Our trustees
Our trustees are responsible for the governance of Waythrough.
Carolyn Regan, CBE - Chair
A highly experienced leader in both the healthcare sector and justice system, Carolyn served as Chief Executive of West London NHS Trust until December 2023. Her varied UK and international experience includes roles as Chair of Just for Kids Law, board member of the Press Recognition Panel, independent Board member of City University, London, and national lead for the health components of the London 2012 Olympic bid.
Carolyn retired as West London’s chief executive in December 2023. She remains involved with the NHS’s refugees into employment project.
Carolyn has been listed in the Financial Times ‘OUTstanding’ list of the top 20 LGBT public sector leaders and has been recognised among the top 50 NHS Chief Executives.
Caroline Gitsham - Vice Chair
Caroline has over 30 years of public sector experience, including 15 years working at an executive level and advising the UK Government and other statutory and non-statutory bodies. Caroline became a Trustee of Humankind in 2018 and took up the role of Chair in April 2022. She is now Vice Chair at Waythrough.
Caroline’s experience includes managing a range of complex services, and a number of new, innovative and award-winning services have also been developed under her leadership. As an independent consultant, Caroline now focuses on encouraging, challenging and inspiring people and organisations to enhance their contribution to customers, people who use services, communities and society. She is an Associate for the Disruptive Innovation Network (DIN) and also an Associate for the Housing Diversity Network (HDN).
Caroline’s other voluntary roles include being an active member and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Housing. She was the Founder Chair of WISH NE (Women in Social Housing North East). She was previously Chair of the Tees Valley Clinical Commissioning Group, Chair of the Primary Care Committee, Chair of the Patient Participation Advisory Group and Vice Chair of Audit & Risk. She is currently a Governor for an Alternative Learning Provider and an Ambassador for Signal, which is part of the global Poverty StopLight Movement that aims to eliminate poverty.
Danielle Oum - Trustee
Appointed as a Trustee at the end of May 2023, Danielle has a strong background in strategic development, stakeholder engagement and transformational change spanning the public, private and voluntary sectors. In addition to her role as Chair for Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Board, Danielle is also the Chair of Tuntum Housing, a Black and Minority Ethnic-led housing association operating in the East Midlands, as well as chairing Aquarius, the Birmingham-based subsidiary of Waythrough.
A highly experienced leader, Danielle has previously held the positions of Chair at Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, Chair at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, Healthwatch Birmingham and Solihull, Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust and Walsall Housing Group.
Danielle is committed to tackling inequalities and is proud to be contributing to Waythrough’s vision of breaking down the barriers that stop people from getting the support they need to live a life they value.
Ian Ayling - Trustee
Ian has had a business career working in several marketing, strategy and change roles with some of the UK’s most-loved brands, as well as bringing customer-led change to the likes of Tesco in the UK and Groupe Casino internationally.
In recent years, Ian has focussed on how to address society’s most important and urgent issues through food and nature with the Soil Association and trying to tackle diversity and inclusion in talent management processes.
From personal experience of mental ill health, Ian is proud to be a trustee of Waythrough. Ian is also a Non-Executive Director with Borough Care, a residential and dementia-friendly care provider working for everyone to live Life In Colour.
Dr Kapil Bakshi - Trustee
Kapil trained as a Psychiatrist in London and the East of England. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and sits on their Executive Committee (Eastern Division).
Kapil attained a Master’s in Healthcare Leadership from the University of Birmingham and was awarded the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Award for Senior Healthcare Leadership by the NHS Leadership Academy.
As a practising clinician, Kapil currently works as a consultant psychiatrist at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Eastern Division. He has held other significant roles, including Deputy Medical Director and College Tutor.
With over 20 years of experience working with people with mental illness and substance use, Kapil sees the huge potential for Waythrough to offer support that better meets the needs of people facing multiple challenges.
Maureen Hopcroft - Trustee
Maureen is a technology and change expert, bringing extensive experience of large-scale transformation programmes in the private, public and third sectors. Maureen complements this with 15 years’ Board experience in the third sector.
