Trust Board members
Our Trust Board is made up of non-executive and executive directors of the Trust who are listed on this page.Non-executive directors
Jenni Douglas-ToddChair
Jenni joined University Hospital Southampton in July 2022 as chair, having previously held the position of director of equality and inclusion with NHS England.
A former chief executive of Hampshire Police Authority and the office of the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Jenni began her career in the probation service.
She was head hunted into the civil service, at the Home Office, where she spent four years before being becoming director of policy and research for the Independent Police Complaints Commission. In the latter role she was responsible for establishing governance of the new police complaints system.
She then spent two and a half years as a resident twinning adviser for the UK, based in Turkey to help set-up a law enforcement complaints system before taking up the role of chief executive of the county’s police authority. During her three years in the post, she supported the authority in developing effective governance processes to increase accountability and transparency while also helping the organisation deliver cost-savings whilst still improving performance and develop closer working relations with neighbouring forces.
In 2012, she became chief executive and monitoring officer for the Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner, where she led the development of the office’s vision, mission, values and organisational strategy. She took on the role of investigating committee chair for the General Dental Council in 2014 and, in April that year, founded the Diversa Consultancy, which supports organisations with changes in business, culture and behaviour.
She is also a member of the Judicial Conduct Investigating Office, a public appointment. Jenni holds a non-executive portfolio which includes the English Cricket Board’s Regulatory Committee, Hampshire Cricket Board and Hampshire Sports & Leisure Holdings. Jenni became Chair of the of the Dorset Integrated Care System (ICS) in February 2020. Jenni previously held the role of non-executive director, deputy chair and senior independent director at UHS before taking up her post as the director of quality and inclusion with NHS England in 2020.In July 2022, she began her role as Chair of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
Keith EvansDeputy chair
Keith graduated in economics from Cambridge. In 1975 he joined one of the forerunner firms which now comprise PwC, qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1978.
At PwC he undertook a number of roles in audit, consultancy and corporate finance. He was a partner for over 25 years including being the senior partner for many years at the firm's Southampton office.
Since retirement he has taken on several non-executive and director roles. He has also been the expert witness on several major fraud cases.
He joined the Board as a non-executive director in January 2020. Keith will chair the Trust’s audit and risk committee.
Jane HarwoodSenior independent director
Jane is a Southampton University graduate having completed her BSc in Biology before moving to London to complete her MSc in Applied Hydrobiology. Having completed two years of her PhD she moved out of academia to start working as an internal consultant for the Metropolitan Police.
Her career has spanned over 30 years working in senior strategic, corporate and business planning roles for the MPS, Surrey Police and Centrex (the organisation responsible for police training). After a short spell at the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council she moved to the Metropolitan Police Authority, leading the change programme to establish the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and completing her MBA.
Jane then set up her own consultancy business and worked for a number of public and private sector organisations before returning to Surrey Police as part of the Chief Officer team responsible for HR, Finance and IT. As the collaboration programme across Surrey and Sussex police accelerated she took on the lead for People Services across the two forces and was an active member of the Police CIPD forum. She spent the last two years before retirement leading an IT and change programme across Surrey, Sussex and Thames Valley Police.
Jane is vice chair of the national charity Missing People and is also a trustee for the Wooden Spoon charity. Jane still operates as an independent consultant and led the resident welfare and vulnerability response within the Surrey LRF Covid-19 response
Dave BennettDave graduated in chemistry from the University of Southampton before entering management consulting, becoming a partner in Accenture’s strategy practice.
In 2003 he joined Exel Logistics (later bought by DHL), managing the company’s healthcare business across Europe and the Middle East. During this time, he established NHS Supply Chain, a UK organisation responsible for procuring and delivering medical consumables for the NHS in England, as well as sourcing capital equipment.
Dave joined the board of Cable & Wireless as sales director in 2008. He later set up his own strategy consulting practice serving the healthcare sector, completing numerous projects in the UK and the US.
