Non-urgent advice: Abbie Conran
Business and Performance Officer
[email protected].nhs.uk
07523 944 810
I have been in the team since Sept 2020 and have been the Leadership Development Administrator, the Business Support Administrator and now the Business and Performance Officer. I also have had previous NHS experience in Birmingham Children’s Hospital and I have also worked alongside the NHS in my last role in the charity the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation. At the charity we worked hard to fill the gaps in support for young people and families with children suffering from liver disease and therefore I am passionate about helping people and improving services.
Outside of work you will find me typing away through my current novel, reading, spending time with family and friends or asleep.
Non-urgent advice: Andrew Spears
GMTS Leadership Development Coordinator
[email protected]
07519 615 272
I am the Graduate Management Training Scheme (GMTS) Leadership Development Coordinator for the Midlands region. I came into post in September 2020 and have worked in Leadership in the NHS since 2013. I am looking forward to embracing the new challenge of working on such a renowned and highly regarded graduate training scheme and building new relationships across our region.
Prior to my current role I was part of the West Midlands Leadership Academy where I provided PA support to the Director and supported several workstreams, giving me a wealth of experience in administration, project management and stakeholder engagement. I have worked for the NHS since December 2013 and have spent most of my working life in the public sector, which I continue to find rewarding and purposeful.
I have a two year old daughter and much of my time is spent chasing her around, and keeping her (and myself) out of trouble. I am a graduate of the Warwick University MA writing programme and I continue to pursue this in my spare time and am currently working on a novel. I also enjoy reading, music and travel.
Non-urgent advice: Anna O’Kane
Senior Programme Lead
I joined the NHS eight years ago following an extensive career in leadership development, learning & development, economic regeneration and business support spanning across both private and public sectors.
Prior to joining the Midlands Talent Team, I was the talent management lead for the East Midlands Leadership Academy supporting organisations and systems to develop talent management practice. Prior to that I led on a range of regional programme areas including Organisational Development, NED and Chair development, Inclusion and Systems Leadership.
My role within the Midlands Talent Team is wide ranging acting as senior operational lead for the team and our work. This includes supporting the career development of aspirant directors, designing and developing programmes and resources for organisations and systems to facilitate best practice talent management approaches as well as supporting and leading on national talent management initiatives.
In my spare time, I enjoy long walks in the countryside with my two very energetic rescue border collies, music, books and wherever possible, travelling the world.
Non-urgent advice: Bobbie Petford
GMTS Trainee Support Manager
[email protected]
07747 008 304
As a Trainee Support Manager for the Graduate Management Training Scheme, I am based with the national GMTS team and support trainees in the Midlands. I started work in the NHS in 1983. My clinical background is in primary care mental health and psychological therapies services where I worked as a therapist, manager and senior lecturer/programme lead before moving into organisational and leadership development. I am an advocate of lifelong learning and inclusive practice. In my spare time I enjoy being an audience to visual and performing arts.
Non-urgent advice: Clare Price-Dowd
Head of Leadership and Lifelong Learning
[email protected]
07810 182 159
As the Head of Leadership and Lifelong Learning for the Midlands, my role is to lead the strategy and work of the Midlands team to ensure we have development support and interventions that meet the leadership needs of the region.
Working closely with the National team, I am responsible for shaping how the national priorities are delivered in a way that is right for the Midlands and listening to the needs of our stakeholders so we remain responsive and current.
I am passionate about supporting people to achieve their potential and feel very privileged to be part of a team who are all passionate and committed to supporting leaders and their development. This is my third year in the team and I am looking forward to more great work across the Midlands region.
Non-urgent advice: Daniel Boateng
GMTS Leadership Development Administrator
It has been a desire of mine to work for the NHS in any capacity for a long time, and I couldn’t be happier when I had the opportunity to join the NHS Leadership Academy as a participant engagement and facility support in 2021 before taking up my new position as a GMTS Development Administrator. I am still in the early stages of my career development and grateful to be a part of this team to hone my skills, learn new things, and face new challenges. I look forward to working with the NHS for a very long time. I am very positive in life, supportive, and believe in learning by doing, which is going to be useful as a personal trait in my role.
