Board of governors
Mrs Eileen Springford, chair
Eileen Springford joined the board as a co-opted member in May 2003 and took the role of chair in October 2009. She also chairs the services committee. She began her working life in the NHS, nursing children, and then moved into her second career in social services. Her final post was deputy director of social services with Buckinghamshire County Council.
Mr Harold Porter, vice chairman
Harold Porter is a local trustee, co-opted onto the board in October 2000. He served as chairman of the board from July 2003 to October 2009. He also chairs the pensions committee. He is a qualified chartered accountant, and has been financial controller for a major UK company for a number of years.
Mr Derek Wilson, honorary treasurer
Derek Wilson joined the board as a co-opted member in July 2003. In October 2004 he became honorary treasurer and chairman of the finance and general purposes committee. A chartered accountant, he had a career in finance and property, and was chief executive of a large quoted property company from 1996 until his retirement in 2002.
Professor David Chadwick OBE.
David joined the board in 2008. He is Professor of Neurology and Consultant Neurologist at the Department of Neurological Sciences at the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Liverpool. David is a leading expert in epilepsy and was awarded an OBE for services to road safety, in recognition of his role as Chair of the Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Disorders of the Nervous System. His research into epilepsy has improved understanding of the condition, and has resulted in revisions to the driving restrictions for people suffering from epilepsy.
Mr Edward Datnow
Edward Datnow has been a governor of Epilepsy Society since 1988. He is a retired surgeon. He was chairman and chief executive of a major public company in the retail field, and continues to run a successful property business. He was formerly a governor of the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and remains a trustee of its development foundation.
Ian Garlington
Ian Garlington joined the board as an additional governor in March 2010. Ian has had a long career with the NHS and is currently Director of Property Services at Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust. He sits on the Finance and General Purposes committee and is Chairman of the Medical, Nursing and Clinical Governance committee.
Mrs Sally Gomersall
Sally Gomersall was elected to the board as an additional governor in 2001 and became a full member in 2007. She runs an epilepsy training consultancy, and manages the education and awareness project for Epilepsy Bereaved. She was involved with developing epilepsy best practice guidelines for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
Arshad Hussain
Arshad Hussain joined the board as an additional governor in 2007. A civil servant from Birmingham, he has been a volunteer in Epilepsy Society's epilepsy information network since October 2005.
Richard Knox-Johnston
Richard Knox-Johnston joined the board as a co-opted member in 2007 and became a full
governor in October 2009. A business consultant from Kent, he spent ten years in the Army
followed by 30 years in financial services.
Katherine Fenton
Katherine Fenton has been Chief Nurse to University College London Hospitals (UCLH) since January 2011. Prior to this she was Director of Clinical Standards and Workforce/Chief Nurse at South Central Strategic Health Authority.
Katherine has been in nursing and midwifery for 30 years and her posts have included St James University Hospital, Leeds, University Hospital Birmingham and the Airedale Hospital NHS Trust, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust and Barts and The London NHS Trust.
Katherine’s special interests are in improving patient safety and care pathways.
Katherine was co-opted to the board of governors in September 2011.
Katy Munns
Katy Munns joined as a co-opted member of the board in January 2010. Katy has worked in the field of public affairs for the pharmaceutical industry for 10 years and is currently Head of Government Affairs at sanofi-aventis. Katy has also worked for the Health Education Authority running mass media health promotion campaigns for the government and in PR and communications for a trade association.
Nicola Murgatroyd
Nicola Murgatroyd joined the board of governors in September 2010 as a co-opted member.
Nicola founded Phlexglobal Ltd which has, over ten years, become the market leader in the pharmaceutical industry worldwide for support solutions to global clinical studies. Nicola is currently CEO of the company which now has a workforce of 200 across the UK and the US.
Nicola’s eldest daughter passed away in January of this year (2010) and until then lived for nearly ten years at Epilepsy Society's Chalfont Centre, where Nicola was a member of the Parents and
Friends committee.
Nicola is keen to put her knowledge of business, together with her experience of working with
her daughter and others with disabilities and debilitating illnesses, to the benefit of organisations
who support the needs of these people.
Helen Pernelet
Helen Pernelet joined the Board as a co-opted member in January 2008 and became a full Governor in October 2009. Helen has worked in the City for nearly 20 years, firstly as a solicitor and then as an investment banker, with a number of leading banks, advising companies on mergers and acquisitions and corporate strategy.
She is currently a ‘hands-on’ charity trustee of both The Royal Wanstead Children’s Foundation, where she is primarily involved in marketing and strategy, and Combat Stress where she is a
member of the strategy and the fundraising sub-committees.
Helen is married with two sons (one of whom has epilepsy) and lives in Surrey.
Mr Derek Sach
Derek Sach has been a governor of Epilepsy Society since 1995 and is a member of the fundraising development board. He is a member of the corporate banking & financial markets board of The Royal Bank of Scotland.
Ms Tanya Spensley
Tanya Spensley joined the board as an additional governor in October 2006. She was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 18 months and has had brain surgery which has significantly reduced her seizures. Her current daytime work is as a project manager in British Telecom. She has been involved with raising epilepsy awareness since 1984 and is currently a volunteer with Epilepsy Society's Epilepsy Information Network. Since 2003 Tanya has been a patron of the Gambia Epilepsy Association, founder of Epilepsy Footprint and co-founder of an on-line epilepsy
support group across BT.
