Mark has worked at Rethink Mental Illness for over 30 years and became our Chief Executive in 2014. During his time with us, Mark has also held a number of public appointments in health, education and criminal justice. This includes serving as a member of the Mental Health Taskforce, and he is currently a Trustee of the Association of Mental Health Providers.

Brian is Deputy Chief Executive of Rethink Mental Illness. He is also Chief Executive of Mental Health UK, a coalition of four mental health charities across the UK. Brian represents Rethink Mental Illness on the Richmond Group, a collaboration of leading health and social care charities. He is also Co-Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Alliance and a member of the Lloyd’s of London Culture Advisory Group.

Caroline joined the Rethink Mental Illness in 1992 as an Information Officer. Since then, she has undertaken various roles, including working as an Employee Relations Specialist in our Human Resources department for 15 years. Caroline became our Company Secretary in 2014, taking over from Mark Winstanley.

Mark joined Rethink Mental Illness in 2016 as our Associate Director for Services in the south of England. In October 2018, he was appointed our Director of Operations, which involves leading on service delivery, quality and transformation, and business development.

Caroline has over 20 years’ experience in multiple fundraising roles across the charity sector for charities including the British Red Cross and the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. Caroline works across Philanthropy, Corporate Partnerships, Trusts and Grants, Individual Giving and Legacies and of course Events and Community, to grow income across all areas to ensure that everyone has the tools to live their best possible lives.

James is a senior communications and campaigns professional who has worked on some of the highest profile issues in the third sector. He joined Rethink Mental Illness in 2017 and is responsible for brand & design, campaigns, digital communications, internal communications, marketing, and media. James manages to crowbar references to West Ham United into most things, including this bio!

Peter is an award-winning diversity, inclusion and race equality senior leader with significant experience gained from developing and implementing high-priority culture change strategies and programmes at the Home Office, the Met Police and now at Rethink Mental Illness which he joined in February this year. Before joining the charity, Peter supported Wendy Williams CBE on her Windrush Lessons Learned Review progress update report, published in March. Peter is a qualified Barrister, a former board-level Trustee, and a mentor with BT’s Accelerate Leadership Programme for its high potential senior managers and the Patchwork Foundation.

Deidre has over 15 years’ experience in the third sector after a former career in Law. She leads the delivery of Mental Health UK programmes including our flagship service, Mental Health & Money Advice, the first UK-wide service aimed at improving both financial and mental wellbeing. Deidre’s role also encompasses overseeing the development of innovative new services and solutions at scale. Prior to working directly in mental health, Deidre held various leadership positions where holistic support to local communities was a focal point. Most recently, as Chief Executive Officer of a Nottingham based charity. Deidre is also a trustee at a small grass root charity.

Matt joined Rethink Mental Illness in September 2022, having working within the charity sector for over 9 years with a background in Third Sector Business Development as well as IT. Prior to his time at Rethink Mental Illness, Matt held a number of cross-functional roles in the mental health, homelessness, and social inclusion sector . Matt is responsible for leading and developing the IT department and the organisations strategy to innovate through technology.

Lisa brings over 15 years of experience in strategic people and OD practice within the not-for-profit sector. With a focus on creating supportive, inclusive workplaces, Lisa combines a people-centered and collaborative approach with a data-driven mindset to guide people and OD strategies that empower teams and align with organisational goals. Lisa has held senior HR roles, including Head of Human Resources at the Cochrane Collaboration and key HR roles at Amnesty International UK. Known for her approachable and pragmatic style, Lisa is committed to fostering environments where staff feel valued, engaged, and equipped to make a meaningful impact.

Lucy has over 15 years’ experience in achieving change through policy, influencing and partnerships. She oversees the department responsible for working with government and policy makers to influence national policy change in mental health and then partnering with health and care organisations to ensure change is delivered on the ground. The team work in partnership with people with lived experience to test out new ways of supporting people and then feed the evidence from innovation back into our national influencing. Lucy has a background of successful influencing of Government Acts, budgets and policy direction having worked in policy, public affairs and campaigning at other charities. She also has 5 years’ experience as a lived experience expert on NHS England’s National Diabetes Audit Board.

Tracy joined Rethink as our Director of Service Development in February 2024 to lead Rethink’s Service Development Division, developing new services, exploring opportunities for innovation and creating new ventures to help meet the needs of people severely affected by mental illness. Tracy has over 20 years’ experience as a senior leader in the charity sector, having previously worked in the fields of education, homelessness and domestic abuse, she has extensive experience in service design, developing supported housing and working with stakeholders to create change.

Rich is a qualified accountant with 20 years’ experience in charity and not-for-profit finance, with the exception of a year spent managing a safari lodge in Uganda. His career has taken him through senior roles at major charities including Marie Curie and The Children’s Society.  Rich is responsible for driving Rethink’s financial strategy, aiming to deliver the greatest impact with every pound of funding.

Jonathan joined Rethink Mental Illness in April 2015, having previously worked within the Criminal Justice sector for over 17 years. Prior to his time at Rethink Mental Illness, Jonathan held a number of roles relating to the delivery of services both in the public and third sector. Jonathan continues to work in operational delivery at Rethink Mental Illness being responsible for leading and developing services across the country.  Away from work Jonathan is an avid Formula One fan and long-suffering Sunderland supporter.

