Meet the Board of Directors
Our Board members, who are elected by members at a Society Conference, have a responsibility to make decisions in the best interests of our members.
The Board of Directors is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the Society, monitoring and oversight of operational activity and compliance with current legislation including our own Rulebook and propositions passed at Conference.
Operational responsibility for the conduct of the Society’s business is delegated to the Chief Executive, so it isn’t the Board’s responsibility to manage the Society. The Board is responsible for providing oversight and constructive challenge to the executive directors.
The Board comprises:
The Board Chair who is one of the Board Nominated Non-Executive Directors.
Six Member-Nominated Non-Executive Directors.
Six Board-Nominated Non-Executive Directors.
Two Executive Directors, who are senior employees of Benenden Health.
Directors serve a three-year term of office but can re-stand for election (subject to nomination) until they have served a maximum of three terms. Elections are held every year, culminating at the Society’s Conference, with at least one-third of the Board roles up for election each year.
Read our Board of Directors Terms of Reference
The Board of Directors is supported by several Committees. Learn more about these below.
Board-Nominated Chair
Board involvement: Elected to the Board in June 2017 and Chair of the Board since July 2017.
Business skills: David is an experienced Board Chair and Group CEO. He has relevant leadership skills and strong strategic experience to support the organisation within the context it operates in. A member focussed approach to strategic positioning, sound commercial judgement underpinned by a strong mutual ethos to deliver an excellent and affordable healthcare and wellbeing service for members. Brings independence of thought and sound judgement to identify the important issues facing the organisation.
Background and experience: David is a Chartered Insurer and Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and a director with over 39 years’ experience of regulated Financial Services, most of which have been in the mutual, insurance, and healthcare sectors. Wide experience of corporate governance best practice and relevant regulatory compliance experience to deliver a strong and sustainable business for members in the continually changing healthcare environment.
David is also the Chair of the Board of Bournemouth University which delivers outstanding education for students in a safe and contemporary environment.
Committee / Board Membership:
Group Nominations & Remuneration Committee.
Benenden Wellbeing Limited (Chair).
Member-Nominated Non-Executive Director and Vice-Chair
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2017.
Business skills: Experienced Senior Finance Leader. Strong commercial and strategic acumen, change management, transformation programmes, articulate communicator, relationship management of external advisors and third party service providers, corporate governance.
Background and experience: A Chartered Accountant with significant experience including external and internal audit supporting an extensive knowledge of controls and processes. Manage and develop successful teams for global organisations covering all areas of finance from tax and treasury to payroll. Operate in private and public environments across a broad range of sectors. Company Director.
Committee/Board membership:
Benenden Hospital (Chair).
Group Nominations and Remuneration Committee.
Member-Nominated Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Group Nominations and Remuneration Committee
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2017.
Business skills: Board director in both executive and non-executive capacities: strategic, financial and change leadership across the public, private and voluntary sectors, including leadership of public health and safety regulatory bodies; corporate governance; audit, assurance and risk management.
Background and experience: Member of Benenden Health for 30 years. Former Chief Executive (acting) and Accounting Officer, Office for Nuclear Regulation, with a successful 13-year record in senior leadership roles in a public-sector career spanning 40-plus years. A Chartered Accountant, with over 12 years experience in non-executive/similar roles. Les is an independent trustee of a commercial educational charity and chair of its Audit Committee. He also coaches and lectures in strategic leadership and finance as an Associate for the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
Committee/Board membership:
Group Nominations and Remuneration Committee (Chair).
Membership Committee.
Board-Nominated Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Group Audit and Risk Committee
Board involvement: Co-opted to the Board in February 2018 and elected in June 2018.
Business skills: An experienced Chief Financial Officer and a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries with wide experience of risk management, investment strategies and mergers and acquisitions.
Background and experience: Over 39 years experience in regulated financial services, much of it in the mutual and friendly society sector. An independent non-executive member of the LV= With-Profits Committee and a Trustee Director of Bournemouth and Poole Citizens Advice.
Committee/Board membership:
Group Audit and Risk Committee (Chair).
Pension Trustees.
Board-Nominated Non-Executive Director and Chair of Benenden Charitable Trust
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2019.
Business skills: Strategic Planning, Corporate and Clinical Governance, NHS Commissioning and Service Provision/Service Improvement.
Background and experience: Over 20 years experience in the NHS as CEO in both commissioning and challenging hospital settings. Having led turnarounds for three hospital trusts and with other key stakeholders and partners in health and care systems, she has an in-depth understanding go the workings of the NHS and policy.
Committee/Board membership:
Benenden Charitable Trust (Chair).
Benenden Hospital.
Board-Nominated Non-Executive Director
Board involvement: Co-opted to the Board in November 2022.
Business skills: Value creation, driving change through clear vision, functional expertise, rigour and people skills. Core capabilities include transformation, digital, strategy, patient & customer experience and brand.
Background and experience: Board level marketing and commercial director with fast-moving-consumer-goods, consumer service and healthcare experience across FTSE 100 and multi-site private equity-backed businesses. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, currently Non-Executive Director of Tipton & Coseley Building Society and The University of Essex Campus Services (a division of the University). Former Executive Director roles at General Healthcare Group (owner of BMI Healthcare), Care UK and E.ON Energy.
Committee/Board membership:
Group Audit and Risk Committee.
Membership Committee (Chair).
