Our Trust board
Our board now meets as part of a board in common. Members of the public, staff and partners are welcome to join these meetings in person as well as via Teams - the details of the meetings are found on this link:
Group Chief Executive of the North West London Acute Provider Group
Non-executive directors
-
Bob Alexander OBE
Interim Group Chair -
Carolyn Downs
Vice-Chair -
Rupert Bondy
Non-Executive Director -
Tanaka Chiimba
Non-Executive Director -
Nick Gash
Non-Executive Director -
Martin Lupton
Non-Executive Director -
David Moss
Non-Executive Director -
Mike O'Donnell
Non-Executive Director
Executive directors
-
Lesley Watts CBE
Chief Executive Officer -
Dr Alan McGlennan
Managing Director and Chief Medical Officer -
Robert Bleasdale
Chief Nursing Officer -
Virginia Massaro
Chief Finance Officer
Directors in attendance
-
Robbie Cline
Chief Information Officer (non voting) -
Kevin Croft
Chief People Officer (non voting) -
Emer Delaney
Director of Communications (non voting) -
Peter Jenkinson
Director of corporate governance (non voting) -
Jason Seez
Chief Infrastructure and Redevelopment Officer (non voting)
THHFT Register of Interest 2025 - 2026.pdf [pdf] 245KB
Chair
Bob Alexander OBE, Interim Chair
Bob is interim chair of the North West London Acute Provider Group (APG), responsible for 12 hospitals across four NHS trusts in North West London: Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.
Bob brings over 30 years of board-level experience across the NHS and wider public sector, including senior executive NHS roles at regional and national level, and more recently, a portfolio of non-executive positions currently including London Ambulance Service and South West London ICB. Bob has extensive leadership experience in finance, governance and system working. Bob has an MBA and is a fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Non-executive directors
Carolyn Downs CB, vice-chair
Carolyn is the vice chair of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and non-executive director of London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.
Carolyn is a member of the following Board Committees:
- Quality Committee, Group
- Strategic Estates, Infrastructure and Sustainability Committee, Group (Chair)
- Nomination and Remuneration Committee, Group
- Audit and Risk Committee, THHFT
- Trust Standing Committee, THHFT (Chair)
- Trust Standing Committee, LNWH
- Redevelopment Committee, THHFT (Chair)
- Lead for Quality and Maternity Champion, THHFT
She is a recently retired chief executive of the London Borough of Brent and was previously chief executive of the Local Government Association. Prior to that, she was deputy permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice, chief executive of the Legal Services Commission and chief executive of Shropshire County Council. She has worked in local government in numerous councils for almost 40 years
Rupert Bondy
Rupert is a non-executive director of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.
Rupert is a member of the following Board Committees:
- Finance and Performance Committee, Group
- Audit and Risk Committee, THHFT
- Trust Standing Committee, THHFT
- Trust Standing Committee, ICHT
- Lead for Finance and Performance, THHFT
- Charitable Funds Committee, THHFT (Chair)
He is a partner in the London office of US law firm WilmerHale, where he works on a part-time basis and co-chairs the Strategic Response and Crisis Management Practice Group. He is also a governor and chair of the Audit Committee at Fulham Cross Academy Trust in West London.
Rupert previously served as the General Counsel and head of Legal for several global companies in the healthcare, energy and consumer goods sectors, having qualified as a lawyer in both the UK and US. He has previously served as Senior Independent Director of a publicly traded specialty pharmaceutical company and as vice chair of governors at a school in North London.
Tanaka Chiimba
Tanaka is a non-executive director of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Tanaka is a member of the following Board Committees:
- People Committee, Group
- Strategy Committee, Group
- Nominations and Remuneration Committee, Group
- Audit and Risk Committee, THHFT (Chair)
- Trust Standing Committee, THHFT
- Trust Standing Committee, CWFT
- Lead for People, Wellbeing and Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Champion, THHFT
- Charitable Funds Committee, THHFT
She is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years' experience working at board level across healthcare, education and public interest organisations. She has held senior leadership roles in large-scale strategy, transformation and performance improvement, with a focus on governance, workforce and financial stewardship in complex, regulated environments.
She currently holds a number of non-executive and trustee roles across the charitable and education sectors, and is the founder of a social investment venture focused on sustainable, community-based care models.
Nick Gash
Nick is a non-executive director of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Nick is a member of the following Board Committees:
- Quality Committee, Group
- Digital and Data Committee, Group
- Audit and Risk Committee, ICHT (Chair)
- Trust Standing Committee, ICHT
- Trust Standing Committee, THHFT
- Lead for Quality and Maternity Champion, ICHT
- Charitable Funds Committee, THHFT
He has extensive leadership experience, including as chief executive of the National Union of Students and running a successful public affairs consultancy.
Nick served as chair of West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust until its incorporation with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in 2015. He continued as a non-executive director for Chelsea and Westminster until 2022, chairing its audit and risk committee. He is also chair of the Royal Society of Medicine's audit and risk committee
Martin Lupton
Martin Lupton is an academic non-executive director of London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust and The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Martin is a member of the following Board Committees:
- Quality Committee, Group
- Strategy Committee, Group
- Trust Standing Committee, LNWH
- Trust Standing Committee, THHFT
Martin is the vice-dean (education) for the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London and leads all of the Faculty of Medicine's undergraduate and postgraduate activities. He also works as a consultant obstetrician at Chelsea and Westminster Foundation NHS Trust.
Martin has previously been a member and chair of the ethics committee for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. He continues to work as a joint clinical lead for the obstetric cardiac service and for maternal medicine at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and lectures on the Year 5 obstetrics and gynaecology course on medical ethics.
