Our trustees

Faisal – a C6 tetraplegic since 1989 – is married to Rachel and lives in Leicestershire with his two Siamese cats.

He is a highly experienced leader with over 37 years of knowledge and skills gained across the private, public, and charitable sectors and committed to ensuring people are valued, developed and supported so that we can continue to provide excellent services to spinal cord injured individuals, their families and carers.  Faisal is committed to diversity, equality and inclusion and ensuring our services are accessible and equitable to all and that our board, staff and volunteer teams are reflective of the communities we serve.

A huge film buff and vinyl music collector, Faisal loves theatre, live gigs, travel – especially cruising – and is a big Leicester Tigers and England Rugby Football Union fan.

 

Richard sustained a C6/7 incomplete spinal injury following a skiing accident in 2001. He worked for Mars Wrigley for over 27 years and has wide ranging commercial experience.

A member of the SIA since his injury, he is passionate to use his commercial and lived experience to support the charity to deliver its strategy to help ensure everyone with a spinal cord injury can fulfil their potential.  Richard is a keen sports fan especially England rugby and enjoys playing wheelchair rugby for Harlequins.

Ron sustained an incomplete C4 tetraplegic following an accident in 2016 where he fractured his neck. He became a member of SIA shortly after being injured. He’s keen to help spinal cord-injured people unleash their potential, especially young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. A football and rugby fan, Ron is also interested in current affairs. He’s also our honorary treasurer.

Ian Anderson sustained a spinal injury in 1997, shortly after turning 19, and has used a wheelchair for over 25 years. During this time, he has witnessed growing accessibility and positive attitudes towards disability but believes more can be done to drive change. Ian is eager to contribute to the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) as part of the SIA 2030 Strategy, working collaboratively to make a greater impact.

Ian brings a wealth of experience to the SIA board, having founded and sold a successful technology company, completed a PhD in Mobile & Wearable Computing, and worked full-time as a senior leader in a 1,000-person company. Despite facing health challenges, including autonomic dysreflexia, recurrent UTIs, and sepsis, Ian has travelled to over 60 countries and built extensive expertise managing complex business relationships globally.

Ian’s personal and professional experiences position him uniquely to support SIA’s mission and drive meaningful change.

Sarah Ashby serves as an Associate Trustee on the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) board, bringing both personal experience and professional expertise to her role. Her passion for supporting individuals affected by spinal cord injury is deeply rooted in her father’s transition to paraplegia after an accident in 2018, during which her family benefitted from SIA’s support.

With extensive experience in governance and finance, Sarah has previously served as a Trustee on the Asda Foundation, leading the finance committee to ensure financial stability. As the Chief Financial Officer at Mamas & Papas, she oversees finance, operations, procurement, and legal responsibilities. Her career includes roles at P&G, Heinz, Pladis, and Asda, along with a commitment to mentoring women in finance and advocating for gender equality.

Motivated by SIA’s seven-year strategy, Sarah is eager to leverage her skills to help advance the organization’s goals and improve the lives of those affected by spinal injuries.

Currently employed as head of analysis, analytics, product and delivery functions at Farsight Consulting. Andrew previously worked for Back Up for 4 years as their family outreach manager, and prior to that as the senior family support coordinator, developing their Family Support service.

“Fourteen years ago, on the 21 December 2009 , my brother broke his neck. His life, my life, our family’s life were completely turned on their heads in a matter of seconds. We would not have been able to go on this journey, navigating the challenges and finding the opportunities to thrive, without the transformational support of SIA and its partner organisations. You helped us to see the future and navigate the complex world of life after spinal cord injury throughout the ups and downs of the past decade.”

Currently employed as a principal SCI physiotherapist at the Welsh Spinal Cord Injuries Rehabilitation Centre at Llandough Hospital in Cardiff. Claire previously worked at the NSIC Stoke Mandeville and the Oxford Centre for Enablement (neurorehabilitation) over a 25 year period in clinical, operational and managerial roles promoting patient centred care and multidisciplinary working.

Claire is a member of the UK MASCIP Committee and a member of ISCOS. She co-chaired the Wales Horatio’s Garden fundraising committee and has a keen interest in adaptive outdoor sport.

Previously a trustee with Regain, a charity dedicated to improving the independence of people who’ve become tetraplegic through a sports injury.

Mark sustained a T11 complete paraplegic following an accident in 2018. A trustee since 2019, Mark’s expertise is in governance and campaigning, and forming links with parliamentarians. He’s a barrister with over 25 years’ experience, and following his injury battled tirelessly to improve disabled access to courts. He successfully overturned government policy on the Gurkha settlement, and acted for the survivors and bereaved at the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Mark is a big part of ParaPride which celebrates disabled and LGTQA+ communities. And he features on the This Is Spinal Crap podcast.

Gareth sustained his SCI in 1998 and is injured at C5/6 level. He spent 11 months in the Spinal Injuries Unit at Sheffield.

He is currently employed by Herts County Council as head of digital technology, performance, business improvement and modernisation and also works as a non-executive director at Cambridge Housing Society, and chair of the Customer and Home Committee.

Gareth is an experienced manager in the public and third sector, with extensive vocational experience in digital, data and technology, transformational programme and contract management, business development, performance management, operational management, and compliance.

