Trustees and Leadership
Trustees and Leadership
Meet our Board of Trustees and Leadership team
Our Board of Trustees are a dedicated group of local volunteers who are legally accountable for the activities of the Hospice and support our Leadership Team in delivering our services to the community of Hastings and Rother.
Board of Trustees
Andy Watson
Chairman
Andy Watson
Andy Watson
Chairman
I joined the Board of Trustees in Autumn 2024 as Chair. I bring a wide range of management and leadership skills from both executive and non-executive roles over the last 35 years. I have also chaired a large not-for-profit social Landlord in London housing 50,000 residents and held a non-executive Board position in the NHS. I have spent the last 20 years in healthcare commissioning and clinical delivery in independent healthcare providers, national, regional and NHS Acute Trust roles. I have also been heavily involved in delivering new building programmes and managing the associated operational and clinical upheaval they bring. I hope to bring support to the team as we look to develop the Hospice’s physical infrastructure.
Tony Boardman
Tony Boardman
I have lived in Hastings and Rother for the last 30 years, and joined the Board in 2019. I spent most of my working life in Government service as a senior civil servant, including a year as a Fellow at Harvard University’s Center for International Affairs. Latterly I worked for 10 years for a Sussex-based charity supporting those with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. I take a strong interest in local community matters, including a 5 year stint as Chairman of Battle Cricket Club, but, like many others, have a particular passion to see the work of the Hospice prosper because of personal experiences surrounding end of life care.
Ian Crick
Ian Crick
I was appointed as a trustee in April 2024. My professional background is in food retail, and I worked with Tesco for 28 years, including 5 years based in China. I have broad experience in retail operations, programme delivery, and crisis management. I have held consulting roles with clients including Deloitte, the NHS and M&S.
I moved to St Leonards in 2023, although I have had family ties with the local area since the early 1980s. I was delighted to be given the opportunity to join St Michael’s, initially as a voluntary Non-Executive Director on the Retail and Lottery Boards. Subsequently I was invited to become a trustee. I am enjoying getting involved in the broader work of the Hospice whilst continuing to support lottery and retail.
The Hospice cared for both my mother-in-law, and her mother, and is an important part of our family history. Working with the Hospice is my way of giving back, and also to continue learning. Charity shop retail has been quite an eye-opener for me. Our retail and lottery teams and their remarkable volunteers do so much for the local community as well as generating much-needed income for the Hospice.
Thank you!
Simon Davis
Simon Davis
I was born in Hastings to a family who have lived here for generations. The town and surrounding area is part of my DNA, and the Hospice has been a name in my life for as long as I remember – both through support to my family and fundraising from a young age.
I started my career as a cashier at a High Street bank in 2008, and since then have been incredibly fortunate to have been given some wonderful opportunities to learn and progress. Although through different lenses, all of my roles have been focussed on customers, and more recently been focussed on strategic development.
Reflecting during the early days of the pandemic, I decided that I wanted to give back to the community that set me up for my own journey. When the opportunity presented, I was delighted to be offered my trustee role at the Hospice, to bring together my connection to the community and my learned experiences, and help the team deliver on their aspirations.
Kerry Gentleman
Kerry Gentleman
I trained as a nurse in the 1970s and worked in the NHS for over 35 years with my final role being the Director of Nursing and Quality for a community trust in South East London. I moved to the Hastings area just over 2 years ago and, as well as enjoying the sea and beautiful countryside, I have been getting involved in local activities.
I have a NED role, work as a volunteer for the NSPCC schools service and am just training to be a community first responder. I also belong to several local choirs and dramatic societies and am thoroughly enjoying my retirement. I am really looking forward to my new role as a trustee at St Michael’s Hospice.
Nigel Kirby Green
Nigel Kirby Green
I was appointed to the Board in December 2016. I started my career as an accountant in the Public Sector and went on to work in a number of global technology and management consultancy firms in senior roles. I have worked across a wide range of industry sectors including healthcare. I have lived in Ticehurst since 2011 and am passionate about the work the Hospice does across the Hastings and Rother community and look forward to supporting it over the coming years.
Geoff Longmire
Geoff Longmire
Having been raised and educated in and around Manchester, I made the move south in 1983 and since then have worked as a solicitor, latterly specialising in commercial property work, from offices in the Hastings area.
Having stopped working full time, I was delighted to be asked to join the Hospice board, having dealt with the Hospice on so many levels in my professional and private life. Other interests are many and varied, with a lot of my time currently devoted to Bexhill Rotary Club, for whom I have organised two successful cycle rides in Europe, one raising funds for the End Polio campaign and the second for the 2019 storms in the Bahamas.
Ian Menzies
Ian Menzies
After a career concerned with investment, financial management and recruitment, largely in London, I have now retired to Winchelsea. Keen to be involved with a first rate local charity I was pleased to join the board of St Michael’s Hospice where I hope my skills and experience will be of value and use.
David Rogers
David Rogers
David moved to St Leonards on Sea recently, after six years chairing what became an Outstanding NHS mental health Trust in Staffordshire.
He also supported the Care Quality Commission, leading many inspections of particularly troubled healthcare providers. His earlier career, as an accountant, was in planning and supporting the recovery of a wide range of corporations around the country who found themselves in financial difficulty. He also held trusteeships in further education and the Wildlife Trust.
David became focused on, and thankful for, the valuable work and support of hospices when his wife became terminally ill at a relatively early age.
Since arriving on the south coast, he has been appointed a trustee of Hastings Contemporary and The Barefoot Opera, and is engaged in restoring an old house up on The Ridge.
