On this page:
Hear from our people
Our leadership team
Board of Trustees
Patron and President
Work for us
Hear from our people
Watch our short video to find out what motivates our people and what it’s like in our charity.
Lydia's story - Stroke Coordinator
"My role is really varied and I love having the flexibility to go out and find opportunities to further raise the awareness of the Stroke Association and the many support services that we offer, as well as the risk factors of stroke and what people can do to reduce their risk."
Read more...
Lucy's story - Helpline Information Officer
The nature of the Helpline means that we don’t usually know what happens with our callers. I find myself wondering about some callers at random times, hoping that they’re OK. I can’t call them for a catch-up, or pop round for a cuppa, but I do know that I have given them my time and my care when they needed it.
Our leadership team
Meet the team leading the Stroke Association, and discover the wealth of experience they bring to our organisation. Our leadership team is made up of the following people:
Juliet Bouverie, Chief Executive
Juliet joined our charity back in June 2016 and is our Chief Executive.She also co-chairs the Stroke Delivery Programme Board with NHS England and is a member of the NHS Assembly. She is a World Stroke Organisation Board member and Fellow. She was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s 2020 New Year’s Honours list.
Before joining our charity, Juliet was at Macmillan Cancer Support for 16 years in a range of roles covering strategy, policy, research and HR. From 2011 – 2015, she was Executive Director of Services and Influencing with a team of 800 and a budget of £150m. She oversaw a programme of award-winning innovations and service design across the U.K. and secured important government commitments to improve patient experience and post-treatment support through the 2015 Cancer Strategy for England.
Before Macmillan, Juliet worked at British Red Cross in strategy and service evaluation, the Community Development Foundation in fundraising, and a political consultancy. She was a trustee of the Long-Term Conditions Alliance and chaired the Cancer Patient Experience Board for University College London Hospital (UCLH) from 2011 – 2014.
She ran the London Marathon for the Stroke Association in April 2019.
“Our vision is for there to be fewer strokes and for everyone affected by stroke to get the help they need to live the best lives they can. We know that rebuilding lives after stroke is a team effort. I’m so proud of how our staff and volunteers work together with people affected by stroke and all our partners to provide hope after stroke.”
You can follow Juliet on X.
Alexis Kolodziej, Executive Director: Influencing and Research | Deputy CEO: Strategy
Alexis joined our charity back in 2015, and became our Executive Director for Locality Impact in 2020. In 2026, she become our Deputy CEO and Executive Director for Influencing.
Her role is to lead the charity’s engagement with local health and care systems across the UK. She leads on the implementation and quality assurance of our stroke support services and our engagement with communities and stroke support groups.
Previously, she held the post of Deputy Director – Policy and Influencing. Her team’s work led to improvements in stroke policy across the UK, and specifically to the creation of the National Stroke Programme in England making stroke a clinical priority.
Originally from Washington D.C., Alexis moved to London in 2005, working as a researcher and policy analyst in Parliament, before joining the health charity sector focusing on patient advocacy, policy development and service improvement.
“We are working to put stroke on the map in every part of the country. We want everyone touched by stroke to know that we are here to help.”
Christopher Fyfe, Executive Director: Finance
Chris joined our charity back in September 2019, and became our Executive Director for Finance in 2020.
Chris oversees all aspects of our charity’s financial management and business support.
After completing his Chartered Public Finance Accountant qualification, Chris has had a long career of financial management within development, humanitarian and environmental organisations across Africa and Europe. He was the Group Finance Director of an International Homelessness Charity and the International Finance Director of a major environmental NGO.
Chris recently completed an MSc in Development Management including research on the impact of education programmes on poor, disabled and marginalised girls in rural Kenya.
“We want to drive better outcomes in stroke prevention, treatment and lifelong support for everyone affected by stroke. Each pound we spend is to increase benefit to stroke survivors.”
Matt Gibson, Executive Director: Digital and Data
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Matt joined our charity in 2026 and is our Executive Director for Data & Digital.
His role is to lead the charity's digital, data and technology work, ensuring we use insight, evidence and technology to create better experiences for colleagues, supporters and, most importantly, people affected by stroke.
Matt has almost 20 years' experience leading digital transformation. Before joining the Stroke Association, he helped build Cyber-Duck into one of the UK's leading user-centred design consultancies before becoming Director of Experience Design at CACI. He has worked with organisations including the Cabinet Office, Bank of England, Cancer Research UK and Sport England, helping them design better services, modernise technology and use data to make better-informed decisions.
