Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust

Andrew Deaner

Chief Medical Officer

Andrew has a very long history with the Trust, having been born at the old Ilford Maternity Hospital which became part of King George Hospital, and grew up locally. He has been a consultant cardiologist at King George and Barts hospitals for 28 years and was recently Hospital and Medical Director at King George. He brings a wide breadth of experience in both clinical management and senior medical education roles. Andrew is also an honorary clinical professor at Queen Mary University of London.

Kenye Karemo

Interim Chief People Officer and Director of Education

With more than 20 years of experience in pharmacy and clinical leadership, Kenye has built a career spanning clinical practice, workforce transformation, education and organisational development. She is recognised for developing innovative workforce solutions that improve staff experience, widen access to careers and education, and strengthen the future healthcare workforce. Kenye is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and an active member of the UK Social Mobility Commission's Employer Advisory Group. She is passionate about creating inclusive, high-performing healthcare organisations where staff can thrive and do their best for patients.

Kevin Curnow

Chief Financial Officer

Kevin joined us from the East London NHS Foundation Trust where he was their Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for three years. He was previously CFO at the Whittington Health NHS Trust which he joined in 2018. Kevin has had an extensive career in healthcare working at a senior level at a variety of organisations whose services have covered ambulance, community, mental health and acute provision. The depth and breadth of his experience will be invaluable as we strive to become a financially sustainable organisation.

Linda Storey

Director of Corporate Governance

Linda joined the Trust in 2019 as Company Secretary having worked across a number of NHS organisations in corporate governance roles. Prior to her 22 years in the NHS, Linda's early career was spent in the animal feed manufacturing industry for a national company, where she undertook roles across a range of functions including human resources, administrative management, and corporate governance. She is a Chartered Company Secretary and an Associate Member of the Corporate Governance Institute, and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and has a keen interest in corporate social responsibility and risk management.

Max Tolhurst

Chief Operating Officer (Interim)

Having started out on the NHS National Graduate Management Training Scheme, Max has spent his NHS career working in acute and specialist Trusts across London and the South East. He has undertaken a series of operational and strategic roles, focused on service delivery, strategic development and performance improvement, and joined BHRUT in June 2024 as Deputy Chief Operating Officer.

Nic Kane

Chief Nurse

Nic has extensive clinical, leadership and operational experience and she joined us after spending three years as Chief Nurse at Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust. She has worked in a variety of roles across the NHS, including at Barts Health and the Royal Marsden. Nic has spoken of her desire to build on our ongoing work to strengthen patient safety, enhance the quality of care we provide and champion the voices of patients and staff at every level.

Peter Hunt

Director of Communications and Engagement

Peter is the longest serving member of the Executive team and has played a crucial role in the organisation's transformation. He joined us after a career as a BBC correspondent and presenter. As one of their most senior journalists, he covered international and national events, politics, and the royal family.

Caroline Woolland

Associate non-executive director

Caroline, who is one of our associate non-executive directors, has a special focus on wellbeing and on ensuring the Board always considers the impact that decisions will have on the health and wellbeing of staff. After an earlier career in BBC radio production, Caroline worked in a variety of roles where she ran secondment schemes, news management and events. Moving into human resources, she has held a number of HR Director roles in the public sector, media and architecture. After recent senior HR leadership roles at the CBI, News UK and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Caroline is now HR Director at The King's Fund.

Marta Phillips OBE

Non-executive director

Marta has extensive experience of working at board level in the public and higher education sectors. Her board appointments include a member of Court for Heriot-Watt University and its Finance Committee, and member of Council for the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and its Audit Committee. She is a member of Court for Heriot-Watt University and its Finance Committee and a member of Council for the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and its Audit Committee. Marta is also the independent chair of the London Fire Brigade's audit committee, and board member and audit committee chair of the Public Sector Audit Appointments Limited. Marta was a senior civil servant and has many years of experience in the financial sector including as Chief Executive of the Pensions Advisory Service. She was made an Officer of the British Empire in 2006 for services to social housing.

Mehboob Khan

Vice Chair

Mehboob joined our Board in April 2021 and became our Acting Chair in July 2024. He is also Chair of our People and Culture Committee. Mehboob was elected as a Labour Councillor at the age of 27 and has had extensive experience in the public and private sectors. As Leader of Kirklees Council, Mehboob was the first British Muslim to occupy such a role and he transformed it into England's greenest council and saved £120 million through a comprehensive transformation programme. This achievement won Kirklees the prestigious Local Government Chronicle Council of the Year award. Mehboob has also held other key positions including Chair of Local Government Yorkshire and Humber, Chair of the West Yorkshire Fire Authority, Chair of the Local Government Association Safer Communities Board and Vice-Chair of the Local Government Association. From 1996 to 2015, Mehboob served as a Councillor in Kirklees. He then became a Councillor in the Royal Borough of Greenwich for the next six years. Since 2021, Mehboob has been the Director of Policy, Programmes, and Change at the London Borough of Redbridge. Previously, he was a senior manager at London Councils (the cross-party organisation that represents the city's 32 boroughs and the City of London) where he worked closely with Sadiq Khan's administration on policy and government relations. In his spare time, Mehboob enjoys running, walking, volunteering and cooking.

Prof. Sir Mark Caulfield

Non-executive director

Sir Mark graduated in Medicine in 1984 from the London Hospital Medical College and trained in Clinical Pharmacology at St Bartholomew's Hospital. His research has focused on the genetics of hypertension and cardiovascular health, cancer and rare diseases. As Chief Scientist for Genomics England from 2013-2021, Sir Mark was instrumental in delivering the 100,000 Genomes Project and worked with NHS England to co-create the National Genomic Test Directory. He was awarded a knighthood in 2019 for his leadership of the 100,000 Genomes Project.

Professor Hilary Thomas

Chair of Quality Assurance Committee

As an academic and clinician, Hilary specialised initially in oncology and served as medical director at The Royal Surrey County Hospital. Recent positions have included serving as chief medical advisor at KPMG LLP and she continues to work as a partner at PA Consulting.

Ruth Crowley

Associate non-executive director

Sue Lees

Chair of Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and Chair of Finance, Investment and Performance Committee