Trustees

Our trustees are all volunteers with a broad range of skills and experience. They meet around five times a year to review progress against our plans and to plan for the future. As volunteers we do not provide direct contact details for them but if there is something you think needs discussing with them we would encourage you to send us a message.

Stephen Stacey- Trustee since 2017, Chair

Stephen Stacey became Chair in November 2020. He has a background in the motor industry, holding senior management positions and was MD for EuroRAP, a European road safety not-for-profit organisation.. He has a charity governance qualification with Bayes Business School in London.

Leah Mansfield
Leah Mansfield- Trustee since 2013

Leah is a barrister. She is currently on long-term leave from her legal career and has recently become more involved in the charity’s fundraising efforts.

Jason Pearce
Jason Pearce- Treasurer, Trustee since 2018

Jason Pearce is a qualified accountant and has held several senior finance positions. He set up his own rail telecommunications integration technology business in 2011 and sold it to Panasonic in 2016. He is currently working as a consultant in the same industry. Jason’s daughter has EDS.

Adrian Steel- Trustee since 2018

Adrian Steel is an archivist and held several positions in the culture sector before becoming Director of The Postal Museum for 8 years, culminating in its successful opening in 2017. He secured significant sums to deliver the new museum from a wide range of sources, including trusts/foundations, statutory and private funding, and continues to work in the Culture sector currently leading RIBA’s cultural heritage teams.

Charlotte Williams- Trustee since 2020

Charlotte Williams is Chief Strategy & Improvement Officer at Mid & South Essex NHS Foundation Trust. She is a member of the Trust Board and leads on quality improvement and innovation, planning and system and service redesign, clinical service strategy, quality improvement, Integrated Care System-wide transformation, and strategic intelligence. Alongside several other roles, Charlotte is a member of the Health Foundation Q Community, and has published on the topic of patient involvement in major redesign of health services.

Sarita Aujla
Sarita Aujla- Trustee since 2020

Sarita Aujla is the British Heart Foundation’s Trusts and Foundations Lead. Before this, Sarita has gained experience in the health charity sector from Diabetes UK and The Mental Health Foundation. She has published health research on the NHS Stop Smoking Services in the Journal of Smoking Cessation and has a BSc (Hons) Psychology from University College London. Sarita lives with hEDS. Charlotte is an Honorary Associate Professor at University of Birmingham, School of Social Policy.

Anne Lavery- Trustee since 2022

Anne Lavery has a professional background in both adult education and science journalism. Prior to becoming a trustee, Anne had a long association with EDS UK as a volunteer running large support groups and events for the charity in London. Anne lives with hEDS.

Ellie Cannell-Trustee since 2022

Ellie is a Human Resources professional with a background in charity HR, across a range of organisations in education, international development and the arts. She is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and is currently Head of HR at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, where she oversees strategic and operational HR. Ellie has hEDS.

Alison Roux-Trustee since 2022

Alison Roux has a background in Leadership Development and Organisational Development across a range of industries, working internationally and multi-culturally.  She is also an accredited Executive coach and has an MBA from Cranfield School of Management. Previous experience on charity boards has led to a particular interest in safeguarding.   Alison’s daughter has hEDS.

Laure Nas de Tourris portrait
Laure Nas de Tourris- Trustee since 2022

Laure Nas de Tourris has a background in strategy in the healthcare sector having worked in consulting and pharmaceutical companies for more than 15 years within different roles and geographies. Laure is currently Franchise Head for a pharmaceutical company specialising in rare diseases. Laure has a personal interest in hEDS.