Professor Sharon Arkell MBE is the Director of Strategic Health Partnerships at the University of Wolverhampton and the Independent Chair of the steering group for the review of the NMC Code and revalidation. Sharon is widely recognised for her ability to build high impact collaborations across the health, education, and policy sectors.

Sharon began her career as a registered nurse in the NHS before moving into higher education in 1998. Since then, she has held a range of senior leadership positions, most recently serving as Dean of the Faculty of Education, Health & Wellbeing at the University of Wolverhampton. A skilled and forward thinking strategic leader, Sharon cultivates partnerships that strengthen organisational capability, improve system-wide outcomes, and drive innovation in health education.

She has led transformative initiatives that have widened participation and enhanced access to graduate employment across the West Midlands, delivering impact within a highly challenged higher education landscape. Throughout her career, Sharon has been widely respected for her calm, assured leadership, particularly in steering organisations through complex challenges and high-profile priorities. She has a well established track record of uniting diverse stakeholders around shared goals, ensuring that academic expertise, clinical practice, and organisational strategy come together to achieve meaningful, sustainable results.

Her work is grounded in a commitment to excellence, integrity, and the development of others. Sharon is valued for her ability to inspire teams, lead with clarity during periods of uncertainty, and champion initiatives that advance both institutional ambitions and the broader healthcare ecosystem. Her leadership continues to shape strategic direction, strengthen partnerships, and support the next generation of education leaders.

Gwendolen鈥痠s鈥疨rofessor in Health Service Education at the University of鈥疊radford where until鈥�2018,鈥痵he was鈥疨ro-Vice鈥疌hancellor鈥痳esponsible鈥痜or the strategic development,鈥痠mplementation鈥痑nd evaluation of the University鈥檚 framework for鈥痑cademic鈥痵tandards,鈥痑cademic鈥痲uality鈥痑nd enhancement.鈥疓wendolen has taken鈥痑 keen interest鈥痳egionally,鈥痭ationally鈥痑nd internationally鈥痠n quality assurance鈥痬ethods鈥痑nd activities.鈥疭he has undertaken the role of鈥痓oth鈥疭ubject Reviewer鈥痑nd Institutional Auditor鈥痜or the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) undertaking 16 institutional reviews across a diverse range of institutions including both home and overseas collaborative provision using a range of methodologies.

As鈥痑 nurse and midwife with a long clinical and teaching career, she worked鈥痯reviously as Dean of the鈥疷niversity鈥檚鈥疐aculty of鈥疕ealth Studies. Her leadership of鈥痶eaching, research鈥痑nd scholarship鈥痠n the faculty鈥痜ocused鈥痚specially鈥痮n the involvement of service鈥痷sers in all aspects of student鈥痩earning鈥痑nd assessment,鈥痑 salient鈥痜eature of her鈥痚arlier鈥疍octoral thesis that examined the role of women in the formative assessment of student midwives.鈥疭he was appointed as a Supervisor of Midwives in 1995 and continued in this statutory role鈥痬aintaining鈥痑 modest case load until its demise in 2017.

Moreover, as a鈥痳epresentative of the Nursing and Midwifery Regulatory Body, Gwendolen has acted as a Specialist Registry/ Visitor member on鈥痑 number of鈥痯rofessional accreditation events. This has been in addition to acting as external specialist for鈥痑 number of鈥痬idwifery programme validation and periodic review events.鈥疶hese institutions have鈥痠ncluded the鈥疷niversities鈥痮f Birmingham, Kings College London, York, Northumbria,鈥疌oventry鈥痑nd De Montfort.

