Six new trustees have joined the board of Lewis-Manning Hospice Care, bringing the number of trustees at the Poole-based charity up to 11.

An analysis  of the existing board concluded that experience and skills were required in medical, clinical, business, property, IT and fundraising.

Clare Gallie, Chief Executive Officer, said: “As part of good board management practice, the Chairman (Jeremy Allin) and I looked at the skills that a charity of our size and purpose would ideally have.

“We then undertook a skills analysis of our current board and compared these in order to identify some specific opportunities for trustee recruitment for the charity.

“We then spent time, as per our trustee board recruitment process, identifying key people who might be willing and have the right skills to help start us into the future.

“We already had a fantastic board, who have gone above and beyond during the recent changes we have undergone as a charity.”

The six new trustees are:

Alison Dean and Dr Linda Thompson

Alison Dean

Currently Director of Operations for an investment management company, she also runs her own property management business looking after a number of sites locally and helps businesses set themselves up. Alison also does accounts for a number of businesses and teaches GCSE mathematics to children.

Ann Lee

An experienced Clinical Director with a history of working in the hospital and health care industry. A strong healthcare services professional, she has worked at St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset for 25 years, with the last four as Chief Executive Officer.

Catharine Geddes

Started her career as an Associate at Preston Redman LLP and stayed there for nine years, before moving to Lester Aldridge. She was made a Partner at Lester Aldridge after almost three years, as part of its employment team. An experienced employment lawyer and HR advisor, she is a business owner, team leader, manager and former Head of HR.

Chris Palmer

Began his career working in artwork studios and then appointed Head of Production at Design Group for three years. Joined AdMedia as Director of Operations before launching his own company, Poole-based AnyTech Solutions, in 2003. 

Dr Linda Thompson BSc, PhD, MBBS, MRCGP

Initially trained as a psychologist and became involved in research, academia and education at all levels. She also specialised in the area of grief and bereavement, where she helped people come to terms with significant loss. This lead to a degree in medicine, and, ultimately, becoming a qualified GP with a special interest in palliative care.

Peter Brooks

Had a varied career across a number of different food-based industries, most recently as Vice President for Del Monte Foods. He has worked in senior sales and marketing positions, financial and production management, human resources, union negotiations, government legislation and public relations.