“I very much look forward to working with Sam, Janis, Neil and Jane to ensure there is no life half lived in Scotland”
A health charity has welcomed four new trustees.
Sam McConnachie, Janis Hughes, Neil Mackay and Jane Matthews joined the board of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) earlier this month.
The trustees join following the relaunch of its No Life Half Lived strategy which will see the charity reach an additional 175000 people by 2028 via its community healthcare and support services model.
Sam McConnachie is trained in graphic design and is a qualified speech and language therapist, having worked with an NHS health board, where she had experience of service expansion and care sector engagement.
She has lived experience of the impact of life changing health conditions, and of family and friends with CHSS’ conditions. Sam is an existing CHSS Community Support Services volunteer, supporting people who have had a stroke with their communication, and is currently involved with CHSS’ projects concerning aphasia, the language disorder which affects about a third of people after having a stroke.
Janis Hughes is a former Labour MSP and was the vice-convenor of the Health Committee and has also worked in a range of roles in the NHS, including as a nurse, in research and senior management.
She currently works in university administration and has experience of the third sector. Janis has experience of supporting multiple family members with heart and stroke conditions and is an existing volunteer with CHSS.
Neil Mackay has a background in finance and banking, with roles including strategic planning and risk management.
He is a past member of the Chartered Institute of Banking and the Association of Corporate Treasurers. He also has experience within the third sector, most recently as a non-executive director for both Redress Scotland and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, sitting on the Audit & Risk Committees of both organisations. Neil also has experience of supporting family members with complex health needs.
Jane Matthews works in people, project and customer relationship management for a global organisation working across analytics, technology solutions and clinical research services in the life sciences industry. In her current role, Jane is the chair of executive governance for a biotech account and is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic account plan.
She is also a STEM ambassador, delivering a range of activities to young people, including career talks, and also has experience of supporting a family member with a heart condition.
CHSS chief executive Jane-Claire Judson said: “I am delighted to welcome our four new trustees to the board.
“It is an extremely exciting time for our organisation following the relaunch of our strategy which has set out ambitious targets for how we support the one in five people living with our conditions across Scotland.
“I very much look forward to working with Sam, Janis, Neil, and Jane to ensure there is no life half lived in Scotland.”
