Board of Trustees

Baroness Glenys Thornton, Chair of the Board

Baroness Glenys Thornton joined SCIE’s Board as Chair in July 2026.  She brings extensive experience of leadership across social care, health, private sector, public service and civil society.

A member of the House of Lords for over 25 years, Glenys has held senior roles in Government, including as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health, and Minister for Women and Equalities. She was Shadow Health Minister 2010-2014 and again 2018 – 2024. 

Other posts include the General Secretary of the Fabian Society, Trustee of Action for Children, Jamie Oliver’s 15 Foundation and Training for Life. She was a board member of the IdEA, the Local Government Improvement agency, from 1999 – 2008 and Chief Executive of The Young Foundation, the UK’s home for community research and social innovation, from 2015 – 2017. 

Glenys is currently a Senior Non-Exec Director of Whittington Health, Maternity Lead, a fellow of Social Innovation at the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, and founding Chair and Patron of Social Enterprise UK.

Rachel Armitage

Rachel has worked in the health information and media sector for over 25 years, producing evidence-based products and services for doctors, nurses and patients. As Director of the BMJ Evidence Centre, she gained extensive experience of structuring knowledge and evidence for practitioners and service users to improve best practice and the experience of care. She then joined the global publisher Elsevier as Director of e-Education Solutions for EMEA/LA. Here she developed and commercialised new, digital learning products for the undergraduate market.

Rachel is currently Managing Director of RCNi, the independent, commercial media arm of the Royal College of Nursing. She is a member of the RCNi Board, Audit and Remuneration Committees, and is responsible for the digital transformation of services to meet the needs of the nursing community.

Sudha Bharadia

Sudha joined SCIE’s Board of Trustees in 2026, bringing over 20 years’ experience across investment management, private credit and impact investing, including over a decade focused on global impact investing.

Sudha is the Founder of Impact Cap, an advisory firm supporting impact-led asset managers through fundraising and investor engagement. She previously spent a number of years as Co-Chief Executive Officer of an emerging-markets-focused investment manager, where she also led on fundraising, marketing, and investor relations, raising over $200m from institutional and private investors.

Sudha is currently Chair of the Investment Committee of a large Foundation focused on energy transition and community regeneration in the UK, and is Chair of Women in Social Finance, a peer-to-peer networking group for senior women shaping financial systems toward more equitable and sustainable outcomes. She holds an MBA with Distinction from the Open University Business School.

John Grosvenor

John is a Chartered Accountant and spent 38 years with international professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers working with international companies and in his time was based in London, Rotterdam, New York and Singapore. Since stopping full-time work he has held a number of Non-Executive and Trustee roles, with a particular focus on the charitable and not for profit sectors. He was Treasurer of the Alzheimer’s Society for seven years and is currently the Treasurer for Alzheimer’s Disease International, the federation of Alzheimer’s associations globally. His roles have included Board member of the MS Society and Board member and Chair of the Audit Committee of a NHS Foundation Trust Hospital. His current roles are Chair of Goalball UK, a Paralympic sport for blind and visually impaired people, and on the advisory board of Mazars LLP, a professional services firm.

Zoë Hallam

Zoë is a commercial procurement specialist currently working in the healthcare sector where she supports the provision of genomic screening services into the NHS. She is a lifetime disability advocate, having taken up campaigning at the age of 16 with Muscular Dystrophy UK, and having subsequently been a spokesperson and representative for a number of disability-led organisations. Most recently she was a Trustee at Attitude is Everything, a charity broadening access to live events for disabled people. She is a personal budget user herself and is passionate about the inclusion of younger people in conversations about disability and social care. Zoë holds an Advanced Diploma in Procurement and Supply and a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford.

Margaret Lally

Margaret joined the Board in March 2019. She worked in the NHS for number years where her responsibilities included developing services for people with learning disabilities and managing a range of community health services. Margaret left the NHS to become Deputy Chief Executive of the Refugee Council. She then went onto the British Red Cross where she was responsible for developing services in the UK including its health and social care offer. Margaret has previously worked with SCIE including chairing the Group which established Guidelines for the Care and Support of People with Learning Disabilities as They Grow Older. Margaret is currently trustee of Heritage Care which provides services for older people, people with learning disabilities and people with mental health issues.

