Non Executive Directors -Trust Board

The Trust Board is responsible for directing the affairs of the Trust and is accountable, through the chairman, to the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety, and ultimately to the Minister. The Trust Board is made up of a non-executive Chair, 7 non-executive directors and 13 executive directors. The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety appoints non-executive directors, with the approval of the Minister for Health, Social services and Public Safety.

The Trust Board meets approximately 6 times per year and anyone can attend.

Non-Executive members of Trust Board are:

Ms Joy Allen MSc BA is owner/manager of a training and consultancy business,and since 1990 has been a Director and Company Secretary of a Carrickfergus property company.
She has been a foster carer since 1994, and was a non-executive director of the Ulster & Community Hospitals Trust.

Mr Leslie Drew MBA is a Financial Systems & Risk Manager of Viridian Group PLC (formerly NI Electricity), where he held the position of Group Financial Controller. For the past 27 years he has been a voluntary Youth Leader, and has recently been appointed to the board of Newtownbreda United Churches. He was a non-executive director of South & East Belfast Trust.

Professor Eileen Evason BA MSc is an emeritus Professor of Social Administration at the University of Ulster and is also Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Queen's University, Belfast. She presents and contributes to consumer advice programmes for the BBC, is also an Equality Commissioner for Northern Ireland, and was a non-executive director of South & East Belfast HSS Trust.

Dr Val Fiddis MPA is Head of the NI Council of the Royal College of General Practitioners. She is a former Chair of Fermanagh District Partnership for Peace and Reconciliation and was a non-executive director of Belfast City Hospital Trust.

Cllr Tom Hartley has been an elected representative on Belfast City Council for many years. He is a member of the West Belfast Partnership Board and Belfast Education and Library Board, and is currently a non-executive director of the Royal Hospitals Trust.

Mr Charles Jenkins OBE JP FCA is Company Secretary of Lagan Holdings Ltd, and is a member of the board of governors of a college and primary school. Mr Jenkins is also a member of the Advisory Committee to the General Commission of Income Tax. From October 2005,to April 2007 he was Chair of the Mater Infirmorum Hospital Trust.

Mr James O'Kane BA CPFA is a former Director of Finance,and is currently Registrar and Chief Operating Officer at Queen's University Belfast. In 2002, Mr O'Kane was appointed Chair of the Belfast Institute of Further & Higher Education, and is Chair designate of the Belfast Metropolitan College. He was a non-executive director of the Royal Hospitals Trust.