Leadership development team

Our leadership development staff

• Nicola Hartley, Director of Leadership Development

Nicola Hartley heads up The King's Fund's Leadership Development directorate. She has spent the majority of her career in the NHS and, for four years, worked for the National Policing Improvement Agency as a development adviser. Nicola has held three executive board level positions leading the development and delivery of service redesign, strategic change, workforce development, financial recovery and organisational development programmes. Read Nicola's full biography

• Vijaya Nath, Assistant Director

Vijaya Nath is an Assistant Director within the Leadership Directorate at The King’'s Fund with significant senior experience in the design and development of innovative leadership programmes and of senior organisational development consultancy. With more than 20 years' experience in developing successful leaders, Vijaya leads on several of our programmes, including Strategic Medical Directors and Personal impact and influence. Read Vijaya's full biography

• Katy Steward, Assistant Director

Katy is an Assistant Director in Leadership at The King's Fund. She joined the Fund in 2006 and has more than 20 years experience of working in the public and private sector. Before joining the Fund she worked at Monitor on governance and leadership as Head of Governance Policy. At The King's Fund she directs the Board Leadership Programme and works with boards she set up with the Foundation Trust Governors Association. Read Katy's full biography

• Nicola Walsh, Assistant Director

Nicola Walsh joined The King's Fund from PricewaterhouseCoopers where she was a senior member of the health consulting practice. Nicola has particular expertise in the areas of primary care, community health services and general practice. Read Nicola's full biography

• Anne Benson, Senior Consultant

Anne joined The King's Fund from the Royal College of Nursing in July 2009. Anne is an educator, manager and clinician with 30 years' experience of working in and with health and social care services. She has a particular interest and expertise in organisational and team dynamics. Read Anne's full biography

• John Clark, Senior Fellow

John is a Senior Fellow at The King's Fund and Director of the Institute for Health Leadership, Department of Health, Western Australia. During his Fellowship with The King's Fund, John will work on strategies to enhance medical and clinical engagement in the NHS, building on his international research and consultancy on doctors' leadership. Read John's full biography

• Sarah Goodson, Senior Consultant

Sarah has more than 25 years' experience in the NHS, most recently at NHS East of England, where she was responsible for talent management and leadership development. Sarah has held several senior roles across the NHS in a range of organisations at both an operational and a strategic level. Read Sarah's full biography

• Irene Hewitt, Senior Consultant

Irene has worked on organisation-wide development initiatives, supporting senior teams, health boards and social care organisations through major change including reconfiguration and merger. She is currently engaged in working with emerging clinical commissioning groups, supporting their journey towards authorisation through effective board and individual development. Read Irene's full biography

• Donna Lee, Senior Consultant

Donna joined The King's Fund in May 2009, with relevant work experience at senior level in a London acute trust and as a consultant with primary care trusts and other private health care and voluntary sector organisations. She has experience of designing and delivering leadership development interventions at a senior management level, drawing on her skills in both formal delivery and coaching. Read Donna's full biography

• Matthew Rice, Senior Consultant

Matthew has a clinical background and is an experienced organisational development facilitator. Matthew's specific interest is clinical leadership development and some of his most recent commissions have been in support of medical leadership development in the acute sector. Read Matthew's full biography

• Liz Saunders, Senior Consultant

Liz Saunders has experience in working across a variety of services and specialities within the NHS from acute sector operational management to commissioning and working within a strategic health authority. Liz has worked on a number of programmes with clinical and non-clinical staff, including the East of England aspiring directors programme and the Fund's Management for Specialist Trainees programme. Read Liz's full biography

• Judy Taylor, Senior Fellow

Judy Taylor directs The King's Fund's leadership programmes for consultants and clinical directors, and the Athena programme for executive women. She also directs a programme for Irish specialist registrars, co-directs a mixed clinicians' programme and provides 1:1 executive coaching and team development. Read Judy's full biography

• Belinda Weir, Senior Consultant

Belinda has more than twenty five years' experience as a leader, coach, consultant and trainer in health care settings, across public, private and non-profit organisations in the UK. She has a particular interest in NHS board development, and in developing collaborative leadership approaches to support whole health systems working. Read Belinda's full biography