Board of Trustees
Our Board of Trustees ensures that assets and resources are only used for the strategic purposes of the Charity and that the Charity is run in accordance with its constitution, charity law and other applicable laws and regulations. We are fortunate to have a Board with a broad range of skills including healthcare and business.
Dr Susan Owen (Chair)
Dr Owen is Executive Chair of Phoenix MRC Limited comprised of Phoenix Market Research & Consultancy, a full-service market research provider and Phoenix Rising, a CX & brand consultancy for innovation, insight, customer journey and brand development. Previously a Partner at Consumer Profile Ltd and an Account Director for Nielsen Consumer Research.
Dr Owen was a founding member of the Age UK Policy Panel, Board member of Age UK Gloucestershire from 2004-2012 and Chair there from 2005-2009. Dr Owen is currently Chair of Watermoor House RCH, an independent charity that provides residential care to the highest professional standards for frail older people in a friendly, homely atmosphere.
Ruth Goddard
A Chartered Accountant having trained with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ruth has 30 years of strategic, commercial and finance experience. Originally from Cheltenham, Ruth moved to London to pursue a finance career initially with BBC Worldwide and advertising agency, TBWA, before holding Finance Director roles at branding consultancy Identica and architecture and planning practice tp bennett. Ruth is Finance Director for property consultancy Ridge and Partners LLP based in Oxfordshire where she lives with her husband and two dogs.
Dr Janet Ropner FRCP FRCPath
Janet Ropner trained in Medicine at University College Hospital, London. This was followed by Haematology training in Oxford. She was a Consultant Haematologist at Gloucestershire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust from 1984 until 2008. During this time she held several managerial posts including Clinical Director for Medicine and Associate Medical Director.
She continued as Associate Medical Director part-time from 2008 until 2018 when she retired. Her particular interest was patient safety.
Janet is also a trained Mentor, Executive Coach and Mediator. She lives in Cheltenham.
Pam Sissons
Pam began a career in insurance and risk management working with clients in a variety of sectors. Originally from Yorkshire, she moved to Gloucestershire 25 years ago and completed a degree in business management and HR. She joined engineering conglomerate, Glynwed International plc and served as company secretary of Aga Rangemaster Group plc in 2004 to 2016. She has strong governance, financial and commercial experience. Pam is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators and a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute. Pam is currently a council member at the University of Gloucestershire and chairs the Audit and Risk Committee; a trustee director of the Aga Rangemaster defined benefit pensions scheme; a trustee of Winchcombe School and chairs the Resources Committee. She is also treasurer of the National Garden Scheme in Gloucestershire.
Pam lives in Cheltenham with her husband and two dogs. She enjoys most sports and exploring the great outdoors.
Dr. Valerie Udale
Valerie began her career as a scientist and has a DPhil in Developmental Neurobiology. She then pursued a variety of roles in corporate finance and management consultancy and later trained as a mathematics teacher. She currently enjoys a range of professional interests in financial modelling and delivering corporate finance training.
Valerie is a member of Council at Cheltenham Ladies College and is currently Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, and a member of the Land and Buildings Committee. She is also a trustee of Winchcombe School.
Valerie has lived in the Cheltenham area with her family for 25 years and enjoys long walks and tennis.
Claire Morris
Claire Morris is a solicitor with over 25 years business experience working at Board and Executive levels in a variety of financial services organisations including insurance, building societies, tech start-up and banks. Claire has a broad range of expertise in legal and governance matters and has also been responsible for procurement, data protection and IT functions. Claire has always been based in and around Cheltenham and currently works for a specialist lender where she is General Counsel and Company Secretary.