Trustees and Patrons information

Anne Gowan (Chair) became a Trustee Director of INS in 2020. As a senior executive working for the RNIB, Anthony Nolan Trust and The Guardian and Telegraph media groups, Anne gained significant expertise and experience in developing and creating profitable revenue programmes and income streams in support of organisational objectives. She has built and lead high performing teams and held P&L and Board responsibilities. She has experience as a marketer and fundraiser and has developed an ability to solve problems effectively and develop opportunities profitably.

After a successful career working in not-for-profit and commercial sectors, Anne was delighted to offer her skills and experience to INS as a trustee, and is Chair of the Fundraising Committee. Anne lives in Barnes.

Anne can be contacted at: [email protected].

Peter Rogers (Vice Chair and Chair of Fundraising Committee) became a Trustee Director of INS in February 2020. Peter has personal experience of haemorrhagic stroke, and of caring for a family member with amnesia caused by autoimmune encephalitis.  He has professional experience of management and marketing gained in hotels, universities and two NHS hospitals. 

He has a first degree in management, and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) postgraduate diploma in marketing.  His volunteering experience includes acting as a director of two national university marketing bodies, mentoring CIM students and writing for Richmond AID. Peter lives in Twickenham.

Dugald Millar became a Trustee Director of INS in 2013. He had previously become interested in neurological services following the Darzi/ government initiative to improve stroke services in the mid 2000s and he realised how limited services were.

Dugald trained as a social worker after a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He spent forty years in the care sector including in Hounslow, Wandsworth, Hillingdon, Wiltshire and Slough. Responsibilities included service delivery and commissioning, and he specialised in integrated care approaches across health and social care. He sat on three government working groups on quality and on End of Life care.

He began his career working for a refugee charity and other charity work includes the committee of Richmond Healthwatch (current), and previously, a sheltered workshop, Welcare/M&B homes and as a local school governor. Dugald lives in Strawberry Hill.

Lew Gray became a Trustee Director of INS in March 2018. Lew has personal experience of a long-term neurological condition (Transverse Myelitis) since 1984, although he is not an INS client. Lew has had many years of board-level experience running a medium-sized IT company and founded the UK Transverse Myelitis Society (2000 members) in 2004. For several years Lew represented patients and public of Hounslow on the board of Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust.
Lew lives in Brentford.

Sue Jeffers became a Trustee Director of INS in March 2018. Sue is a qualified nurse and health visitor. She has worked in a variety of clinical, operational management and Director posts in east and north west London since 1981, working in community health services with a wide variety of clients from a range of social and family backgrounds and with a range of health and care needs. Sue has an MA in Health Promotion and MSc in Organisational Consultancy, Psychoanalytical Perspectives. Her previous volunteer experience includes helping young people find work and she has an Interest in how organisations and systems work effectively for people. Sue lives in Hounslow.

Telfer Saywell (Treasurer) became Honorary Treasurer in 2009 and a Trustee Director in 2010. He is a Chartered Accountant involved with various City of London organisations. He has been associated with a number of charities in the Borough. Other local ties have included three years as Chairman of the Richmond Magistrates' Court and six years as Treasurer of the Harlequin FC. Telfer is a Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company and enjoys the daily drama that is everyday life at INS. He lives in Kew.

Susan Stevens (Chair of Clinical Committee) became a Trustee Director of INS in 2012, having previously mentored the speech therapists there. Susan trained as a Speech and Language Therapist and worked in England, Canada and New Zealand in the fields of learning needs and adults with neurological problems. She then specialized in working with adults with communication and swallowing problems due to neurological conditions. She did research into language changes in dementia, and was the first speech therapist to work in a memory clinic. She led the services at Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals for 12 years.

Voluntary work has consisted of being a school governor, doing work with the Metropolitan Police, being on the Committee of the local Arts Society, and one of the editors of the local parish newsletter. Susan lives in Teddington.

Chetan Vyas became a Trustee Director of INS in January 2019. Chetan trained as a Speech and Language Therapist in the UK and has over 25 years of specialist experience in working with adults with acquired communication and / or swallowing difficulties, including patients who have a tracheostomy tube in-situ.

He has worked in both the public and private sectors including being the Clinical Services Manager at the Wellington Hospital building a strong and successful team managing the Dietetic, Neuropsychology, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech and Language Therapy and Rehabilitation Nursing departments. Chetan left the Wellington Hospital in 2018 and has been acting in a consultancy capacity at The Royal Ascot Rehabilitation Unit in Bagshot, Surrey and setting up the Video-fluoroscopy clinic at The New Victoria Hospital in Kingston.

He has completed a Master’s degree in dysphagia research, an accredited expert witness programme and in 2016 completed his Doctorate at University College London. Chetan lives in Thames Ditton.

Gary Norman became a Trustee Director of INS in 2020. After leaving Dulwich College, Gary was drawn to the Media and joined the BBC as an Assistant TV Producer working on sports programming. After a short spell with BSB, he was hired to help launch Sky Sports and, after a few months he was pushed on screen as a Presenter. After 10 years at BSKYB, he is currently freelance and moving into the world of Media Training, running a company with some ex-colleagues. 

A Twickenham resident for 26 years, Gary looks forward to bringing his Media experience to INS and giving something back to the community.

Steve Williams (Chair of Finance Committee) became a Trustee Director of INS in October 2021. He has enjoyed a varied business career, qualifing as an accountant before joining PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as a management consultant & latterly as Director of Finance, Europe. Steve moved on from PwC to work as a Finance Director within Philips Electronics & latterly became the chief operations officer for an overseas law firm.

Steve currently serves as a non-executive director/trustee for a number of not-for-profit organisations and is delighted to take on a role with INS.  In his spare time, Steve enjoys playing tennis, singing and playing the piano.

Tessa James became a Trustee Director of INS in October 2021. She is a chartered accountant and has worked within the television and media industry for over 25 years .

Tessa lives in Hammersmith and holds trustee and board positions with two other media organisations and is keen to bring this experience to INS.

Julie Walmsley became a trustee in 2022. Julie graduated with a degree in History and has spent her professional life working as an HR professional across a number of sectors but primarily in Financial Services. Most recently Julie was Global Head of HR for the Asset Management business at HSBC.

In addition to her HR background Julie has experience in corporate governance and has previously held a trustee position. Having recently retired from corporate life, Julie is looking forward to bringing some complementary skills and experience to the INS trustee board.

Karen Pearce also became a trustee in 2022.