About my role at Westbank

I joined the Westbank Board in 2021 as CEO. I feel honoured to join the team of this fantastic Charity and be part of the next chapter of growth.

My stand out career moments

I have nearly 30 years’ experience in operational and commercial leadership in a range of sectors, including health and social care, healthcare and wellbeing, holiday and leisure, and even textile manufacturing! I worked closely for many years with Deborah Meaden of Dragon’s Den fame, and have operated at Board level as an Executive Director and Non-Executive Director, and as Chairman of a charity providing support and guidance to those with care needs.

I feel very fortunate that my varied career has given me many standout moments. These include the successful turnaround of several businesses who were otherwise heading for closure. I enjoyed the challenge of a new role in the NHS as Commercial Director which, together with my knowledge of social care from my role on the Board of a large care company, meant I was ideally placed to work at the interface of health and social care at a time when government policy was to promote greater integration between the two.

Throughout my career I have endeavoured to find time for some voluntary activity, and another highlight for me was being asked to take over the Chairman’s position of a charity I had only just joined as a Trustee.

My values

The passion of the Westbank team in their mission to empower and improve the health of communities and individuals across Devon, and the aim to become a voluntary sector leader for development and innovation is something I wholeheartedly share. I can see many opportunities to support our operational staff to grow and develop both themselves and the charity and I'm excited by the possibilities to make a positive difference to our customers, staff, volunteers and the organisation as a whole.

Personal interests

My busy career hasn’t left me with much downtime. My husband Mark is self-employed so I do support him in his business; and when we get the chance we do love to travel, go to the theatre and attend concerts. My other interests include health and fitness, and cooking with a healthy spin on recipes. I am also an avid reader and am currently working through a creative writing course. I am also attempting to use my daily commute from my home in Taunton to Exeter to learn Spanish!

Having the opportunity to make a real difference to the health and wellbeing of the Devon, and wider, community.