David Moss
David is vice chair of London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust and a non-executive director of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
David is a member of the following Board Committees:
- Finance and Performance Committee, Group
- Strategy Committee, Group (Chair)
- Nomination and Remuneration Committee, Group
- Audit and Risk Committee, LNWH
- Trust Standing Committee, LNWH (Chair)
- Trust Standing Committee, THHFT
- Lead for Finance and Performance, LNWH
- Charitable Funds Committee, LNWH (Chair)
David has 40 years' experience in leadership and operational roles, most recently as Shell's retail general manager for North Europe and board director of Shell UK.
David has successfully led a number of large business turnarounds and global projects using his commercial acumen and experience in strategy, marketing, operations and IT.
Having worked abroad and travelled extensively he has developed a genuine appreciation for diversity and inclusiveness, putting people and safety first.
Mike O'Donnell
Mike is a non-executive director of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and a non-executive director of The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Mike is a member of the following Board Committees:
- Finance and Performance Committee, Group
- Strategic Estates, Infrastructure and Sustainability Committee, Group
- Audit and Risk Committee, CWFT
- Trust Standing Committee, CWFT
- Trust Standing Committee, THHFT
- Lead for Finance and Performance, LNWH
He is an experienced non-executive director, CEO and CFO with a proven track record in financial services, the public sector and other regulated industries.
He has a strong network in pensions and local government and is skilled in building collaborative teams and relationships. Mike has chaired various board committees, including audit, risk and remuneration, and has served on investment oversight committees. With experience as CEO of an FCA-regulated investment company and corporate director in local government, Mike is a qualified accountant with expertise in public sector financial management. He has led corporate functions such as ICT, property, HR and strategy and communications and has significant experience in complex stakeholder and governance environments. As a strategic thinker, Mike excels in working with both executive and non-executive teams to develop strategies focused on improvement and customer outcomes.
His current NED roles include positions with Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd, XTP Ltd and Local Pensions Partnership Administration. Previous roles include executive board member at London CIV, NED and chair at Homes for Lambeth, and chair of audit and risk and remuneration committees at London Pension Fund Authority. Mike has also served as president of the Society of London Treasurers.
Executive directors
Professor Tim Orchard, Group Chief Executive of the North West London Acute Provider Group
Tim is group chief executive, a consultant gastroenterologist, and was appointed chief executive of Imperial College Healthcare in 2018. He was previously divisional director for medicine and integrated care at the Trust, which he joined as a registrar in 2000.
Having taken his undergraduate medical degree at the University of Cambridge, he trained at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School and was a research fellow at the University of Oxford, before completing his training as a gastroenterologist in the hospitals of North West London. He was appointed professor of gastroenterology at Imperial College London in 2012. He is a recognised expert in the field of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), having been the chair of the IBD section of the British Society of Gastroenterology and national representative on the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation, and is an accomplished educator, and fellow of the higher education academy (FHEA).
Tim has a particular focus on developing a collaborative, inclusive and kind organisational culture, and during his time as chief executive, Imperial has seen significant improvements in its CQC ratings, staff engagement scores and operational and financial performance. The trust has recently achieved excellent NHS Oversight Framework rankings as one of the top performing acute trusts in the country and the top teaching trust for the last two quarters.
Tim has also prioritised the development of strategic partnerships with Imperial College London and others to bring research and innovation to the forefront in healthcare, supporting the creation of a new life sciences partnership at St Mary's Hospital and an increased five-year funding award of £105m for the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre.
Tim has previously been the chair of The Shelford Group, a collaboration between ten of the largest teaching and research NHS hospital trusts in England, for whom he currently sits on the board of the Office for the Strategic Coordination of Healthcare Research and has also worked at a national level chairing the Statutory and Mandatory Training Assurance Board, aiming to streamline training and focus it on effectively reducing harm.
After the formation of the north west London acute provider collaborative in 2022 Tim became lead CEO, working with colleagues to support a range of initiatives across the collaborative, including clinical, workforce and digital and data developments. As group CEO Tim is looking forward to building on the excellent performance across the group to deliver more benefits for patients, communities and staff across north west London.
Lesley Watts CBE, Trust Chief Executive Officer
Lesley is joint trust chief executive of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
In addition to her current role, Lesley was chief executive of the North West London integrated care system 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.
Dr Alan McGlennan, Managing Director and Chief Medical Officer
Alan joined us from Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, where he was Medical Director and CEO of Chase Farm Hospital.
He has extensive leadership experience, having previously worked as a chief clinical information officer, as well as a medical director and chief executive. He has also spent more than 16 years working as a consultant at Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, with obstetric anaesthesia as a sub-specialty.
Robert Bleasdale, Chief Nursing Officer
Rob is joint chief nursing officer of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
He was previously chief nurse and director of infection prevention and control at St George's University Hospital, and has held a number of senior nursing leadership roles in the NHS. He was instrumental to the Covid-19 response, leading on the vaccination programme to establish one of the first vaccination clinics in the country.
He has led on a number of quality improvement programmes, including the development of accreditation systems, which helped raise standards of care and was involved in St George's exiting CQC special measures. He has proactively promoted partnership working and is passionate about the role of staff and patient involvement in key service decisions.
Robert became deputy chief nurse at St George's in 2017, having previously held a number of other senior nursing roles at St George's since 2014. He started his nursing career in acute medicine, before moving into emergency care. He is an advanced trauma nursing course instructor and completed his nursing degree at Oxford Brookes University. He also has a master's in senior healthcare leadership from Birmingham University.
Virginia Massaro, Chief Finance Officer
Virginia is joint chief financial officer of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Virginia joined CWFT in 2010 as head of financial planning before progressing to assistant director of finance and deputy director of finance, having previously worked in finance teams across other NHS organisations in North West London.
She has been chief financial officer since October 2019 and is a qualified chartered management accountant.