Guenever Pachent
Term of office started April 2012

I was elected to the Board of Governors when I retired as a service director in Adult and Community Services at Suffolk County Council. Currently resident in Ipswich, I spent my working life in west and then east Suffolk.

Professionally, I've developed services for people with mental health issues and learning disabilities, while personally I have been a family carer.

I'm a F​ellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), a Member of the Chartered Management Institute and a qualified information professional.

I am the Trust’s Lead Governor as well as Co-Chair of the Performance and Planning Subgroup and a member of the Nominations Subcommittee and the Education Subgroup.

I'd be delighted to hear what you think about the performance of the Trust and to represent your views.​

Martin Wright

Term of office started 1 February 2016

I spent 43 years as a chartered accountant and have extensive experience in managing finances in a wide variety of different organisations. I have lived in Hadleigh in Suffolk for 34 years and have enjoyed working with many local community organisations, including the scouts, sports clubs and trade associations. Currently, I work with Suffolk Cruse Bereavement Care to support the bereaved and help with fundraising.

I stood for election after three close family members used mental health services with mixed experiences and outcomes. I feel the Trust needs individuals with good judgement, appropriate skills and experience to improve the quality of services it provides and its financial management.

My aim is to work with others to hold NSFT to account, improve services and provide a strong voice for everyone who needs support with their mental health.

Kathleen Ben Rabha
Term of office started 1 February 2014

I've now been elected as a Public Governor for Suffolk, having served before as a Partner Governor. I have strong connections with the community and voluntary sector. In my work in the Church of England in Suffolk, I'm working to raise awareness in church communities and faith groups in general about mental health. I am also connected with Healthwatch Suffolk and the Suffolk User Forum.​

Andrew Good
Term of office started 1 February 2014

My last management role before retirement in 2011 was as Chief Executive of Mid Suffolk District Council.

A Samaritan volunteer for 19 years and Chairman of the Colchester, Tendring and Suffolk Borders branch, I'm concerned about the impact of mental health issues on people's lives. I have first hand family experience of seeking support for someone with Alzheimer’s.

I believe that through effective engagement, service users can and should influence policy, service design and delivery. I now chair the Membership Subgroup.

​Stephen Fletcher
Term of office started 1 February 2013

Over the past ten years, my aim in life has been to represent the needs of people with mental health conditions as a governor and chair of the former Trust Service Users Council.

I work professionally as a chef and voluntarily with homeless people in Norwich. I understand mental health service provision, government policy, commissioning and service delivery. As a governor and service user in recovery, I pride myself on being the voice of service users and a passionate link between them, carers and the Trust.

I am interested in the quality of life and services available to people living in the community and am keen to see service users placed at the heart of everything the Trust does. I take an active role in monitoring the safety, effectiveness and environment from which services are delivered with a view to improving mental healthcare for everyone.

I'm experienced as a research physicist, IT director and in consultancy and, most recently, as a board member of a private university and now a trustee.

I have advised a range of government bodies and other agencies, including hospitals, on efficiency and the preparation and implementation of strategic plans.

I was the carer of my mother and of my wife with terminal cancer and had a bipolar son-in-law who refused help because of the stigma attached.

As a new governor, I look forward to contributing to the Board and its committees for the benefit of our local community. ​

Malcolm Blowers

Term of office started 1 February 2016

I have been a partnership governor linking Suffolk User Forum to NSFT for several years, and believe I have a good understanding of the way the Trust works. I have also suffered with bi-polar disorder since 1968 so have a strong knowledge of mental health conditions.

Over the past few years, I have set up a group in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft called Feedback, which gives service users the chance to make their voices heard, and also run a support group in Lowestoft twice a week.

I am also a trustee and longest serving member of the Suffolk User Forum.

Paul Gaffney
Term of office started 1 February 2012

I have been a service user for over fourteen years. I first became ill while studying law in Scotland. Further admissions have followed over the years. I see the governor position as enabling me to represent service users like myself on the Board of Governors. Too little representation of the needs of service users at all levels has often been a reason for the poor treatment of service users and their discrimination.

I have volunteered with a number of mental health and human rights charities. I was on the management committee of ESAN for a time and I spent some time as Secretary of ICRIS. These roles and others like them have helped me develop skills I use in this role. 

At present I'm still an outpatient with one of the teams and also used to be a trustee with Suffolk User Forum.  ​

Ginnie Benedettini

Term of office started 1 February 2016

I have always felt passionately about society working to improve mental health services and enhance the emotional wellbeing of both individuals and their community.

I have extensive experience of working with people with mental health conditions and thus a lot of insight into the way peoples' lives are affected. This, together with my own experience of services, prompted me to stand for election as I feel that service users should have a voice, while the way in which services affect them needs to be recognised and improved.

I am a peer tutor with NSFT's Recovery College and am qualified in a variety of holistic therapies, including aromatherapeutic massage, hypnotherapy, reiki and meditation.

Richard Gorrod

Term of office started 1 February 2016

I have been a Doctor for 28 years and a GP in North Norfolk for over 20 years. For the last 10 years I was the Mental Health Lead at Fakenham Medical Practice.

Last year, I became severely ill with mental illness and I spent some months in hospital. This had a profound effect on myself and my family.

The experience has given me some insight and understanding into what matters when you are ill. I have since become a Trustee of MIND and been involved with teaching Medical Students at the UEA about mental illness.

Mary Rose Roe
Third term of office started 1 February 2016

I have both personal and professional experience of mental ill health, as a family member has accessed services since 2001 and I spent my career in mental health social work and counselling.

The Trust is going through difficult and challenging times, but is committed to developing cultural change while recognising carers as experts by experience. I am committed to continuing to voice carer concerns while helping drive through this culture change.

I attend the Trust's Carers' Council to help promote the valuable contribution which carers make and am a member of the Planning and Performance Subgroup, the Quality and Finish Subgroup and attend the Service User and Carer development group.

Marcus Hayward

Term of office started 1 February 2016

I qualified as a registered mental health nurse in 1982, but have interwoven my mental health career with other paths and interests including global travel, documentary making and studying comparative philosophies and cultures. Since returning to practice with NSFT in 2002, I've held a variety of clinical and management roles. I will use all of this experience in my role as a governor.

I want to make a positive difference for those receiving our services and the staff delivering them. During our current period of introspection and improvement, I believe we should be appreciating great staff, identifying examples of best practice and advocating for transformation from the ground up. In my view, no one knows better how to improve services than those delivering them on the front line.

My aim is to hold the Trust's senior leadership to account to ensure we really do all work positively and respectfully together to improve mental healthcare.

Dr "Ajith" Nanayakkara De Silva
Term of office started 1 February 2015

I've spent 12 years in mental health as a clinician, including 10 years in the Trust. I also have seven years' experience in health program management and hold a master's degree in Health Program Management.

I am confident I can bring my experience and expertise to the Board to better serve our service users. 

I will strive to ensure that staff views, wishes and concerns are taken into account during the process of service delivery.

I am passionate about taking these views, wishes and concerns to management, to make our services more effective, efficient as well as service user and staff friendly.​

Sian Coker​, University of East Anglia

Heather Passmore, University Campus Suffolk

Cllr Tony Goldson, Suffolk County Council

Elise Page, Youth Council Suffolk

Katie Davis, Youth Council Norfolk