Our Leadership Team - Percy Hedley Foundation

Our Trustees have the overall responsibility for our strategy and performance. They oversee the running of the Foundation and meet up on a regular basis.

Day-to-day management and operations are delegated to an Executive Team, which is led by our Chief Executive.

Meet The Executive Team

John Preston Chief Executive Officer

Alison Williams Director of Corporate Services

Charlotte Jones Director of Health and Wellbeing

John Steward Director of Education

Lynsey Dawson Company Secretary

We are governed by a Board of Trustees which has overall responsibility of our conduct and management as a charity. They set the long term strategic direction that enables us to work towards achieving our vision.

Meet The Board of Trustees

Janet Donnelly Chair of the Board of Trustees

Ewen Weir Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees

Paul Foreman Trustee

Clare Thompson Trustee

Dr Nicola Hutchinson Trustee

Dr Peter Emerson Trustee

Lucy Craig Trustee

Brian Foreman Trustee

Fran Craik Trustee

Find out more about our Trustees

Janet Donnelly

Janet was appointed to the Board of Trustees in July 2022 and became Chair of the Board of Trustees in February 2023. She is currently also a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

She is an experienced HR Director, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD) and a Member of the Institute of Directors.

Having led the people agenda in leading financial services companies as well as operating as a successful business consultant, her professional expertise and leadership covers all aspects of people strategy, including organisational culture and effectiveness across private, public and not for profit organisations.

Throughout her career Janet continues to advise Boards and Executive Teams on transformation and leadership, disruptive HR concepts as well as future state workforce planning and driving people engagement at all levels.

Outside of work Janet relaxes with a good book, travels to new places, and spends time outdoors with the family and dogs.

Ewen Weir

Ewen joined the Percy Hedley Foundation in February 2021 as Safeguarding Trustee and is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, Chair of the Quality and Standards Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

He is an experienced senior leader in local government and the NHS. Ewen was Director of Adult Social Services and Director of Children’s Services at Newcastle City Council and a Non-Executive Director of Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust when he retired at the end of 2019.

A social worker by professional background educated at the University of Edinburgh, MA (Hons) History, Diploma in Education and M.Phil, CQSW from the University of Newcastle.

Ewen has always been passionate about equality and diversity and creating an environment where everyone is valued for the unique perspective they bring to the table.

Away from work Ewen’s hobbies include fly fishing, reading and being an active grandparent!

Paul Foreman

Paul joined the Foundation as a Trustee in December 2019 and is currently Chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

He has a background in finance, as a qualified accountant. Paul spent 19 years at Formica, a manufacturing business in various roles in finance, IT and operations. He left and joined PD Ports as Chief Technology Officer in December 2020, moving to the role of Chief Operating Officer in October 2022.

Paul still tries to play football in his spare time. He has twins, one of which attends Percy Hedley School.

Clare Thompson

Clare joined the Foundation as a Trustee in July 2022 and is Chair of the People and Culture Committee and a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. Clare is also the Freedom to Speak Up Trustee.

Clare is a practising solicitor, accredited by the Law Society as a specialist in clinical negligence law. She is currently head of the clinical negligence team at Hay and Kilner LLP, a North East firm. She specialises in birth injury work which has brought her into contact with families with children with cerebral palsy and profound learning difficulties, many of whom have a link with the Foundation.

Clare also holds a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management and is passionate about equality and diversity, particularly promoting and encouraging women in the law. She has Chaired the Women Lawyers’ Division North East for the last 8 years, bringing together women from across the region at networking and educational events.

In her spare time, Clare enjoys spending quality time with her friends and family, spinning, travelling, good food and walking in the beautiful Northumberland countryside.

Dr Nicola Hutchinson

Nicola joined the Foundation as a Trustee in November 2022 and is Chair of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and member of the People and Culture Committee.

Nicola is currently CEO of Health Innovation North East and North Cumbria, which supports the health and care system to identify, evaluate and adopt new innovations, which improve population health, reduce health inequalities, and drive economic growth. She helped create the organisation back in 2012 and has spent almost 20 years supporting innovation across the regional NHS. Prior to this, she gained a PhD in Chemistry from Durham University.

She is extremely passionate about innovation and the impact it can have, having witnessed this first hand with her severely disabled brother, Steven. Steven’s memory is one of the key drivers for her commitment to the Foundation.

Away from work, Nicola enjoys spending time with her husband and two small children.

Dr Peter Emerson

Peter joined the Foundation as a Trustee in November 2022 and is interim Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, a member of the Finance Committee and a member of the People and Culture Committee.

He has a PhD in Chemistry and has had an extensive career in General Management in Chemistry associated industries. For much of his career he specialised in restructuring and returning underperforming businesses to profit.

Latterly he was also a Non Executive Director of END Clothing prior to Carlyle Group’s investment in that business in 2021.

Peter is also a Director of Ashworth IMS Ltd and is involved in the acquisition and management of Commercial/Industrial properties.

Lucy Craig

Lucy joined the Foundation as a Trustee in April 2024 and is a member of the Quality and Standards Committee and a member of the People and Culture Committee.

Lucy has worked in adult care for over twenty five years delivering exceptional care to the elderly and vulnerable. She currently operates three care homes with a speciality of dementia.

Lucy has worked hard to improve the lives of the elderly and afford them the care and compassion they deserve. She has also worked as a children’s and adult therapist and continues to support a wide range of vulnerable people with therapeutic interventions.

When Lucy is not at work, she loves nothing more than devoting her time to her son and NUFC.

Brian Foreman

Brian has 38 years of banking experience, having recently stepped down from a role at Handelsbanken, where he headed an extended team spanning both corporate and private banking. Prior to Handelsbanken, Brian was head of SME at Barclays and in former roles, during an extensive career, he also headed a centre of excellence for football finance, a role that carried a national mandate, being recognised for his professional services to the sector at the 2010 Football Awards.

Before moving into the world of football finance, Brian led a specialist team at Barclays focused on structuring financial solutions for the higher and further education sectors. His leadership was instrumental in facilitating investment in major campus development across the North East and Yorkshire.

Brian now acts as an advisor to local SME enterprises. He is a fully qualified Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

In his spare time, Brian is an avid football fan, spending much time on the south coast following his team Brighton and Hove Albion. He also enjoys the gym and reading.

Fran Craik

Fran has over 20 years of educational experience, having led multiple secondary schools across the North East as an Executive Headteacher. She is currently Chief Standards Officer for Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust which comprises of 11,500 children across 30 primary and secondary schools.

She has also been a non executive director for another regional multi academy trust and is a serving inspector for the Catholic Schools Inspectorate. Fran holds the NPQEL qualification and is a former designated safeguarding lead.

Fran enjoys spending family time with her husband, son and golden retriever on the west coast of Scotland where they sail and walk. She is also a Newcastle United supporter.