Dave has also served as a non-executive director at The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust between 2009 and 2016. He chaired the Trust’s quality committee.
Professor Diana EcclesDiana Eccles is Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton. She graduated in Medicine from Manchester University in 1983, her clinical training is in general medicine, oncology and clinical genetics and she has worked and trained in Manchester, Edinburgh and Southampton. Her research background is in molecular genetics and genetic epidemiology, her doctoral thesis investigated the molecular genetics of ovarian cancer working in the MRC Human Genetics Unit in Edinburgh, she was awarded her MD in 1992.
During her first NHS consultant post appointed in 1995 to the Wessex Regional Genetics Service (University Hospital Southampton), she set up one of the first NHS funded Cancer Genetics Services in the UK. In 2000, she established a national prospective cohort study of young onset breast cancer to establish the genetic causes and consequences of breast cancer in the under 40 UK population (POSH). She was appointed to the Chair of Cancer Genetics at the University of Southampton in 2004, has been Director of the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit (2009-2015) and Head of School of Cancer Sciences 2015-2018 before being appointed Dean of the Faculty in 2018.
The Faculty of Medicine is the second largest of the five faculties in the University of Southampton, she oversees the research, education and knowledge exchange and enterprise activities within the faculty, much of the activity is in close collaboration with University Hospital Southampton and she continues to work as a Consultant in the Wessex Regional Genetics Service. Her research interests continue to be patient focused and she co-leads a Cancer Research UK funded programme of research (CanVigCanVar) to improve the interpretation and clinical translation of genetic variants in cancer genes across the UK, linking with similar work in international consortia. She has published over 330 papers in peer reviewed journals and written 14 book chapters. She contributes regularly to national and international grant review and scientific advisory boards.
Dr Tim PeacheyTim qualified as a doctor from Kings College Hospital School of Medicine in 1983. For nearly 20 years, he worked as a consultant anaesthetist at the Royal Free Hospital in London, specialising in pancreatic cancer surgery, liver surgery and liver transplantation. He also developed an interest in medical leadership and management and has held positions such as clinical director, divisional director and medical director at the Royal Free.
In 2012, Tim moved into full time management as chief executive of Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust until its acquisition by the Royal Free. He then worked as the London associate medical director at the NHS Trust Development Authority before moving to Barts Health NHS Trust as improvement director and subsequently became deputy chief executive.
Tim now holds two NHS non-executive posts. In addition to his role at University Hospital Southampton, Tim also serves on the board for Isle of Wight NHS Trust as deputy chair. He is a practicing mediator specialising in the healthcare sector. He also consults for companies in the medical information technology industry.
Alison TattersallAlison is a customer-focused leader, with significant financial services experience, having headed up commercial marketing teams across both Barclays and Barclaycard. She was responsible for driving performance for businesses based in the UK, Europe, Asia and North America.
She is a Non-Executive Director of the Stafford Building Society, a Midlands-based mutual, and also chairs their Remuneration and Engagement Committee, focusing on building an effective culture across the whole Society.
In addition to her financial services experience, Alison is a Trustee of The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a charity with 48 veterinary hospitals across the UK providing care for sick and injured pets, and support for their owners.
Alison brings strong marketing, not for profit, digital transformation and customer experience to the Trust. Joining the Board in June 2024, she is committed to delivering for patients, their families and the communities we serve.
Executive directors
David FrenchChief executive officer
David joined the Trust in February 2016 as chief financial officer and also became deputy chief executive in 2019. He served as interim chief executive from April to September 2018 and took up that role again in November 2020 before taking on the role substantively in April 2021.
He read economics and social policy at the University of London before joining ICI plc, where he qualified as a chartered management accountant. David has extensive healthcare experience from the pharmaceutical industry, mostly Eli Lilly and Company where he held many commercial and financial roles in the UK and overseas.
