Author Christie Watson, Patron of the RCN Foundation
Christie was a registered paediatric nurse for 20 years before becoming a full-time writer. She worked in paediatric intensive care before becoming a resuscitation officer, which involved teaching and clinical work on hospital-wide crash teams.
Her first novel Tiny Sunbirds Far Away won the Costa First Novel Award. Her second novel Where Women Are Kings received international acclaim.
Her latest book, The Language of Kindness: A Nurse’s Story, is an autobiographical account of her time as a nurse. It has been hailed as one of the best clinical memoirs in recent years. The book is a Sunday Times Number 1 bestseller and was a BBC Radio 4 book of the week.
Christie was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, for her contribution to nursing and the arts by the University of East Anglia.
Our Trustees
Professor Jane Cummings CBE, RN – Chair of the Board of Trustees
Jane is a registered nurse with nearly 40 years experience. She specialised in emergency care before holding a variety of senior and managerial roles including clinical nurse specialist, Director of Commissioning, Director of Nursing and Deputy Chief Executive. She has worked in local, regional and national roles.
She was appointed as the Chief Nursing Officer for England in 2012, retiring seven years later. Jane was the national lead for maternity, learning disability, equality and diversity, patient engagement and experience for 16 months and was also the Regional Director for London.
Jane is a visiting professor at Kingston University and St. George's University London and was awarded a Doctor of Science by Edge Hill University and a Doctor of the University by New Bucks University. She is a Trustee for Macmillan Cancer Support and a clinical ambassador for the Over the Wall charity, where she also volunteers as a nurse.
Professor Charlotte McArdle – Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees; Chair, Governance and Nominations Committee; Trustee, Grants Committee
Gordon Hull – Chair, Income Generation and Investment Committee
Gordon has over 25 years’ experience in developing businesses in the financial services sector. He has worked in leadership positions in a wide variety of business environments, including major public limited companies, small entrepreneurial businesses and, most recently, leading consumer investment and insurance businesses for Wesleyan, Virgin Money and AXA.
Gordon has an MA in economics from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from INSEAD, France. He brings extensive experience in strategy and commercial development, marketing, digital development and investment governance to the Board.
Moya Kirmond – Trustee, Grants Committee
Moya qualified as an adult nurse in 2014 with a postgraduate diploma from King’s College London. She worked on the major trauma unit at King’s College Hospital for three years before working as a clinical research nurse at St Mary’s Hospital. In 2017, with a grant from the RCN Foundation, she completed her MSc dissertation exploring end-of-life care for trauma patients, and received one of our Impact Awards in recognition of her work. Currently, Moya lives in Bristol and works as a neuro-oncology clinical nurse specialist.
Rachel Lambert-Forsyth – Chair, Grants Committee; Trustee, Governance and Nominations Committee’
Anthony Osijo – Trustee, Income Generation and Investment Committee
Jane Cantrell – Trustee, Grants Committee
Jane has over 38 years of experience as a registered nurse, working for most of her career in Scotland. After completing her training at Manchester University, where she also gained qualifications in district nursing and health visiting, Jane practised as a district nurse before moving into nurse education, where she has held posts in nursing colleges, universities, and NHS Education for Scotland.
She has led on national work related to community nursing, healthcare support workers, public health and undergraduate nursing and midwifery. Jane also brings trustee experience after working with a Scottish nursing charity for the past 13 years.
Greg Dix – Trustee, Governance & Nominations Committee; Income Generation and Investment Committee
Greg is the Executive Nurse Director of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. Prior to this he was the Chief Nurse at the University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust. With qualifications in academic nursing, teaching and medical law, Greg has clinical, managerial and educational experience both in the UK and New Zealand. He also holds a specialist interest in the legal aspects of nursing and midwifery practice.
Alison Hoad – Trustee, Income Generation and Investment Committee
Over the course of a 30-year career Alison has led several leading London communication agencies and worked with some of the UK's most iconic brands. She is currently Chief Strategy Officer at Publicis.Poke. Prior to this, Alison delivered award-winning research and strategy for public and non-profit organisations including the BBC, Virgin, and the Royal British Legion as well as authoring government publications on marketing and behaviour change.
Belle Jaleco – Trustee, Grants Committee
Belle is an experienced international nurse from the Philippines with eight years of nursing experience as a neonatal intensive care nurse and theatre practitioner. She arrived in the UK in 2018 and has been working in the NHS for five years now.
She was shortlisted for the national award by the Good Governance Institute Rising Star in 2022 and recently completed the Florence Nightingale Foundation leadership programme for international nurses. Belle is currently working at George Eliot Hospital as one of the theatre clinical sisters specialising in general, colorectal and breast surgery where she has made significant contributions in its breast service since 2021.
Dr Maria Pollard
Dr Maria Pollard is Deputy Director in the Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals Directorate at NHS Education for Scotland (NES) where she provides leadership for a Practice Learning & Pre-registration’ and ‘Women, Children, Young People & Families’ programmes; education governance, research and clinical skills. She is a registered midwife and registered nurse.
Maria joined NES in January 2019 after working in Higher Education for 19 years where she was latterly Deputy Dean providing leadership and coordination of the School's portfolio of programmes. Her main areas of interest are practice based learning, widening participation, breastfeeding and normal childbirth.