Her external examining experience of midwifery programmes in England and Ireland has included undergraduate and post graduate programmes at鈥痶he University of Manchester; the University of Sheffield; the University of Cardiff, the Universities鈥痮f Teesside, Trinity College Dublin,鈥痶he National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway and鈥疌entral Lancashire.鈥疉dditionally,鈥痵he鈥痟as undertaken the role of鈥疐aculty Chief External Examiner at the University of Gloucestershire.鈥�疎xaminations for Midwifery Doctoral and鈥疢Res鈥痑wards have been undertaken at the Universities of Sheffield; Cardiff; Central Lancashire; Salford; Huddersfield; Staffordshire and Trinity College Dublin.鈥疓wendolen鈥痟as acted as鈥疨eer Reviewer for journals that include The Journal of Advanced Nursing, Clinical Effectiveness in Nursing and The Royal College of Midwives Journal.

Gwendolen鈥檚 standing鈥痑cross the midwifery鈥痯rofession is further evidenced through鈥痶he鈥痓readth of published work and conference presentations ranging from her exploration of risk management within the curriculum to a co-authored a book for NHS students on health service policy and most recently, through an invited contribution to the latest edition of the renowned鈥疢ayes Midwifery鈥痠n鈥�2023.

She鈥痟as been a keen and frequent contributor to鈥痯olicy formation鈥痶hroughout the United Kingdom over almost two decades.鈥疊eginning in鈥�2001 she acted as an independent contributor to鈥疎ducation in Focus:鈥疓uidelines for Pre-registration Midwifery Programmes鈥痜or鈥痶he鈥疎nglish National Board for Nursing Midwifery and Health Visiting. She had an active committee role in the conception and production of鈥疍elivering High Quality Midwifery Care: the priorities,鈥痮pportunities鈥痑nd challenges for midwives鈥痜or the Department of Health in 2009. Additionally, she鈥痯articipated鈥痠n and led the Education and Career Progression Workstream in the creation of鈥疢idwifery 2020: Delivering Expectations鈥痜or the鈥痜our home nations also or the Department of Health in 2010.

During her career she has鈥痑lso been鈥痑 member of the Council of Deans of Health, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council鈥檚 (NMC) Lead Midwife Educator Strategic Reference Group.鈥疭he鈥痯articipated鈥痠n the NMC Subject Matter Expert Group responsible for drafting the requirements of the UK wide Education Framework for Nursing and Midwifery鈥痑nd鈥痵ubsequently鈥痗haired the Review of the Pre-registration Midwifery鈥疨rogramme鈥疭tandards Reference Group whilst also鈥痯articipating鈥痑s a member of the Thought Leadership Group concerned with the Future Midwife Standards.鈥疘n addition, she chaired the NMC review of the Standards for Post-registration programmes.

She has wide ranging committee experience, was a member of the University鈥檚 Senate, Executive Board and Senior Management Committee. In her capacity as Pro-Vice Chancellor for Learning, Teaching and Quality she chaired the University鈥檚 Learning and Teaching Committee.

Access and widening participation have been among Gwendolen鈥檚 key interests and she led鈥痶he development, implementation and evaluation of her鈥疷niversity鈥檚 Access鈥痑nd Participation Plan鈥痶hus鈥痜urthering Bradford鈥檚 mission鈥痶o recruit鈥痑nd support鈥痑 high proportion of its undergraduate students from under-represented鈥痝roups,鈥痵omething for which it鈥痟as a long-established renown鈥痺ithin the sector.

Gwendolen maintains her professional registration and continues to contribute nationally. She recently served on the Expert Advisory Group for the Northern Ireland maternity services review (2024) and is currently a member of the NMC Midwifery Strategic Advisory Group, the NMC Advanced Practice Steering Group and the UK Network of Professors of Midwifery and Maternal and Newborn Health.

