Meet our non-executive directors

Mrunal Sisodia OBE, Trust Chair

Mrunal has over 20 years of experience leading large complex organisations and change programmes. Before becoming Chair at EEAST, he was Director and Co-chair of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF), a national organisation that represents the families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Before joining the NNPCF,  Mrunal was a director at Leonard Cheshire Disability and has extensive experience of the charity sector developing strategy and new services. Prior to this Mrunal was a director of strategic change management at Deutsche Bank.

Alison Wigg, Non-Executive Director

Alison brings over 30 years’ experience in global telecoms both in the UK and the US, helping large multinationals expand their internal networks in 170 countries around the world.

She was a General Manager with British Telecom (BT) where she was a global investment board member and worked on the strategy for BT's global network. She also set up and ran a regional programme of BT women’s network events to encourage and promote gender diversity in the technology area. Alison is Chair of Strategic Digital Investment and Assurance Board for Suffolk and north east Essex.

Catherine Glickman, Non-Executive Director

Catherine’s executive career was as a HR Director for over 30 years in the retail and biotechnical sectors. She was the Group HR Director at Genus PLC until 2018, and prior to that worked for 20 years for Tesco PLC, including as Group HR Director. In both roles, Catherine's focus was on leadership development, talent management, reward development and delivering change programmes. She brings experience of developing diverse and inclusive programmes to organisations.

Since 2018, she has had a portfolio career. She is a Board Director at two public limited companies: Renishaw PLC and The Works.co.uk PLC. Together with being a member of the Board of HFL Education, a social enterprise that provide education and business services to Hertfordshire schools.  

George Lynn, Non-Executive Director

George is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. His executive career was as a CFO & Finance Director for over 30 years in the asset finance, banking and rail sectors. He was FD at Rail Delivery Group until 2018, and prior to that CFO at Angel Trains Limited, initially as part of the British Rail privatisation team. Before which, he had been Group Finance Director for a Banking & Financial Services PLC. In each of these roles, George’s focus was on financial governance, M&A and integration management, and running significant Capital funding programmes (including compliance and public reporting).

Since 2018, George has had a portfolio career as interim CFO and Advisor on projects, including managing a cross-industry review on sustainable pensions and providing specialist evaluation services to Department of Transport. He is a member of the Finance Boards, and Chairs the Audit & Risk Committees, at both Ely Cathedral and Ely Diocese.  

Julie Thallon, Non-Executive Director

Julie trained as a nurse and specialised in District Nursing before a long career in NHS Management.  She has held executive positions for acute, community and mental health trusts as well as for commissioners. Julie established her own consultancy company and has been working as an independent consultant for provider, commissioner and private organisations which have been awarded NHS contracts.

Julie is also a Trustee for the Patients Association and continues to provide management and development support on contract to NHS organisations across the country.

Wendy Thomas, Non-Executive Director

Wendy has been a registered Nurse since 1985 and has spent most of her career in the NHS. She has worked in acute and community settings and also was a commissioner of services. She left the NHS in 2012 and worked for herself for a couple of years. She missed working within a team and so, joined Essex Cares Ltd, a social care provider, and the local authority trading company of Essex County Council as Director for Quality and Governance in 2014. She doesn't work full time now but enjoys undertaking specific projects as they arise. Wendy has been our Senior Independent Director since 2020.

We have three associate non-executive directors who are not voting members of the Board, but who provide additional advice and expertise to the Board leadership:

Chris Brook, Associate Non-Executive Director

Chris has had extensive experience of leading large-scale change and transformation programmes across both the telecoms and logistics sector. He has specialised in cultural change over the last five years with a focus on creating a culture of service to colleagues, customers and the community. This focus enabled growth through building a culture focused on delivering service excellence.

He is currently the HR Director for Kuehne + Nagel in the UK. Prior to this Chris held various senior leadership positions at BT within the Business and Consumer sectors driving cultural and digital change, as well as deploying major new product introductions.

Kiran Mahil, Associate Non-Executive Director

Kiran’s career has spanned the consulting, telecoms and banking industries, primarily focused on driving the right outcomes for customers, colleagues and the business. She has held senior roles at Lloyds Banking Group and Metro Bank with a strong focus on driving a step-change in SME banking. She is now leading transformation within the retail banking space and embedding new ways of working at Nationwide Building Society.

Kiran is passionate about supporting diversity, inclusion and belonging and regularly speaks about these topics, particularly in relation to team building and delivering change.

Victoria Corbishley, Associate Non-Executive Director

Victoria is Director for Health and Local Crisis Response at the British Red Cross, leading the implementation of targeted design and delivery of person-centred services and programmes in areas of high health inequality. Previously, Victoria held a number of strategic development roles within NHS England, including Head of New Care Models and Transformation Director at Eastern Academic Health Science Network. She was the Chief Innovation Officer at Brunel Partners Academic Centre for Health Sciences

Victoria is also a Trustee at Brandon Centre, a charity delivering mental health and sexual health services for young people in North London.