I enjoy spending time with family and friends, travelling, volunteering especially supporting the elderly in the community or in care homes, and the promotion of EDI to bring in various experiences and knowledge to achieve success.
Non-urgent advice: Dawn Simmonds
GMTS Leadership Development Coordinator
[email protected]
07519 615 280
I am currently in a secondment as the GMTS Leadership Development Coordinator. I joined the NHS in 2002 firstly working in a Trust then moving to the then Strategic Heath Authority. Over the years I’ve worked in several teams then joined the Leadership Team in 2012 as a Programme Support Co-ordinator before obtaining the position of Business Manager in 2013. My new venture is as the Leadership Development Co-ordinator, where I hope to help NHS staff to develop and reach their highest potential by offering current and beneficial learning and programmes. On a personal level I am an avid Aston Villa supporter, and I volunteer for a local Animal Sanctuary rescuing and rehoming mainly cats and kittens.
Non-urgent advice: Ene Obodumu
Business Support Assistant
07702442496
I joined the team quite recently as the Business Support Assistant. Prior to this time, I worked as an administrator in the education sector for 6 years and joined Guys and St. Thomas NHS Trust as a Business Support Officer with the neighbourhood nursing team. Last year, I gained valuable experience working part-time as a Customer service Representative in Covid vaccination team.
Outside of work, I spend time cooking varieties, talking with my family and catching up with my friends.
Non-urgent advice: Faizah Mustafa
Talent Team Project Manager
I joined the NHS in 2019, initially in the NHS Supply Chain, then at Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG for a year before joining the Midlands Talent Management Team. Prior to this; I have led on projects at the Local Council and in the charity sector. My background is IT; I graduated in Computer Science with Management, subsequently spending some time working in IT Service Support before becoming a Project Manager. My passion and areas of expertise include Project Management, IT & Digital and Continual Service & Process Improvement.
My role within the Midlands Talent Team involves providing operational leadership and project management support. This involves planning and managing work streams of programmes with appropriate governance and controls in place. These programmes include managing and leading on the Midlands Talent Management Community of Practice, increasing the digital footprint and social engagement of the Midlands Talent Management team and sourcing, procurement and development of data sets and specifications. My work ultimately supports the best use of talent in the Midlands, as well as organisations to develop and implement their own Talent Management strategies and improve capability; enabling local health economies to develop their own best practice.
In my spare time, I enjoy reading inspiring books, keeping active (love HIIT workouts and lifting weights) and hiking. I have developed my passion for cooking and have recently made a healthier version of pizza (my favourite food) from scratch using cauliflower – tasted really good!
Non-urgent advice: Fiona McNamee
System Leadership Development Senior Manager
As System Leadership Development senior manager I am here to support the Midlands Integrated Care Systems and the organisations within them, to be the very best they can be, for their people and patients, from a leadership perspective.
I have worked in the private sector, higher education and have also run my own creative industry business. I joined the NHS in 2009 at the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority, and prior to joining the team I worked at an NHS Trust as Head of Organisational Development.
I feel passionate and privileged to support people to flourish and have a fulfilling career in health and social care. My coaching, MBTI, Mental Health First Aider, Transactional Analysis and organisational development skills help me to do this in a compassionate and inclusive way.
Non-urgent advice: Gary Godden
GMTS Leadership Development Senior Manager
In my role as GMTS Leadership Development Senior Manager, I work as part of a dynamic team in delivering an effective service supporting managers and staff across the regional team and in liaison with the national team and other regions.
I lead the local GMTS team to ensure that the programme and workstreams are planned and carried out effectively and I am responsible for identifying, securing and quality assuring placements for NHS Graduate Trainees in the health and social care sectors.
I am committed to leadership and the development of people to be the best they can be and it’s great to be part of a team that is committed to improving patient care and staff experience through the development of exceptional and inclusive leadership.
