Meet our new Chair and trustees
Published on: 12/10/23
We are delighted to introduce you to our new Chair of Trustees and three new trustees.
We welcome Steve Flanagan as our new Chair of Trustees and Christine Brookes, Rory Litherland and Marian Ridley to our Board.
Steve Flanagan, Chair of Trustees
Steve is Chief Executive of CSH Surrey, an employee-owned, not-for-profit organisation providing NHS community healthcare for children and adults in Surrey. He brings decades of leadership and transformation experience within the NHS, third and private sectors. He has previously held roles as Chief Executive of The Fremantle Trust and Managing Director of Bupa Home Healthcare.
Steve Flanagan says:
I am delighted and proud to join The Children’s Trust as its new Chair of Trustees at this pivotal moment. As we learn from and reflect on the challenges we have faced over the past year, I will draw on my experiences, and those of my trustee colleagues, to lead the organisation towards a secure and exciting future with children with brain injury and neurodisability at its heart.
Christine Brookes, Trustee
Christine is Head of Client Engagement and Marketing at Laing O’Rourke. For nearly a decade, She has spearheaded client engagement initiatives to inform and transform organisational decision-making, continuous improvement practices and influence.
Christine Brookes says:
What resonates with me most about the charity’s mission is its commitment to listening, learning and the pursuit of excellence through play, exploration and having fun. As a trustee, I will use my professional expertise and experiences to help bring people together to drive forward our exceptional resources and services which are crucial for giving the children we support every opportunity to thrive.
Rory Litherland, Trustee
Rory is Co-Founder and Human Resources Consultant at Noble Mackay, with more than 20 years’ experience in the HR sector including roles at RBS, Aviva, NBC Universal and 21st Century Fox. His career has focused on restructuring, mergers and turnarounds on a national and global scale.
Rory Litherland expresses:
I am thrilled to join The Children’s Trust Board of Trustees and have the opportunity to utilise my professional skills and personal experiences of neurodisability to serve the community in a place that makes a profound difference to children’s and families’ lives.
Marian Ridley, Trustee
Marian is an experienced healthcare leader, consultant and strategic adviser. The first CEO of Evelina London Women's and Children's Healthcare for over a decade, and a former Strategy Director of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, she combines consultancy work with a number of trustee and non-executive roles focused upon children and young people.
Marian Ridley says:
As a member of the Board of Trustees, I believe my experience, knowledge, skills and commitment to the wellbeing of children and young people will enable me to make a valuable contribution to the charity and the many children and families it supports. I look forward to working with the board, executive team, staff and stakeholders at this important time in the charity’s evolution to shape and ensure its future success.
A warm welcome from our Interim Chief Executive
Reflecting on the new appointments, Mike Maddick said:
We are delighted to welcome Steve as our new Chair of Trustees and Christine, Rory and Marian to our Board. Collectively they bring a range of valuable perspectives and expertise which will support us to maintain momentum on our recovery plan, develop the next stages of our business strategy and ensure we continue to provide the highest quality services to help children with brain injury and neurodisability live the best life possible.