Board-Nominated Non-Executive Director
Board involvement: Co-opted to the Board in March 2023.
Business skills: Governance, strategy, digital health transformation, quality, people & operational leadership, international perspective.
Background and experience: Experience as a Board Chair and CEO, with a proven leadership experience of healthcare businesses across global highly regulated markets. Success spearheading organic and acquisitive growth, innovation and performance improvement in fast-growing customer service driven businesses. Strong strategic skills, operational leadership experience and stakeholder engagement capabilities, with a natural ability to support, challenge and guide. Leverages clinical background and digital technology to drive health improvement whilst optimising stakeholder outcomes.
Committee / Board Membership:
Benenden Hospital.
Group Audit & Risk Committee.
Member-Nominated Non-Executive Director
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2023.
Business skills: James is an experienced Board Member with strengths in Leadership and Strategy, professionally qualified as a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and visiting Fellow at Loughborough University and Henley Business School. James’ core skills gained from the private, public and voluntary sectors include strategy & planning, leading transformation programmes and improving customer experience and propositions. He is outcome focused and energetic.
Background and experience: James is the Director of Business and People Planning for UK Border Force, a Senior Civil Servant responsible for leading the corporate support teams to enable frontline success. Prior to joining the public sector, James worked in senior roles within the John Lewis Partnership (the largest employee-owned business in the UK) for over a decade. James brings experience in working in a customer-centric democratically run organisation to drive effective outcomes.
Committee/Board membership:
Group Nominations & Remuneration Committee.
Membership Committee.
Member-Nominated Non-Executive Director
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2023.
Business skills: Holder of a business degree (honours) specialising in marketing. A member of the Institute of Directors (2003 to 2017), Anthony has attended the Non Executive Director course and has successfully implemented change programmes at various levels and have been involved in a large business start-up. His entrepreneurial skills in all areas of business have been demonstrated through having successfully started and run three of his own companies.
Background and experience: A Benenden Health member since 2011, Anthony also has fifteen years’ corporate marketing experience to director level in major quoted companies, working in both the UK and the Netherlands. He has worked, or currently works, as a Director for three national membership organisations. One in healthcare, three commercial organisations (one insurance-related), two charities (both unremunerated) in mental health and sport, demonstrating a commitment to help others, and be involved at grass roots.
Committee/Board membership:
Group Nominations & Remuneration Committee.
Group Audit & Risk Committee.
Member-Nominated Non-Executive Director
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2023.
Business skills: Lee is a competent Executive and Non-Executive Director with experience gained in the private, public and charitable sectors. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and is a Fellow of the RSA. An independent thinker with a track record of sound judgement, Lee firmly believes in the mutual ethos and its ability to deliver an excellent and affordable healthcare and wellbeing service for members.
Background and experience: Lee is a Chartered Insurance Risk Manager with experience as a Director in a hybrid mutual company regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. His extensive public service experience includes working as a Ministerial advisor as well as enhancing safety and public health outcomes through collaboration with partners. He has strong strategic experience having led risk critical organisations for almost twenty years. Lee is a Trustee of the Firefighters Memorial Trust and a Member of the Advisory Committee for Clinical Impact Awards for the Department of Health & Social Care.
Committee/Board membership:
Group Audit & Risk Committee.
Membership Committee.
Member-Nominated Non-Executive Director
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2023.
Business skills: Experienced Board level leader, with a passion for delivering customer service excellence via the development of strong teams, supported by effective and efficient processes and the appropriate technology. Strategic thinker, familiar with the facilitation and delivery of strategic change. Areas of demonstrable strength include development of attractive and efficient customer propositions, building and optimising strategic relationships, operations management and implementing complex regulation.
Background and experience: Following a 44 year Executive career working across a variety of sectors within the financial services industry, Dean took up a role as a Trustee Director within a financial mutual in 2022 which complements his role with Benenden Health. He is a Chartered Director, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Fellow of the Institute of Directors and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. A strong believer in the importance of continuing professional development, since completing his Henley MBA he has completed courses in such areas as Service Operations Management, Fintech, Cybersecurity and Strategy in the Age of Digital Disruption.
Committee/Board membership:
Group Audit & Risk Committee.
Benenden Wellbeing Limited.
Chief Executive Officer
Board involvement: Appointed in December 2017, co-opted to the Board January 2018 and elected to the Board in June 2018.
Business skills: A wealth of experience at main Board level, having held senior roles in financial services. Also experience of leading businesses and large operational, support and customer-focused teams.
Background and experience: Over 30 years in financial services operating at senior levels, most recently as CEO at Capital Home Loans and Landmark Mortgages Ltd. Previous roles include Chief Operating Officer at HML (part of Skipton Building Society) and senior operational roles with Nat West Bank and Direct Line Group.
Committee/Board membership:
Benenden Wellbeing Limited.
Benenden Hospital.
Chief Finance Officer
Board involvement: Co-opted to the Board in November 2017 and elected in June 2018.
Business skills: Experienced CFO, leading on business strategy, transformation and assurance programmes. Sensible pragmatic approach to problem solving, good communicator.
Background and experience: A Chartered Accountant with a wealth of senior finance experience predominantly gained in large financial services organisations. Helen has also led large teams through extensive operational and regulatory change. Previously Finance Director for a regulated legal services organisation.
Committee/Board membership:
Benenden Wellbeing Limited.