Council of Governors members

Cathy is CEO of local independence charity, Ruils and has worked in the Richmond Borough for over 18 years.

Having experienced the compassionate care of Kingston hospital first hand, Cathy was motivated to become a governor to gain a better understanding of the hospital processes and to bring her experience of the voluntary sector to aid greater integration between hospital and community services.

Catherine has lived in the Kingston Borough for 15 years and was elected Governor in November 2021. She believes that great healthcare is critical to having a thriving local community and considers her role as governor critical in representing the voice of the patients and their families.

She has a business background in the health industry having worked in operations and strategy within the pharmaceutical sector. During the height of the pandemic, she was part of a team advising central NHS/Government on the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Sun Hwa has worked in the local community for the last 10 years, acting as a bridge between the Korean community, many of whom have limited English, and the local government.

Sun Hwa founded the Korean Senior Citizens Association, and Korean Culture and Arts, in New Malden, as well as the London Korean Choir and the Korean Poetry Society.

She has been fundraising for Kingston Hospital Charity for many years and is keen to develop closer links between the hospital and the Korean community.

Liz has experience as a senior manager, and as chair of Healthwatch Kingston for over five years.

Liz started in the NHS as a health visitor in 1974 and then taught in higher education. For 14 years she was the Dean of Health and Social Care at University of Greenwich, leading a programme of growth and transformation, and for four years she commissioned research on education and workforce at the Department of Health.

Liz has participated in fundraising for Kingston Hospital Charity and is also a Healthwatch Kingston volunteer for ‘enter and view’ visits in local care homes, commissioned by Kingston Council. 

Aisling (Ash) is a volunteer in the Emergency Department (ED). She wanted to be a governor to look at ways of further improving the overall experience of patients and their accompanying family and friends, particularly in ED.

This position gives Ash the freedom to explore, along with the Council and various Committees, innovative ways of working and collaborating. The pandemic has taught her that when we need to move quickly and make changes, we can.

Marc has always been passionate about driving improvement in health, in his role developing health technology as an IT test manager and taking part in Patient Participation Groups as a local resident and user of the health service.

In his professional experience, Marc has managed large budgets and has extensive experience in people management.

Marc hopes to make a difference and support positive changes and recognise good practice across other areas.

Peter is retired and lives in Esher with his wife Kathleen. They have two children - Johanna and Michael.

Peter became a Pets As Therapy (PAT) volunteer at Kingston Hospital in 2019 and since then, has undertaken a number of other volunteering roles in the hospital. Peter was elected as a governor for Elmbridge in 2023.

During his early career, Peter worked for a number of large and complex organisations in property and service management, and later led a number of successful professional services businesses.

Peter has also had experience in the voluntary sector and is currently a Board Trustee of the PAT charity.

Both of John’s children were born in Kingston Hospital’s maternity unit, and as a regular dermatology patient, John is keen to ‘give back’ to the Trust. 

John has experience as a consultant in both the media and education sectors and is currently a trustee at Esher Sixth Form College.

Birth. Death. Critical illness. All of life’s key events, all witnessed by care staff. I myself was born at Kingston Hospital and witnessed my father pass away there. The care I’ve seen showcased by the staff at Kingston is second to none. I am able to make this assessment as I was a Care Quality Commission hospital inspector and I am acutely aware that the ‘Outstanding’ rating from the CQC that endows Kingston hospital is completely merited.

From my experiences in healthcare, to my will to assist my local community, I am proud to be a governor to offer support, guidance and be a representative for my borough.

Isabella is a marketing and communications specialist who has worked in the education sector for over 30 years. She is also a trustee of a local multi-academy trust that supports primary and secondary schools across southwest London.

This is Isabella’s second term as an elected governor representing the London Borough of Richmond and she has been a volunteer visitor at the hospital for nearly 5 years, working once a week in the elderly care wards of Blyth and Kennett.

Isabella feels that her governor and volunteering roles have given a real insight into the workings of the Trust, and she is a fervent advocate of Kingston Hospital as she has seen the huge difference it makes to people’s lives in our communities.