Magnus Spence
Magnus Spence
I was appointed to the board in June 2023 and am responsible for the Hospice’s Patrons Circle. I am a chartered accountant and have spent the last 25 years working for small and large firms in the fund management industry in a variety of senior positions. I have raised funds for the Hospice for over 10 years, principally through the Wardsbrook Concerts which have been held at our home in Ticehurst. I am also a governor of Knole Academy in Sevenoaks. I am married to Liz and have six children.
Linda Stevens
Linda Stevens
I have spent most of my career as a chartered accountant working for one of the large global professional services firms, in my latter years working with the global executive team. My responsibilities included finance, marketing, business development, leadership and training. I have now retired and, as well as doing some consulting projects I am taking on some voluntary roles of which St Michael’s Hospice is a leading example. I am delighted to be associated with an organisation that I have long admired and am pleased to be able to apply my skills and experience as required.
Dr David Walker
Dr David Walker
I moved to Hastings in 1998 when I was appointed Consultant Cardiologist at the Conquest Hospital. I have had a variety of leadership roles during my career including Vice President of the British Cardiovascular Society and Medical Director of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust before retiring from clinical practice in 2024.
I have always taken a keen interest in health issues within the local community and have worked closely with local GPs on a variety of heart related projects. I also have a particular interest in end of life care in heart failure so I was delighted to be approached to join the Board of Trustees at St. Michael’s Hospice. I am a trustee of two other local charities, Parchment Trust and the Friends of the Conquest Hospital.
I am married with one son and in my spare time enjoy golf, tennis, hiking and singing in a local choir.
Directors of the Lottery Board
- Sam Carter (Chair)
- Tony Boardman
- Susannah Clayton
- Ian Crick
- Helen Snellgrove
Leadership team
Karen Clarke
Chief Executive
Karen Clarke
Karen Clarke
Chief Executive
Karen’s hospice career spans 11 years and she joined St Michael’s Hospice as Chief Executive in May 2017. Karen has 14 years’ senior management experience gained within education and healthcare where her focus was on strategic leadership and organisational change. She has an MA in Human Resource Management and in addition to lecturing on organisational change, she has presented her work on innovations in volunteering.
In June 2019 Karen was awarded her PhD in Palliative Care by Lancaster University for her research into rehabilitative palliative care as a health promoting approach.
She is also interested in how hospices and communities can co-create support for those facing the end of life.
David Barclay
Medical Director
David Barclay
David Barclay
Medical Director
David joined St Michael’s Hospice in October 2022 and has worked in East Sussex since June 2007 initially as Medical Director at St Wilfrid’s Hospice, Eastbourne and Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Eastbourne DGH. In the last 5 years he has extended his Hospital role to include the Conquest Hospital and is Clinical Lead for Palliative Medicine in the Trust. He has worked solely in the field of Palliative Medicine for over 20 years having initially graduated in Medicine in 1994 at the University of Aberdeen and completing his specialist training in London in 2006.
David is passionate about Interdisciplinary team and collaborative working. In his time as Medical Director at St Wilfrid’s he has always had a collegiate approach working with all the past Medical Directors of St Michael’s Hospice and is honoured to take on this additional role to assist with the ongoing delivery of great, values driven care for East Sussex.
Perdita Chamberlain
Income Generation Director
Perdita Chamberlain
Perdita Chamberlain
Income Generation Director
Perdita Chamberlain is currently Director of Income Generation at St Michael’s Hospice. She has worked here for the last 14 years, heading up the Fundraising, Lottery and Retail teams. The Hospice needs to raise over £4.4 million each and every year and the Income Generation teams are an integral part of this.
Perdita has worked within charities for over 25 years, with roles at The Royal British Legion and WaterAid during this time, having been lucky enough to work on some fabulous projects, private concerts in Royal Palaces, Remembrance Day events and, in 2002, managed the Blue Peter Water Works Appeal which raised over £1.5 million. Her passion has always been for the voluntary sector, enabling individuals to support their chosen charities and ensuring that the ability to give, however large or small, in money or in kind, is available to everyone.
Darren Mackenzie
Finance & IT Director
Darren Mackenzie
Darren Mackenzie
Finance & IT Director
To follow.
Evelyn Prodger
Clinical Services Director
Evelyn Prodger
Evelyn Prodger
Clinical Services Director
I joined the Hospice in October 2021 as the Clinical Services Director. My background is in nursing, with over 30 years’ experience across the NHS and palliative care, I have a MSc in Advance Clinical Practice and I am a Queen’s Nurse. I manage the delivery of services to patients by the Community and In-Patient Unit teams, I am also responsible for the delivery of education. I am driven by ensuring nurses working within the Integrated Clinical team provide high standards of care, are innovative, practice in a person-centred way and forge links with the community in which they work. I am very keen to collaborate with colleagues regionally and nationally to champion the contribution of nursing in a hospice environment.
Caroline White
Organisational
Development Director
Caroline White
Caroline White
Organisational
Development Director
Caroline joined the Hospice in 2015 having spent all of her career working for HM Revenue and Customs in various management/project roles. Her role as Director of Organisational Development means that she has responsibility for driving systematic change through the involvement of the workforce. Caroline has overall accountability for the Human Resources/Education departments as well as Voluntary Services. Caroline is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development and brings her experience of workforce planning and staff development to the Hospice. Caroline is really passionate about ensuring the Hospice has the right people with a shared purpose contributing to the Hospice’s strategic aims and that all employees and volunteers are valued.