I am value’s driven and I have a wealth of experience and knowledge with a set of unique skills from my time on GMTS, NHS HR investigations, GMB Regional Projects and serving Police Officer and I am a strong advocate of the dynamics of modern value led leadership.
My passion is diversity and equalities and most of my working life I have put myself front and centre in the leadership of these issues.
Non-urgent advice: Dr Jaswinder Dhap
Primary Care Senior Manager
I support the development of leadership capacity and capability across primary care in our region. I started this post in November 2022. I have previously worked for the national NHS Leadership Academy Clinical Leadership Development Team. I have extensive experience as a pharmacist in both primary and secondary care. My roles have included working in hospital, community pharmacies, academia and GP surgeries. I am passionate about supporting workforce development and the leadership needs of clinicians and managers.
Non-urgent advice: Kirsty Alberry
Leadership Development Coordinator
07920 361005
I am currently in a secondment to the Midlands Leadership and Lifelong Learning team as Leadership Development Coordinator.
I join the team from my substantive post as Programme Officer within the National Leadership Academy where I have worked since 2018, working across various programme offers, supporting in the co-ordination and delivery of some of the flagship programmes.
I enjoy supporting participants to access our offers to ensure they get the most out of the leadership development opportunities.
Outside of work, I can usually be found enjoying the fresh air and countryside by either riding my horse or walking my dog
Non-urgent advice: Karen Carter
Leadership Development Senior Manager
[email protected]
07754 859 158
As Leadership Development Senior Manager my role provides the exciting challenge of overseeing the design, development, and delivery of our portfolio of work in supporting leaders and managers at all levels across the Midlands. I have come to the role from a life-long career in adult learning, leadership and organisational development spanning the public, private and voluntary sectors.
Bringing varied experience as a people development professional, I have undertaken a variety of roles including facilitation, coaching, research, publishing, and consultancy, working with individuals, teams, and organisations to achieve their improvement goals.
Having most recently worked in a leadership development capacity on a national scale at Skills for Care and previously at Skills for Justice, I am passionate about leadership as the ‘X’ factor in achieving high quality person-centred care and social justice across the care systems and communities we serve.
Non-urgent advice: Karen Johnson
System Leadership Manager
07341793041
On secondment with the Midlands leadership and lifelong learning academy, I am looking forward to supporting the senior leadership team in system leadership development and evaluation. I bring to the role a varied background in the NHS; I have a clinical background as an occupational therapist and a master’s in public health leadership and Management. I have previously worked for the Leadership Academy as a Senior Learning Needs Analyst, a National Evaluation Support Manager and Leadership Development Manager. My current substantive post is North East and Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Manager where I support the strategic direction, development and delivery of health and wellbeing offers into systems supporting NHS, Social Care and Voluntary staff.
Outside of work I enjoy being out in the countryside walking, open water swimming and cycling.
Non-urgent advice: Kizzi Ormerod
Business Support Administrator
I am new to the role, working as a business administrator. I have 4 years admin experience in the sales industry. I am thoroughly enjoying working for the NHS with a great team embracing all the new challenges and learning new skills.
Outside of work, I love socialising and being with my friends and family, cooking and watching films
Non-urgent advice: Lyndsay Bunting
Head of Talent
I have a strong passion for putting patients at the centre of talent management and bring my clinical background and a wealth of NHS leadership expertise to my role as Head of talent for the Midlands. I have considerable experience in change management, service improvement, talent management and deployment, as well as system collaboration and partnership. I have skills in strategic education design and delivery as well as an enthusiasm for embedding inclusion and lived experience into my practice to enable a whole system cultural shift.
I have held several senior executive level roles with notable achievements in the creation of membership and engagement models, high profile talent management initiatives, design and delivery of internationally recognised and award-winning leadership development programmes and the development of several strategic models.
I am keen to ensure that development activity demonstrates value for money, and I played a key role as the primary author and academic advisor on the creation of a development evaluation framework which subsequently facilitated my research on the effectiveness of leadership development throughout the NHS – the first of its kind, which has led to ground-breaking insights on the design of impactful development.
In my spare time, I am a keen caravaner and I especially love family breaks at the seaside.