Helen has personal experience of NHS care and has a keen interest in local health provision. Helen was a Director in Business Development in a Logistics Plc and she has an MBA

Helen’s career background is in business development, and she has been volunteering in Kingston Hospital’s emergency department for a year. She has been taking on community roles for 20 years as a school governor in Chessington and Sheen, trustee for Home Start, Kingston Charitable Foundation and Barnes Community Association, and a mentor at Kingston University, Princes Trust, and City Harvest.

Susan’s professional background is in the leadership of international aid programmes and as Chief Executive of Richmond Citizens Advice Bureau.

For five years, Susan served on the Board of Richmond Clinical Commissioning Group and is now excited to have the opportunity to bring her professional experience, knowledge of the Borough and of health systems, and her passion for joined-up health and well-being services that put the patient first, to help staff and directors make services at Kingston hospital the very best they can be.

Ghazanfar has over 30 years’ experience in the field of medicine and psychiatry, currently serving in addictions and with a particular interest in complaints management.

Ghazanfar has previously been a senior inspector for the CQC and is affiliated to a number of charities, particularly those working with homeless people and rehabilitating offenders, as well as children’s charities.

In his role as a governor, Ghazanfar hopes to support service improvements across the hospital, drawing on his experience of service design and re-design, including pathways and policies.

Jennifer (Jen) has worked at Kingston Hospital since 2010; predominately in admin roles such as a ward clerk, receptionist, admin manager, project manager and currently as a service support manager across physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Jen lives in Teddington and has utilised the hospital’s services for herself, as part of treatment for cervical cancer, and for both her children who were born prematurely and were residents of Kingston’s Neonatal Unit.

Jen is passionate about promoting the value of admin and non-clinical staff and saw the staff governor role as an opportunity to use her voice to champion the hospital’s support staff, whilst also gaining a greater understanding of the ‘inner workings’ of the NHS.

This is Jen’s second term as a staff governor, and she is also an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion, which she finds provides valuable opportunities to engage with a wide range of staff.

Anna is currently a Physiotherapy Operational Lead, looking after the inpatient physiotherapy teams at Kingston Hospital.

Anna is passionate about raising the voice of AHP staff as well as celebrating the work of AHP colleagues.

Having worked as a physiotherapist in the NHS for over 17 years, both in community, acute and rehabilitation settings, Anna has gained a wealth of knowledge about the various AHP groups and their valuable role in the future of NHS services.

Saeed has a Masters in strategic management from University of Wales and has been working in the NHS since 2012.

In his professional career, Saeed has undertaken a range of managerial and leadership roles relating to his studies and looks forward to representing colleagues in his role as a staff governor and ensuring their voices are heard.

A local authority councillor in Richmond upon Thames since 2006, Piers is currently lead member for adult social care, health, and public health, and chairs the Richmond Health and Wellbeing Board.

A strong advocate for integrating health and care, Piers views Kingston Hospital as a very important partner in the health and care system for Richmond and across South West London. Piers also has governance experience from being a primary and secondary school governor and as a trustee and Non-Executive Director of Richmond Music Trust. He is also an associate member of the Royal Society of Medicine.

Farshid is a former banker and hedge fund partner who has lived in Kingston for over 25 years.

Farshid is passionate about access to quality healthcare for all, and providing more connected services to our communities.

Graeme is currently the Cabinet Member in Wandsworth for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Community Safety. As such, his principal role is to ensure that Wandsworth residents who use Kingston Hospital receive the best care and treatment that the NHS can give.

Professionally, Graeme has been a civil servant working in the Health and Safety Executive and Department of Health specialising in occupational health and safety, and public health.

Claire is Head of the School of Nursing, Allied and Public Health at Kingston University and is passionate about the education of our future and current workforce.

As an experienced nurse academic, Claire hopes that her experience and skills will help to support the voice of workforce development and education.

Olivia is a student. She is passionate about debating, as well issues impacting young people.

Olivia was keen to become involved with Kingston Hospital because she wanted to give back to her local community, and hopes that as a young person, she can bring a different perspective to the Board of Governors.

Olivia has volunteered with the youth Healthwatch group ‘Youth Out Loud!’ and is also a member of Kingston and Richmond Youth Council. She uses her experience from these roles to analyse different issues regarding healthcare in Kingston and how they may impact young people.