Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors has overall responsibility for delivering services and is accountable for operational performance
as well as our strategic direction.
Click here to view our board meeting dates and papers.
Chair, David Wakefield - Appointed 01/04/2025
David is our joint chair appointed to Stockport NHS Foundation Trust (SFT) and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (TGICFT). The trusts run the respective hospitals of Stepping Hill Hospital and Tameside Hospital alongside community health services in Stockport, Tameside and Glossop.
David Wakefield has held previous Chair roles at NHS Trusts, including his most recent as Chair of the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust. He is a qualified accountant and has held several senior executive posts, including Commercial Finance Director for Royal Mail. He has also held a number of non-executive directorships.
Dr Marisa Logan-Ward - Appointed 01/08/2019
Marisa is our Deputy Chair and Non-Executive Director.
With a background in biomedical sciences, Marisa has held senior roles in the health sector for over 15 years. She has a PhD in Molecular Immunology and began her career with national roles with Department of Health.
Her most recent posts have been that of Business Development Director at SYNLAB UK and Non-Executive Director of Oldham Community Leisure. She was previously Group Director of Pathology for BMI Healthcare, Assistant Chief Scientific Advisor for NHS Estates and Programme Director for Diagnostics with Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority.
In her career Marisa has led national turnaround programmes on quality and patient safety and has experience in delivering large-scale clinical service reconfiguration. She has expertise in strategic development, particularly in the context of collaboration and external partnerships.
She brings to her role an understanding of clinical issues and has experience in developing innovation pathways from academic and translational research through to patient-centred service transformation.
Beatrice Fraenkel - Appointed 04/01/2023
Beatrice is a design engineer and ergonomist with many years’ experience working in and across the public, private and third sectors covering health and economic regeneration involving the community and local populations across Merseyside and the North West of England. Amongst other organisations she has chaired a NW regional regeneration body , a national regulatory body and a Primary Care Trust. She completed 14 years as chair of Mersey Care NHS FT leading the board across three acquisitions and five new hospital buildings . She has served on a number of private and public boards and now is the chair of the People Committee at Stockport NHS Trust.
Beatrice is currently a trustee of Design in Mental Health and a consultant in regeneration, design , community development and governance. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Architects for her work in regeneration and design and in 2025 was made an Alderwoman of the City of Liverpool for her services to the community and citizens of Liverpool.
Dr Samira Anane - Appointed 01/09/2022
Samira Anane is a practicing GP, with nearly two decades experience of working within the NHS. She has extensive experience of working across tertiary, secondary, and primary care.
With a keen interest in health policy, education, training and workforce, Samira has held several national roles including leading the BMA GP Trainee and Sessional GP committees. Samira has worked as a CCG Neighbourhood clinical lead, working with multi-agencies across health and social care. She holds a National Institute of Health Research award, based at the University of Manchester and is undertaking a master’s in public health.
Samira is the Non-Executive Director lead for place-based care.
David Hopewell - Appointed 01/07/2018
David is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and trained with Deloitte, Haskins and Sells before moving into industry with senior finance positions in Shell in both the UK and West Africa.
He moved into the public sector in 1994 and was Corporate Director at Government Office for the North West (GONW) (1998-2006) where he was a Board Director with a portfolio including finance, partner audit, HR, ICT, communications, governance and Ministerial business. After GONW closed he spent a short period as Director of Resources and Company Secretary for Cheshire Peaks and Plains Housing Trust (2006-2007).
Since 2007 David has had a portfolio career working as a Resources Director for Retrak a charity running projects for street children in Africa (2007-11) alongside Non-Executive appointments in a housing association (2009-12) and his previous position as Non-Executive Director with Mid Cheshire since 2007.
Tony Bell - Appointed 01/05/2021
Tony, who lives in Sale and is a qualified accountant, began his career in the private sector, largely with the Lex Retail Group.
More recently he has worked in organisations providing public services and with a social value, including as Director of Finance at City College Manchester. There he was responsible for finance, estates and commercial contracts, and much of his work was focused on prison education as the college was the country’s largest provider of prison education.
