Our Trustees

Appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2023, Mark is MHNC’s elected Chair and also Chief Executive of Spectrum Northants, a charity supporting adults with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs across West Northamptonshire and also a founding member of MHNC.

He brings extensive leadership experience from previous CEO roles at Vale Plus and Community Action Dacorum, where he oversaw significant organisational growth and impact. Mark has a strong background in charity development, community engagement, project development, and public sector service delivery. He also brings experience in European collaboration, transnational projects, and has contributed as a speaker and trainer.

As Chair, he supports MHNC’s strategic direction and governance and brings valuable insight from over two decades of voluntary sector leadership.

Appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2022, Sarah is the CEO of Northamptonshire Mind – one of our member organisations supporting communities across the county.

She brings over a decade of senior leadership experience across the voluntary sector, including as CEO of NorPip and Regional Manager at Spurgeons. A passionate advocate for early intervention, collaboration and system-wide learning, Sarah also leads the Mental Health Thematic, bringing together partners to share insight, strengthen partnerships and champion the role of the sector in improving mental health outcomes locally.

She champions MHNC’s collaborative mission and brings a deep understanding of the challenges facing communities and the organisations that support them.

Appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2021, Steve is a highly experienced senior manager and director with extensive expertise in finance and operations across community housing, care services, distribution, and retail sectors.

He brings strong commercial skills in leadership, cost control, negotiation, and stakeholder management, developed through senior roles in both large organisations and SMEs. Steve approaches challenges with determination and a focus on delivering results.

As the charity’s Treasurer, Steve provides strategic financial oversight and guidance to support MHNC’s mission and governance.

Appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2022, Rachael brings a wealth of experience from leadership roles in the NHS, public sector and health charities.

Rachael has held leadership roles in the NHS, public sector and health charities; delivering programmes to drive improvements in physical and mental health at local, regional and national level. Key skills include research, service development, quality assessment and improvement and patient and public involvement.

Her insight and strategic perspective help shape our direction and ensure we remain focused on improving outcomes for the communities we serve.

Appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2025, Chelsea is a counsellor with a huge passion for supporting people’s mental health and wellbeing. She specialises in working with children and young people and has experience in both the charity and education sector.

She is a strong believer in collaboration across professionals and services to ensure the best outcomes for service users. Her frontline experience and commitment to mental health support bring valuable perspective to the board, particularly around the needs of younger service users and cross-sector working.

Appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2022, Emma is a senior NHS leader with a background in mental health, dementia care and service transformation. As a trustee, she brings a strategic focus on system integration, early intervention and community-led support.

Emma is passionate about reducing health inequalities and ensuring people can access timely, compassionate care. Her experience across the health and voluntary sectors helps shape joined-up approaches that put people at the centre of services.

Sue has worked for over 30 years in Mental Health and Learning Disabilty Services. She started her career in Social Work before working for Northamptonshire as a Commissioning Manager. She has a wide range of experience working at a strategic level across Health and Social Care. 

Sue has been involved with MHNC since its inception, working initially in developing the collaboration as a Commissioning Manager, then later as a Trustee for 5 years and for the last year as a Service Development Manager. 

Sue is passionate about ensuring that all people in Northamptonshire can access opportunities that promote good mental health and is keen to look at how collaboration across the sector can develop new opportunities that meet local needs. 

sue.pepper@mhnc.uk

Katie has over 20 years’ professional experience of fundraising and development, her work has spanned community development, CYP, anti-violence against women and girls, health and mental health, and anti-poverty causes.  

Katie established Mint Fundraising in May 2019 with the aim of supporting small charities to become more effective in their fundraising, through longer, larger income to improve their sustainability, raising over £10.7million for clients to date.

Katie joined MHNC in 2022 as Fundraising Lead, supporting our sustainability and leading collaborative funding bids that respond to local needs. She also works with partners on system-wide development and delivery, including initiatives such as Community Wellbeing Champions, Volunteers for Health Northamptonshire, and our Research Engagement Network.

katie.jones@mhnc.uk

Cara joined MHNC in June 2025 as Business Administrator, bringing over a decade of high-level executive support experience across charity, small business, and corporate environments both in the UK and internationally.

Through her business, CO Virtual Services, she supports clients across sectors with executive administration, events, social media, operations, and strategic support.

At MHNC, Cara plays a key role in keeping the collaboration running smoothly. She manages social media and website content, plans and coordinates events, supports Trustee Board meetings, oversees data collection for NHfT, manages finance processes, and strengthens organisational systems. Known for her proactive, adaptable approach, she helps ensure MHNC remains connected, responsive, and operationally effective.

cara.oreilly@mhnc.uk

Kate is our newest team member, joining MHNC in October as the Research Engagement Coordinator for the REN project.​

With a strong personal and professional interest in Serious Mental Illness, Kate brings a thoughtful, values-driven approach to her work. She has extensive experience spanning healthcare, engagement activities, research, retail and volunteering, and joined MHNC after previously working with the Motor Neurone Disease Association.​

Kate is enjoying the challenge of being part of MHNC’s mission and is passionate about making a difference for people affected by mental illness, autism and neurodiversity, helping ensure voices are heard and experiences shape future work.

kathryn.price@mhnc.uk