Trustee Elections 2026 – Vote now

Having had my first baby this year NCT's mission (supporting parents to feel confident, connected, safe) means more to me now than ever. With a partner away on military deployment for much of my pregnancy and early months of postpartum, the knowledge, network and support I built through NCT was vital. I want to bring my experience and professional skills to the Board to help make NCT’s mission a reality for more parents.

My career has been in charity strategy, impact and delivery. I work for a financial inclusion organisation to ensure our funding, research and product development helps people, especially those from underserved communities, manage their money and build financial resilience.

As Chair of Trustees for a London-based charity focused on community engagement, I know what it means to provide inclusive spaces and services that meet people’s needs.

In previous roles, I've led large volunteering programmes (1600 volunteers supporting 5000+ young people) recognised with a National Mentoring Award and a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award.

I’ve also worked for a global STEM charity to develop consistent ways of working across diverse international communities and dispersed regions around the world, something pertinent for NCT's diverse membership. 

I bring governance experience as Chair of Trustees of a small London charity, focusing on participant led community engagement, where I lead the Board in setting strategy and making sure we meet our legal and financial responsibilities. I have navigated the charity and board through tough moments, including steadying our finances, directing a strategic pivot and safeguarding matters alongside more business-as-usual activity including reporting to the Charity Commission, financial audits and ensuring we meet our charitable aims.

On a more topical note, and especially as a new mother, I have been very aware of the heightened attention on the birth experience in England, especially through the Baroness Amos review, and how this impacts pregnant women and new parents. The care and advocacy NCT can provide through its front-line operations can be a critical way to reach all communities whilst campaigning for better policy and practice. Parents, especially from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, need their voices elevated and I would welcome the opportunity to use my experience and skillset to be an NCT trustee to drive forward even greater impact through the ‘For Every Parent’ strategy.

As an experienced Social Care Team Manager holding a Master’s in Social Work, I bring deep expertise in statutory compliance, safeguarding, and high-impact service delivery. My professional foundation is further strengthened by a CMI Level 5 in Management and Leadership, giving me robust practical skills in budget oversight, strategic operational planning, and the reflective supervision of multidisciplinary teams. 

Beyond my direct professional practice, my capabilities are enriched by my dual personal and civic roles:

• Trustee: In my board-level governance role, I provide strategic oversight, handle risk management, and drive long-term organisational planning, ensuring strict regulatory adherence and ethical resource allocation. 
• New Parent: This significant life transition has profoundly sharpened my time-management and adaptive problem-solving skills, while deepening my empathy and resilience—qualities essential for managing complex human services. By blending advanced social work theory, accredited leadership training, governance experience, and real-world perspective, I excel at leading teams, championing person-centered practice, and delivering exceptional outcomes.

As a Social Care Team Manager and new parent, I am deeply driven to support the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) during a pivotal moment in its journey. Experiencing early parenthood firsthand has given me a raw, authentic understanding of the vital lifeline NCT provides. It has also fuelled my passion to ensure every new family—regardless of background—accesses high-quality, inclusive support. Becoming an NCT Trustee represents a powerful opportunity for mutual growth. I am eager to develop my strategic governance skills and broaden my executive management capabilities within a major national charity, aligning my professional growth with a cause close to my heart. 

To the Board, I will add: 

• Fresh Parent Perspective: I bring immediate, real-time insight into the current challenges, anxieties, and needs of modern new parents. 
• Clinical & Leadership Expertise: My Master’s in Social Work and CMI Level 5 in Management and Leadership equip me with deep expertise in safeguarding, risk management, and service delivery. 
• Operational Oversight: I offer proven experience managing complex budgets, leading diverse teams, and ensuring strict regulatory compliance. 

My approach to championing NCT’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) commitments is shaped by my frontline practice as a Social Care Team Manager and my personal journey as a new parent. In my statutory social work career, EDI is not a policy framework—it is a daily practice. Holding a Master’s in Social Work, I have spent years working alongside marginalised families, navigating structural inequalities, cultural barriers, and systemic gaps in care. This experience has instilled in me a deep commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and a habit of actively identifying who is missing from the table. Becoming a parent reinforced how vastly experiences of early parenthood differ based on socioeconomic background, race, identity, and support networks. I understand firsthand the vulnerability of this life stage, which drives my passion to ensure NCT’s services are accessible, culturally competent, and welcoming to all families. 

