We have a board of Trustees who are also directors of Beat (formerly the Eating Disorder Association), a company limited by guarantee. They’re responsible for the overall direction, policies and strategy of Beat. Most of them have personal experience of eating disorders, as parents, family members or sufferers themselves. Find out more below.
Mike’s main role outside of Beat is as the Chair of the North Central London Integrated Health and Care System. He also provides independent occasional advisory services to public sector organisations.Until 2019 he was the chief executive of the London Borough of Camden. He joined Beat in 2017, being keen to contribute to Beat’s work because of his experience of supporting a close family member with a serious eating disorder.
David worked in the investment management field for 34 years for Barings, County NatWest and Fiduciary Trust, which was subsequently taken over by Franklin Templeton. He served on a number of the subsidiary boards of the last two and chaired the board of Fiduciary’s Swiss Bank for a number of years. He currently serves on the investment committee of Beazley plc and of UNRWA, the UN agency that looks after Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. David was elected to the National Trust Council in 2012 and appointed to the Board of Trustees in January 2015.
Selma is a Clinical Director for NHS Sussex with a special interest in children’s and young people’s mental health. She has worked as a GP for 24 years and works with asylum seekers. She has been vice chair of governors at a local school and was recently awarded the Nye Bevan certificate in Executive leadership from the NHS leadership academy.
Selma has personal experience of caring for a young person who has been very unwell.
Selma graduated from Manchester Medical School in 1996 and became a member of the Royal College of GPs in 2001. She joined the board as a trustee in 2023.
Emily joined Beat in early 2017 as a Beat Ambassador. At the time she was completing an MSc by Research, investigating a digital treatment for those affected by binge eating difficulties. Emily then began working as a Research Officer and as a Senior Helpline Advisor for Beat, and in 2018 began working as Beat’s Clinical Advice Co-ordinator, which later became Clinical Advisor. She left Beat in 2020 to begin her training on the clinical doctorate programme.
Valerie has been a trustee and treasurer of Beat since 2012. She has extensive experience of the charity sector, with a particular focus on health and mental health. She is currently a trustee, and chairs the finance committee, of the Royal Free Charity and the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine. She previously worked in corporate finance and early stage venture capital. She has a Masters in Charity Finance and Accounting and a Diploma in Charity Accounting. Valerie has personal experience of living with a eating disorder.
Our Executive team is responsible for the day-to-day running of the charity, which operates throughout the UK with around 100 staff. The team is led by the CEO, with four other executive directors, responsible for finance and operations, external affairs, services and fundraising. Read more about them below.
Robin is Interim Chief Executive of Beat. He is an experienced business leader, having spent 30+ years in the City of London, initially in commercial banking and subsequently in senior roles in the financial public relations sector. He has also acted as an adviser to quoted companies and private equity firms, as well as high profile individuals. He initially joined Beat as a trustee before moving into the CEO role. He has family experience of the impact of an eating disorder.
Tom leads on Beat’s policy and campaigns, marketing and communications and our work in the devolved nations. He has significant leadership experience in communications and public affairs, the majority in the charity sector.
Claire is a Chartered Certified Accountant (FCCA) and has worked in charity leadership for 12 years in both regional and national organisations. Claire has a professional accountancy qualification and strong skills in all areas of finance as well as a wealth of experience in HR, IT, compliance and legal issues. In her role, she takes the strategic lead on finance, human resources, facilities, IT, Legal and Governance.
If you have any comments or concerns about how the charity is run, please forward them to the Trustees via email.