Meet the Board of Directors
Our Board members, who are elected by members at a Society Conference, have a responsibility to make decisions in the best interests of our members.
The Board of Directors is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the Society, monitoring and oversight of operational activity and compliance with current legislation including our own Rulebook and propositions passed at Conference.
Operational responsibility for the conduct of the Society’s business is delegated to the Chief Executive, so it isn’t the Board’s responsibility to manage the Society. The Board is responsible for providing oversight and constructive challenge to the executive directors.
The Board comprises:
The Board Chair who is one of the Board Nominated Non-Executive Directors.
Six Member-Nominated Non-Executive Directors.
Six Board-Nominated Non-Executive Directors.
Two Executive Directors, who are senior employees of Benenden Health.
Directors serve a three-year term of office but can re-stand for election (subject to nomination) until they have served a maximum of three terms. Elections are held every year, culminating at the Society’s Conference, with at least one-third of the Board roles up for election each year.
Read our Board of Directors Terms of Reference
The Board of Directors is supported by several Committees. Learn more about these below.
Board-Nominated, Chair
Committee / board membership:
Group Nominations and Remuneration Committee; Benenden Wellbeing Limited (Chair)
Board involvement: Elected to the Board in June 2017 and Chair of the Board since July 2017.
Business skills: David is an experienced Board Chair and Group CEO. He has relevant leadership skills and strong strategic experience to support the organisation within the context it operates in. A member-focused approach to strategic positioning and sound commercial judgement are underpinned by a strong mutual ethos to deliver an excellent and affordable healthcare and wellbeing service for members. He brings independence of thought and sound judgement to identify the important issues facing the organisation.
Background and experience: David is a Chartered Insurer and member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a director with over 40 years' experience of regulated financial services, mostly in the mutual, insurance and healthcare sectors. He has wide experience of corporate governance best practice and relevant regulatory compliance to deliver a strong and sustainable business for members in the continually changing healthcare environment. David is also Chair of the Board of Bournemouth University.
Executive - Chief Finance Officer
Committee / board membership:
Benenden Wellbeing Limited
Board involvement: Co-opted to the Board in November 2017 and elected in June 2018.
Business skills: Supports the Board in strategic development and decision-making. Bringing deep commercial understanding combined with financial leadership, Helen is particularly skilled in ensuring business resilience as well as providing solutions to new and ongoing challenges.
Background and experience: Played a key role in Benenden Healthʼs recent journey and successful performance. A Chartered Accountant, Helen has extensive senior finance experience, mainly in large financial services organisations and a regulated legal services firm. She has built, developed and led talented teams that work in partnership with the business.
Board-nominated
Committee / board membership:
Group Audit and Risk Committee (Chair)
Board involvement: Co-opted to the Board in February 2018 and elected in June 2018.
Business skills: An experienced Chief Financial Officer and a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries with wide experience of risk management, investment strategies and mergers and acquisitions.
Background and experience: Over 45 yearsʼ experience in regulated financial services, much of it in the mutual and friendly society sector. Independent non-executive Chairman and member of the With-Profits Committee and of the RNPFN Supervisory Board at Liverpool Victoria Financial Services Limited.
Board-nominated
Committee / board membership:
Benenden Hospital Trust
Board involvement:
First elected to the Board in June 2024
Business skills: Miranda is a Healthcare Executive with 24 years’ experience working in Private Healthcare. She is skilled in business transformation; leadership; business strategy formation and implementation; Board governance; multimillion pound project operationalisation; and stakeholder collaboration and engagement.
Background and experience: Miranda's initial clinical healthcare experience came as a Chartered Physiotherapist. She has subsequently built a diverse portfolio of senior leadership and executive roles. She is experienced in delivering challenging transformational change through developing and leading high performing teams with authenticity, credible inclusive communication, and collaboration. Miranda is currently Executive Director at Mayo Clinic Healthcare, leading on developing the strategic and commercial direction. She has an Executive MBA and has successfully completed the Financial Times Board Director Programme.
Member-nominated Vice-Chair
Committee / board membership:
Benenden Hospital Trust (Chair); Group Nominations and Remuneration Committee
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2017.
Business skills:Experienced senior finance leader. Strong commercial and strategic acumen, change management, transformation programmes, articulate communicator, relationship management of external advisors and third-party service providers, corporate governance.
Background and experience: Angela joined Benenden Health in 1989. A Chartered Accountant with significant experience, including external and internal audit, supporting an extensive knowledge of controls and processes.
Manages and develops successful teams for global organisations covering all areas of finance, from tax and treasury to payroll. Operates in private and public environments across a broad range of sectors.