On the Board, my lived and professional experience will impact my approach by: 

• Challenging gaps in service reach to ensure diverse communities are co-designing support. 
• Advocating for inclusive governance that reflects the modern, diverse fabric of new parents. 
• Embedding psychological safety and equitable practices across all NCT networks. 

I have been a Consultant Obstetrician since 2014, with extensive experience in maternity care and a strong commitment to improving the quality and safety of pregnancy and childbirth services. I bring a broad and deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges within maternity services.

My knowledge of medical education, alongside experience in clinical leadership and service improvement allows me to work across organisational boundaries. I currently contribute as clinical faculty delivering the National ABC programme with Health Innovation Manchester. Other significant contributions have been Clinical Lead for Fetal Monitoring within the Greater Manchester Strategic Clinical Network/Local Maternity and Neonatal System (2018-2026) and I was a Leadership and Education Fellow at the London Deanery (2011–2012), during my training in London.

Alongside medicine, I am a practising ceramicist. Creativity is central to how I approach both my professional and personal life. Medicine is both an art and a science, that requires curiosity, observation, adaptability, empathy and the ability to approach complex problems from different perspectives. Continuing to practise as an artist strengthens these qualities and brings a creative dimension to my professional practice.

I would bring clinical, leadership, educational and creative skills, alongside a strong commitment to equitable, high-quality maternity care. 

I want to become an NCT Trustee because I strongly believe that every person should have access to high-quality, compassionate and equitable support throughout pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. NCT has an important role in ensuring that people are informed, supported and empowered during this significant period of their lives.

My career has given me a deep understanding of maternity care from a clinical perspective, as well as experience of education, leadership and service improvement. I would bring this knowledge to the Board, alongside an understanding of the realities faced by both healthcare professionals and the families they care for.

I would particularly value the opportunity to contribute to NCT’s strategic direction and to champion evidence-based, inclusive and accessible support. I believe organisations such as the NHS and NCT should continually evolve in response to the needs of the communities they serve. I would bring constructive challenge, professional curiosity and a collaborative approach, while keeping the experiences and needs of pregnant people, parents and families at the heart of decision-making.

I believe that equity is not simply about treating everyone the same; it is about recognising and addressing the barriers that different people may face. In my professional life, I strive to ensure that maternity care is accessible, respectful and responsive to people from all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic circumstances or other aspects of diversity. As a Trustee, I would seek to listen carefully to voices and experiences that may not always be heard, respectfully challenge assumptions, and consider the potential impact of decisions on different communities. I would bring both personal insight and professional experience, while recognising that lived experience is diverse and that I cannot speak for everyone. I would support NCT in continually developing and improving its practices, and in seeking meaningful and measurable progress in equity, diversity and inclusion.

I currently volunteer as Co-Branch Coordinator with Malvern Hills NCT. I have volunteered with the branch since 2023 and work closely with the Breastfeeding Counsellors, Antenatal Practitioner and large volunteer team. I have been involved with fundraising and grant funding to keep our NCT Baby Café running. I enjoy creating a sense of community for our volunteers and organise both business and social meetings. I focus on internal and external branch communications; including setting up a branch messaging community connecting volunteers locally, creating a universal branch leaflet, managing branch social media, and writing press releases (our Breastfeeding Counsellors recently made the front page!). I have volunteered at Nearly New Sales, Walk and Talks and our Feed and Change tent.

Outside of NCT, I work as an NHS community dentist. I have a special interest in children's dentistry, completing my master's in paediatric dentistry in 2023. I am passionate about supporting children and their families to have good dental health and pride myself on a supportive, non-judgemental approach.

I was a Trustee for South Worcestershire Citizens Advice Bureau from 2019 – 2022, being part of the board that led through the pandemic years and continued to ensure funding for the charity. 

I would love to be an NCT Trustee and be a voice on the board with NCT volunteer experience. I want to ensure that the charity can continue supporting people into early parenthood through the amazing services provided by local branches and NCT volunteers. NCT has been an incredible support to me. I can see the power of friendships made on antenatal courses, invaluable feeding and emotional support from NCT Breastfeeding Counsellors, and the mental health boost of joining a Walk and Talk out in nature. I can see how volunteering with NCT gives people a sense of purpose and community and improves well-being.

My personal experience of being an NCT volunteer has given me a good insight into the charity, the incredible impact it is having and also some of the challenges that are faced. I also have a good understanding of the charity trustee role from my previous trustee position. I have an organised and meticulous approach to governance and will help ensure the charity meets standards. I hope my volunteering, professional and trustee experience, as well as my knowledge of the NCT charity, will make me a strong addition to the board. 

