Management Structure

Meet our Non-Executive Directors

Our Group Non-Executive Directors each hold a Non-Executive Director position for all three Care Organisations which make up BSW Hospitals Group – Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Trust.

Group Chair

		Paul von der Heyde Group Chair Appointed Joint Chair for BSW Hospitals Group in April 2026, Paul brings over 40 years' board-level experience across the NHS and commercial sectors. Paul has a proven track record in governance, partnership working and organisational transformation. » Read more Paul previously served as Chair of NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board and as Chair of Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where he also held roles as a Non Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Paul spent much of his early career in central London specialising in corporate finance and business development. He has also held senior executive roles, including 11 years as Chief Executive of the UK arm of an international group. Paul is committed to improving health outcomes and ensuring people have timely access to high quality care. Relevant experience TBA Qualifications TBA Declared interests TBA « Close

Non-Executive Directors

		Bernie Morley A molecular geneticist by training, Bernie has worked at a number of Universities throughout his career before moving to the University of Bath in 2010 where he remained until 2021. During his tenure Bernie held the position of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching), Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost 5 and acting Vice-Chancellor. » Read more Bernie has a passion for education and enabling students from different backgrounds to achieve their potential. He was Chair of the highly successful £40M Institute of Coding, a collaboration between Universities and Industry partners which delivered skills training at all levels with the objective of widening participation. Since retiring, Bernie has continued to work with a number of Universities as a consultant on a wide range of education, building and planning projects. Prior to his Group Non-Executive Director role, Bernie served as a Non-Executive Director for Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust since 2023. Relevant experience TBA Qualifications TBA Declared interests TBA « Close
		Chris Burton Chris qualified as a doctor in 1987 and has spent the majority of his career in the NHS, including work in Bristol and Southmead Hospitals. After three years as Clinical Director of the Renal and Transplantation Directorate, Chris was appointed to the Board of North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) as Executive Medical Director in 2009. » Read more During his time on the board, the Trust successfully underwent significant change, including hospital moves and EPR modernisation. Chris is passionate about the quality of patient care. Prior to his Group Non-Executive Director role, Chris served as a Non-Executive Director for Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust since 2025. Relevant experience TBA Qualifications TBA Declared interests TBA « Close
		Faried Chopdat Faried is a global executive, board advisor, and coach with over 30 years of experience across transformation, governance, risk, and leadership in 60+ countries. His career has spanned Deloitte, SABMiller plc, Travelex, and Finablr plc. » Read more As founder of Equarius8 and co-founder of LEXN, he coaches C-suite executives, founders, and senior leaders through their most defining transitions — with a particular commitment to rising stars, women, LGBTQ+ and global-majority professionals. Recognised as one of the Financial Times Top 100 LGBTQ+ Leaders, Faried leads from a simple belief: competence builds your career — character decides what you do with it. Prior to his Group Non-Executive Director role, Faried served as a Non-Executive Director for Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust since 2021. Relevant experience TBA Qualifications TBA Declared interests TBA « Close
		Joy Luxford Joy comes from a financial background and is a chartered accountant with over 20 years of experience in finance, risk and audit supporting a wide range of complex organisations. » Read more She was previously Chief Executive Officer of UK-based NGO Integrity Action, a role for which she was awarded a Director of the Year (South East) by the Institute of Directors. She has also served as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Julian House and Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors at Bath Spa University and is currently Chair Designate for Alliance Homes. Prior to her Group Non-Executive Director role, Joy served as a Non-Executive Director for Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust since 2025. Relevant Experience Non-Executive Director, Alliance Homes (2023 – present), Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee from (April 2025 – present) Chair of the Board (Trustee), Transparency Afghanistan (2016 – present) Iconoclast Global Limited (2016 – present) Board Director, Bath City Football Club (2019 – 2022) Non-Executive Director, Deputy Chair of the Board, and Chair of the Investment Committee (Trustee), Bath Spa University (2018 – 2022) Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Board (Trustee), Julian House (2016 – 2021) Chief Executive Officer, Integrity Action (2011 – 2016) Director, Iconoclast (2009 – 2011) Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers (2004 – 2009) Qualifications BSc Mathematical Sciences (University of Bath) MSc International Development (University of Bath) Financial Planning Certificate (Chartered Insurance Institute) ACA Qualification (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) Mobilising Non-Profit Boards (Harvard University) Declared interests Director of Iconoclast Global Limited, since October 2017 Non-Executive Director of Alliance Homes, a housing registered provider, since September 2024 (Chair of Audit and Risk Committee since 1st April 2025) Member of ICAEW, chartered accounting body, since 2004 Husband runs an IT Cyber Security Business that the Trust contacted in May 2025 to raise an order for services. This was done on normal business terms without any awareness or influence. « Close
