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Executive Directors

Our trust has seven Executive Directors, Paul Scott (Chief Executive), Alex Green, Dr Milind KaraleTrevor Smith, Nigel Leonard, Ann Sheridan who all hold their own portfolios. Zephan Trent and Denver Greenhalgh sit on our board as non voting members:

Paul Scott - Chief Executive

Paul was appointed Chief Executive of EPUT in September 2020, having previously been Chief Financial Officer at Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust, where he also led system development and integration.

Paul has extensive experience at board level and across the NHS. He held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Cambridge University Hospitals Foundation Trust, where he also led system development and integration. Prior to this he was Executive Director of Finance, Strategy and Performance at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, where he was responsible for leading long-term partnerships as well as information and IT.

He previously held senior roles in the East of England Ambulance Service and at Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust. Paul is motivated by improving the way our health and care services work in partnership to deliver improvements to the services we provide.

Alex Green - Executive Chief Operating Officer

Alex was appointed as Executive Chief Operating Officer in December 2020.

She has a wealth of experience having worked in health and social care for more than 25 years

Alex Green was appointed as Executive Chief Operating Officer in December 2020.

Her portfolio of services includes mental health services, community physical health and learning disabilities across the Trust.

Previously she was the Director of Health and Care delivery for West Essex at EPUT and Essex County Council. She has a wealth of experience having worked in health and social care for more than 25 years.

Ann Sheridan - Executive Nurse

Ann brings a wealth of experience to EPUT, with a dual qualification in general and mental health nursing, an MSc in Social Work and more than 30 years’ experience working in a range of health and care settings.

Ann brings a wealth of experience to EPUT, with a dual qualification in general and mental health nursing, an MSc in Social Work and more than 30 years’ experience working in a range of health and care settings.

Ann joins us from Central and North West London Foundation Trust where she was Managing Director of Divisional Mental Health Services.

Dr Milind Karale - Executive Medical Director

After completing his specialist training in Psychiatry from Cambridge and Eastern Deanery, Dr Karale joined as a Consultant Psychiatrist in 2007.

Dr Karale is a Consultant Psychiatrist, the trust's Caldicott Guardian and Executive Medical Director on the board of directors for EPUT.

After completing his specialist training in Psychiatry from Cambridge and Eastern Deanery, Dr Karale joined as a Consultant Psychiatrist in 2007. He has worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist in various services including Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Assertive Outreach Team, Mental Health Assessment Unit, Community Mental Health Team, Crisis Team, Essex rTMS service and he currently provides clinical input to the Community Mental Health Team in Loughton, Essex.

Dr Karale is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and has a Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Forensic Psychiatry (merit) from Institute of Psychiatry at Maudsley. He has been involved in medical management for the last twelve years, working as Clinical Director for Clinical Governance, Deputy Medical Director and Medical Director from 2012. As a Responsible Officer, he is responsible for the performance of doctors with prescribed connection to EPUT.

His areas of interest include; Medical Leadership, Patient Safety, Clinical Governance and Crisis & Mental Health Assessment Services. His interest in patient safety led him to organize several patient safety conferences and seminars. He was the member of Clinical Leaders Network on Patient Safety. He has keen interest in teaching and has written several chapters in books for MRCPsych examination. He is on the Board of Examiners for The Royal College of Psychiatrists. He chaired for the Anglia Ruskin University Health and Wellbeing Academy and worked for the Care Quality Commission as a Clinical Advisor in Psychiatry.

Milind’s portfolio includes:

  • Medical leadership and medical directorate
  • Research
  • Caldicott Guardian.

Marcus Riddell - Interim Chief People Officer

Marcus Riddell is Interim Chief People Officer at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. He has spent his career in the UK Government and NHS, with a series of roles combining policy, operational and commercial expertise. He has headed up programmes of national significance in the National Health Service (NHS) and Home Office.

Marcus is currently Interim Chief People Officer at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, having previously served as Deputy Chief People Officer/Director of Workforce and Senior Director for Organisational Development.

Prior to this he was Director for Strategic Partnerships at NHS Professionals, a role that followed a series of Deputy Director roles at NHS England and NHS Improvement. During the pandemic, Marcus was Head of the Covid-19 Risk Assessment Delivery Unit, Head of Staff Covid-19 vaccinations uptake, and Head of Equality and Inclusion – Evidence and Policy.

Marcus’s earlier work in healthcare focused on temporary staffing including Head of Temporary Staffing at the Department of Health and Social Care, and subsequently NHS Improvement from 2017-2020.

Marcus’s career began in 2006 at the Department of Communities and Local Government as an administrative assistant, before eventually filling Private Office roles for both Labour and Conservative Ministers. Marcus later moved to the Ministry of Defence as the Policy Officer for the Pakistan Desk covering strategic military engagement and counter terrorism. He subsequently moved to the Home Office to focus on domestic counter terrorism.

Marcus is the former Chairman of Kori, a community charity in north east London that provides services for disadvantaged children from predominantly BAME and low income backgrounds.

Nigel Leonard - Executive Director of Major Projects and Programmes

Nigel is Executive Director of Major Projects and Programmes on the Board of Directors for EPUT.

Nigel Leonard is Executive Director of Major Projects and Programmes on the Board of Directors for EPUT.

Nigel has worked in the NHS for over 30 years in a variety of planning, governance and project management roles in acute, community and mental health organisations. He has worked as a Programme Director delivering changes in mental health services in Essex and led the roll out of the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme across Mid & South Essex and Suffolk & North East Essex CCGs.

Nigel is a qualified company secretary and has an MSc in project management. He is also a member of the Association for Project Management.

Nigel’s portfolio currently includes the Essex Mental Health Independent Inquiry and oversight of the Trust’s Freedom to Speak Up service.

Trevor Smith - Executive Chief Finance and Resources Officer

Trevor has worked as an Executive Director across a range of NHS services for more than 20 years.

Trevor has worked as an executive director across a range of NHS services for more than 20 years.

Before joining EPUT, Trevor was Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer at Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAH). During his time there Trevor actively supported PAH’s financial and quality improvements as well as securing funding for the hospital redevelopment.

Trevor's portfolio includes:

  • Business development
  • Contracting
  • Finance
  • IT
  • Information
  • Estates and Facilities.

Zephan Trent - Executive Director of Strategy, Transformation and Digital

Zephan was appointed as Executive Director of Strategy, Transformation and Digital in April 2022.

Zephan was appointed as Executive Director of Strategy, Transformation and Digital in April 2022.

Prior to this he was Director of Strategic Transformation / Locality Director at NHS England and NHS Improvement in the East of England, where his responsibilities included the regional mental health programme, the regional learning disability and autism programme, Integrated Care System development, and Strategic Change.

Zephan has a wide range of experience from senior roles in the NHS including strategy and policy development, strategic finance, transformation, analytics and business intelligence.

Denver Greenhalgh - Senior Director of Corporate Governance

Denver is Senior Director of Corporate Governance for EPUT.

Denver has worked in the NHS for more than 25 years. She began her career as a newly qualified podiatrist and then, working as a senior clinician, specialised in clinical biomechanics.

Her first leadership role was as a District Chief Podiatrist in 2002, since then she has worked in operational management and leadership roles in both community and hospital based services.

Denver has an MSc in Integrated Healthcare Governance and has been a Director of Governance for the past 8 years. Her most recent role prior to joining EPUT was Director of Governance at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, having been part of the leadership team that successfully delivered the merger of Colchester Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and The Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust.

Denver is passionate about high quality, safe, compassionate care.

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