EPP CIC Board and leadership

The EPP CIC board comprises of the following members:

Chair - Stephen Jacobs

In addition to his role as chair of the EPP CIC board, Stephen is also the project board chair of Caring with Confidence, and chairs the board at Whipps Cross University Trust Hospital in North East London. He was also previously Chair of a Primary Care Trust responsible for the commissioning of primary, secondary and tertiary care for a large London local authority.

Non executive directors

Renata Drinkwater

Renata is a Non Executive Director of the Expert Patients Programme CIC. She is a member of the company’s Audit Committee and chairs its Remuneration Committee.

Renata has over 25 years’ experience of providing strategic business advice at board level to commercial, public sector, and charitable organisations in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Most of her career has been in management consultancy with global professional services firms. She spent some 11 years at KPMG, followed by seven years at Ernst & Young as the partner responsible for establishing and managing its European Leisure and Tourism industry management consulting team. She is currently a Director with the Business Transformation & Innovation team at Capita Symonds, part of the FTSE 100 listed Capita Group plc, the UK’s leading provider of integrated professional support service solutions.

Renata has had a long standing interest in health sector issues, with a strong focus on the improvement of outcomes for people with long-term conditions. She is an elected Trustee of Diabetes UK, the largest patient member charity in the UK. Until recently she was a Non Executive Director of an acute hospital Trust, where she chaired the  Improving Patient Experience Group. She has recently been appointed as a Non Executive Director of NHS West Essex Primary Care Trust.

In her spare time Renata enjoys running, music, entertaining and travel.

Colin Webber

Colin joined the EPP CIC board in July 2008 after retiring from full time work when diagnosed with cancer. He brings with him over 30 years experience from the customer service sector. Before his retirement, Colin held several senior management and director roles within the food industry supplying food to Marks and Spencer.

Outside of his work interests he has been actively involved in many organisations including the CBI on the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Council and as an Advisory Board member of Common Purpose, Sheffield.

Colin is married with two daughters and five grandchildren.

Directors

Simon Knighton – Chief Executive

Before joining EPP CIC, Simon has worked in both the private and the not for profit sectors. Most recently he set up and led finance, leasing and insurance companies to fund disability equipment under the Motability Scheme, having previously been Motability’s Operations Director. He was also Director of Business in the Community in Wales and led the Millennium Debate of the Age for Age Concern England.

In the private sector Simon worked in the oil business before setting up and subsequently selling his own group of companies.

He is a regular media contributor and outside work enjoys time with his family, and when time allows, mountaineering and sailing.

Colin Norman – Finance Director

Raised and educated in Guernsey, Colin left the Channel Islands to attend Lancaster University. After obtaining a degree in Economics & Marketing, Colin has had numerous finance roles in a number of industries including engineering, cattle breeding, technology and the retail motor trade. More recently, Colin has worked in private healthcare with two large chains of hospitals bidding for NHS work to add to their existing workload. Colin is Director of Finance at EPP CIC and is responsible for the Finance and IT functions

Jim Philips – Policy Director

Jim has been integral to the development of self management in the UK over the last 12 years. He has an extensive background in psychotherapy and working with people with long term conditions. He has worked extensively across the NHS with health care professionals and patient groups looking at how to improve levels of self care and quality of life for people with long term conditions.

Jim was a key member of the Expert Patient Programme task group and went on to set up the Expert Patients Programme in England. He has provided expert advice to organisations and national government in both the UK and abroad.

He currently works as Director for Policy for the newly formed Expert Patients Programme Community Interest Company. He continues to provide expert advice on self care to the government and NHS in the UK.