In recent years he has developed a portfolio career as a Non-Executive Director in the NHS and social housing, most notably on the Audit and Risk Committee on the Guinness Partnership, a national provider of social housing with 60,000 homes and a turnover of £300m, and Board member and Chair of the Audit Committee of its largest subsidiary (Guinness Northern Counties).
He is also a Board member and Chair of the Audit Committee at Wythenshawe Community Housing Group, and ForHousing in Salford.
Dr Louise Sell - Appointed 01/10/20
Louise is currently working part-time as a consultant liaison psychiatrist with Bury integrated pain service operated by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.
A highly experienced psychiatrist, Louise was previously the Executive Medical Director at North West Boroughs NHS Foundation Trust, a post she held for seven years.
Other roles have included consultant addictions psychiatrist and service director at Greater Manchester NHS Foundation Trust and a clinical lecturer in addictions at the University of London.
Executive Directors
Chief Executive, Karen James
Karen James OBE is the Chief Executive of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, and has also been Chief Executive of Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust since 2014.
Having started her career as a Registered Nurse, she has over the last fourteen years held a number of executive leadership roles in large acute tertiary providers. Karen has significant experience in managing large scale change across complex economies, and has been successful in the delivery of improvements in organisational performance.
Chief Finance Officer, Deputy Chief Executive, John Graham
John is an experienced Chief Finance Officer who has worked for a range of organisations including, a Health Authority, the North West Regional Office, the Directorate of Health and Social Care North, the Department of Health, a Strategic Health Authority, a Mental Health Foundation Trust and a leading University Teaching Hospital.
His most recent post has been that of Executive Director of Finance and Deputy Chief Executive of the Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust, an acute teaching hospital. Prior to this John was Director of Finance & IMT at Greater Manchester West Mental Health Foundation Trust.
Chief Nurse, Nicola Firth
Nic trained at Stockport and qualified as a registered nurse in 1992, following which she worked in a number of specialties before taking up a corporate role. Subsequently Nic furthered her career in corporate roles at Salford Royal NHS FT and in the Deputy Director of Nursing post here at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.
In 2014 Nic became Executive Director of Nursing for Aintree NHSFT, a post she held for 3 years before moving back into Greater Manchester to join the Northern Care Alliance as Director of Nursing for Oldham Care Organisation, in 2018 Nic also took on the role of Chief Officer.
Nic lives in the Stockport area and is delighted to have taken up the post of Chief Nurse here at Stockport, where she began her career.
Medical Director, Andrew Loughney
Andrew Loughney trained in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the North East of England and practiced there as a Consultant Obstetrician for seventeen years.
He moved to Liverpool Women’s Hospital in 2016 where he was Medical Director and Deputy CEO, in addition to spending time as Interim Medical Director at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals.
He has a cellular and molecular biology PhD and maintains an interest in academic medicine to complement his focus on medical safety and effectiveness.
Director of Strategy & Partnerships, Paul Buckley
Paul was appointed in April 2024 and holds a joint role that covers both Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and Tameside & Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust. His role and team develop the trusts strategies, coordinate operational planning and facilitate collaborative working with a wide range of partners.
He has extensive senior management experience gained from previous operational and strategic roles within a number of hospital trusts in London, the North-West and South Yorkshire. His qualifications include those at master’s level in Executive Healthcare Leadership and also Health Management.
Director of People & Organisational Development, Amanda Bromley
Amanda is a highly motivated HR/OD professional with extensive operational and strategic experience, which has been obtained from holding senior HR positions in a number of organisations in acute, community and mental health services.
Amanda commenced her career at Tameside Community & Priority Services NHS Trust before moving on to Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside Acute NHS Foundation Trust and the University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust. She returned to Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in June 2013 and has recently led the establishment of the Mass Vaccination Centre with Tameside & Glossop being the Lead Employer for Greater Manchester.
Amanda is passionate about putting staff and patients at the heart of everything she does and she firmly believes that the development of a culture built around engagement, inclusivity, continuous learning and shared values enables an organisation to be successful and sustainable.
Director of Operations, Jackie McShane
Jackie joined Stockport NHS Foundation Trust in December 2020 as Director of Operations, having previously held the same post at Tameside & Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust. She has over 12 years senior management experience in acute sector NHS roles across a number of North West trusts. Prior to joining the NHS Jackie worked within the private sector in the logistics sector.