Beat has a board of Trustees who are the Directors of the Company. The Trustees reflect a range of skills, including governance, finance, HR, strategy and clinical expertise. They are responsible for the overall direction, policies and strategy of Beat. The majority have personal experience of eating disorders as parents, family members or sufferers themselves.
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.
Jo is an experienced Human Resources leader with over 30 years working in businesses such as Mars, Cadbury and Costa Coffee, both in the UK and overseas. She has broad HR expertise including remuneration, and a specific interest in change management and talent development. Jo has personal experience of caring for a family member with an eating disorder. She has a Biochemical Engineering degree from University College, London.
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.
If you have any comments or concerns about how the charity is run, please forward them to the Trustees via email.