Matt is passionate about creating joined-up digital experiences and making sure technology enables people to do their best work. He believes that, by combining data, insight and user-centred design, we can remove barriers, improve decision-making and help more stroke survivors access the support they need.
Technology isn't the goal – it's how we use it to make life better for people affected by stroke. By putting people's needs first and using data and digital in the right way, we can create simpler, more connected experiences that help us achieve our mission.
Chari Hingorani, Executive Director: Giving, Volunteering and Voice
Chari joined our charity in 2005 and is now our Executive Director for Giving, Volunteering and Voice.
Her role is to lead the charity’s work with supporters, ensuring they have the best possible experience with us, understand the impact of the different ways they can get involved, and feel valued for the vital role they play in enabling our work.
Chari is an experienced leader with a strong track record of building high-performing teams and delivering sustained income growth. She has led legacy fundraising at the Stroke Association, contributing to a 61% increase in legacy income over the past decade.
With a background in law, she is also co-founder of a successful legal training consultancy, bringing strong commercial insight and a deep understanding of supporter behaviour. She is an accredited MBTI practitioner and an experienced coach and mentor.
We couldn’t do what we do without the generosity and dedication of our incredible supporters -- whether that’s donating, volunteering or campaigning for us. I want all our supporters to feel valued and recognised for the difference they make to the lives of stroke survivors and their families. They deserve the best experience we can give them.
Professor Deb Lowe, Medical Director
Deb was appointed as the Stroke Association’s first Medical Director in September 2024. She qualified as a doctor in 1997 and in 2005 took up a post of Consultant Stroke Physician and Geriatrician at Wirral University Teaching Hospital where she still works as a stroke doctor. She holds an Honorary Clinical Chair in Stroke Medicine at the University of Central Lancashire and is the and National Clinical Lead for Stroke GIRFT (Getting It Right First Time) Programme and former National Clinical Director for Stroke Medicine at NHS England.
Since her appointment into a national leadership role in 2017, she has been keen to promote a culture of effective clinical engagement and compassionate leadership, accurate performance monitoring and the use of high-quality data to drive sustainable quality improvement and delivery of evidence based, policy directed care. This included the first NHS England Stroke Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) project.
As part of the GIRFT stroke programme Deb has met with every stroke service in the country in the last five years to support quality improvement along the entire stroke pathway, including mechanical thrombectomy and life after stroke care. She was instrumental in setting up Integrated Stroke Delivery Networks, development of the National Stroke Service Model and Integrated Community Stroke Service Model. She co-leads the GIRFT Stroke Leadership Academy at the Royal College of Physicians and is a trained coach.
Deb has worked for the last few years with the Global Heath Unit and Indonesian Government to support the development of improved stroke care in Indonesia, where stroke is the highest cause of death.
Chris Rennison, Executive Director: People
Chris joined our charity back in January 1999, and became our People Executive Director in 2020 after holding a number of operational and strategic roles across the charity.
Chris oversees our people practices, people experience and people development. And has held a number of operational and strategic positions across the charity.
After a short period in the nursing profession, Chris spent his early management career with an international charity focused on community service management and delivery. Chris has held non-executive director and vice-chairman positions for a large NHS commissioning trust, held trustee board roles for a number of charities and two company directorships involved in childcare and training. Chris volunteers as a Community Responder for the East Midlands Ambulance Service responding to life-threatening 999 calls.
“We unleash potential in people affected by stroke, ourselves and others. It is only by harnessing the value and diversity that everyone brings, that will help us deliver our goals.”
Katherine Staley, Executive Director: Support
Katherine joined our charity over 20 years ago and is now our Executive Director for Support. Her role is to lead the charity’s support services for stroke survivors and their families. Her focus is on improving access and ensuring services are shaped around the needs of those affected by stroke. She leads on the development of more integrated and personalised support, and on strengthening our evidence of impact to direct resources towards frontline delivery.
Katherine has held a range of regional and national roles across the organisation. She has led services locally and nationally, including transformation programmes such as the development of new integrated support models and commissioned service partnerships with the NHS and local authorities.
With a background in psychology, she began her career in stroke, dementia and brain injury research. She has also contributed to the wider stroke community as a member of the European Life After Stroke Forum Scientific Committee.
