thought leadership initiatives.

A passionate advocate for inclusion, Vivek has championed diversity in leadership and technology roles in multiple organisations. He is equally committed to building equitable, patient-centred cultures aligned with NHS values.

Outside of work, Vivek is deeply engaged in yoga, meditation, and wildlife conservation.

Peter joined the Trust in April 2023 as a Non-Executive Director and is the Chair of the Trust’s Charitable Funds Committee.  

Peter is an investment and development professional with over 35 years’ experience, with the past decade engaged in private equity real estate. He is currently a senior adviser at PineBridge Benson Elliott LLP focusing on UK regeneration projects - homes, commercial, leisure, workspace and healthcare developments; and was previously responsible for the strategic performance of multi-location portfolios for mixed commercial and residential properties.  

Peter holds a number of Director appointments including at Good Way Ltd, Field Doctor Ltd, Kind Canyon Digital Ltd and Music Venue Properties Ltd as well as being Non-Executive Director at Community Health Partnership, a Governor of the John Whitgift Foundation and a Trustee of The Ormiston Trust. He is also the parent member of the National Autistic Society and member of Transport for London’s Independent Advisory Group – Property. 

Alison joined the Trust on 1 April 2024 as a Non-Executive Director. She was appointed Vice-Chair for Bedfordshire & Luton on 1 November 2025.  

Alison was the founding CEO of the Financial Services Culture Board (FSCB), a not-for-profit body established in the wake of the global financial crisis to help banks and firms manage their organisational cultures and share learning and good practice across the sector.  

Alison began her career as an economist, working in investment banking. She then joined HM Treasury where she held several policy roles including, over the six years to 2015, Director of Financial Services. As a member of the Department’s senior leadership team and Director of Corporate Services, she also had specific responsibility for its people strategy and related functions.  

Alison was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 2015. She is a Non-Executive Director at LINK Scheme Ltd (the UK’s cash access and ATM network) and a Trustee of Phoenix Futures, a charity that helps individuals, families and communities recover from drug and alcohol problems and at Ley Community Drug Services.  She is a Liveryman at the Worshipful Company of International Bankers where is is also a member of the Education and Charity Committee and is a Fellow of the Society of Professional Economists.  

Durka is a medical consultant and public health specialist who has been working in the NHS for over 25 years. She is the Chief Executive of the Centre for Population Health, the Chair of the national Health Creation Alliance, and an Honorary Professor in Public Health and Population Health supporting two global universities. Durka has been supporting the development of NHS Provider Trust and ICB Boards nationally for the last 10 years and is also a Non-Executive Director at Kingston & Richmond NHS FT since April 2023 and Deputy Chair from January 2024.

Durka is a nationally recognised health and care leader who has been involved in a variety of roles addressing population health and tackling health inequalities across the UK and beyond. She is passionate about transforming the approach of the health and care system in England so that it is more joined-up, equitable, effective in prevention as well as treatment, and focussed on enabling people to be healthy for as long as possible. Durka is proud of her Sri-Lankan heritage and being a mum to her two teenage children.

Sam joined the Trust in January 2020 as a Non-Executive Director.  

Sam has been a GP in Tower Hamlets since 1989 in the Bromley-by- Bow Partnership. The centre has over 100 projects under its roof supporting the wider determinants of health. The social prescribing delivered at the centre is now part of a network of two thousand across the country and is in the process of being put in every general practice in the country.  

Sam is a member of BMA Council and RGCP Council, and Vice President of the BMA. In 1999, he received an OBE for services to inner-city primary care in 2006, the International Award of Excellence in Health Care and in 2015 a knighthood for services to primary care. He is a member of the Ministerial National NHS Infrastructure and NHS Resolution Boards and is Fellow and Honorary Professor of Queen Mary University of London. He also holds the role of Vice President at the Queen's Nursing Institute, College of Medicine and BMA. Sam is a Director and Chair of MEEBBB Health CIC, a primary care network in Tower Hamlets also known as St Pauls Way Medical Centre and is a Trustee at Anglo-Norse Society (charity).

Farah joined the Trust in June 2025 as Non-Executive Director.

Farah is a respected General Practitioner based in Camden, with a wealth of clinical experience spanning over 20 years. She is Co-Chair of Camden Local Medical Committee, and Non-Executive Director at the North London NHS Foundation Trust where she chairs the Quality & Safety Committee. She is a Trustee of the Medical Women’s Federation and serves on the Board of Directors for London-wide Local Medical Committees.

Farah has also made substantial contributions at a national level. In 2021, she made history as the first woman to chair the General Practitioners Committee in England, following on from her role on the executive team since 2017.

Farah is an award-winning leader and has a proven record of achievement in medical politics and contract negotiations including navigating challenging circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having lived in UAE and India, she has experience in national and international healthcare systems. She draws on her clinical experience to influence health policy, strategy, and implementation. She is passionate about the use of technology and data to improve patient outcomes. 

Donna joined the Trust in January 2021 as a Non-Executive Director and is the Chair of the Trust’s Quality Assurance Committee.  

Donna was General Secretary and Chief Executive of The Royal College of Nursing (RCN). She was responsible for delivering the RCN's strategic and operational plans and promoting patient and nursing interests on a wide range of issues.   

She is a Non-Executive Director at the Royal Free Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; a Board Member of the NHS Race & Observatory and of UCL Partners (health research); Patron at Trinity College Medical Society; and a Trustee at Burdett Trust for Nursing. She is also a Director at DDK Consultancy Ltd   

Prior to joining the RCN, Donna held various roles including Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine, Executive Director of Nursing and Director of Commissioning. She has specialised in child protection, providing leadership in major hospital Trusts in London, teaching, and advising on legal and governmental committees.  

Sue joined the Trust in April 2023 as a Non-Executive Director and is the chair of the Trust’s Finance, Business & Investment Committee.  

Sue is currently a Non-Executive Director at Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and is Chair of the Charitable Funds Committee of the BHRUT Charity Committee. She was previously the Vice-Chair and Audit Committee Chair at North East London NHS Foundation Trust.  

Sue is a qualified chartered accountant with more than 30 years’ experience in both the private and public sectors including a period working within the NHS and local government. She has led large capital programmes including the delivery of a number of new healthcare facilities as well as leading a number of back-office services in local government including ICT.  

Sue is the former Chief Executive of Elevate East London, a joint not-for-profit venture between the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham and Agilysis, an innovation and technology consultancy company. Previously she was Divisional Director of Assets and Commercial Services for London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, and CEO of Barking & Havering LIFTCo, a partnership delivering new build health centres between 2003 and 2008.  

Deborah joined the Trust in January 2021 as a Non-Executive Director and was appointed as Vice-Chair for London on 1 November 2025. She previously served as Vice-Chair for Bedfordshire & Luton, having acted up in this role since July 2022. She is the Chair of the Trust’s Appointments & Remuneration and People & Culture Committees.  

Deborah trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew's Hospital, spending her clinical career in orthopaedic nursing before moving into nursing management. She has been Director of Nursing at several NHS Trusts in London and became Deputy Regional Chief Nurse for NHS England South Region. More recently, Deborah moved back to a Director of Nursing post at the North Middlesex Hospital, before retiring from full-time work at the end of 2019.  

Deborah is a Florence Nightingale Foundation Leadership Scholar and received the Chief Nursing Officer’s Gold Award for lifetime achievement in 2019. She is currently a Non-Executive Director at North East London NHS FT and is also a trustee of Revitalise Respite Holidays.