Adele Leighton

Adele Leighton has worked in the charity sector for over 25 years and is currently Director of Operations at Autism Initiatives. She has extensive experience leading regulated health and social care services, with responsibility for strategic leadership, governance, quality, financial sustainability and workforce development.

Prior to joining Autism Initiatives, Adele held senior roles with both Mencap and Alzheimer’s Society. At Alzheimer’s Society she led the organisation’s involvement function, embedding involvement across the charity and ensuring that people with lived experience helped shape services, campaigns, research and organisational priorities. This experience has given her a strong commitment to co-production and the value of lived experience in driving meaningful change.

She is passionate about improving the lives of people who draw on care and support services and believes in the importance of co-production, evidence-informed practice and strong governance. Adele has particular expertise in designing and leading services in dementia, autism and learning disabilities, organisational improvement and leading change within complex, regulated environments.

As a Trustee of SCIE, Adele is committed to supporting the organisation’s mission to improve social care through collaboration, innovation and sharing best practice across the sector. 

Dean Okereke

Dean Okereke is a healthcare transformation leader with over a decade’s experience spanning the NHS, central government and healthcare consulting. He is an experienced strategy consultant who leads on digital transformation and AI adoption for NHS and social care organisations.

Dean previously served at the Department of Health and Social Care as Head of Digital, Data and AI Assurance, overseeing assurance of the National and Frontline Digital Portfolio. His earlier career includes senior roles within NHS provider organisations, Oracle Cerner, and independent electronic patient record (EPR) consulting, giving him a rounded view of digital change from the frontline, the supplier side and the centre of government.

Dean is passionate about addressing inequalities in health and social care, and about using digital and technology solutions to tackle the sector’s most persistent challenges, a thread that has run through much of his career. He brings this experience in governance, assurance and technology-led change to his role as a SCIE Trustee.

Isaac Samuels

For over 25 years, Isaac has been a tireless advocate for social justice and tackling inequalities. As an accomplished community campaigner and co-production advisor, Isaac has dedicated their career to empowering individuals and communities to overcome systemic barriers and achieve their best possible outcomes. Their work spans the health, social care, and housing sectors, where they have supported those at risk of disadvantage due to poverty, disability, and health disparities to rewrite their narratives and reclaim their voices. Isaac’s approach is deeply rooted in enabling people to share their lived experiences, using these insights to shape transformative policies and foster real change. Whether addressing racial inequality, intersectional discrimination, or the multifaceted challenges faced by marginalised groups, Isaac champions co-production and citizen voice as vital tools for creating fairer systems and better futures. 

Drawing from their own lived experience of navigating health and social care challenges, Isaac understands firsthand the complexities of overcoming societal and systemic obstacles. Their personal journey has shaped an unwavering commitment to dismantling barriers and supporting others to thrive. This lived experience not only informs their empathetic and rights-based approach but also fuels their passion for promoting equity, compassion, and fairness in every facet of their work. Throughout a distinguished career, Isaac has taken on a wide array of leadership roles. From spearheading integrated policy initiatives for people with additional support needs to advancing practice in areas such as nursing, mental health, HIV/AIDS stigma, and co-production, their impact has been both profound and far-reaching. They have also contributed to mental health research, supported the implementation of the Care Act, and championed greater choice and control for those navigating complex systems of care. 

At the heart of Isaac’s work is an unwavering belief in the power of co-production—a values-driven methodology that places individuals at the centre of decision-making and empowers them to shape their own outcomes. Guided by core principles of compassion, equity, and the relentless pursuit of justice, Isaac is committed to breaking down stigma and paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable society. Whether collaborating with policymakers, facilitating community-driven initiatives, or advocating for those whose voices are too often silenced, Isaac’s dedication to creating a better world shines through. Their work is a testament to the transformative power of lived experience, the strength of collective action, and the enduring belief that everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive. 

Brett Terry

Brett joined SCIE in July 2022 and is Chief People Officer at ZSL, a science-driven conservation charity working to restore wildlife in the UK and around the world. He has more than 20 years’ experience in the charity sector and specialises in organisational development, including large scale transformational change, leadership development and employee and volunteer engagement. Brett has held numerous roles at Alzheimer’s Society. He has also worked at the NSPCC, Breakthrough Breast Cancer, Cancer Research UK and Amnesty International. Brett believes passionately in the power of people and in creating working and volunteering environments where everyone feels valued; and where they can be their one true, authentic self.