Our Board of Trustees

• Bio +

  Meg LustmanChair

  Meg Lustman joined the St Luke’s Board as Chair in March 2023 after an executive career leading many well-known retail brands through transformation and growth. In her post-executive career, Meg works with organisations in different ways spanning Chair, Advisor, Mentor and Non-Executive roles. She seeks to partner with clever leaders doing good things with purpose and to have the opportunity to contribute and to learn in equal measure. Meg understands the importance of good palliative and end-of-life care and, as a resident of Brent, is firmly committed to the St Luke’s mission and purpose.

  Meg LustmanChair

• Bio +

  Christine Glenn

  Christine Glenn qualified as a barrister and worked in senior legal advisor positions in the Inner London Magistrates’ Courts’ Service before becoming Chief Executive of that service for six years. She went on to be Chief Executive of the Parole Board for England and Wales as well as a part-time first-tier tribunal judge dealing with asylum and immigration claims. She became a Parole Commissioner in N Ireland in 2009 and served as Chief Commissioner from 2010 until 2019. Christine did extensive international consultancy work in the criminal justice field. She also worked as a tutor for the Open University in its MBA Strategy course. She has been a trustee of St Luke’s for five years and currently sits on the Finance & Performance Committee. More recently, Christine has been asked to serve as the safeguarding trustee.

  Christine Glenn

• Bio +

  Paul Hill

  Paul Hillis a qualified accountant (FCA) and retired Chief Financial Officer with many years of experience in both commercial and not-for-profit organisations. He has been a Trustee of St Luke’s since August 2020 and is Chairman of the Finance and Performance Committee.

  Paul Hill

• Sarah Livingston

• Bio +

  Neel Radia

  Neel Radia has over 20 years of commercial sales and marketing experience and has been a Trustee of St Luke’s Hospice since August 2020. Neel joined St Luke’s board of Trustees to support in delivering the hospice visions and sustaining the care we provide to our community. Neel has had the opportunity of working voluntarily with other charities in the past, including being Chairman of the National Association of Care Catering. He has vast knowledge around the sheer importance of person-centred care and continues to proactively support and add value to the board for the overall benefit of the people in Harrow and Brent. Neel sits on the Finance & Performance Committee.

  Neel Radia

• Bio +

  Raj Thakrar

  Raj Thakrar has been a trustee since September 2020. He is a member of the Clinical Governance committee and has over 30 years of experience in IT across a variety of industries, both public and private. Raj currently works as a senior advisor to growth-stage start-ups scaling internationally into the UK & Europe, providing product development advice and project management expertise. He spent the last 15 years as Head of IT for global organisations, working in the US, Africa and the UAE. Raj has a successful track record in delivering strategy, global projects, companywide transformation, and building high-performing teams.

  Raj Thakrar

• Bio +

  Claire Melia-Tompkins

  Claire Melia-Tompkins has been a trustee at St Luke’s since 2018, and as well as being a Board Member, Claire sits on the Finance and Performance Committee. Claire has a lot of local knowledge of Harrow and Brent, being a resident there for over 30 years and having worked for both Harrow and Brent Council in her career. Claire’s professional experience is across communications, marketing, reputation and crisis management, where she has worked for over 20 years for a range of public sector and charity organisations. Claire is also heavily involved in and volunteers for the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), where she is a Fellow and Chartered Practitioner. Claire is also a serving Metropolitan Police Special Constable for the areas of Brent, Harrow and Barnet.

  Claire Melia-Tompkins

• Bio +

  Chandni Radia

  Chandni is a fundraising and business development professional, having raised millions of pounds for a range of organisations for over 16 years. She has significant experience in helping charities diversify their funding, having built and managed successful teams and income growth strategies across a range of fundraising and business development disciplines, including trusts and foundations, individual and major donors, corporates, events, and statutory funding. She is currently the Director of Development, Income and Impact at The Mayday Trust, having also held senior leadership positions at Advance Charity, The Forward Trust, and The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts Manufactures and Commerce.