Everyone affected by stroke should feel supported, understood and able to rebuild their lives. I’m passionate about making sure our services reach people in the right way, at the right time, so no one feels alone.
Board of Trustees
Our Board of Trustees contribute to our strategic direction and play a key role in monitoring implementation of our corporate strategy, agreeing variations in strategic emphasis and solutions to issues and obstacles.
There are currently 11 Trustees, led by our Chair, Jason Parker:
Jason Parker was appointed our Chair of Trustees in January 2026.
Jason had a stroke six years ago which left him wheelchair bound and with poor mental health. Having recovered well, he ensures his lived experience of the condition helps other stroke survivors.
Jason has extensive leadership and business expertise following 28 years in healthcare looking after senior relationships across NHS England and the Care Quality Commission. He is also the former Chair of neonatal charity, Bliss, where he helped to navigate its financial agenda, and oversaw the rebuild of a more diverse and inclusive Board.
Jason has also long been supporting the Stroke Association as an independent advisor, campaigner, fundraiser and public speaker.
Trustee from September 2018
David worked as a GP in Woodley Berkshire for 30 years. In 1995, he was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners. He later became senior partner and was a GP trainer for many years. In 2000, he joined the local Primary Care Trust Board and that decision started a long career of clinical leadership and then medical management.
Having been a Medical Director for an NHS Primary Care Trust and then a Commissioning Support Unit, David was appointed Medical Director to Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group in spring 2015. In early 2018, David chose to retire from his clinical and executive roles to concentrate on his non-executive and trustee interests.
David was appointed a non-executive for Berkshire Healthcare Foundation NHS Trust in 2015 and he remains on the mental health and community trust board. In September 2018, he became an associate non-executive director for East and North NHS Hertfordshire Hospital Trust.
David has been a member of the Society for the Assistance of Medical Families for nearly 30 years and early this year he was voted president of the charity.
David believes that his clinical understanding of how stroke affects people and his knowledge of primary care and the wider NHS will help strengthen and develop the Stroke Association for the benefit of those in need.
Trustee from September 2018, Katherine has been Vice-Chair (Lay) of Trustees since October 2023.
Katherine had a stroke in 2013, which has had a significant impact on her life.
Katherine has over 15 years’ management experience in the investment banking and commercial training sectors. She has extensive experience in service delivery; risk management; building and improving processes and controls for new and existing businesses lines; coordinating groups of people across different functions; and restructuring and developing teams.
Trustee from September 2018
Ed is a senior executive with experience of leading enabling and support services in local government. He has a professional background in change, digital, and ICT. Ed has been working as an independent consultant, most recently supporting the City of London Corporation and Essex County Council.
His previous roles include:
- Director and Executive Director positions across a number of councils, including shared service arrangements.
- Design and Programme management role at British Airways, with responsibility for introducing online travel bookings.
Ed has experience of working with the NHS including as a member of the digital board for health in North London, dealing with care and wellbeing in a community setting and insight into local authority, health care and commissioning. He has sponsored a year-long ‘proof of concept’ project to consider how data can best be used, and to understand the implications of data sharing, and to improve working across local government, public health and the NHS.
Trustee from June 2019. Member of the Investment Committee since October 2021, Vice Chair of the Finance Committee and member of the Governance and Remuneration Committee.
Ian is a chartered accountant with extensive experience in public accounting and auditing, and board and audit committee work in the private, public health and charity sectors.
He is a trustee of the Endrick Trust. He has recently been a trustee and chair of the audit committee at Erskine Hospital. He was previously vice-chair and a member of the Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board, a non-executive director and chair of the audit committee at Ricardo plc, a member of the audit committee at the Student Loans Company and a non-executive director and chair of the audit committee at Clyde Process Solutions plc.
He was a senior audit partner of Ernst and Young with senior client service roles with a wide variety of listed companies, large private companies and universities. He has had various EY management roles and was a member of the UK governing council. He has been convener of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland’s audit and assurance committee, summer conference committee and a member of the accounting standards committee.
His personal interests include skiing, walking, French language and opera.
Avril Drummond is the Chair of Rehabilitation at Loughborough University. She is an occupational therapist with a longstanding clinical and academic interest in the rehabilitation of people with stroke and has published widely on clinical services and specific rehabilitation interventions.
Avril is a past Chair of the UK Stroke Forum, a member of the Royal College of Physicians Intercollegiate Working Party for Stroke (which produce the clinical guidelines for stroke care in the UK and Ireland), Fellow of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, and currently chairs the Scientific Committee for the European Life after Stroke Conference. Avril is Editor-in-Chief of ‘Clinical Rehabilitation’ which is a highly ranked, multi-professional journal.
