Meet our Trustees

David has extensive experience of being a Chairman and Trustee within the public and the third sectors. He is Chair of the Royal College of Physicians, and Chair of the Public Health Advisory Committee at NICE, where he personally chairs a number of the committees creating national guidelines for subjects in social care and public health, including the Care of People with Dementia. Within and beyond his professional career, he has extensive experience of working nationally and internationally to improve the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people, and is committed to striving to obtain the best possible treatment and care of people with dementia and their carers.

A professional corporate strategist and strategic advisor to many UK and international organisations, he also holds a number of Ministerial Appointments and is a Ministerial Advisor on Carers at the DHSC.

Professor Croisdale-Appleby won the prestigious 2016 Sunday Times Non-Executive Director of the Year Award in recognition for his major contribution to UK health and social care policy and the not-for-profit sector over the past 20 years; and in particular for his leadership of Dementia UK which has helped to transform the charity, a turnaround further evidenced by winning the national Charity Governance Award in 2019.

Steve has extensive Board level experience as an NHS Finance Director and Deputy Chief Executive.

Em’s dad, the mighty Alan, lived with Young Onset Alzheimer’s. Alan and his family’s long (and not entirely successful) battle to secure accurate diagnosis and age-appropriate support inspired her to become involved with Young Dementia UK where she was a Trustee for two years before the merger with Dementia UK. Em is driven by the belief that people experiencing dementia at a younger age (and their families) require specialist care and support.

Em is passionate about the power of communications to improve people’s experience of their own health. Em co-founded and ran a successful global communications agency with a reputation for pathfinder thinking. Her work has helped to change people’s attitudes to, and the care and treatment of, a broad range of health issues including HIV, smoking cessation and neurodevelopment conditions.

Since selling her business, Em has helped a number of SME businesses to grow, transform or regenerate. Em loves to help build environments in which people can play to their strengths, explore new ways of working and discover time to think. She believes that common purpose can enable teams to achieve amazing things.

Em sits on the Alzheimer’s Research UK Dementia Action Taskforce, and is a Steering Committee member of Dementia Carers in Touch.

Gavin leads PwC’s global Energy, Utilities and Resources Advisory business. Additionally, he leads PwC’s UK Energy consulting practice and manages some of PwC’s largest global client relationships. He has over 25 years experience in organisational change and is focussed on helping companies, countries and cities transform to meet the challenges of an increasing demand for Energy with NetZero emissions.

Gavin has considerable international experience having managed, coached and worked with many global leadership teams. He combines his commercial background as a Chartered Accountant with his qualifications at Oxford and HEC in organisational change.

Gavin has held various charitable Trustee roles for 10+ years in charities including SkillForce, Shelter and NSPCC. He is passionate about helping share learning in both directions between the private and charity sectors.

Mark Stroyan is a Partner at Manchester Square Partners. Mark works with Executive Directors, Board Members and leaders of Professional Services firms as a sounding board and career management mentor. He supports leaders in making critical decisions and has a particular expertise in succession planning. Mark is also an accredited mediator helping clients to navigate differences in the workplace.

Prior to joining Manchester Square Partners, Mark was the UK and then European Managing Partner of Spencer Stuart, one of the world’s leading executive search firms. Mark was also an elected member of Spencer Stuart’s Global Board of Directors and led various important initiatives on firm governance. Mark is a qualified Solicitor and spent his early career as a finance lawyer with a leading city law firm.

Mark is a graduate of St Andrews University, the College of Law and the London School of Mediation. He was Chairman of the Governors of Aysgarth Preparatory School in North Yorkshire and is currently a Governor of Harrow School. He is also a Trustee of the John Lyon Foundation, an education and grant giving charity.

Philippa worked in the City of London as an Investment Manager/Director for many years at Robert Fleming Investment Management, and also at Henderson Administration. Her particular area of expertise was Emerging Markets. Taking time out to look after her growing family, she trained as a garden designer, raised funds for a local school and cared for her parents, one of whom had dementia.

She is a qualified financial advisor and works as a consultant helping clients navigate their way through the world of investment management. She is a Governor and member of the Finance Committee of a local boys’ school and is a Trustee on the Development Committee of an independent girls’ school.

Bill worked in the retail industry for nearly 30 years in senior leadership and board level roles for Pick ‘n Pay, Safeway, Morrisons and Poundworld. These roles included a wide range of positions across operations, trading and strategy development.

More recently Bill has gained experience in the leisure and tourism sector, having been the Managing Director of one of the top attractions and historic gardens in The Lakes.

Bill now advises an estate and sits on the board of their farm shop business, as well as being a School Governor of a school in North Yorkshire.

In addition to being a Board Trustee for Dementia UK, Bill is also a Director of Dementia UK Trading Limited.

Jane Keir is a practising Family and Divorce Lawyer and a Partner at Kingsley Napley LLP. A former Senior Partner of the firm, in 2013 she became one of only four women to lead a UK top 100 law firm.

Jane represents clients across the UK and internationally, working with professionals from a variety of fields to provide a comprehensive service to her clients. She has worked on numerous landmark cases, many of which have been published in the legal press and law reports. Jane is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and has won a number of industry awards.

Jane became a Trustee of Dementia UK in February 2022. Her brother died of young onset Alzheimer’s disease in September 2021, at the age of 60. Supporting people with dementia is a cause that is very close to her heart and she knows from personal experience just how important it is to support not only the person with the diagnosis but also their families and friends through the provision of Admiral Nurses.

