Five new Trustees join Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Board 27 July 2021 Five new Trustees will be joining the Board of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland in November to help lead our efforts to make sure people across Scotland can live their lives to the full. We are delighted to welcome these new members, who will join our existing Trustees to support and scrutinise the continued delivery of our No Life Half Lived strategy. Read on to find out more about each of our new Trustees, and what Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland means to them. Tim Walsh Tim Walsh is the Chair of Critical Care, Head of Department (Anesthesia) and Co-Director Acute Care Edinburgh (Centre for Population Health Science, Usher Institute) at the University of Edinburgh. Tim is also an Honorary Consultant Critical Care and Director of Innovation at NHS Lothian. He has played a key role in developing our Hospital to Home service in response to the pandemic. “Throughout the pandemic I was so impressed by the commitment and passion shown by everyone involved with Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland,” says Tim. “People often say that when they leave hospital they feel scared and not sure how to adjust when they get back home. Everyone at Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, from supporters to staff and volunteers, are focused on seeing the person’s individual needs which makes the care they give really special – and an essential part of how we provide care at NHS Lothian. “Chest, heart and stroke conditions – including Long Covid – are some of Scotland’s biggest health challenges. It’s a privilege to help guide the charity’s efforts to tackle these issues and help people live life to the full.” Lisa Kidd Lisa Kidd has a national and international profile in stroke research, latterly as the Reader in Supported Self-Management (Nursing) at the University of Glasgow. Amongst other things, Lisa sits on the Steering Committee and Scientific Committee for the UK Stroke Forum and is Chair Elect 2023/24, as well as being a committee member of the Scottish Stroke Nurse Forum. “My work is driven and underpinned by the needs and priorities of people with stroke,” adds Lisa. “As a Trustee of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, I am passionate about using my research, skills and experience to help inform, shape and continuously improve the services and support that the charity provides for people so that this helps them to live their lives in a way that is important and personally meaningful for them.” John McCroskie John McCroskie has wide-ranging experience in the Scottish public sector, including as a former Chief Press Officer for Scottish Government and latterly a Director and former interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Police Authority. John’s late father experienced heart disease and severe strokes in later life and both his parents were helped to live through that experience by Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s much-valued services and network of support. “Like many people, it is a family story that was part of the motivation for volunteering to join the Board of the charity,” explains John. “While each of our back stories is unique this is a charity with a strategy to unite us in a common cause. Whether as a staff member, a volunteer or a donor everyone brings something different and valuable to the work. “I hope that my own skills and experience in governance and presentation will help this passionate and capable team to navigate an ever more complicated world and keep our collective eyes on the prize of no life half lived.” David McIntosh Like John, David McIntosh also has lived experience of our conditions in his family. David is a Chartered Accountant working at global advisory firm Teneo. His experience includes conducting business reviews, advisory work for corporates and financial stakeholders and contingency planning across a broad range of sectors. “I’m delighted to join Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland as a Trustee and look forward to working with the team to help deliver our No Life Half Lived strategy,” says David. “It’s a great cause and an opportunity to apply my professional skills to support people in Scotland affected by our conditions in living their lives to the full.” Paul Denton Like many of our Trustees, Paul Denton’s connection to the charity stems from lived experience of supporting family members with our conditions. Paul has wide-ranging experience in the private and financial sector, latterly as the CEO of the Scottish Building Society. Bringing a huge amount of financial knowledge to the charity, Paul is also a Chartered Banker. “I am delighted to be a Trustee of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and to be able to offer something back to an incredibly worthwhile cause,” explains Paul. “Sadly I have seen the impact that both COPD and heart attacks can have on family members so there is a real personal reason for my involvement.” The charity’s Chair of the Board of Trustees, Jim Gibson, welcomes the new trustees: “Our Trustees are another example of where volunteers freely give their considerable skills, work and life experience to help CHSS deliver its mission. I am delighted to welcome John, Paul, David, Lisa and Tim as newly appointed Trustees to our board. They bring a breadth and depth of professional and personal skills that will undoubtedly bring positive challenge and creativity to our strategy, planning and governance. “I would also like to pay a huge tribute to Trustees who have recently retired after long years of service on the board of CHSS. They have brought us safely to this point of handover and have professionally and consistently operated as Trustees and ambassadors for our organisation.” To find out more about our vision and No Life Half Lived strategy, please visit chss.org.uk/no-life-half-lived