Her experience includes being on the board for Salvation Army Homes, as a trustee for Solace Women’s Aid and as Chair of the largest provider of social housing for women. She has particular interest in bringing the benefits of EDI to organisations having worked with the National Housing Federation, BME National and Olmec’s Black on Board community.
Maureen is passionate about drawing on her 30 years’ technology expertise, her governance experience and her own personal experience of supporting people through mental and physical health issues, to help make a difference for those who use Waythrough’s services.
Susan Moore - Trustee
Susan is a Chartered Accountant who qualified and worked with KPMG before moving to take on roles with major public companies in the UK and internationally. She has also worked in local government, the public sector and the regulated social housing sector, including key finance positions in two of the largest housing associations.
Susan is currently Director of Financial Accounting and Control at Orbit Group and previously worked at Sanctuary Group, a major social housing and care provider.
Susan has particular expertise in risk and assurance, management and statutory accounting, transactional accounting, tax and pensions. She has also been closely involved with two major transformational system implementations (Sap and D365), as well as group integration and reorganisation projects.
Selina Douglas - Trustee
Selina is the Chief Executive Officer of Leeds Community Healthcare (LCH). Before joining LCH in April 2024, Selina will take up the role of CEO at Whittington Healthcare on the 2nd June.
She has a long track record in health and care, and has held several board-level commissioning and operational roles over the last twenty years, in social care, voluntary sector and health.
Selina brings her passion for developing high-quality, sustainable services for and with excluded and vulnerable people and to Waythrough.
Paul Najsarek - Trustee
Paul was the Chair of Thrive LDN, London’s initiative to promote mental health and well-being. He has deep experience in setting regional and national policy through roles as head of policy at the Audit Commission, and as part of the team that drafted ‘Every Child Matters’, which has transformed children’s services nationally.
A former Chief Executive of Ealing Council, Paul led the Future Ealing transformation programme and has held senior roles as acting Chief Executive and Chief Executive of Harrow and Bolton Councils, respectively.
An experienced partnership expert, Paul’s work includes leading SOLACE on health and social care, regeneration for the West London Alliance, and adult services for London Councils.
Paul has served as the interim Ombudsman for local government and social care and is currently Chair of North Central London ICB.
Sarah Shepherd - Trustee
Sarah runs a consultancy business working on change processes and leadership development with a range of organisations in health and social services. Her approach encompasses working with people who use services, doctors, nurses, managers and leaders, particularly in West Yorkshire and the North East.
Experienced in governance in the further education and health and social care sectors, Sarah was acting Chair of SMHS before its merger with Humankind.
Sarah has a long interest and deep commitment to creating services with the people using them, and believes Waythrough has the opportunity to better support individuals and their communities to achieve their aspirations.
Ian Macqueen - Trustee
Ian is an experienced businessman who has spent his career in the retail industry with a number of well-known UK and International companies.
After retiring as Group Managing Director of Fiskars Brands UK, Ian founded an online retail company based in the West Country, together with other retail interests.
As well as being on the Waythrough Board, Ian is also Chair of the St John Ambulance County Priory Group, Chair of Governors for Mount Kelly Independent Boarding School and a fundraiser for Children with Cancer UK.
Ian is keenly aware of the impact drug and alcohol use can have on individuals, their families and friends, and the wider community, which is why he is so proud to advise and support Waythrough.
James Walder - Trustee
A qualified accountant, James is currently CEO of Northstar, a registered provider of social housing based in Stockton. His role covers multiple areas of the organisation’s work including procurement, risk, data and digital.
James’s previous experience includes roles at PWC, Home Group, and Kier North Tyneside, a joint venture with North Tyneside Council that provides design, construction, repair and maintenance services for council homes, schools and public buildings across the borough of North Tyneside.
Throughout his career, James has focused on working with organisations that possess a strong sense of social purpose, and , alongside his Trustee role with us, has supported several charitable organisations in the North East.