Jane is a very keen follower of horse racing. She owns and breeds thoroughbreds in the UK and is a former Trustee of the Racing Foundation. She was instrumental in organising the first ever horseracing charity day for Dementia UK and hopes that there will be more to follow.

Jane has also taken on the Great North Run for families facing dementia and is keen to encourage others to get involved with running and raising money for Dementia UK.

David has a career of over 25 years spanning financial services, retail, fast-moving consumer goods and telecommunications. He is currently Group Chief Operating Officer for Wesleyan, a mutual which provides financial and insurance services for doctors, dentists and teachers. David is proud to also be the executive sponsor of Wesleyan’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda.

Before joining Wesleyan, David spent over 10 years at Lloyds Banking Group. Prior to joining Lloyds, David worked for Asda, Mars and Phones4U. This broad experience has been the foundation for David’s passion to deliver lasting change which benefits customers and colleagues.

David is a graduate of Oxford University and has a PhD in Chemistry. In addition to his executive responsibilities, David is performing a Non-Exec role as Co-Chair of the Fintech cluster as part of West Midlands SuperTech – the UK’s only tech supercluster with the purpose of driving opportunity and growth in the region.

David has seen first hand the terrible impact that dementia has had on members of his family, and how desperate it can be without adequate care, support and guidance being available. David is delighted to be a member of the Board of Dementia UK to support the outstanding work we do to help families in similar situations to his own up and down the country.

Anne joined the board in August 2023. She was recruited for her experience in fundraising with over twenty years’ in the sector. She has worked for organisations including the British Red Cross, UNICEF UK, Anthony Nolan and Ambitious about Autism. She is currently Director of Fundraising at Cystic Fibrosis Trust and was a Trustee of the MS Society for seven years.

Anne has extensive experience leading fundraising teams, as well as experience of leading major appeals and using fundraising to raise awareness of an organisation.

Previously, Anne worked in the corporate sector as a Project manager for Kimberly-Clark in both the UK and US and has a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry working for Cancer Research UK.

Anne has first-hand experience of the impact of dementia on families as her father had Young Onset Alzheimer’s and she became a carer at the age of eleven. She is honoured to be a Trustee at Dementia UK, a cause that she is passionate about and using her skills and experience to support many families through our work.

Johnnie is the Chief Data Officer at OakNorth Bank, a multi-billion dollar European fintech, where he leads the strategy and execution of data, analytics, and artificial intelligence initiatives. His career began as an interest rates trader at Barclays before he co-founded the fintech Fluidly, which was backed by leading venture capitalists and widely recognised for its artificial intelligence innovation in supporting UK small businesses.. Fluidly served over 80,000 businesses before being acquired by OakNorth. Johnnie holds an MSc in Computational Statistics and Machine Learning from University College London.

The impact of dementia on Johnnie’s life began in his teenage years when his dad, David, was diagnosed with a rare form of fronto-temporal dementia. Johnnie contributed to his dad’s care until university, after which his mum took on the sole caregiving role for another decade. Watching her selfless dedication is a key inspiration for Johnnie’s support of Dementia UK and Admiral Nurses.

In 2022, Johnnie led a record-breaking transatlantic rowing expedition from Portugal to South America, raising over £50,000 for Dementia UK and clinching a Guinness World Record. Driven by his family’s experience with dementia, this adventure aimed to heighten awareness, as well as funds, for families affected by dementia.

As a trustee, Johnnie’s goal is to employ his technology expertise to amplify Dementia UK’s impact, ensuring more families receive the specialised support they need from our wonderful Admiral Nurses.

Theresa joined the board in March 2024. She is currently the Chief Nurse at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, with over 30 years’ experience in complex health and care settings.

Theresa began her career as a senior nurse in critical care, transplantation and acute medicine and has been the chief nursing officer in a range of organisations including Portsmouth University Hospital Trust, North Middlesex University Hospital, The Hillingdon Hospital Foundation Trust and The London Clinic. After becoming a registered general nurse in 1987, Theresa trained in neuroscience, transplant nursing and critical care.

Theresa holds an LLB and was a London scholar for the Florence Nightingale Foundation and has previously attended Oxford University for global executive studies.

On her appointment as a Trustee, Theresa said:

“It is a privilege to be a Trustee for Dementia UK, a charity that is providing essential support for people living with dementia and their families when most needed. Admiral Nurses are central to providing life changing support for families affected by all forms of dementia. I hope to be able to use my expertise in nursing and healthcare to support the charity to make a difference.”

Alistair Burns is emeritus Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at the University of Manchester, an Honorary Consultant Old Age Psychiatrist at the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and an Honorary Member of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. Previously, he was a Honorary Consultant at the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.

Professor Burns trained in general and old age psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital in London from 1983, becoming a Senior Lecturer in 1992. From 1993, he was Professor of Old Age Psychiatry at The University of Manchester (emeritus status since October 2023). From 2010 until October 2023, he was the National Clinical Director for Dementia (and Older People’s Mental Health) for the NHS in England. In 2015, he was awarded a CBE for services to dementia.

As a clinical academic in the University, he led an extensive research programme, including a number of clinical trials. He has published over 400 academic papers and has authored/edited 32 books on dementia and older people’s mental health. He is a Past President of the International Psychogeriatric Association and was editor of the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry for over twenty years.