Professor Melaine Coward trained as a Registered General Nurse at King鈥檚 College Hospital, London in the 1980鈥檚.听 Upon qualifying she settled into a post in haematology, looking after patients with haemoglobinopathies and malignant blood disorders.听 Due to the changes within the profession at that time, she realised the need for further professional education and went to the Royal Marsden Hospital where she completed a bachelor鈥檚 degree in Cancer Nursing.听

Melaine听specialised听in听pre-menopausal听and male breast cancers, an area of听great听interest to her due to the specific yet often unmet needs of these patient groups.听听An opportunity arose for Melaine to听relocate听to Brighton where she became the Senior Nurse听Manager听for the Sussex Oncology Centre.听听This post enabled her to underpin clinical practice with evidence but also to develop nurse led听clinics听within the speciality.听听Her interest in education began when she听realised听that there was a deficit听in specialist professional cancer education听locally.听听She became a Lecturer听Practitioner in Oncology,听establishing听post registration qualifications for the听South Coast Cancer workforce.听听Melaine听appreciated听her passion for education and sought a听full-time听post, which she gained at the University of Surrey.听听Melaine听became the Pathway Lead for Cancer Education at the University of Surrey; later she moved into senior leadership roles, enjoying developing a team of educators and researchers.听听The School of Health听Sciences听gained听many national accolades and rose to top 5 for Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedic Science education under her leadership.听For the past 8 years Melaine has been the Head of School for Health Sciences at Surrey, also leading on strategic development projects expanding the portfolio of provision within education and research in health and medical sciences.听听Melaine often is invited to Chair national conferences, support the development of health care policy at a national level and works closely with the Professional Regulatory and Statutory Bodies.听听More recently, Melaine has further developed her long history of mentoring to become an Executive Coach which she provides for a variety of leaders in different employment sectors.听

Melaine is a Professor of Reflective Practice, publishing and advising听nationally and internationally听in this area.听听She continues to teach听and advise on the application of reflective theories within healthcare professions.听听She is also Visiting Professor at the University of Highlands and Islands which has enabled her to see the contrast of nurse education across the nations of the UK.听

Recently Melaine moved jobs to work with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Specialist Advisor for Education and Quality Assurance.听听This new challenging role is enabling her to utilise her skills set nationally supporting education providers in the delivery of听high quality听professional听education.听

On a personal note, Melaine is an avid collector of all things penguin and holds听in depth听knowledge on all 17 species! 听

Dr Anne Felton is the Head of the Institute of Health and Allied Professions at Nottingham Trent University.听 She founded NTU鈥檚 new department, driving the development of an ambitious and expanding portfolio of health education, research, and innovation within the University.听Anne champions student-centred pedagogy and has led projects on听the participation of people with health conditions in professional education,听simulation, and student mental health. Much of her work has adopted a co-production approach with effective and inclusive partnerships.听 Anne undertakes qualitative research and has expertise in critical perspectives in mental health practice and risk, work which has been widely disseminated.

Hayley Flavell听is a registered nurse with over 30 years鈥� experience across clinical,听operational听and executive leadership roles in the NHS. She is currently Chief Nurse at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (WAHT) and has also worked recently as a Strategic Advisor at the 黑料视频, supporting organisational strategy, quality听assurance听and leadership development.听

Previously, Hayley was Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery and AHPs at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust for four years,听here she听led significant improvements in quality, safety, and governance. This resulted in significant improvements in the overall CQC ratings in several core services and the removal of existing enforcement notices.鈥�听

As Executive Lead for Maternity, she oversaw the Trust鈥檚 response to the Independent Maternity Review chaired by Donna Ockenden, the maternity transformation programme that followed the publication of the reports听delivered substantial听safety,听workforce听and governance improvements. This work contributed to improved Care Quality Commission ratings, including a rating of 鈥楪ood鈥� 鈥痠n听all five domains for maternity services, delivery of the Maternity Incentive Scheme three years consecutively and strengthened trust and confidence with women, families, and local communities.鈥�听

Hayley is a values-driven, compassionate, and transformational leader, committed to improving patient safety, experience and outcomes through inclusive听leadership, strong听clinical governance and fostering psychological safety.鈥�

Carolyn鈥檚 nursing career stretches over 39鈥痽ears, during which she has dedicated herself to improving patient care and advancing the education and development of nurses and midwives across the country.鈥� Carolyn鈥檚 personal career highlights include, being the first in the UK to lead and gain credential with the American Nurses Credentialing Centre, Pathway to Excellence, an internationally recognised program for nursing and midwifery standards. She is also incredibly proud of becoming a clinical nurse specialist in 1996, a role which helped to inspire her career journey.听