As a trustee of the Stroke Association, Avril is keenly interested in issues relating to both rehabilitation and research.
George was born in Canada and became a British citizen in 2003. His financial career has involved senior management positions at alternative investment companies (Brevan Howard, Cheyne Capital) and investment banks (Societe Generale, Nomura).
He earned an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and an MBA in Finance (Beta Gamma Sigma honours) from the University of Denver. He was Chairman of the CFA Society of the UK and is a former member of the Board of Governors of CFA Institute. He is a Trustee at The Tapscott Learning Trust and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee.
In recognition of his contributions to the investment profession, he was made a Fellow of the Society of Investment Professionals (FSIP) by the CFA Society of the UK.
George has two daughters, Raine and Alexandra. His interests include reading, travelling, chess, ice hockey and baseball.
Andrew is CEO at MedMin Ltd. Prior to joining MedMin, he worked in senior customer experience, marketing and operational roles across a diverse range of industries, including finance, healthcare and travel.
Andrew’s greatest strengths are his creativity, drive and leadership. He thrives on the challenge of bringing an 'outside-in' approach to traditional organisations and is passionate about how organisations can use digital and data technologies to provide rewarding experiences to customers and colleagues.
Andrew is an active volunteer and dedicated to supporting his community. He's the head coach for the girl's section at Matlock Juniors Rugby Club and was a Non-Executive Director for Ashgate Hospicecare, north-east Derbyshire’s largest end-of-life care provider, for six years.
Formerly an Independent Advisor to the Audit & Risk Committee since October 2021, Hannah (she/her) joined the Board as a Trustee and Chair of Audit and Risk Committee in June 2022. She is the Chair of the Financial Performance Committee.
Hannah is an audit partner and Head of the Not-for-Profit and Public Sector at RSM, one of the leading global accounting firms, specialising in working with charities and educational institutions. She advises on assurance, financial reporting and governance, and regularly delivers trustee training. Hannah previously sat on RSM’s Partnership Council, looking out for partner wellbeing, for four years.
Hannah is also an executive sponsor for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and chairs the Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group for RSM, joining the Stroke Association Board with an enthusiasm to make a difference.
Hannah holds the ICAEW Diploma in Charity Accounting as well as an MSc in Voluntary Sector Management from Bayes Business School.
Hannah’s personal interests include cooking, yoga, walking and travelling. She was until recently also a Trustee, and chair of Resources Committee, for a young people and families charity in the East of England where she lives, a role she held for over 9 years.
Rustam was appointed as a Trustee in October 2023.
Rustam is a professor of clinical neurology at The University of Edinburgh and an honorary consultant neurologist in NHS Lothian. He trained in Cambridge, and after completing his general medical training in London, he moved to Edinburgh in 1998 as an MRC clinical training fellow, subsequently completing his training in neurology and progressing to MRC patient-oriented clinician scientist and senior clinical fellowships.
He leads the Research to Understand Stroke due to Haemorrhage RUSH programme, which is dedicated to improving the outcome for adults who have diseases that may cause, or have caused, intracranial haemorrhage. He cares for people with neurological conditions including stroke in-hours and out-of-hours, he audits care, and he helps undergraduate and postgraduate students to develop and address clinical uncertainties within the RUSH programme. He is the Past President of the British and Irish Association of Stroke Physicians.
Niamh was appointed as a Trustee in October 2023.
Niamh is a Senior Lecturer in School of Psychology in Ulster University. Her research specialises in stroke recovery and life after stroke, she has published widely in these areas. Niamh had a stroke at age 14; she had significant upper limb and speech impairments following this but has since fully recovered. This experience has led her to a career trying to understand the brain post-stroke better and to explore aspects of stroke recovery. She believes this experience has also given her insight into life post-stroke and made her passionate to work collaboratively with stroke survivors to help ensure better recovery.
Niamh who is based in Belfast, will also take the role of chair of Stroke Associations Northern Ireland advisory committee, working closely with the Northern Ireland team.
Niamh said: 'I'm really looking forward to working with all those affected by stroke, to help improve stroke care within Northern Ireland and across the UK.'
Work for us
If you're interested in working for the Stroke Association, you can view our list of vacancies or find out more about the benefits of working here.