Non-urgent advice: Naomi Porter
Leadership Development Manager
naomi.porter@leadershipacademy.nhs.uk
07712 544 708
I started the role of Leadership Development Manager in 2020, having had a variety of stops in my career including Art Student, Homelessness officer, Estates Project officer and even a stint in hairdressing. My cumulative experiences have all been driven by a passion to help people and improve their lives in some way, which has been very useful for my work in the Leadership and Lifelong Learning team where we are all about making the NHS somewhere people really enjoy working, that works around their lives and results in better care for patients. I am proud to have contributed to the success of our team during some of the most challenging times both for the NHS and personally throughout the pandemic and look forward to much more exciting opportunities to keep pioneering. Outside of work I love weightlifting and performing aerial hoop and silks as well as illustration and baking.
Non-urgent advice: Racheal Naa Ayele Commodore
Talent Team Administrator
I joined the NHS in 2021 as a patient pathway coordinator at the medical records department team at the Great Ormond Street Hospital working on transitioning paper based medical records and face to face appointments to virtual appointments due to the rise in the COVID disease and to help catch-up with backlogged appointments. I also worked at United Lincolnshire NHS trusts with the Clinical Effectiveness Team which was an absolute pleasure as I gave administrative assistance during audit projects. I have a degree in Sociology and Social work and a master’s degree in Financial Risk. My passion is people. I love to help; I love to simply make a positive impact everywhere I go.
My role within the Midlands Team involves a high-level administrative support in order to find the best talents to fill in high level positions to produce results of exceptional patient care delivery.
In my spare time, I love to write books for children. I have a few written books and one published. I also initiated Tomorrow’s Farmers where I encourage our youngsters on backyard farming. I also have initiated a mother’s group where we have had talks with child development facilitators and religious leaders who encourage women spiritually and about the new changes with their lives and career at large.
Non-urgent advice: Sumiya Khanam
Leadership Development Coordinator
I am currently on secondment within the team as the Leadership Development Coordinator and recently returned from maternity leave.
Straight after college I started my apprenticeship in the West Midlands Leadership Academy as a Level 3 Business Admin apprentice in 2015, then secured a permanent position in the team whilst completing my apprenticeship and I have been with the team ever since through the changes over the years.
Colleagues who know me well will know that I really enjoy cleaning and organising as I find it very therapeutic. In my spare time I like to spend most of my time with my family and friends, online shopping, watching vlogs, documentaries and reality shows.
Non-urgent advice: Wendy Walker
Positive Actions Programmes Inclusion Coordinator
wendy.walker@leadershipacademy.nhs.uk
07786 702 732
I have been with the NHS since 2003 with an improvement background in a variety of business, administrative and training roles. During this time, I have covered areas such as event management, finance, programme and project management and support, estates, HR, marketing, and supervision, along with training of administrative staff.
Prior to this, along with other administrative roles, I have worked on a cruise ship as a programme co-ordinator visiting over 46 countries and have trained and worked as a volunteer counsellor for a national charity.
As the Positive Action Inclusion Co-ordinator for the Midlands Leadership and Lifelong Learning team my goal is to promote inclusion in everything we do and raise awareness of issues and celebrate the successes that diversity can bring.
Non-urgent advice: Yvonne Walker
Senior Business and Performance Manager
07823 665 087
I joined the NHS in 2014 on a six week contract – and never left! I come from a 20 year background in the private sector and have a background in finance and analytics, business management and operation, people, project, office and event management.
I enjoy the challenging and ever changing environment of the NHS and look forward to continuing working with the Midlands Leadership Academy team to build on my existing skills, work within a fast paced environment and give something back to the NHS. From May 2022 this will be 50% of my time and my other 50% of time will be working as Senior Workforce Intelligence Manager for NHS England and NHS Improvement. I am very much looking forward to a new challenge, working with a new team and developing my knowledge and interaction with our stakeholders and systems within the Midlands.
Away from work I enjoy spending time with family and friends and travelling; I also enjoy playing darts and scuba diving – but not both at the same time!