Non-Executive Directors

There are seven Non-Executive Directors who, together with the Chair, form a majority on the Board of Directors.

Non-Executive Directors do not have responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Trust, but share the Board’s corporate responsibility for ensuring that the Trust is run efficiently, economically and effectively. To be effective, they must be well-informed about the Trust and have a good grasp of the relevant issues.

They will scrutinise the executive management’s performance in meeting agreed goals and objectives and monitor the reporting of performance. They must satisfy themselves on the integrity of financial information and that financial controls and a sound system for the management of risk are in place. They will seek to establish and maintain public confidence in the Trust, and must be independent in judgement and constructively challenge and help develop decisions and strategy for which they bear equal responsibility.

Dame Shan Morgan DCMG

Chair

Dame Shan Morgan DCMG

Shan joined the Trust as Chair on 1 April 2022. She has a wealth of experience from her career working in a variety of roles in both the Foreign Office and the home Civil Service. Her early experience was in policy work on social affairs issues at national and international levels. She was HM Ambassador to Argentina and Paraguay, and has represented the UK in the European Union and the UN system. In her previous role, Shan was head (Permanent Secretary) of the Civil Service of the Welsh Government in Cardiff and led over 5,500 staff with responsibility for a budget of £17bn. Shan was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in the Queen’s 2017 Birthday Honours.  She has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from the University of Kent (where she studied French) and the University of Plymouth.

Key Roles:

  • Chair, Board of Directors and Council of Governors

Membership of Board Committees:

  • Remuneration Committee – member

Attendance at other key Trust committees:

  • Quality Committee (not a member but attends)

  • Nominations Committee - Chair

  • Patient Experience Committee (not a member but attends)

Tim Cooper

Non-Executive Director

Tim Cooper

Tim joined the Trust in August 2024. 

Tim is an experienced and successful senior leader, having undertaken non-executive and executive roles across social care, housing, government and welfare to work sectors. His most recent role was as Chief Executive of United Response, a charitable social business supporting people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions across England and Wales, enabling them to live active lives in their local communities.

Tim’s non-executive roles have included Chair of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group, board member of Ridgeway Community Housing Association and Deputy Chair of National Star. He is Governor of Wiltshire College & Higher Education Centre and Board member of Progress Housing Group.

Tim’s skills include enabling organisations to deliver good social outcomes in a business-like fashion, delivering major organisational change to impact positively on culture, customer service and efficiency, and influencing in complex political environments.

Tim is a keen cyclist, enjoys travel and is a follower of Bath Rugby Club.

Key Roles:

  • Non-Executive Maternity Safety Champion (Eastern)

Membership of Board Committees:

  • People Committee – Vice Chair
  • Quality Committee - member
  • Remuneration Committee - member

David Harland

Non-Executive Director

David Harland

David joined the Trust in September 2024.

David is the current CEO of The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall. With a strong background in strategic leadership, David has also served as Director and CEO of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Victoria, Melbourne and spent a 10-year period as the CEO of the Eden Project and Eden Project International. In addition to his executive roles, David holds several Non-Executive Director (NED) positions in organisations including Falmouth University and the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, aligned with his passion for charitable trusts, healthcare, and social enterprise. David was previously a NED and Vice Chair at Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust. These roles allow him to share his extensive experience and insights, contributing to the growth and success of various community-focused initiatives.

Membership of Board Committees:

  • Audit Committee – Chair
  • Remuneration Committee – Vice Chair
  • Finance and Operations Committee – member
  • Charity Committee – Chair

 

Professor Bridie Kent

Non-Executive Director

Professor Bridie Kent

Bridie joined the Trust in June 2021. Bridie is a registered nurse, with a background in both clinical and academic appointments, resulting in extensive experience in leadership, quality improvement, practice change, health services education and implementation research. She has held a number of senior academic positions, including head of school and executive dean at the University of Plymouth.

For the last 20 years, she has played a leading role in evidence-based practice uptake and implementation in the UK, New Zealand and Australia, working to enhance the transfer of evidence into practice, and improve quality of care for patients.

Bridie is a member of the Audit, Quality and Charity Committees and is Chair of the Organ Donation Committees in the north and eastern services.