He joined the NHS in 2010 as chief financial officer of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has recently completed two terms as a non-executive director of VIVID Housing Limited, a Hampshire-based social housing provider and is currently a director of UHS Estates Limited.
David lives in Hampshire and is married with two children.
Joe TeapeChief operating officer
Joe joined the Trust as chief operating officer in December 2019. Previously he was deputy chief executive and director of operations of a large health board in Wales which managed integrated services across three counties including four district general hospitals as well as mental health, learning disability and community services.
Prior to this, Joe worked in director roles across finance and strategy within provider acute trusts acros the south west of England.
Joe is passionate about providing leadership and support for all staff, whatever their profession, and contributing to excellent patient care.
He is committed to open and ongoing engagement with the general public and often uses social media to engage with colleagues and with those who have an interest in healthcare.
Gail ByrneChief nursing officer
Gail joined the Trust in 2010 as deputy director of nursing and head of patient safety. Prior to this, she has worked at the Strategic Health Authority as head of patient safety, and director of clinical services at Portsmouth Hospital.
Gail has also worked in Brisbane, Australia as a hospital Macmillan nurse, and as general manager of a special purpose vehicle company for the private finance initiative at South Manchester Hospitals.
She has a number of responsibilities in her portfolio including leading on infection prevention and under her leadership UHS launched the COVID ZERO and then #DontGoViral campaigns that have underpinned our response to the pandemic. Gail is also hugely proud of her role leading on our Quality Improvement agenda and embodying our value of Always Improving.
Paul GrundyChief medical officer
Paul graduated from the University of Southampton medical school in 1992. After house officer posts in Southampton General and then Royal Bournemouth, he worked as anatomy demonstrator at UoS and as senior house officer in neurosurgery at Wessex Neurological Centre. Having competed an SHO surgical rotation in Oxford then neurosurgical training and a research degree in Bristol, he spent a year on fellowship in Melbourne before returning to Southampton as a consultant neurosurgeon with a specialist interest in neuro-oncology in 2005. He led a transformation in neurosurgery here that resulted in the department’s innovative pathways and outcomes being acknowledged in the national GIRFT reports. He introduced day-case neurosurgery for brain tumours to the UK and developed new biopsy techniques and popularised awake surgery.
Paul became care group clinical lead in neurosciences in 2011, then division D clinical director in 2014, deputy medical director in 2019 and at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic became acting medical director. He has simultaneously held a number of national roles with NHS England and specialist bodies, including CRG chair for brain tumours and stereotactic radiosurgery, vice-chair of adult neurosciences CRG, national lead of neurosurgical service transformation program, Honorary Secretary of Society of British Neurological Surgeons and president elect of British Neuro-oncology Society.
He is also passionate about personalised care, shared decision making and continuous quality improvement and innovation.
Steve HarrisChief people officer
Steve has worked at UHS since 2008 and has held a variety of roles within HR during this time; starting as a divisional HR business partner and progressing to lead the department as HR director in 2017. He was appointed chief people officer in 2020.
After graduating in business management from Solent University in 2001, he went on to gain a professional qualification in people management and development and is a chartered member of the Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
He joined the NHS in 2003 from the financial services industry following completion of a graduate management training scheme. His first NHS role was working for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight strategic health authority supporting the implementation of large system-wide workforce projects.
Prior to joining UHS, Steve worked in HR for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust and in Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Ian HowardChief financial officer
Ian was appointed to the role of chief financial officer in March 2022. Ian previously served as the interim chief financial officer since November 2020, having joined the Trust in March 2017 and serving as deputy director of finance since July 2018.
He read accounting and business studies at the University of Portsmouth before joining the NHS in 2007 on the national Graduate Management Training Scheme, where he qualified as a chartered management accountant in 2010.
He has worked across a variety of roles within the NHS, including Primary Care Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups. Prior to joining UHS in 2017, he worked for NHS England in the Wessex Local Office, where he provided financial leadership and support to the Hampshire and Isle of Wight STP.