		Dr Paul Cain Paul's early career was in clinical and research roles as a Consultant in Occupational and Aviation Medicine in the Army before focussing entirely on healthcare leadership for the last 20 years. This involved leading multinational hospital and pre-hospital trauma systems during conflicts and the Defence Integrated Primary Healthcare system during COVID-19. » Read more During these he implemented multi-million-pound transformation programmes designed to improve infrastructure use and modernise health IT systems. Moving to the newly formed UK Health Security Agency he was appointed Director General of Operations and was part of the senior leadership team directing the response to the Omicron variant and Monkeypox as well as acting as the Strategic Response Director for the Commonwealth Games. Paul values integrity, believes strongly in empowering people and critically, not losing sight of delivering the kind of results that ensure organisations are doing their absolute best for patients. Prior to his Group Non-Executive Director role, Paul has served as a Non-Executive Director for Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust since 2024. Relevant experience TBA Qualifications TBA Declared interests TBA « Close
		Paul Fairhurst Paul's career spans the professional services, hospitality, beverages and non-profit sectors. He began his career as a corporate lawyer with international law firm Simmons & Simmons working on privatisations, mergers and acquisitions and public listings. » Read more He spent most of his career with InterContinental Hotels Group then drinks giant Diageo, leading teams to build partnerships, drive brand growth, and protect market presence and investments, primarily in emerging markets. He lived in Asia Pacific for 14 years before returning to the UK and joining the Executive Team of a medium-sized charity, leading on operations, strategy and planning. Having sustained a life-changing injury, Paul is passionate about disability-related causes. He is a trustee of Designability, which uses person centred design to create products and services with and for disabled people, and of spinal cord injury charity Back Up. He retired in 2019 and is exploring new passions, including painting, sculpture and breathwork. Prior to his Group Non-Executive Director role, Paul served as a Non-Executive Director for Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust since 2022. Relevant Experience Strategy, Planning and Policy Director (2017-19) and Operations Director (2015-17) Jubilee Sailing Trust Project Director (2013-14) and Business Development Director Asia Pacific (2011-13), Diageo PLC Various roles including Vice President Strategic Business Development, Greater China and Director Capital Investment Asia Pacific, Intercontinental Hotels Group PLC (1997 - 2010) Assistant Solicitor, Simmons & Simmons (1990 - 1997) Qualifications Bachelor of Laws, University of Bristol Declared interests Trustee, Designability (March 2020) Trustee, Back Up Trust (July 2022) « Close
		Peter Knell (Biography to follow)
		Richard Samuel (Biography to follow)
		Richard Holmes Richard has had a wide range of senior appointments with responsibility for business services including; IT, HR, estates, and infrastructure. However, Richard's fundamental background is in finance and assurance as Finance Director and Chief Operating Officer, and corporate governance as Company Secretary. » Read more Richard has a wealth of experience in serving on and chairing audit committees for large complex organisations and is also currently appointed to the audit committee of a charity that supports people to access higher education. He has been instrumental in improving organisational systems of control and assurance in organisations across many sectors ranging from both large corporate organisations to small charities, from public to private and from education to manufacturing and construction. Prior to his Group Non-Executive Director role, Richard served as a Non-Executive Director for Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust since January 2023. Relevant experience TBA Qualifications TBA Declared interests TBA « Close
		Dr Simon Harrod Simon trained as an Anaesthetist in London and became a Consultant at St Bartholomew's Hospital in 1996. After several medical management roles, he was appointed as the Medical Director for the Royal London Hospital in 2015 and remained in the role until his retirement in 2022 when he moved to Amesbury. » Read more Simon has witnessed and led on many changes during the course of his career and is interested in patient safety and improving the quality of healthcare for all patients. During his time as Medical Director he gained insight into forming and running a hospital as part of a Group - Barts Health. He is keen to use this experience to ensure BSW Hospitals Group reflects the needs of the community and staff as it evolves. Prior to his Group Non-Executive Director role, Simon served as a Non-Executive Director for Royal United Bath NHS Foundation Trust since October 2024. Relevant Experience Associate Chief Medical Officer (April – September 2022) and Responsible Officer (2016 – 2022), Barts Health NHS Trust Medical Director, Royal London Hospital (2016 – 2022) Deputy Director of Surgery and Critical Care, Barts and the London NHS Trust (2012 – 2016) Director of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Barts and the London NHS Trust (2009 – 2012) Clinical Director, Homerton Hospital (2002 – 2007) Consultant Anaesthetist, Barts and the London NHS Trust (2009 – 2022) Consultant Anaesthetist, St Bartholomew's Hospital and Homerton Hospital (1996 – 2009) Qualifications Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), University of London (1984) FcAnaes, 1992 Declared interests Trustee, Amesbury History Centre « Close

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