Julie Spence

Chair

Julie Spence has more than 30 years' distinguished public service with the police, most recently as Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary. She has a very good understanding of the NHS and is used to operating with high levels of public accountability and public scrutiny. She has excellent local networks and partnerships, and demonstrates a real passion for the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. She has previously lectured on leadership and organisational management at Cambridge University and Anglia Ruskin University. Julie is also the Chair of the Police Mutual Assurance Society and a Trustee of Ormiston Families, which gives her complimentary experience of a highly regulated private sector environment and a charity.

Tracy Dowling 

Chief Executive

Tracy joined CPFT from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group where she was Chief Officer. Tracy has more than 30 years’ experience with the NHS, including 12 years at boardroom level, after beginning her career as a radiographer. Before joining the Cambridge and Peterborough CCG, she was previously Director of Operations and Delivery with NHS England, working in the East Anglia Area Team and establishing systems of assurance for clinical commissioning. Prior to that, she was Director of Strategic Commissioning with NHS Suffolk for four years, both with the Primary Care Trust and subsequent CCGs. 

tracy.dowling@cpft.nhs.uk

Scott Haldane

Director of Finance

Scott Haldane has extensive experience as a Director of Finance in both the private and public sectors, particularly within the NHS. He was previously Director of Finance and Resources at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust. Prior to this, he was the Strategy and Business Development Director (Scotland) for ATOS IT Services (UK) Ltd. Scott graduated from the University of Stirling with a BA in Accountancy and Business Law in 1981 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1984. This led to a number of senior finance roles within the private sector, before joining the NHS in 1993. He has also been involved with a number of boards and committees representing national and professional bodies, and is currently a lay member of the Court at the University of Stirling. Scott was elected as Chairman of the Healthcare Financial Management Association in 2005, a body representing the NHS finance community across the UK, and was recognised as Public Sector Finance Director of the Year in 2006. 

Dr Chess Denman

Medical Director

Dr Denman is a consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Dr Denman trained in medicine at Trinity College, Cambridge, and London University before studying psychiatry at Guys and St Thomas' Hospitals and at the Cassel Hospital in London. She then became consultant psychiatrist in psychotherapy, first at Addenbrooke's and then at CPFT. Thirteen years ago, Dr Denman founded the Complex Cases Service for treatment of personality disorders within CPFT and it won pilot site and now innovation site status from the Department of Health along with substantial funding to expand after three years. Recently the service expanded to include one of only two inpatient units within the NHS for personality disorder patients. Dr Denman has published papers, articles and a book on personality disorder, the organisation of psychotherapy services and human sexuality.

Rachel Gomm

Director of Nursing, Allied Health Professionals, and Quality

Rachel has more than 30 years’ experience working in the NHS. A learning disability nurse by background, Rachel has held a range of clinical, service development and leadership positions in community and mental health settings for children and adults. Rachel is responsible for a diverse range of areas in CPFT including patient experience, clinical effectiveness and compliance, patient safety, infection control and safeguarding. Rachel is Board level executive lead for nursing and Allied Health Professionals.

Debbie Smith

Director of Operations and System Partnerships

Debbie started in the NHS in 1987 in Derbyshire where she trained as a mental health nurse before moving to Staffordshire working in a number of clinical roles in both adult and older people’s services. After returning to Derbyshire as a service manager in 2001, she then joinedRotherham,Doncaster and SouthHumber NHS Foundation Trust in 2005 as an Assistant Director for Older People’s Mental Health Services and then as Deputy Director of Operations. In 2013, she was appointed Mental Health Service Director and completed anMBA with the Open University. In 2016 Debbie became Chief Operating Officer before joiningCPFT in 2020 as the Director of Operations and System Partnerships. 

Stephen Legood

Director of People and Business Development

Stephen's extensive NHS career spans more than 20 years and has taken him from ward to board. Before his current role he was the Trust's interim Chief Operating Officer. Prior to this he held a number of associate director roles, leading on commissioning, contracting, system redesign and delivering large-scale service developments. Stephen has a wealth of knowledge in operational leadership in mental health as well as at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has a passion for commercial development, helping the Trust to develop innovative business solutions and seeking new commercial opportunities regionally and nationally.

