Alzheimer’s Society appoints three new members to join the Board of Trustees

Today, Alzheimer’s Society are delighted to announce that after a competitive recruitment process, three new appointments have been made to the Society’s Board of Trustees. 

Susan Allen is currently Executive Director and CEO, Retail and Business Banking at Santander UK, and her career has spanned multiple senior executive and Board level roles within the banking sector. She has a huge amount of experience of helping organisations achieve transformational change, with a long held interest in diversity. She is actively involved in Women in Banking & Finance, is the executive sponsor of Santander LGBT Network, and is the founding sponsor of RBS Focused Women Network.

Sube Bannerjee is currently Executive Dean and Professor of Dementia and the University of Plymouth, and the Honorary Consultant in Psychiatry at Plymouth University Hospitals NHS Trust. He is committed to dementia and ageing research, and is interested in research training in epidemiology, and understanding how health and social care policy can be informed by the findings of research and insights from clinical practice. He has an active interest in the role that ethnicity and health play in the lives of elderly people in the UK and in the developing world, and an enduring commitment to the applied research into quality of life and quality of care for people with dementia.

Judi Rhys is currently CEO of Tenovus Cancer Care, and was previously Chief Executive at Arthritis Care and British Liver Trust. She has also held Director roles at MS Society and Diabetes UK, and her current ministerial appointments include Public Health Wales and Sport Wales. She was awarded an OBE in the 2021 New Year Honours List for services to the voluntary sector in health and social care. She is passionate about connecting people and generating collaborative solutions, particularly across marginalised communities and sectors.

Stephen Hill, Chair of Alzheimer’s Society’s Board of Trustees said: “We are delighted to welcome Susan, Sube and Judi to our Board and look forward to them bringing their varied knowledge and much-valued expertise to further our work to help improve the lives of all those affected by dementia.” 

Susan Allen said: “Having seen first-hand the impact dementia can have on those living with the disease, and all those who love and care for them, I am keen to play a role in helping support the amazing work Alzheimer’s Society do right across the UK.”

Sube Banerjee said: “I have admired and supported Alzheimer’s Society for the past thirty years as it has played a unique and critical role in changing society and services for the better for people with dementia and their families. Bringing my professional and family experience of dementia, I am delighted and honoured to have been appointed to its Board of Trustees. There is so much that still needs to be done to improve quality of life and quality of care for people with dementia and their family supporters. Now more than ever, with at least a quarter of all UK COVID-19 deaths having been of people with dementia, government and society needs to act, and it is privilege to be able to help Alzheimer’s Society in its mission.”

Judi Rhys said: “I feel privileged to be joining the Board of Trustees at Alzheimer’s Society. Like many people, I have first-hand experience of the impact of dementia on individuals and their loved ones, and the vital support that Alzheimer’s Society provides. I’m looking forward to making a positive contribution to the future work of the charity, which has never been so needed.”

The Board holds accountability for the Society's strategic direction, the stewardship of resources and the activities undertaken in the pursuit of our charitable objectives. Board members are all volunteers, who contribute a huge amount of time and wide-ranging expertise to the Society to make sure we are meeting the needs of people affected by dementia across the UK.
Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Connect support line 0333 150 3456 is available 7 days a week, providing information and practical measures for people affected by dementia. To find out more visit alzheimers.org.uk