Before joining the Chief Nursing Officer’s National Team (England) Carolyn was Chief Nurse at University Hospitals of Leicester and Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Patient Services at Northampton General Hospital and interim Director of Nursing and Quality at Aintree University Hospital Liverpool. As well as Assistant Director of Nursing at Salford Royal Foundation Trust in Greater Manchester and Program Lead Quality Improvement Scotland.听

She has been actively engaged in many national committees and authored听a number of听guidelines relating to clinical practice in the reduction of pressure ulcers.鈥� Carolyn is currently Chair of NAME UK (Nursing and Midwifery Excellence UK) and is the DAISY Foundation Representative to Europe and the United Kingdom.听

Carolyn believes the recognition and appreciation of nurses and midwives has a huge role to play in improving standards of patient care as well as鈥痠ncreasing morale amongst the nursing and midwifery community.鈥� Creating and leading a culture where nurses and midwives feel valued and inspired to deliver excellent standards of care for patients.听

听

Details will be available soon

Richard Hughes serves as the Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery, and Patient Care at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. In this role, he provides professional leadership and strategic direction for over 4,500 nursing and midwifery staff, ensuring the highest standards of care and regulatory compliance throughout the organisation.听

With more than twenty-five years of clinical and senior leadership experience in the NHS, Richard has held various roles, including Deputy Executive Director of Nursing, Director of Nursing for Medicine and Urgent Care, and Head of Nursing for Acute and Emergency Care. He has successfully led major service improvement programs, developed patient-centred clinical pathways, and managed large-scale operational budgets. Richard is passionate about delivering high-quality healthcare, driving systemic change, and enhancing outcomes and experiences for both patients and staff.听

As a Florence Nightingale Senior Leaders Scholar and an accredited executive leadership coach, Richard is committed to cultivating a culture of continuous improvement, compassionate leadership, and听equitable听access for all. He currently serves as the chair of the Welsh Nursing and Midwifery Committee. He co-chairs the Strategic Nursing Workforce Programme Board for Wales, hosted by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW). Additionally, he actively听participates听in national advisory groups and strategic initiatives that influence the future of nursing and midwifery throughout Wales.听

Driven by his values and a commitment to excellence, Richard sets out to ensure that nursing and midwifery services are designed to meet the needs of the population, advocating for innovation, patient safety, and meaningful outcomes for the communities served by the Health Board.听

Diane Hull is a registered mental health nurse with over 40 years of experience in both clinical,听operational听and executive leadership roles in the NHS. 鈥�疭he has worked in a variety of healthcare settings including primary care,听inpatient听and forensic services, bringing a wealth of knowledge which includes over 8 years鈥�听experience at听Board level.鈥� She has been the Chief Nursing Officer at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundations Trust since July 2023 and was appointed to this role from the Chief Nurse for Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundations Trust.鈥�� Prior to this, Diane was the Chief Nurse for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Deputy Chief Nurse for East London NHS Foundation Trust.鈥�

Working in the Deputy Chief Nurse role in East London NHS Foundation Trust and as Chief Nurse in Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Diane led advancements in quality, safety and governance which resulted in significant improvements resulting in Excellent and Good CQC ratings.

Diane has an absolute commitment to patients and families, tackling inequalities particularly those who are care experienced.鈥� This has led to her speaking at multiple national conferences, specifically sharing her personal reflections of growing up in care. She has demonstrable track record of developing services in partnership with staff, and alongside patients and families, embracing co-production of systems, care and treatment.

