Alan is a Chartered Accountant and has spent his career advising business owners and management teams in many market sectors on how to develop and grow valuable businesses.  He has many years experience in mentoring businesses on strategy, marketing, good management principles, leadership, financial growth and creating value.  Alan is a Trustee of a National Charity dealing with issues of disfigurement . Since 1976 he has acted as a Senior Partner in a number of global advisory firms and now works with a number of companies as an Independent Adviser.

Mike qualified as RMN in 1979 with development to Director of Nursing in 1992.  Following the formation of NHS Trusts, Mike moved into General Management, occupying Executive Board positions from 1993 – 2000 when he became Chief Executive of Southern Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust.  Two subsequent mergers led to the current Derbyshire wide configuration.  Mike is accountable for the delivery of all of the Trust’s statutory duties and responsibilities, the development of the organisation and its people.

Graham joined the NHS in 1973 and held a variety of managerial posts in Nottingham and Bassetlaw before coming to Derby in 1987.  Having overseen the reprovision of services from Pastures Hospital he was involved in the establishment of Southern Derbyshire Mental Health as an NHS Trust in 1992/3, and his responsibilities have incorporated those of Trust Secretary since then.  He is the principal source of corporate governance advice to the Board and has also acted in that capacity for a PCT.  He has handled the technicalities of two Trust mergers and is responsible for ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation and the constitutional aspects of Foundation Trust status, including the arrangements for members and governors. Graham’s responsibilities include all aspects of legal affairs, and the handling of serious and complex issues. 
Graham is a Bachelor of Arts (Sheffield University) and holds the diploma and is a member of the Institute of Health Management.
Membership of Committees
As Trust Secretary, Graham attends all Board and Committee meetings and is responsible for ensuring they are run smoothly and for providing advice.

Paul has worked within the NHS for 26 years.  He is very proud of the nurse training he received in Macclesfield.  Since qualifying, Paul has gained clinical experience in a broad range of mental health services including Child and Adolescent Services, Adult of Working Age and Older Peoples Services working in areas such as Cheshire, Derbyshire, South Wales and Dorset.   Paul has gained management experience in various setting within primary care, community care, district general as well as mental health services.  Prior to joining the Trust, Paul has been  working as Nurse Executive for the past 10 years.

Kathryn has worked within the NHS for 21 years with significant experience in strategic planning, primary and secondary care commissioning and working with the independent and third sectors. She has also spent 2 years working at the Department of Health on developing national policy for children services and has a financial background.
Kathryn has a strong track record of performance and delivery and prior to joining the Trust has successfully led the World Class Commissioning programme for Derby City PCT. She has also recently completed the EM SHA aspiring Chief Executive programme.
Kathryn is the Trust's lead director for: achieving Foundation Trust status; workforce planning; new business development; customer and relationship management and internal and external communications.

Ifti qualified as a RMN in 1988 having trained as St Georges Hospital in London.  He has held a range of clinical posts in Adult Mental Health Services, both in Acute Inpatient and Community settings.  Ifti moved into Operation management posts in 1998 in Nottinghamshire and moved to Derbyshire premerger in 1999.  Ifti undertook Post Graduate management study at Sheffield Hallam University with a particular interest in business process redesign. 
In his current role Ifti is responsible for the operational management of the Business Units within the Trust and is the Lead Director for Information Technology, Information Management, Patient Records and Estates. 

John Sykes was born in Manchester in 1958.  He qualified at Sheffield University Medical School in 1981 and became a Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1985.   From 1986 onwards he was Lecturer in Psychiatry at Sheffield University where areas of special interest included the Psychological Effects of Spinal Cord Injury, Cognitive Psychotherapy and Systems of Psychiatric Classification.   He was appointed Consultant in Old Age Psychiatry in 1989.   He was Chair of the Medical Staff Committee of North Derbyshire’s Community Health Care Services NHS Trust before becoming Medical Director of that Trust in 1999.   He was Joint Medical Director of Derbyshire Mental Health Services Trust from 2002 until becoming the single Medical Director in June 2006.

Tim is a qualified accountant having considerable experience in the NHS working at the forefront of the financial changes from the beginnings of NHS Trusts and the internal market and, more recently, the introduction of payments by results, alongside the development of Foundation Trusts. His most recent post is the Director of Finance and Information at Birmingham Women’s NHSFT which gained FT status in February 2008.  He is keen to take up the challenge in this Trust and is looking forward to working with the Board to achieve FT status in the coming year.
Prior to his time in Birmingham, Tim was the Director of Finance for Nottingham City and subsequently Nottingham University Hospitals where he gained considerable experience in organisational change and service transformation, skills which will be to the fore, as the NHS along with all public services adapts to the more difficult economic climate.

Graham is a Chartered Tax Adviser and South Derbyshire Magistrate.  Having trained as an Inspector with the Inland Revenue in London, he worked in tax consultancy and audit for Price Waterhouse in Nottingham and Leicester before moving into industry in 1991.  After working at Boots and Vision Express, he helped to form the tax and accounting functions of Capital One in Europe, before retiring after heading the US Corporation’s worldwide tax affairs, advising in a wide range of mergers and acquisitions and on many complex public and private funding structures in the UK, Europe and the US.

Mick is the Customer Services Director for Royal Mail and is part of the commercial executive team, managing a £7bn pa revenue pipeline. Mick has been a change agent within Royal Mail, transforming its Customer Services operation - drastically reducing cost and improving services. In a 20 year career Mick has worked in a multitude of senior command roles - covering Sales, Marketing and Business Development.
Strategy development, plan execution and performance management are the three key capabilities Mick brings to the Trust's board. Mick has several SME interests outside of Royal Mail.

Lesley was appointed as a Non Executive Director of DMHST in November 2006.  Lesley’s board commitments at DMHST include the Audit and Mental Health act Committees.  Lesley also has a special interest in Older Adult Services.  Lesley, a Chartered Marketer is a Director of her own consultancy working with not for profit organisations.  In addition to this Lesley is a Specialist Lecturer for Sheffield Hallam University and delivers on strategy development and managing people for the MSc in Charity Resource Management.   Lesley’s key area of expertise lies in strategic business and marketing planning, capacity building and performance development and management.