ANDREW HUGHES
Founder and Managing Director
Change agent, executive and non-executive director, interim director, trustee, keynote speaker, expert facilitator.
Andrew is a C-level operator who has worked extensively in the public, commercial, academic, and third sectors.
He has been a Director at the Good Governance Institute; an Executive Director at specialist acute and mental health providers, and a GP Federation; Commercial Advisor to a regional acute provider; Senior Independent Director (NED) at a Foundation Trust; Chair of a joint venture development company; Clinical Tutor at a postgraduate Medical School; and a Council Member of the country's largest Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Andrew has held Executive Director responsibility for strategy, service and capital planning; strategic development; estates; communication and media management; fundraising; and business and commercial development.
He was planning manager for Birmingham's first new hospital in 70 years, and directed a major project to modernise mental health services across a whole county.
Andrew is Safeguarding Trustee and Chair of the Risk Committee at both national and regional charities; Chair of a network of paediatric providers covering more than 10% of the UK population; and a Visiting Lecturer.
Andrew takes the lead on all our projects.
SINDY JONES
Governance Director
Sindy is an experienced Company Secretary and governance lead, having worked in the third, academic, and commercial sectors.
Sindy was Company Secretary for the Donna Louise Children’s and Young People’s Hospice in Stoke-on-Trent, and its subsidiary company, for four years up until mid-March 2021. Registered with Companies House, Sindy advised and supported the Board of Trustees and senior executives at one of the most challenging periods in the Hospice’s history.
Sindy was the stabilising force for the charity during a significant period of transition for the charity, with multiple changes in Executives, Chairs, and other Trustees. She was responsible for the collation and coordination of papers for the Board and the three Committees – Quality Governance, Finance and Audit, and Risk.
Sindy had a core enabling role for the merger with another Hospice, managing activities with the Board, Members, Solicitors, Auditors, and staff. She was in regular contact with the Care Quality Commission, Gambling Commission, and Charity Commission – and with Together for Short Lives, as the national representative body for children’s hospices.
As PA to the Head of School, and Lead for Extenuating Circumstances within the School of Law at Keele University, Sindy balanced the needs of academic staff, students, and external examiners, with complete confidentiality.
Sindy’s role included attending the end of year External Examiners’ Meeting where she was solely responsible for the coordination of the papers for the meeting and liaised directly with External Examiners to ensure smooth running of all arrangements.
Sindy’s previous roles include twelve years as Accounts Assistant in a private accounting firm.
HAYLEY HIGGINBOTTOM
Finance & Estates Executive
Hayley is an accomplished Finance & Estates Executive, with over 20 years’ experience in both Charity Accounts & Estates. Hayley has proven to be an inspirational, ethical leader who can manage and motivate through change whilst ensuring tactical delivery of business goals are achieved.
Whilst working for 12 years within The Donna Louise Trust, Hayley progressed through roles and rank becoming Head of Finance & Resources with full responsibility of the Trusts finances and operations.
Hayley had complete oversight of the application of all statutory workings of charity financial policy and worked in direct contact with the Chief Executive Officer, Director of Care and the Board of Trustees.
Hayley was the main contact for the charity during the merger with another Hospice and played an active role in overseeing all aspects of works undertaken.
Working closely with the senior team, Hayley played a significant role in providing the Trust with a purpose-built care facility with a £2.8million expenditure. With the completion of a capital project to provide young adults with care, Hayley was forefront in working with Trustees, architects, contractors and the main sponsor, The Denise Cotes Foundation.
As Head of Facilities & Resource Management, Hayley was responsible for the line management of numerous staff, the maintenance of the buildings, facilities, and grounds to the highest standards, ensuring that all Public Liability insurance issues comply with CQC guidelines.
JO CADMAN
Senior Associate
Jo is an experienced senior leader with over 15 years’ experience working at NHS Board level across a broad range of functions including strategy, planning, transformation, business development, finance, contracting, business intelligence, organisational development, communications, engagement, spiritual care, equality, diversity and inclusion.
Jo has extensive experience leading a broad range of complex large scale strategic and transformational change, with a focus on ambitious, collaborative improvement.
She was programme director for the successful merger of two Mental Health Trusts to form a single provider for the Black Country - responsible for setting up and leading the programme through the development of governance, assurance, vision and values, clinical ambition and transformation, back-office efficiencies, and a cultural, communication and engagement programme which led to the development of strong business cases ensuring full commitment from staff and system stakeholders, and easing through the regulatory assessment process. Her previous finance and strategic roles at the Foundation Trust meant that she oversaw the process from start to finish identifying the sustainability risks, taking the Board through strategic options and appraisals, assessment of partners and then finally successful implementation.
Jo worked closely with the Black Country and West Birmingham STP to set up formal Acute Care collaboration, managing historical tense relationships between the four Acute Trusts and systemwide leaders. The Accountable officer for the STP described her achievement as “delivering more in months than had previously been delivered in 20 years”.
She had a lead role in one of the most complex change programmes through the Transforming Community Services Programme where mental health, learning disabilities and children's services were brought together through three different simultaneous business cases; and subsequently was part of the team leading the design and implementation to upgrade one of the main hospital sites following CQC concerns at the point of transfer.