Evonne Hunt has been Chief Nursing Officer at Medway NHS Foundation Trust since October 2021. She was appointed to this role from Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust, where she served as Deputy Chief Nurse. Prior to that, she was a Chief Nurse in the private sector. With over 28 years of nursing experience, she has held director and senior leadership roles in nursing, quality governance, patient safety, infection control, and risk management across acute care, mental health, and commissioning organisations within the NHS and private sector. She has also worked nationally in the Department of Health as part of the Healthcare-Associated Infection Control Improvement Team, which achieved a 50 per cent reduction in MRSA and a 30 per cent reduction in C. difficile nationwide. Evonne also serves as the Trust鈥檚 Director of Infection Prevention and Control.

Roger Kline OBE FRSA is Research Fellow at Middlesex University Business School.

Roger has authored several reports on race equality in the NHS including 鈥淭he Snowy White Peaks of the NHS鈥� (2014) and Fair to Refer (GMC 2019) with Dr Doyin Atewologun on disproportionality in GMC referrals.

He designed the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) and was joint national director of the WRES team 2015-17.

He is co-author of Being Fair (2019) on disciplinary action in the context of patient safety and human factors, if Investigating the Investigators (2025) on how NHS investigation are conducted – and should be. He is co-author of a forthcoming report on what good Chief People Officers are doing to improve the use of disciplinary processes.

He is co-author with Prof Duncan Lewis of The Price of Fear (2018) 鈥� the authoritative estimate of the financial cost of bullying in the NHS. He is currently researching good practice in disciplinary and investigation processes within NHS organisations.

Roger is author of No More Tick Boxes (September 2021) a review of the research evidence on fair recruitment and career progression.

Roger was co-author of Difference Matters (National Guardian Office 2021) on raising concerns and BME staff and co-author of the report Too Hot to Handle (2024) on lessons for the NHS from recent Tribunal cases on race discrimination. He has recently completed a review of speaking up in the NHS to be published in March 2026.

Roger works with leaderships in a range of NHS organisations around workforce culture.

Roger was voted as one of the top 30 Most Influential UK HR thinkers by HR Magazine in 2021, 2022 and again in 2024.

Since leaving the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) as a Full Colonel in June 2017, Andrea Lewis RRC has had a privileged career within the NHS. Following undertaking operational roles in planned and unplanned care, she became the Deputy Chief Nurse and subsequently the Chief Nurse at Ashford and St Peters NHS Foundation Trust and since August 2023 has been the Regional Chief Nurse for South East England, NHS England.

Andrea joined the QARANC in January 1994 as a newly qualified Nurse and Private Soldier. She then commissioned in Oct 1996 and during her Army career has undertaken various Clinical and Command and Staff roles. She has deployed with Field Hospitals to Bosnia, Iraq and latterly was Commanding Officer of the UK Military Hospital in Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. It was from her tour in Afghanistan that she was awarded the Royal Red Cross for inspirational leadership. Andrea is now the Deputy Colonel Commandant for the Royal Army Medical Service and was previously the Colonel Commandant for the Queen Alexandra鈥檚 Army Nursing Corps.

Andrea lives in Camberley and is married to Russell Lewis MC (Grenadier Guards). Russell is an Ex-Regular Officer and now a Reservist. Andrea has a 16 year old daughter Sophie who attends Farnborough Hill School for Girls. Andrea has a BSc in Infection Control and MSc in Healthcare Management and Policy and completed the NHS Leadership Academy Director鈥檚 Programme on leaving the Army.n

Alison Machin is Chair of the Council of Deans of Health. She is also a Professor of Nursing and Interprofessional Education and Head of the School of Healthcare and Nursing Sciences at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne. She is a Visiting Professor at Ulster University and a Principal Fellow of the HEA. Previous posts include Dean of the School of Health and Social Care at Edinburgh Napier University and Deputy Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor at Northumbria University.鈥疭he is a registered nurse and health visitor.

Alison has also been the strategic lead for a high profile, international nurse education collaborative venture in Malta in partnership with Malta College of Arts Science and Technology. She has worked in higher education since 1999, is an active researcher, an experienced PhD supervisor and examiner. Her research interests include: interprofessional education; nursing and healthcare collaborative workforce development; professional identity; health visiting; and public health; using qualitative methodologies including grounded theory.