Working in the NHS as a community dentist, I work with patients from a wide variety of backgrounds, including adults and children with physical disabilities, neurodiversity, learning disabilities and challenging social circumstances. I provide reasonable adjustments daily at work to meet each individual’s needs. I have seen how health inequalities persist in this country and I am pleased that NCT is addressing this in maternity care and I would be keen to champion this work. As Branch Coordinator, I’ve been able to support new volunteers in taking on our fantastic NCT Baby Bundles initiative. In the last few months, we have been able to support a parent under 18 and work with a local charity supporting refugees and the local food bank. I take a non-judgmental approach and listen carefully to people to fully understand their circumstances without making assumptions. I continue to learn how I can improve my understanding and communication. For example, when volunteering for NCT, I use the Inclusive Language Guide when developing written communications, and at work I have completed my Tier 2 Oliver McGowan training. I am committed to NCT’s For Every Parent philosophy and strategy. 

As a Principal Clinical Psychologist working within the NHS, I have almost 3 decades of knowledge around psychology, mental health, how to influence behaviours and how systems function.

In my current roles as Clinical Leads for a Primary Care Mental Health Service and a Suicide Reduction Training Service I demonstrate strategic knowledge of NHS processes, communicate effectively with a wide range of colleagues, from nurses on the wards to executives in the board rooms and use my skills to improve mental health services. I am committed to ensuring our services are evidence-based and provide inclusive, collaborative and compassionate care to every single person. I am confident using effective processes to challenge systems which are ineffective or exclude certain groups.

As a Clinical Psychologist I have worked across adult mental health, perinatal mental health, eating disorders and child and family services. I have a wide breadth of knowledge and understanding of the mental health and support needs of parents and how to develop effective systems to scaffold and support parents and families. I understand the associated safeguarding priorities and how to support volunteers, staff and services to help keep everyone safe and encourage them to thrive.

I am passionate about supporting parents and families to access the resources they need to thrive, about championing maternal mental health and building caring communities that are accessible to all. I want to contribute to the NCT's vision to continue to develop support for all families, including those facing challenges. As a person of colour, I want to support inclusive and equitable provision and contribute to a charity which continues to questions itself and make changes which encompass the needs of the population.

I bring 25 years of experience within the NHS, both in terms of clinical knowledge of working as a Clinical Psychologist across a range of services including perinatal, mental health and children and families, and leadership experience, working strategically to navigate the NHS, support services through periods of development and transition and ensure changes are evidence-based. I bring experience of developing inclusive services that are developed collaboratively with those with lived experience and confidence in advocating for those whose voices might not otherwise be heard.

As a mum of two who experienced baby loss and carried anxiety through my pregnancies, I had to be persuaded to go to my first mum and baby group. Being with other mums, sharing our highs and lows and realising that my feelings were normal was a life saver! It helped me to enjoy those first months of parenthood more and supported me to be a better mum to my precious girls. Several years later, those mums are still my closest friends and we continue to support each other through parenthood, and life. It was both the amazing parents I met and the wonderful facilitators who supported us that inspired me to volunteer at my local NCT group. I feel privileged to support other mums to come together in a safe space where they are valued and welcomed no matter what. I want all parents to feel that there is easy access to support through the challenging times, knowledge and guidance where needed and help for their family to thrive.

As a mum who has direct experience of attending NCT's antenatal course and a solicitor with over 12 year's experience advising global companies on complex financings, regulatory compliance and data privacy, I bring both expertise and first-hand appreciation of NCT's impact on expectant and new parents.

I began my career at a Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP before moving in-house at Google, and I now lead a team of lawyers at Airwallex, a global fintech. This background has given me the skills I believe matter most to a board: strong experience in governance, risk and regulatory oversight, alongside the ability to translate complex issues into practical advice that supports good decision-making. My work advising on AI-embedded products allows me to understand the challenges and opportunities for NCT in this new digital age, while my experience working in a fast-growing regulated financial services business is relevant to NCT's goals of financial resilience and sustainable income.

I am an existing trustee of Fredericks Foundation, a UK charity which helps social enterprises scale through financial support, mentorship and board-level guidance.

NCT matters to me because I have felt its impact directly. When I was expecting my son, NCT's antenatal course gave me knowledge, confidence and, just as importantly, a community of other new parents at a moment when everything felt unfamiliar. That stayed with me, and I want to help ensure such support reaches many more families, whoever and wherever they are. I would bring a mix of professional expertise and lived experience to the Board. As a solicitor specialising in financings, regulatory compliance and data privacy, I can contribute directly to NCT's priorities: strong governance and legal oversight, financial resilience, and the digital transformation of its services.

