Trustees and Chair

The Roles:

Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity

The Client:

Over the next five years, the organisation has ambitious goals to raise £10 million for the hospitals and invest in the following key areas:

  • Healthcare for All: Funding projects that enable access for people who experience barriers to treatment in the hospitals and ensure everyone has the best possible experience for their individual needs.

  • Healing Environments: With patients and family and mind, the charity is transforming hospital spaces into calming environments, helping to lower anxiety, reduce stress levels and improve overall wellbeing. The also support a hospital arts and culture programme and increase access to green spaces.

  • Older People: Funding projects that transform older people’s experiences within the hospitals, supporting rehabilitation, reducing distress and improving engagement and wellbeing.

  • Innovation for Change: Funding innovative research, pioneering new treatments, and cutting-edge technology to help Bristol and Weston hospitals deliver world-class care. 

Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity was seeking a Chair and two Trustees to join their Board. We previously worked with them in 2021, finding Trustees who could bolster their Board. Following the positive impact of these Trustees, they approached us again in 2023 to find two more Trustees and a Chair to lead the Board.

The Trustees bring a wide range of skill sets, as requested by the Charity. Between them, their expertise spans fundraising, community engagement, marketing, commercial and non-profit legal matters, strategic operations and business development. This enhances the Board’s governance capability and will help them achieve strategic objectives and fulfil the charitable purpose. The Trustees who were appointed are:

  • Ben Breeze

  • Jane Oakland

  • Rajnish Razdan

  • Bishrut Mukherjee

Our recommended candidate for the Chair position, Professor David Wynick, was appointed to lead the Board.  As the Director of Research and Development at UHBW and Founder and Director of Bristol Health Partners AHSC, Professor Wynick brings invaluable knowledge of hospital trusts and population health inequalities for Bristol and the surrounding areas. His experience improving healthcare delivery is a huge asset to the Charity, and his leadership and stakeholder management skills will ensure the Board is led effectively and efficiently.

Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity is doing great things to improve the health and happiness of every patient cared for by the 10 NHS hospitals in Bristol city centre, South Bristol and Weston-Super-Mare. They go above and beyond to transform patients' experiences - bringing moments of joy, comfort and hope to those who need it most. The Charity also supports the development of innovative treatments by funding new technology and international research.

The organisation wanted the new Board Members to have a wide range of skill sets – more than you would expect from three individuals. They required candidates with expertise in multiple areas, to strengthen the Board on different fronts. Another hurdle was finding a Chair who was willing to join the Charity and lead from the outset. Several candidates believed that someone familiar with the Charity’s governance structure should step into the role.

Sandy Hinks, Head of Moon’s Charity Practice, took the lead on this search campaign, with valuable support from Leighann Beck. The search was an amalgamation of bespoke advertising, headhunting and searching the Moon network. Sandy met with all the promising candidates to learn more about them and assess whether they would be a good cultural fit for the organisation. The passion that people showed for the Charity’s mission was inspiring. Nearly every individual had some experience of attending one of the hospitals supported by Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity.

Five candidates impressed us the most. Sandy's meetings confirmed that these five individuals shared the Charity's values and had the potential to make a significant contribution to its mission. One of the candidates had significant leadership experience within the healthcare sector – we recommended they be placed as the Chair. For the Trustee vacancies, we provided the Board with detailed reports on the four other candidates, outlining their skills and experience and how they could positively impact the organisation. The Board were so excited by each candidate that they opened up two more Trustee positions, allowing them to appoint all four.

Sandy Hinks commented:

“It was a pleasure to work with Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity again. They required multi-disciplined Board Members, who could add a wide range of skills to the Board. We’re delighted they decided to move forward with all five of our recommended candidates.”

Katie Walker, CEO at Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity, commented:

“On both occasions we’ve worked with Moon, they've delivered exceptional candidates who strengthen our Board.”

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