I am the father of Ray, who has been supported by Style Acre since 2013.
My background is that I spent 34 years working in the pharmaceutical industry, with 20 years in Japan, Thailand, and other parts of Asia-Pacific. I held a range of senior management roles across a wide range of disciplines. This also allowed me to see first-hand how people with learning disabilities and autism are supported and cared for in other countries. I was impressed that the UK is looked up to for its approaches, especially for autism, even if we feel that this is not properly resourced to be of the maximum benefit to our loved ones. Since leaving fulltime employment in 2008, I have consulted in the field of global health (especially on malaria and neglected tropical diseases) where I have been able to bring my private sector management experience to helping international and public sector organisations (such as the World Health Organisation, the Gates Foundation, and the Global Fund) be more effective.
I was asked to join the Board of Trustees in 2015 as a representative of people with family supported by Style Acre. I was honoured to be asked to take on the role of Chair of Trustees in 2021 when Tony Vernon stood down. I hope that my past experience will allow me to contribute to the continued success of Style Acre.