Wellington Makala is the Executive Chief Nursing Officer / Executive Director of Nursing and Director for Inflection Prevention Control at North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT) he took up his role from April 2021. At the time of the appointment, he became the only male BME Chief Nurse working in an NHS Trust and the first African male Chief Nurse ever in NHS.

In 2018, Wellington was proud to be invited to No.10 by Prime Minister Theresa May, to talk about the work he had led in NELFT on inclusion in the workforce and his support for the BME agenda. In 2020, Wellington made the HSJ near miss for the top 50 most influential BME leaders.

Details will be added soon.

Dame Yvonne Moores qualified as a nurse and midwife in Southampton prior to ward sister appointments in Winchester and London.

Whilst in Winchester, she attended a King鈥檚 Fund nurse leadership programme which impacted on her expectations and subsequent career.

She held nurse leadership positions in London and Manchester before her appointment as Chief Nursing Officer for Wales. After six years in the Principality, she moved to Scotland to take up the corresponding position north of the border. In both positions, her focus and that of her team was on increasing the influence of nurses and the development of clinical practice through nurse strategies agreed with both Governments. Her move back to England coincided with the Chief Nursing Officer post and that of the Director of Nursing for the NHS falling vacant and she was appointed to both posts, the former being based in London and the latter in Leeds. She also held the added brief for Quality in the NHS.

As Chief Nursing Officer, she kept in touch with clinical developments through her Practice Advisory Group which comprised nurses drawn from a variety of clinical settings. She also continued her practice of working as a staff nurse for a week each year in a hospital or community setting. Much was achieved for nursing and midwifery during her seven year tenure at the Department of Health but she also secured ministerial commitment to the first ever Quality Framework for the NHS. The resultant First Class Service white paper led directly to the introduction of Clinical Governance, NICE and the Commission for Health Improvement subsequently renamed as the Care Quality Commission. With strong ministerial backing she was able to extend the role of nurses including Nurse Prescribing and the creation of NHS Direct. Upon her retirement, Yvonne was appointed as Pro-Chancellor and Chair of the Council of the University of Southampton.

During her six year term of office, she held the position of Deputy Chair of the Committee of University Chairs and was also a member of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education which was tasked with ensuring the future leadership capacity in Higher Education. She subsequently served as a Pro-Chancellor at Bournemouth University for eight years.

Honorary degrees were conferred on her by Southampton, Bournemouth, Bradford, Huddersfield, Central England, Portsmouth, Northumbria and De Montfort Universities along with honorary fellowships from the University of Wales College of Medicine, the Queen鈥檚 Nursing Institute and the Faculty of Public Health.

She is a Companion of the Institute of Management. Appointed in 2004 as the first female Non-Executive Director of the National House Building Council, Yvonne eventually served for eleven years as Chair of the Trustees of the Company鈥檚 Pension Fund.

Dame Yvonne has a longstanding commitment to Global Health. Whilst chair of WHO鈥檚 Global Advisory Group on Nursing in Geneva, she helped ensure that strong nursing resolutions were passed by the World Health Assembly. From 2004 to 2014, she was a Non-Executive Director and eventually Vice Chair of Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and was in a position to assist in the creation of the Poole Africa Link which fosters health care and education initiatives in South Sudan and Uganda. Since its inception in 2001, Dame Yvonne has travelled to Thailand each year in her capacity as an international advisor to the Princess Srinagarindra Foundation which selects the 鈥淲orld Nurse of the Year鈥�.

She is currently the Chair of the Interim Steering Committee of the Wessex Global Health Network which aims to assist academics and NHS professionals in the region to impact maximally on the health of the world鈥檚 population. In 2017 she was the sixth recipient in 25 years of Sigma Theta Tau鈥檚 International lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her 鈥渆xtraordinary contribution to the health and wellbeing of world citizens鈥�.

Visiting Professor | National Maternity Lead for Equality | Founder | Health Equity Strategist

Wendy Olayiwola values personal development, philanthropy, and mentoring just as passionately as she promotes and advocates for equality and equity, which are integral to her core values and beliefs.

