HRUK Trustees

I have been a Trustee for almost 6 years. In 1975 I was a research technician at Killingbeck Hospital and had the privilege of knowing Mr David Watson our Founder. I have spent 46 years in Cardiology. It is a great privilege to be a Trustee for HRUK. I still feel as passionate about Cardiology and research today, as I did then.

I am a retired Solicitor and a retired Tribunal Judge. I enjoy an active life playing golf,walking, cycling and occasionally skiing. I also enjoy travel and learning to play the piano. My wife and I have three grandchildren who are a joy and keep us young at heart.

My son was born with a hole in his heart which was doing well up to the age of 17.   An infection resulted in Bacterial Endocarditis and consequently a new heart valve. Kevin Watterson, the surgeon, was brilliant and calmly talked us through the procedure. 25 years later Paul is fit and well and reminds me that his new valve has done over 1 billion beats! Kevin was instrumental in my becoming a trustee over 20 years ago. It was an honour to be appointed chairman of the Board of Trustees in 2014.

I have spent the last 20 years working in various sales and marketing roles across manufacturing, telecoms, and financial services and now consulting. My focus over the last 10 years has been data-driven marketing, focusing particularly on high volume, high frequency, personalised, multichannel customer communications across B2B and B2C organisations.

Linda joined the Heart Research Board in September 2021, after serving as a non-executive director on the Freedom for Girls Board from August 2017 to end of November 2019. Linda has over 16 years’ HR experience, is a Human Resources Professional, with a career that spans private, public and charity sectors.

Mark is a Charity Consultant with a broad range of leadership experience in the third, public and private sectors. He has been CEO of several charities, including ones which fund medical research, including Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and Sight Scotland / Sight Scotland Veterans.  He is also Chair of Action Against AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration) a UK medical research charity.  He was born and lives in Edinburgh.

I have been a trustee since 2012 and have also served on the TRP panel awarding grants on behalf of HRUK. I was appointed a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon in Sheffield in 1999 and I have a longstanding interest and commitment to medical management serving as surgical service lead and then clinical director for cardiology, cardiac surgery and thoracic surgery at STHFT from 2012 – 2021.  I was clinical director for vascular services from 2017 – 2020 and now clinical lead for the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cardiac Network.

James is a Chartered Wealth Manager and Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment with over 20 years of institutional and private client investment management experience. James is currently a Partner and Director of Investment Management at national wealth management firm Redmayne Bentley LLP. James joined the Board of Trustees in 2022, and is Chair of our Finance Committee and Investment Committee.

Professor Chris Newman is Dean of the Medical School and Professor of Clinical Cardiology at the University of Sheffield (TUoS).  He is also an honorary consultant cardiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STHFT) and Director of the NIHR Sheffield Clinical Research Facility hosted jointly by STHFT and TUoS.

Melissa has had various roles within the global family publishing company, Emerald Publishing, including Head of Community Partnerships, Employee Experience and Non-Executive Director. She is now the Chair of The Keith Howard Foundation and is Chair for Leeds Rhinos Netball. Melissa joined the board as a trustee in 2023, after she sadly lost her father in 2014 to a cardiac arrest.

Ian worked in general practice accountancy for around 14 years from 1991 and in 2005, he set up an Accountancy business with his wife. Heart Research is particularly relevant to him, after losing his Dad to a sudden ruptured aorta in 2017.

Andrew is a Project Manager across Finance and IT domains and has worked for over 30 years on a wide variety of projects. Andrew has previously been a secondary school chair of governors and a community centre charity trustee. Andrew got involved with Heart Research UK by running the London Marathon in tribute of his Mum who died from an aortic dissection. He is a regular runner and also volunteers with his local athletics club.