Charlotte Horn works in Public Health within local government and has extensive experience working across the NHS, local government, and healthcare organisations. In May 2022, Charlotte sustained a catastrophic spinal injury during surgery, losing function below her waist. The Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) provided vital support during her recovery, helping her navigate a challenging healthcare system and gruelling neurorehabilitation. Now, Charlotte is dedicated to giving back to the SIA by supporting others with spinal injuries.

With a strong background in public health and training in neurology and neurological injury, Charlotte understands the needs of those with life-changing injuries. As Chair of the Evolve Group, she advocates for employees with disabilities, ensuring they receive the support needed to thrive in their roles.

Charlotte is passionate about improving healthcare access and outcomes for individuals with spinal injuries.

Sally Light brings 40 years of experience in health services and the voluntary sector to her role as Associate Trustee at the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA). As the former CEO of the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, she led significant improvements in service delivery, governance, and fundraising, driving the organisation’s growth through strategic development and effective management of diverse funding models.

Sally’s experience includes working closely with parliamentarians, the media, and high-profile supporters, demonstrating her ambassadorial and leadership skills. She is deeply committed to improving the lives of people with spinal injuries, recognizing parallels between the challenges faced by the MND community and those with spinal cord injuries.

With a strong focus on advocacy and support, Sally is dedicated to using her expertise to further the SIA’s mission, helping individuals with spinal injuries and their families. Her background and passion for making a difference make her a valuable asset to the SIA board.

Sheilagh Reid is a consultant urological surgeon with 17 years of experience at the Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Unit in Sheffield. She has dedicated her career to managing spinal cord injury patients, specializing in bladder, bowel, and sexual dysfunction. Her clinical expertise includes a wide range of urological surgeries, and she has contributed to national initiatives, such as the GIRFT cauda equina syndrome pathway, while leading outreach programs to improve access to care.

In addition to her clinical work, Sheilagh has extensive experience in teaching, mentoring, and committee leadership; she chaired the Female Neuro Urodynamics Urology section of BAUS. Now partially retired, Sheilagh is eager to use her expertise to support the Spinal Injuries Association as an Associate Trustee, helping the organisation enhance healthcare systems and improve outcomes for spinal injury patients.

Anne is currently the deputy CEO of YMCA Milton Keynes and has significant experience, knowledge and skills on all aspects of charitable operations including strategy, opportunities, challenges and board relationships.

Crucially, she has significant experience of fundraising, cultivating donors and increasing commissioning/contracting arrangements with public sector bodies – a gap on our board, and an area where her input and support for the charity will be invaluable.

Anne worked for SIA between 2004-2016, primarily on the fundraising side but also helping to develop our services. She’s also married to Jamie Rhind, who used to work for SIA and lives with tetraplegia.

Leanora has a wealth of health policy experience in her current role as Senior Policy Advisor for NHS Providers (the NHS Trusts membership organisation). She has good knowledge of and contacts within the NHS, as well as a campaigning background on disability rights in a previous role with Leonard Cheshire.

Lea is passionate about climbing and represents Great Britain in paraclimbing.

Pete was diagnosed with Cauda Equina Syndrome in January 2022, due to a slipped disc from picking up a pair of shoes!  After emergency surgery he has been able to walk again but has nerve damage which limits his mobility but not his determination. Since surgery he has climbed Snowdon, walked a marathon to raise money for us and competed in the Superhero Tri event in August 2022.

A chartered environmentalist and chartered waste and resource manager, Pete has 15 years’ experience in the renewable fuel and recycling industry. As a trustee he is committed to ensuring that change happens and that we remain as leaders in providing the voice, expertise and support for SCI people.

After a close call with SCI and extensive rehabilitation following a road traffic accident, Steph has been involved as a volunteer and fundraiser for us for many years – attracted by our sense of community. She is currently an associate partner at Buchanan, a leading financial communications consultancy and has a background in corporate communications, reputation and investment management.

Paul sustained a spinal cord injury at the T11 level in 2007 from a road traffic accident, resulting in incomplete paraplegia. Determined to ensure his career remained intact, Paul worked hard as a Chartered Engineer, spending nearly 30 years in cutting edge technology R&D, and manufacturing operations. His work contributed to major projects such as the Joint Strike Fighter, Airbus A380, electric flight propulsion development and led a £10M UK government programme to advance digital manufacturing technology at Rolls-Royce.

Paul holds a 1^st class BEng in engineering and an MSc in Operations Management, where he won the ‘best thesis’ award for his pioneering work in innovation management. Paul co-founded a technology services startup in 2016 and serves as a non-executive director for a Coventry University industrial health technology startup.

Paul enjoys yachting, travel, life with his wife Sophie and their schnoodle, Kiki.

James sustained a T7 complete injury following a motorcycle accident as a teenager.  He went on to study law at Exeter and qualified as a solicitor some years later. He was previously a trustee at the SIA between 2006 and 2010 and CEO of Aspire Law.

James has worked at the highest level of SCI claims and brings with him significant experience in the legal and professional sectors surrounding SCI.  He is keen to see charities embrace and grow their commercial and trading activities to cement and broaden their revenue streams.