Key people

Honorary Officers
David Henry - Chair of Council of Management
Alison Cowan - Vice Chair External Relations, Council of Management
Keith Cornford - Vice Chair Networks, Council of Management
Maureen Dickson - Honorary Treasurer, Council of Management

List of other trustees

Mind Management Team
Paul Farmer - Chief Executive
Anny Brackx - Director of Information
Sophie Corlett - Director of Policy
Kathleen Miles - Director of Fundraising and Communication
Lindsay Foyster - Director of Mind Cymru
Katherine Gardiner - Director of Finance and Resources

Honorary Officers

David Henry – Chair of Council of Management
David’s background is in social work and social work education and training. He has been Operational Manager at Sheffield African Caribbean Mental Health Association, black voluntary sector provider of mental health services and currently works at Rampton Hospital working on the development of appropriate services for the BME patient population.

He has been on Council of Management since 1997 and became Chair in 2002.

Alison Cowan - Vice Chair Policies, Council of Management
Alison is based in London and works in marketing within the voluntary sector.

Alison became involved with Mind because she wanted to use her experiences and knowledge of mental distress to positive effect and to help others if possible. She has personal experience as a service user and has been a campaigner and spokesperson on mental health issues, both professionally and on a voluntary basis. She has a deep personal commitment to Mind’s mission and values and is proud to have played a part in their development. A fundraising and marketing professional, in 2001 Alison was an Ambassador/Service User Consultant to the Department of Health mind out for mental health anti-stigma/discrimination campaign.

Keith Cornford - Vice Chair Developments, Council of Management
Keith's interest and involvement in mental health started when he worked as a Psychiatric Nurse in the 1960s. His involvement in Mind started in the 80s at Coventry Mind where he was on the Executive Committee. He is particularly interested in local service provision. As well as his commitments to Mind Keith is a voluntary Mental Health Act Manager for Coventry NHS Trust.

Maureen Dickson - Honorary Treasurer, Council of Management
Maureen became Honorary Treasurer of Mind in December 2006. Her volunteering commenced when she was diagnosed with MS in 1976. She was a member of her local branch committee of the MS Society and was chairman of the branch for 10 years working in partnership with people affected by MS (PaMS), social services, local health care etc making sure that essential needs where met for all affected by MS. She became Assistance Treasurer for the National MS Soceity in 1995 and finally National Treasurer in 1997 until the end of her tenure in October 2005. She is now a Director and Trustee of the Nationwide Foundation and ATTEND which is the umbrella organisation for hospital friends and community project friends.

Maureen was employed as a VAT Officer with H.M. Customs and Excise and then became of self-employed VAT consultant and finally ended up as the Finance Director of an optical company, which she set up with two friends in 1990. She also was the visiting lecturer (VAT) of Newcastle and Durham University Business Schools.

List of other trustees

Liz Aram
Gillian Bausor
Ryan Campbell
Richard Jackson
Brian Lummis
Christina Richards
Jane Ross
Kay Sheldon
Eileen Wareham
Michael Walker
Stephen Young
 

Mind Management Team

Paul Farmer - Chief Executive
Paul Farmer is responsible for leading the strategic and operational direction of Mind in accordance with the wishes of the Council of Management. As the senior member of the Mind Management Team, he manages the five Directorates within Mind (Policy, Information, Network Support, Fundraising and Communications, Finance and Resources), and Mind Cymru. He reports directly to the Chair of Mind. He is a member of a number of external groups and a Trustee of the Directory of Social Change.

Anny Brackx - Director of Information
Anny Brackx is a publisher and journalist by trade. She is Mind's Director of Information which includes a Publishing and Mail order function, a Training and Conference section, and an Information Unit through which MindinfoLine is managed.

Sophie Corlett - Director of Policy
Sophie Corlett is responsible for the strategy and coordination of the policy work in Mind. This includes Mind's small policy team that works on campaigning for improvements to health and care services and for better social inclusion for those with mental distress, a specialist campaigns team which runs our public campaigns, Diverse Minds - a unit which works specifically on issues affecting those with mental distress from Black and minority ethnic communities - and the legal team which offers telephone legal advice and challenges the law through test cases.

Kathleen Miles - Director of Fundraising
Kathleen Miles is responsible for Mind's fundraising, leading a department of 20 staff who together raise vital income for Mind's work from a range of sources. Kathleen has a voluntary sector background, having worked in The Sector for 16 years, 15 years of which have been in fundraising.

Lindsay Foyster - Director of Mind Cymru
Lindsay Foyster is the Director for Mind Cymru that covers Minds work in Wales and has within it teams covering Policy; Support to local Mind associations; Conferences and Events and Participation and Inclusion. There is a total staff compliment of 14 and a supported volunteer placement scheme with approximately eight office based volunteers.

Katherine Gardiner - Director of Finance and Resources
Katherine joined Mind in April 1997, moving from the commercial sector. She is responsible for finance, human resources, information technology and office services, and is also a director of the Minds Matter charity shops trading subsidiary.

Lee Smith - Director of Network Support
Lee is responsible for the Grants team (which administers the LMA Fund and Opportunities for Volunteering), the Healthcare Commission Project (which works to recruit, train and support mental health service users participate in reviews carried out by the Healthcare Commission), Mind Link (Mind's national network of service users), Rural Minds (Mind's network which focuses on the needs of people living in rural communities), the local Mind association support team (which works to support LMAs in England, and includes the administration of Mind's own Quality Standards). This year we are looking at developing our capacity to support LMAs in their service delivery aspirations.