Member-Nominated
Committee / board membership:
Group Audit and Risk Committee; Membership Committee; The Benenden Charitable Trust (Chair)
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2023.
Business skills: Lee is a competent executive and non-executive director with experience gained in the private, public and charitable sectors. He holds a Masterʼs degree in Business Administration and is a Fellow of the RSA. An independent thinker with a track record of sound judgement, Lee firmly believes in the mutual ethos and its ability to deliver an excellent and affordable healthcare and wellbeing service for members.
Background and experience: Lee is a Chartered Insurance Risk Manager with experience as a director in a hybrid mutual company regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. His extensive public service experience includes working as a ministerial advisor, as well as enhancing safety and public health outcomes through collaboration with partners. He has strong strategic experience, having led risk-critical organisations for almost 20 years. Lee is a member of the Advisory Committee for Clinical Impact Awards for the Department of Health and Social Care.
Member-Nominated
Committee / board membership:
Group Nominations and Remuneration Committee; Membership Committee
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2023.
Business skills: Holder of a business degree (honours) specialising in marketing. A member of the Institute of Directors (2003–2017), Anthony has attended the Non-Executive Director course, has successfully implemented change programmes at various levels and has been involved in a large business start-up. He has demonstrated his entrepreneurial skills in all areas of business by successfully starting and running three of his own companies.
Background and experience: A Benenden Health member since 2011, Anthony also has fifteen years’ corporate marketing experience to director level in major quoted companies, working in both the UK and the Netherlands. He has worked as a Director for three national membership organisations: one in healthcare, three commercial organisations (one insurance-related), and two charities (both unremunerated) in mental in health and sport, demonstrating a commitment to help others, and be involved at grass roots.
Board-Nominated
Committee / board membership:
Benenden Hospital Trust
Board involvement: Co-opted to the Board in March 2023.
Business skills: Governance, strategy, digital health transformation, quality, people & operational leadership, international perspective.
Background and experience: Experience as a board chair and CEO, with proven leadership experience in healthcare businesses across highly regulated global markets. Success spearheading organic and acquisitive growth, innovation and performance improvement in fast-growing customer service-driven businesses. Strong strategic skills, operational leadership experience and stakeholder engagement capabilities, with a natural ability to support, challenge and guide. Damien leverages Uses his clinical background and digital technology to drive health improvement while optimising stakeholder outcomes.
Board-Nominated
Committee / board membership:
Group Audit and Risk Committee; Membership Committee (Chair)
Board involvement: Elected to the Board in June 2023.
Business skills: Value creation, driving change through a clear vision, functional expertise, rigour and people skills. Core capabilities include transformation, digital, strategy, patient and customer experience and brand.
Background and experience: Board-level marketing and commercial director with fast-moving consumer goods, consumer service and healthcare experience across FTSE 100 and multi-site private equity-backed businesses. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, currently non-executive director and senior independent director of Tipton and Coseley Building Society, non-executive director of LGPS Central, non-executive director of Moat Housing Association. Former executive director roles at General Healthcare Group (owner of BMI Healthcare), Care UK and E.ON Energy.
Member-nominated
Committee / board membership:
Group Nominations and Remuneration Committee (Chair); Membership Committee
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2017.
Business skills: Board director in executive and non-executive capacities: strategic, financial and change leadership across the public, private and voluntary sectors, including leadership of public health and safety regulatory bodies, corporate governance, audit, assurance and risk management.
Background and experience: A Benenden Health member for in excess of 35 years, Les formerly held the position of CEO at the Office for Nuclear Regulation and previously held senior roles in the Health and Safety Executive. In addition to Benenden Health, Les' non-executive experience includes Chair and NED roles in central government, the NHS and in education.
Member-nominated
Committee / board membership:
Group Audit & Risk Committee; Benenden Wellbeing Limited
Board involvement: First elected to the Board in June 2023.
Business skills: Experienced Board level leader, with a passion for promoting the delivery of excellent service to members and, in particular, promoting the importance to society of member owned (mutual) business models. Having run operational functions, sponsored the successful delivery of major change initiatives, introduced complex Regulatory change and overseen attractive customer propositions and their fair and effective sales and marketing, as well as leading several businesses, Dean brings a broad breadth of relevant experience to the Benenden Board.
Background and experience: Following a 44-year executive career working across a variety of sectors in the financial services industry, Dean took up a role as a trustee director at a Pensions Trust in 2022, which complements his role with Benenden Health. He is a Chartered Director, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. A strong believer in the importance of continuing professional development, since completing his Henley MBA, he has completed courses in areas including service operations management, fintech, cyber security and strategy in the age of digital disruption.