Key Roles:

  • Lead Non-Executive Director for End of Life Care
  • Lead Non-Executive Director for Freedom to Speak Up and Whistleblowing

Membership of Board Committees:

  • People Committee – Chair
  • Audit Committee – member
  • Quality Committee – member
  • Remuneration Committee – member
  • Charity Committee – member

Attendance at other key Trust committees:

  • End of Life Steering Group – member
  • Organ Donation Group – Chair

Professor Martin Marshall

Non-Executive Director

Professor Martin Marshall

Martin joined the Trust in November 2022. Martin has been a GP for over 30 years, including 10 years as a GP partner in Exeter and most recently serving some of the most deprived communities in East London. He originally began his career as a junior doctor at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford) and has relocated back to Devon. He has significant experience as a board member, having been a non-executive director for the Care Quality Commission, the Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, medical director and director of research and development at the Health Foundation, and deputy chief medical officer at the Department of Health. He has led programmes at the major academic health science network UCL partners and is currently chair of the Nuffield Trust, an independent think-tank which aims to improve the quality of healthcare in the UK through research and policy analysis.

Martin Chairs the Quality Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee.

Key Roles:

  • Lead Non-Executive Director for Freedom to Speak Up and Whistleblowing

Membership of Board Committees:

  • Audit Committee – member
  • Quality Committee – Chair
  • Patient Experience Committee - member
  • Remuneration Committee – member

Alastair Matthews

Non-Executive Director

Alastair Matthews

Alastair joined the Trust in October 2018. He has broad strategic financial and commercial experience gained in both the private and public sectors. He was chief financial officer at the University of Plymouth for five years until November 2020. Prior to that he spent eight years as finance director and deputy CEO at the University of Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. He has been finance director at Ordnance Survey, including being a member of HMT's Financial Reporting Advisory Board, and spent 6 years as VP finance and administration at Computer Sciences Corporation.

He qualified and worked with Price Waterhouse in Bristol and then Southampton on a broad range of assignments across many sectors.

Alastair is the Chair of the Finance and Operational Committee.

Membership of Board Committees:

  • Finance and Operational Committee – Chair
  • Quality Committee - member
  • Remuneration Committee – member

Attendance at other key Trust committees:

  • Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR) steering group - member

Professor Tim McIntyre-Bhatty

Non-Executive Director

Professor Tim McIntyre-Bhatty

Tim joined the Trust on 1 November 2023.  He has a strong record in senior university and Board positions, alongside his experience in academic leadership, including 12 years as a Deputy Vice-Chancellor.  Tim has experience of organisational transformation, innovation and building and embedding an inclusive and nurturing culture in organisations.  This sits alongside his track record of governance and assurance experience.  Tim is a NED for the NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board, Chair of AIM Community, an educational charity, Governor of the University for the Creative Arts, and an independent reviewer for the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education.

Tim chairs the Charity Committee and the Our Future Hospitals Programme Board.

Membership of Board Committees:

  • Charity Committee – Member
  • Our Future Hospitals Programme Board – Chair
  • Audit Committee – member
  • Finance and Operational Committee – member

Attendance at other key Trust committees:

  • Inclusion Steering Group - member

Tony Neal

Vice Chair and Senior Independent Director

Tony Neal

Tony joined the Trust on 1 April 2022, having served as a NED at Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust since January 2016. Tony has a background as a management consultant in IT and business consultancy with a particular focus on organisational visioning, development and change with previous extensive Board level experience with BT and Fujitsu. He has worked locally with each of the South West Local Authorities and a number of third sector organisations, chiefly as an interim manager and leading/supporting business turn around and change.

Tony is Vice Chair and Senior Independent Director (SID) and Chairs the Digital Committee and is Vice Chair of the Quality Committee.

Key Roles:

  • Vice Chair and Senior Independent Director
  • Non-Executive Maternity Safety Champion (Northern and Community)

Membership of Board Committees:

  • Remuneration Committee – Chair
  • Digital Committee – Chair
  • Quality Committee – Vice Chair

Attendance at other key Trust committees:

  • Nominations Committee – member (when considering matters related to the Chair of the Trust)