Kathryn spent over 30 years as a senior civil servant at the Department of Health, where she led policy on child health, including CAMHS, public health, including wellbeing and adult mental health. Her achievements include securing initial funding for IAPT; championing Early Intervention in Psychosis; and overseeing the co-production of New Horizons, the first comprehensive mental health strategy following the 2004 Mental Health Act revision. She takes on chairing Rethink Mental Illness alongside her occasional work as an executive coach, and her burgeoning grandmother duties.

Aphra joined our Board of Trustees in February 2018 and in 2021 was appointed second Vice-chair. She is a carer of family members living with mental illness and has used mental health services for a number of years. She is particularly passionate about using the experiences of people affected by mental illness to develop services. Over the past 15 years, she has worked in various roles at NHS cancer services and the University of Warwick’s medical school.

Raj was appointed as a co-opted Trustee to the Board in May 2022, with specific experience in Strategic ICT. He has pursued a career in technology for over 35 years working in the public sector, private sector and at a technology start-up. He started his career as a software developer and has held a variety of roles ranging from hands-on coder to head of department. Most recently Raj was Chief Executive at Pirum Systems where he led the business through significant growth and expansion and remains as non-executive President.

John joined the Board of Trustees as a co-opted Trustee in 2018. In his executive career he specialised in financial services risk management and regulation, working in the regulators, in industry and as a partner at professional services firm EY. He now serves on the board of Barclays Bank UK plc and acts as an adviser to a disruptive financial technology company. Keen to support and help guide the Charity's ambitious and important strategy centred around Communities that Care, he was appointed the Chairty's Treasurer in December 2020.

George has been a member of our Audit and Quality Assurance Committee since 2012 and joined our Board of Trustees in 2016 and became its Treasurer in 2017. In 2020 he was appointed Vice-chair, taking over from Shaun Johnson. Now retired, George is an accountant with over 30 years’ experience of internal audit and risk management, which was gained in senior management roles in retail banking and local government.

Edward Is a member of the Yorkshire and North East Regional Committee and became a trustee in 2021. He has a long interest in mental health and was Chief Executive of MindWise New Vision in Northern Ireland prior to relocating to the North East in 2018. Edward is committed to raising awareness of mental health and ensuring the provision of excellent services, this is underpinned by his personal experiences as the carer of a family member with severe and enduring mental illness.

Ian has worked in the NHS for over 15 years and has been redeployed to be the London Critical Care Programme Director through the COVID-19 outbreak. Substantively he is the Contract Delivery Director for Specialised Commissioning at NHS England (London), which involves overseeing high cost low volume treatments with all NHS trusts in the Capital. Ian has a particular interest in the treatment and prevention of HIV and reducing the stigma that surrounds the illness and is part of the Fast Track Cities Initiative Leadership Group for HIV in London. He also prioritises diversity in the workplace and is working to implement the Workforce Race Equality Standard within the NHS.

Garrick joined the Northwest Regional Committee in 2017 and the Board in 2020. He has a background in community development and is a former Youth and Community Worker. He has lived experience of mental illness and became a Time to Change champion in 2014. Since then, he has continued to work with the national Time to Change campaign to raise public awareness and tackle stigma and discrimination. In 2016 Garrick was elected NHS Public Governor for Rest of England and Wales at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust. He is passionate about equality and social justice and all his professional and social life has fought for equality and inclusion. He has a good knowledge of black mental health issues and has worked with diverse groups including asylum seekers, refugees, young men, families and older people.

Christine is a member of the East Midlands Regional Committee. She approached Rethink in 2017 in order to set up a Carers Support Group in the East Northants Area, after becoming a carer to a relative with a severe and enduring mental illness. Christine has worked with the Carers Support Group and the East Midlands RC to raise awareness of Rethink Mental Illness and its work. Christine is a retired administrator and has spent time as a volunteer with organisations encountered whilst working and raising a family.

Mental health became a topic of interest to Jane when her son developed schizophrenia over 20 years ago. In July 2011, she joined our South West Regional Committee and was then appointed to our Board of Trustees in May 2016. Jane also works as a volunteer for Citizens Advice, which gives her an understanding of some of the common issues people with mental illness face, for example, problems accessing benefits, housing and finance.

Ros joined the London Regional Committee in 2019, and is a member of the Charity’s Lived Experience Communications and Marketing Advisory Panel. Her background is in media and public engagement, with a career in TV specialising in science and medical documentaries. Mental health work includes teaching Mental Health First Aid in the workplace, and crisis counselling with 24/7 text platform Shout. She is a committed advocate for positive change around mental health awareness, and for peer-led support and services.

Jo is Regional Trustee for the East, joining the Board of Trustees in February 2024. Jo is passionate about raising awareness around mental health conditions - a passion sparked by two close friends who have suffered with mental ill health. In particular, her friend Josh sadly passed away in 2021. Jo’s career has been based around IT Programme Management with a focus in Third and Public sectors. She has an MBA, giving her a rounded view of organisational leadership. She is also a school governor and mum to two stepchildren and a toddler.

Jaz Nannar joined the Board of Trustees as a Co-opted Fundraising Trustee in February 2025. For many years she headed up a fundraising and communications agency working with the biggest charities in the UK across strategy, individual giving, legacies, in-mem giving and events. Since 2019, she has run her own consultancy and works with clients like the RSPB, GOSH Charity and Carers Trust.