Chair and non executive directors

Robert joined Liverpool Women’s in March 2016. He has a wide range of Board experience having spent seven years as a non-executive Director at Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where he had the role as vice chairman.

Robert is the managing partner of a family dairy farm and is a director of a startup business collecting agricultural plastics for recycling; Farm Plastics Recycling Ltd. He has held directorate roles at Zenith Milk Ltd, the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers and Dairy Farmers of Britain Ltd in addition to his NHS role.

Ian Haythornthwaite - Vice Chair & Non-executive director

Ian joined the Trust in May 2011 and is a fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, with extensive public sector management experience.

Ian is currently Director of Finance for the BBC, controlling a budget of £4bn per annum. Previously he was Finance Director for BBC North based at Media City which opened in May 2011. Prior to the BBC, Ian was Deputy Chief Executive at the North West Development Agency which led on the economic regeneration of the North West of England. Prior to this Ian was the Finance Director and then Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Central
Lancashire. As an Executive Director of the group he was responsible for the regional strategy, business interaction, commercial and intellectual property exploitation and innovation. In addition he was responsible for executive management of the University estate and facilities including all trading and service provisions.

Ian chairs the Trust’s Audit Committee and is a member of its Finance, Performance and Business Development Committee.

In January 2014 the Council of Governors reappointed Ian for a further term of three years from April 2014.

Tony Okotie – Non-executive director & Senior Independent Director

Tony joined the Board of Liverpool Women's in July 2015. He has a wide ranging background, having worked in retail banking and then the regional newspaper business before changing direction in 2002 to work in the voluntary sector, undertaking a variety of roles. He was Chief Executive of Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Service until December 2016 and is now currently working for BBC Children in Need. Prior to his appointment at Liverpool Women's, Tony was a Non-Executive Director and Vice-Chair with Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, one of the first Community Foundation Trusts in the country. Tony has a BSc in Social Policy, an MSc in Voluntary Sector Management and is a qualified coach.

Ian knight - Non-executive director

Ian joined the Board of Liverpool Women's in April 2016. He had a career as a finance professional from 1974 to 2001, working for nationalised industries, Slough Estates, Nicholas Kiwi, Sara Lee Corporation and finally as Group Treasurer of Yorkshire Water. In 2001 he retired from full time employment and became a non-executive director, starting with QDS, a privately-owned UK company, and then with Mouchel and Morson (both UK PLCs).

Ian was a Member and subsequently a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers, from 1981 to 2003. He has a BA (Hon) in Business Studies. He has undertaken Non-Executive Director training courses with the Institute of Directors, NED Forum and PWC, and attended the Wharton Business School's Negotiation Program, and both the M & A Programme and the Strategic Management Programme at Ashridge Business School.

Since retiring from Yorkshire Water Ian has spent much time doing voluntary work with his local Methodist Church, and with two local amateur dramatic societies, acting as treasurer and chief fund raiser for all three organisations. He is also a volunteer at Bradford Media Museum, managing the weekly Senior Screenings group, which provides refreshments before the film and a discussion group afterwards.

Philip Huggon - Non-executive director

Phil joined the Board of Liverpool Women's in April 2016. He previously served as a non-executive director of Alder Hey Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for 6 years and has several non-executive and trustee roles in the private and public sector, with a particular focus on marketing and transformation. His board roles include the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board, a non-departmental public body set up to promote the farming industry, the Business Continuity Institute, Sports Leaders UK, the English Table-Tennis Association and he also chairs RCU, an education consultancy. His background is mostly marketing, strategy and change management from 20 years' experience with Shell, MARS and BP, both in the UK and overseas.

Jo Moore - Non-executive director

Jo joined Liverpool Women's in April 2016. She is a qualified FCMA and has a breadth of experience within Finance and Change Management. Jo has previously held senior level roles within the financial services sector, including Global CFO (technology & operations) at JPMorgan and COO for a Hedge Fund.

Jo is currently Managing Partner at Optimus 5, which is a consulting firm specialising in transformation, regulation and remediation. She also works with a number of local organisations dedicated to improving the lives of children, these include AYFA sports and the Rotund charity. Jo is a qualified executive coach and a Lean Reengineering Master Black Belt.

David Astley OBE - Non-executive director

David joined the Board of Liverpool Women's Hospital in April 2016. He has over 40 years' experience of healthcare management mostly in the NHS and recently as Chief -Tertiary Hospitals Group of the Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar. His NHS experience included five years as General Manager of Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge in the 1980's. He was also Chief Executive Officer of East Kent Hospitals between 1999 and 2006 and of St George's Hospital, London from 2006 to 2011. After retiring as a health executive David is currently developing his own consultancy practice with a particular focus on helping people manage their careers. He was born in the Walton area of Liverpool and attended Alsop School prior to University.

Susan Milner - Non- executive director

Susan joined the Board of Liverpool Women's in June 2016. she has held senior roles in the NHS, academia and local government for the past 20 years. She lives in Liverpool, and has worked within commissioning of health services in Liverpool & Halton. Susan has until recently been interim Director of Public Health (DPH) at London Borough of Havering. Whilst working at Liverpool PCT, Susan had responsibility for commissioning services for women and babies.

Susan is a registered nurse and a registered public health specialist and demonstrates a breadth and depth of experience which has taken her from dealing with individual patients in a hospital ward to a population-wide strategic leadership role across the health and social care economy.