The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust

Angela Wendzicha

Director of Corporate Affairs

Bob Kirton

Managing Director

Bob was previously Managing Director of Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where he has held a number of other director roles, including Director of Strategy and Chief Delivery Officer. Prior to this, he had a successful career in retail. He has a BA in History from Leicester University and an MSc in Strategy and Leadership in Healthcare from Bradford University. Bob also completed the Aspiring CEO programme in 2022.

Chris Thickett

Chief Finance Officer

Chris is an ACCA qualified accountant and has a BA (Hons) in Financial Services from Northumbria University. He joined the Trust in July 2025 as Chief Finance Officer in a joint role also covering Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He joined Barnsley in January 2016 as Deputy Director of Finance, and became Director of Finance in April 2019. He has worked in the NHS in senior finance roles at Calderdale and Huddersfield, and Leeds and York Partnership. Prior to moving into the NHS he has worked in the private sector and in private practice accountancy. He is from South Yorkshire and passionate about working within the NHS. Chris strongly believes that finance has a key role to play in supporting the delivery of excellent care to patients, driving forward improvements, and ensuring that sustainable services can be provided for our populations.

Daniel Hartley

Director of People

Daniel was previously the Regional Director of Workforce and OD for NHS England across the North East and Yorkshire. He has over 20 years of HR, organisational development and workforce experience, and has held a number of senior leadership roles across large public sector organisations.

Dr Jo Beahan

Medical Director

Jo joined the Trust as Medical Director in December 2022 having previously been Deputy Medical Director at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Jo graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1995 and has worked in a number of acute trusts in South Yorkshire. She has worked as an Emergency Medicine Consultant since 2008. She has held additional roles supporting education and training. Jo is a CQC Specialist Advisor for the CQC Urgent and Emergency Care. She has a good knowledge of local healthcare challenges.

Emma Parkes

Joint Director of Communications

Helen Dobson

Chief Nurse

Helen was appointed as Interim Chief Nurse in October 2021 and subsequently appointed to the substantive Chief Nurse role. She has extensive experience, qualifying as a dual registered adult / paediatric nurse. She previously worked at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust specialising in Paediatric Critical Care and has a significant educational background, including being a Lecturer/Practitioner at the University of Sheffield and leading national educational groups. Helen joined The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust in November 2015 as Head of Nursing for our Surgical division. In February 2017 she was appointed as Deputy Chief Nurse.

James Rawlinson

Director of Health Informatics

In addition to his substantive role in Rotherham, James is Provider CIO lead for South Yorkshire Integrated Care System, Chair of Northern and Yorkshire Director of Informatics Forum, and sits on national NHS CIO advisory councils.

Jodie Roberts

Director of Operations / Deputy Chief Operating Officer

Jodie joined the Trust in 2022 as Director of Operations/ Deputy Chief Operating Officer. She was appointed as Interim Chief Operating Officer from 17 August 2026. Jodie began her career in the NHS as a healthcare assistant whilst completing her degree to become an Occupational Therapist in York. She has held a number of clinical and senior management roles throughout the country in the NHS, private sector and the charitable sector. Jodie has gone on to continue her studies and has completed a Business Degree with the University of Essex, and in 2015 completed an MBA at the University of Hull. Jodie has also completed the prestigious Nye Bevan programme with the NHS Leadership Academy.

Sally Kilgariff

Chief Operating Officer

Sally was appointed Interim Managing Director from 17 August 2026. Sally took up the role of Chief Operating Officer in May 2022 after being the Trust’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Director of Operations since November 2018. Sally was born and raised in Rotherham and has extensive experience in the NHS, particularly in Rotherham. She started her career with a placement at Rotherham Hospital while at university, and began her employment in Rotherham in 2001. She has held various managerial roles, including Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and General Manager roles for Medicine and Community, Surgery and UECC in Rotherham. Through these roles she has established strong working relationships across the Trust and with local partner organisations. Sally has completed a Bsc (Hons) in Business and Technology and a MSc in Health Service Management and Leadership. She completed the first cohort of the Aspiring Chief Operating Officer Programme run by NHSE in 2019.

Scott Dickinson

Director of Estates and Facilities

Aloma Onyemah

Associate Non-Executive Director

Andrew Mondon

Non-Executive Director

Andrew is a Chartered Accountant, having qualified within an audit background. He has worked in a service environment for several large organisations, including significant experience of providing outsourced government contracts in defence, education and employability. Having recently completed a five-year period as the Chief Finance Officer at Change Grow Live, a national charity that helps tens of thousands of people each day to make a difference in their lives, Andrew is now moving to a portfolio of roles, which includes the Trustee of an education charity that supports individuals to develop their potential through vocational training, where Andrew is chair of the Finance and Audit Committee. Previously, Andrew worked as a Finance Director in a skills and employability provider, which offered a wide range of apprenticeships and a variety of employability solutions aimed at providing individuals with the skills needed to gain and improve employment. Andrew has also consistently driven change aimed at improving delivery at the frontline and is committed to playing a part in improving the lives of others.