Wendy Olayiwola is an influential midwifery leader, health equity strategist, and tireless advocate for inclusive healthcare. Wendy is a registered nurse and practising midwife with over two and half decades of clinical practice, policy, and leadership experience in community, acute and public health settings. The recognition of her ability and impact in the UK and internationally is evident through her charitable work and contributions, as well as her publications and international speaking engagements.

She currently serves as the National Maternity Lead for Equality at NHS England, where she drives the national agenda to reduce disparities and improve outcomes in maternity and neonatal services across England.

A bold and visionary leader, Wendy is the founder of SoAC (Society of African Caribbean Midwives), a pioneering platform that empowers midwives of Black heritage and promotes culturally safe, inclusive, and anti-racist maternity and neonatal care.

Wendy has co-authored articles in professional midwifery journals, including Talking to Men about FGM. Reducing the incidence of Stillbirths in Black women and sustaining quality education and practice learning in a pandemic and beyond: 鈥業 have never learnt as much in my life, as quickly, ever鈥�. Significant blogs include Caring for the Carers – RCN midwifery forum, promoting cultural safety and cultural intelligence 鈥� dismantling racism in maternity care -UNICEF.

Wendy is a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council Advanced Practice Steering Group. NMC Research EDI Advisory Group . She is the National Lead Midwife for Chief Nursing Officer, and Chief Midwifery Officer, Black Minority Ethnic Strategic Advisory Group, NHS England and a member of the Race Health Observatory (RHO) maternity sub-group. Wendy co-chaired the Government Maternity Disparities Taskforce with the Minister for Patient Safety and Primary Care, Maria Caulfield.

Wendy was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for service to the NHS and Equality during the COVID-19 response in the 2021 New Year鈥檚 Honours List. In May 2025 and March 2022, she was awarded fellowships by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM). In 2025, Wendy was appointed Visiting Professorial fellow at Aston University, Birmingham, in

recognition of her outstanding contributions to healthcare leadership, equity, in maternity and neonatal. Wendy was named in the 2025 HSJ The 50 Most influential Black, Asian and minority ethnic UK and was also awarded the Top 50 Professional & Career Women UK Award 2025, honouring her for ‘Leadership in Nursing, Midwifery & Healthcare Inclusion.’

She was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) in 2020. She was listed in the 2020 Year of the Nurse and Midwife Global WHO/UN/WGH 100 Outstanding Nurse and Midwifery Leader. She is the winner of the NHS@70 Women Leaders Award 2018.

A sought-after speaker, mentor and author, Wendy brings both professional rigour and lived experience to her work using her voice and influence to drive structural change and ensure that maternity and neonatal services serve all families with compassion, dignity, and fairness

Professor Martin Powell is Emeritus Professor of Health and Social Policy at the Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham. He has published听a number of听articles on Public Inquiries and on whistleblowing.听His most recent publication is 鈥楾he New Politics of the National Health Service鈥�,听8th听edition (with Rudolf Klein).听听

Professor Arlene Wellman MBE, has 27 years of NHS experience, joining FNF as Strategic Adviser in September 2025.

An FNF Scholar alumna, Arlene was most recently the Group Chief Nursing Officer at St George鈥檚, Epsom & St Helier (GESH). She served as GESH鈥檚 most senior nursing leader since 2018, initially as Chief Nurse at Epsom and St Helier, and later as Group Chief Nurse.

Arlene played a pivotal role in safeguarding staff and patients as Director of Infection Prevention and Control there, while also leading the nursing, midwifery, and allied health professional workforce. Her leadership was especially impactful during the COVID-19 pandemic, guiding the NHS through unprecedented challenges. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to nursing, Arlene was awarded an MBE in 2021.

A passionate advocate for innovation and inclusion, Arlene spearheaded the development of the award-winning Ask Aunty app, designed to warmly welcome international nurses and midwives arriving in the UK.