Kit Connick 

Director of Corporate Affairs

Kit has worked in a number of NHS organisations inCambridgeshire for 16 years in a range of corporate leadership roles, prior to which she worked in the private sector. Kit has a particular interest in organisational and personal development and is an executive coach and mentor, as well as a healthcare leadership feedback facilitator andBelbinaccreditor. Kit is also a Director of a multi-academy Trust in Suffolk, with responsibility for HR. Kit is responsible for strategy development, project and programme management, client management, primary care, corporate projects, communications and marketing, Head to Toe Charity and charitable funds, workforce equality and diversity, risk management, emergency planning and medical devices.

Gerard Newnham

Director of Service Integration

Gerard previously worked for the Ministry of Justice, Legal Services Commission and Cambridgeshire County Council. In 2009 he joined the Granta Medical practice, Sawston, Cambridgeshire and successfully merged four medical practices. This created a delivery model which was nationally recognised as being at the forefront of new models of care. Gerard joined CPFT in November 2019. 

Julian Baust

Non-Executive Director

Julian joined the CPFT Board as a Non Executive Director in April 2013. In October 2014, he took on the roles of Deputy Chair and Non Executive Lead for Uniting Care Partnership. Prior to taking early retirement, Julian was Chairman and Managing Director of Kodak Ltd. He has more than 30 years’ commercial experience of organisational transformation, redesign and performance management gained within product and service businesses. He has experience in sales, marketing, operations and general management. Julian led the Kodak UK business through one of the biggest transformations in recent history, as Kodak Ltd successfully moved from analogue to digital in the UK. In addition to his role at CPFT where he sits on all four of the Board sub-committees, he is also Vice-Chair at Diabetes UK, and works as an independent management consultant.

Karen Daber

Non-Executive Director 

Karen Daber has a wealth of knowledge and experience and will provide a valuable contribution to the Trust in a range of areas, including supporting the Trust with its recovery plans and compliance with equality standards.
Karen, who lives in Cambridgeshire, has a history of public sector involvement including policing and nursing.

Professor Peter Jones

Non-Executive Director

Peter has been Professor of Psychiatry at Cambridge since 2000, and Deputy Head of the Clinical School since 2014. Peter’s research interests are in the epidemiology of mental illness, particularly causes active in early life, and the mental health of young people. He was a founder of the award-winning CAMEO early intervention service where he worked until taking on the Directorship of the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East of England hosted by CPFT. This is a partnership between researchers and health services to accelerate the effect of research evidence on policy and practice. Having helped form Cambridgeshire's specialist mental health trust in 2002, Peter served as a Non-Executive Director until 2005 and is delighted to join the CPFT board as an Non-Executive Director. He is a Trustee for MQ, the mental health research charity.

Mike Hindmarch

Non-Executive Director

Mike is a Chartered Accountant with extensive general management experience at Board level in the Private, Public and Third Sector.  He is Chair of the Audit and Assurance Committee at CPFT and has previously held similar roles at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and Peterborough Community Services.  He is also Vice Chair of the Joint Audit Committee for the Police & Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Following a successful career in the private sector with multi-national companies, Mike has spent eight years working with a large national charity supporting people with multi sensory impairment often coupled with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Jo Lucas

Non-Executive Director 

Jo has 40 years' experience of working in mental health services in the UK and internationally, and began her career as a nursing assistant in Fulbourn. She has been a board member of a number of organisations including as chair for a special needs housing association. She has held numerous management roles, including in a mental health charity working across central and eastern Europe. She currently practices as a psychotherapist with a private practice in Cambridge and does some work for Mental Health Europe. At CPFT she is the Non-Executive lead for recovery and is passionately committed to the values of the NHS and to the importance of collaborative working across professional and agency boundaries to ensure the quality of care.

Brian Benneyworth

Non-Executive Director 

Brian is an experienced Non Executive Director and is Managing Director of his own Consultancy Company. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) where he sits on the national committee for Membership and Development.　Brian has previously held Executive Director positions in both private and not for profit companies and has had extensive experience in Housing, Care and Support sectors. Brian is a member of the audit and assurance committee and quality, safety and governance committee, and the charitable fund committee.　 

Geoff Turral

Non-Executive Director 

Geoff currently works in the technology ventures sector, specialising in developing digital platforms to improve communication between organisations and their customers. Prior to this, he worked in the car industry, most recently as Managing Director of Porsche Cars GB Ltd. Geoff sits on the Business and Performance and Audit and Assurance committees.