As a trustee of Fredericks Foundation, I already understand the responsibilities of trusteeship. Prior to being appointed as a trustee, I volunteered regularly by donating my time to advise on legal issues on a pro bono basis.

Being an NCT trustee would let me give back to a charity that supported me and help every parent feel confident, connected and safe.

I am of Chinese descent and I navigated pregnancy and early parenthood through this lens. I am fully aligned with NCT's ambition to be an anti-racist charity and to reach deeper into underserved communities. Having spent my career in international, multicultural teams, I have seen that inclusion has to be built deliberately, not assumed. From my time at Google, I saw how varied each individual's experience could be despite being part of the same group. I would strive to bring that mindset to the board.

Hello all! My name is Dhara and I’m standing as an NCT trustee as a GP who wants to try to make things better for new and expectant parents. I love my job and particularly enjoy meeting new parents and their babies at the postnatal checks! I’m also a mother, and a friend to current NCT members.

Over the last decade, I’ve seen friends, family and patients experience so much in parenthood, from the joy of finding out they are pregnant after nearly losing all hope, to physical and mental challenges within pregnancy and the postnatal period, and sadly, the profound grief of stillbirth and miscarriage. I've worked in the early pregnancy unit, the labour ward and the postnatal ward during my career.

It’s increasingly hard to ignore the reality that the scaffold of care and support that families receive from healthcare services during pregnancy reduces considerably post-birth. The reason I was drawn to the trustee role at NCT is because the charity is actively trying to make this period better, with postnatal videos accessible in ‘catch-up’ format to fit in with the lifestyle of a new family, to in-person activities in which new parents can connect and build support structures in the postnatal period.

I would love to use the discussions I have had with parents over the years, as well as my own knowledge of what currently works well (and what could be better) in antenatal and postnatal healthcare, to help NCT flourish in the work it is doing.

I have a particular interest in the differing challenges experienced by one-parent and two-parent families in the postnatal period. I hope to provide real value supporting NCT in their aims of maximising accessibility to all types of families.

I am a physiotherapist by trade. I have always loved movement and have been practicing for 12 years now. I qualified in South Africa, but have also spent time working and researching in the UK and Japan. My primary areas of practice are musculoskeletal and pelvic health, and I have also heavily specialised in pregnancy and postpartum rehab and corrective exercise over the past several years.  

Because of this passion, the past 6 years since having my own children, have seen me build an extensive library of pregnancy and postpartum workouts and resources, all designed to help these populations stay fit, manage pain and recover well after childbirth. To date it has helped thousands of women from all over the world.

I work for the NHS in a first contact practitioner role, but I also run my own pelvic physiotherapy and Pilates business. It has been a challenging, but rewarding endeavour, and through all of this I have gained a lot of experience in building a brand, creating content, and managing a business while still providing resources that affect women's lives in a meaningful way. 

I honestly am just very passionate about pregnant and postpartum women. I feel that a lot of the time these women don't get the resources they need during this time period. Concerns and pain are often dismissed as normal. There is a distinct lack of specific guidance given to these women when it comes to exercise prescription, and a lot of women are left not knowing what to do. Much of what I have done up until now has been to change that.

I feel that NCT's goals align with my own, and I would love to be a part of an organization that makes such a huge difference. A group that provides much-needed resources both during pregnancy and after delivery.

I think that, coming from a very clinical role and interacting with pregnant and postpartum women on a regular basis, I am tapped into what their current struggles are and where they need the most help. NCT provides a lot surrounding pregnancy, childbirth and early newborn care/support; and I would love to support the development of more resources for new parents and postpartum women themselves. 

I have given birth twice - once in Japan and once in the UK. One was less-than-ideal and frankly traumatizing. The other was an amazing homebirth. Having gone through pregnancy, two very different kinds of childbirth, postpartum and raising young kids, I am very familiar with the challenges many new parents face - but also know that experiences can be very different, and I empathise with that.  I have not come across many other women of colour in the pelvic health, pregnancy and postpartum space. There is a definite lack of representation. I also know the differences in level of care that some women of colour receive when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, including from personal experience. Because of this, I am very keyed in to recognising when any discrimination may be taking place, and value representation from as many groups as possible - especially if those groups may have been historically marginalised.