Jo is a qualified accountant and graduated from the Nye Bevan Leadership programme, utilising those skills in her executive roles to deliver a wide range of other successful structural, strategic, transformational, and financial improvement. She is adept at developing Trust strategy, business planning, long term financial modelling, and business development and uses her natural collaborative style to ensure that people feel included and involved in all change. She has delivered a range of developments including Foundation Trust status, Care Trust status, P21+ new build and service development of a Black Country psychiatric intensive care unit, a new multi-disciplinary approach to cost improvements and efficiencies, and consistently delivered to financial plans.
ALEX RICKARD
Senior Associate
Alex has over 25 years’ experience in the international and national HR arena, as a lead in change management, building cultural strategy, organisational alignment and transformation, employee engagement, CSR, strategic remuneration, mergers and acquisitions, organisational design and skills development.
Alex offers commerciality, governance expertise, common sense, cultural sensitivity, empathy, a deep understanding of team dynamics and leadership styles, as well as the ability to challenge and mentor senior executives and board members.
For 8 years Alex sat on the Executive Committee at Towry Wealth Management as HR and L&D Director, the Remuneration & Risk Committees and worked with the Board and PE investors on the people and pay agendas, governance and behavioural risk.
Alex is a professionally qualified business coach with an ‘inside out approach’. She works alongside Boards and senior people as a trusted advisor and coach in times of change and complexity requiring agility, resilience, and personal development. Alex gives leaders space to reflect, discuss and refine their ideas and be mindful of their personal impact. Alex also coaches teams developing their leadership capability and for larger organizational programmes accessing Ashridge Business School for additional expert resources.
As an expert in cultural audits and behavioural risk assessments, using a tested methodology, Alex engages employees and customers and in some cases regulators. Her expertise guides and supports business leaders in defining their culture, assessing behavioural risk, providing objective evidence to allow honest conversations translating into action shifting the culture to the desired future state.
Alex also conducts cultural due diligence pre and post M&A transaction for private equity and investors. Assessing the culture and senior management capability on potential target companies, leading the tactical HR integration and strategic cultural merger.
A healthy culture is the glue of a long-term sustainable business.
Alex has worked in financial services, legal partnerships, consultancy and professional services, professional and higher education, on-line gaming, commercial property, tourism, and the NHS.
Until recently Alex was an Advisor to Tomorrow’s Company and their Financial Incentives, Global Leadership and Mergers & Acquisition Forums.
Alex qualified with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development in 1990 and became a fellow in 1999. She graduated in 1997 from the Meyler Campbell Master’s in Business Coaching and is a qualified facilitator.
Alex was nominated for ‘HR Director of the Year’ (HR Magazine) in 2013 and the ‘Chairman’s Award for Leadership in Corporate Responsibility’ (Institute of Directors) in 2014.
MARY PASSANT
Associate
Mary has an extensive background in Paediatric Services and has over 40 years’ experience within the National Health Service (NHS) in Paediatric, Neonatal and Maternity services at clinical, operational, commissioning, and strategic level.
Having extensive experience of leading on transformational and large-scale change across multiple organisations, Mary set up and was Programme Director/Lead Nurse for the successful Southern West Midlands Newborn Network (SWMNN) which was voted the NHS Network of the Year in 2009. Under Mary’s leadership the Network changed how neonatal care was delivered across the West Midlands, which had a significant effect on mortality and morbidity and improved the process for babies and families.
Recently Mary was invited to set up the Maternity Transformation Programme for Birmingham Women’s Hospital and University Hospital Birmingham (BUMP) this programme was part of the National Maternity Transformation programme of work and allowed Mary to influence the national agenda with an aim to improve maternity care for all.
Mary is currently Programme Manager for the Liverpool Neonatal Partnership, a collaboration between Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital to develop a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital site.
In addition, Mary is the Manager of Partners in Paediatrics (PiP) which is an alliance of organisations and clinicians and health care staff working to improve the quality and accessibility of services for children and young people.
Mary was the Chair of the Neonatal Working Group which developed the published a national Safe and Sustainable Neonatal Staffing document in 2018.
In 2015/16 Mary worked for the NHS England National Team in a strategic lead role to define the future of Maternity, Neonatal and Children’s Services nationally.
Having worked across many different organisations Mary has a wealth of knowledge and experience, throughout her career one of Mary strengths, beyond knowledge and breadth of experience, has been the way in which she fosters care to and for every member of the workforce, as well as delivering a high-quality experience to patients and their families. Mary remains very people and patient focused, and responds positively to all feedback and comments, whether positive or negative, ensuring that any learning is recorded and rolled out across teams as is appropriate.
ANNA SMITH
Associate
.jpg)
Anna is an experienced HR Consultant who works with a range of public and private sector clients. She has her own consultancy based in Staffordshire.
After 15 successful years working in a range of senior human resource management roles within complex organisations, Anna formed her own Human Resources Consultancy. A key part of Anna’s business ethos is to offer a flexible and consistently effective professional approach, ensuring optimum results are achieved.
Anna has built a strong reputation for delivering results, this approach has been developed working across a broad range of public and private sector organisations and offers a flexible and consistently effective professional approach, ensuring optimum results are achieved.
Anna specialises in work linked to organisational values and focuses on a wide range of HR needs, including Development of Values Based Recruitment Tools, Organisational reviews and the management of organisational change, psychometric testing, design and delivery of management development interventions including 360 feedback, management of large-scale TUPE transfers, development and implementation of workforce planning solutions, design and implementation of employee surveys.