Dr Gary Francis

Non-Executive Director

Gary qualified as a doctor in 1979. He specialised in anaesthesia and became a consultant in Sheffield (in Neuroanaesthesia and Intensive Care) in 1991. After performing various management roles and qualifying with management degrees, Gary pursued a leadership pathway. He was appointed Executive Medical Director at Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, working there from 2010 to 2015. Between 2015 and 2018 Gary took a leadership role in Qatar. Gary assisted the government in developing the infrastructure and governance for the appointment of circa 10,000 medical and clinical staff, in preparation for the 2022 World Cup. Upon his return from the Middle East, Gary established a consultancy and undertook a number of interim roles prior to, and during, the pandemic.

Julia Burrows

Non-Executive Director

Julia brings valuable experience from senior roles in local government, academia and the NHS. She recently retired from her role as Executive Director of Public Health and Communities at Barnsley Council. After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Durham, she trained as a student nurse at the Middlesex Hospital in London. In the 1990s, she trained as a midwife in Sheffield and has been a proud South Yorkshire citizen ever since. Her 5-year specialist public health training was based in Yorkshire and Humber with her first placement being in Rotherham so she is very pleased to return in a non-executive role. Before becoming the Director of Public Health for Barnsley in 2015, she worked in Bradford as a consultant in public health. Julia was appointed as an Honorary Professor at Sheffield Hallam University in November 2023 and is a longstanding honorary senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield. Her academic interests include public health, law and medical ethics. She is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health. She has provided public health and leadership expertise to various regional and national committees, including as a member of NICE guidelines committees, chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Workforce Development Steering Group and deputy chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Association of Directors of Public Health. She is interested in compassionate and responsible leadership and the importance of a culture where all staff and patients feel valued and listened to. Her commitment to social justice and addressing inequalities is what drives her. She is looking forward to being a committed advocate for the Trust and for Rotherham as a whole.

Mari Thorman

Non-Executive Director

Mari joined the Trust as a Non-Executive Director in February 2026, bringing extensive experience from her 25+ year career at HSBC of driving complex transformation, regulatory directives, and strategic initiatives across large, globally distributed and diverse organisations. A certified Business Architect, Technology Architect and Mindfulness trainer, she is recognised for her values-driven leadership, ability to inspire high-performing teams and expertise in navigating complex stakeholder environments. As an authentic champion of inclusion and wellbeing, Mari has pioneered award-winning workplace mindfulness programmes, reaching tens of thousands of colleagues and setting industry standards for addressing workplace mental health and wellbeing. She currently serves as a Trustee for the British Association of Mindfulness Approaches (BAMBA), guiding strategic partnerships to promote accessible, high-quality, impactful, sustainable and cost-effective wellbeing services. Inspired by her early career as a Health researcher and Psychologist within the Health Authority and NHS, she is excited to come full circle in joining the Trust, combining her later career experience with a deep commitment to empowering people and communities for improved health outcomes.

Martin Temple

Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director

Martin is an experienced chairperson with a background in large-scale manufacturing, business services, public sector, regulatory organisations, academia, and the health sector. Through his chairmanship of the Health and Safety Executive and having served for nine years on the Board of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust he has direct experience of the health sector. He has also acted as an Independent Chair for a number of reviews for several governments covering design and the built environment, government business support, and health and safety.

Shirley Congdon

Non-Executive Director and Vice Chair

Shirley was delighted and honoured to join the Trust as a Non-Executive Director in November 2024. She has had a long and successful career in the health and care sector and higher education and is currently the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford. With a professional background in nursing, she is committed to both advancing the quality of patient care and supporting the Trust to understand how best to enhance staff wellbeing and engagement. Shirley has led the University to be first in England for Social Mobility. Shirley has served on the Governing Body of Bradford District Care Trust as a Stakeholder Governor and works closely with NHS Trusts in West Yorkshire. She is a member of the Health and Wellbeing Board and is involved in many population health research programmes and initiatives as well as having significant experience of workforce planning and education and training.

Tracy Allen

Non-Executive Director

Tracy joined the Trust as a non executive director in January 2026 and brings over 30 years of senior NHS leadership experience to the role. Prior to stepping down from full time employment in 2024 she was the Chief Executive of a community health foundation trust in Derbyshire, a role she held for more than 10 years. Under her leadership, the Trust achieved an Outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission, consistently maintained the highest NHSE regulatory rating, top-decile national staff survey results and expanded its services to include primary and adult social care. Tracy is passionate about building and nurturing compassionate, inclusive leadership and a critical foundation of high quality services. She is driven by a commitment to social justice and excited by the opportunities that large NHS organisations have to reduce health inequalities and support local communities along with delivering excellent healthcare. Outside of the NHS, Tracy is vice chair of a local Citizens Advice service and volunteers at her local foodbank.