  Chandni Radia

• Bio +

  Natalie Butler

  Natalie joined the Board of Trustees in September 2023 as the Vice Chair of the Finance and Performance Committee and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (FCA).
  Natalie brings over 15 years of experience supporting organisations identify, analyse and remediate their strategic, financial and operational risks. She leads global teams and has worked in several sectors including professional services, PR, financial services, and travel. Natalie has significant experience in internal audit, process improvement, risk management, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and is also six sigma trained.

  Natalie Butler

• Bio +

  Jatin Patel

  Jatin is a Chartered Accountant and has over 20 years of experience in providing audit and assurance services, primarily to large/global financial services organisations and pension schemes. He is currently a partner at KPMG. Jatin chairs the newly formed Audit and Risk Committee and also sits on the Financial & Performance Committee. Having witnessed firsthand the amazing work of the Hospice for two family members, he is inspired to contribute to its future success and ensure that others in the community continue to have the best experience possible.

  Jatin Patel

• Bio +

  Sarah Gigg

  Sarah is a Deputy Director of Nursing, Midwifery, and Allied Healthcare Professionals (NMAHP) at the UK Health Security Agency, the most senior NMAHP leading and representing NMAHPs working in health protection across England. Previously, Sarah was the Director of Patient Services and Nursing and a board member at Sue Ryder. She has enjoyed a 30-year career in health and social care in the NHS, voluntary, and private sectors.

  Sarah Gigg

• Bio +

  Liz Jewitt-Cross

  In December 2023, Liz joined St Luke’s Board as a Trustee and assumed the role of Chair for the People and Organisation Committee, also becoming a member of our Remuneration Committee.

  An experienced Board & Executive Leader and Business Adviser, Liz specialises in Strategy, Human Resources, Business Transformation, and Change, drawing on diverse industry experience, particularly in retail and fashion. Here, the emphasis on people and customer experience is paramount. Liz has overseen numerous successful retail and charity partnerships and previously served as a trustee for the RSPCA.

  With first hand experience in the special role and importance of end of life care, Liz looks forward to supporting St Luke’s team as they continue to grow and evolve their assistance to the Harrow and Brent community.

  Liz Jewitt-Cross

• Bio +

  Stephen Spiro

  Stephen Spiro is a Professor of respiratory medicine and was a Consultant Physician at The Royal Brompton Hospital (1977-94) and University College Hospital ( 1977-2009) where he still teaches. His main research interest was running multicentre UK trials to improve the outcomes and quality of life for those with lung cancer. He has published more than 150 peer review papers, and is senior editor of a textbook Clinical Respiratory Medicine. In 2013 he received the British Thoracic Society Gold medal for “an outstanding contribution to UK Thoracic Medicine”.
  He was a trustee and Vice Chair of the British Lung Foundation (2003-2020) and from 2013-23 was Chair of Trustees at Rennie Grove Hospice Care. He received an OBE in June 2023 for Services to Hospice Care.

  Stephen Spiro

Our Shops Board of Directors

• Bio +

  Carolyn HectorInterim Chair of the Shops Board

  Carolyn Hector joined the shops board in August 2020 and became Deputy Chair in April 2022. She has over 20 years experience in strategy, marketing, brand and product development for a number of prominent brands and organisations across the Financial Services industry. She has a track record in identifying commercial opportunities and delivering within challenging circumstances. Carolyn practiced at leading organisations and driving cultural and organisational change, with over eight years’ experience in board management, across financial services, education and charity sectors. More recently, Carolyn has widened her experience in the charity sector, driving the brand, marketing and strategy for Age Co, the commercial arm of Age UK.

  Carolyn HectorInterim Chair of the Shops Board

• Bio +

  Lindsey BennisterShops Board Director

  Lindsey Bennister, is a senior charity leader with a background in cancer and health organisations. She is an experienced trustee and an ACEVO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) Mentor for CEO’s and senior leaders. Lindsey has a long personal connection with St Luke’s Hospice through her mother-in-law, Stella, who was a big supporter of the hospice and passed away at the hospice in 2015. Lindsey joined St Luke’s as CEO in October 2022.

  Lindsey BennisterShops Board Director

• Bio +

  Michael FreedmanShops Board Director

  Michael Freedman is a serial entrepreneur who joined the Shops Board in November 2018. His background is in marketing of services and products, having worked in hotels, restaurants, financial services, retail shops and retail development. He worked first in the 1970s as marketing director of a newly formed group of hotels, founded and ran a credit collection business, then built and chaired a nationwide group of portrait photography studios, followed by a group of central London art galleries. His family is currently a significant shareholder in a retail food mall. He helped raise funds for two other charities before joining St Luke’s and is today retired whilst continuing to assist his family property business. His hobbies include badminton, swimming, backgammon and travel. Michael is also a paid up member of Dignity in Dying.

  Michael FreedmanShops Board Director

• Bio +

  Meg LustmanShops Board Director

  Meg Lustman joined the St Luke’s Board as Chair in March 2023 after an executive career leading many well-known retail brands through transformation and growth. In her post-executive career, Meg works with organisations in different ways spanning Chair, Advisor, Mentor and Non-Executive roles. She seeks to partner with clever leaders doing good things with purpose and to have the opportunity to contribute and to learn in equal measure. Meg understands the importance of good palliative and end-of-life care and, as a resident of Brent, is firmly committed to the St Luke’s mission and purpose.

  Meg LustmanShops Board Director

• Amar PatelShops Board Director

Our Executive Team

• Bio +

  Lindsey BennisterChief Executive

  Lindsey Bennister, is a senior charity leader with a background in cancer and health organisations. She is an experienced trustee and an ACEVO (Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) Mentor for CEO’s and senior leaders. Lindsey has a long personal connection with St Luke’s Hospice through her mother-in-law, Stella, who was a big supporter of the hospice and passed away at the hospice in 2015. Lindsey joined St Luke’s as CEO in October 2022.

  Lindsey BennisterChief Executive

• Bio +

  Peter BrookCommercial Director

  Having first joined St Luke’s in December 2021, Peter Brook is the Executive Chair of our Shops business leading all aspects of our retail activities. His early career was in hospitality, first managing restaurants and hotels in the UK prior to working and living abroad with a household FMCG business. In 2004 he founded his own consulting company, which included a Field Marketing division. During this time, Peter became a published author and regular speaker on commercial-centric business operations. Peter also, with his wife, owned an award-winning independent bookshop, café and wine bar within the local area.

  Peter BrookCommercial Director

• Bio +

  Charles DanielsMedical Director

  Having been at St Luke’s since October 1998, Dr. Charles Daniels holds the positions of St Luke’s Medical Director and Macmillan Consultant in Palliative Medicine at London Northwest Hospitals NHS Trust (LNWHUT) and Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH). Furthermore, he plays a key role as a Honorary Senior Researcher at Cambridge University, contributing to the St Luke’s Hospice PhD Fellowship. His involvement extends to serving as a Clinical Advisor to the National Audit of Care of the Dying (NACEL) and as a Member of the Clinical Advisory group of Jewish Care, showcasing his extensive commitment to healthcare initiatives.

  Charles DanielsMedical Director

• Bio +

  Jo PearceDirector of Fundraising

  Jo joined St Luke’s Hospice in February 2019, and has a background of nearly ten years in fundraising for the charity sector, with a particular interest in Corporates, Major Donors and Legacies.

  Having previously worked for Investors in People and a global publishing house, Jo was struck by the importance of end of life care when a former colleague died at a very young age and was helped enormously by the hospice sector.

  She is passionate about raising the awareness of St Luke’s services, and building relationships in the local community to grow our non-statutory income.

  She joined the Executive Team in February 2022, and is married with two teenage children.

  Jo PearceDirector of Fundraising

• Geetha Umaasuthan Director of Finance

• Lorna Campbell Director of People and Organisational Development

• Fran DeaneDirector of Quality & Governance