Our board of directors and senior management team have many years of combined mental health and social care experience. They lead by example and are often found at our services themselves, helping our multi-disciplinary and support teams with the day-to-day running of the service or supporting activities. Here are some of the friendly faces you’ll see when you visit Northern Healthcare.
Nicola has over thirty years of senior leadership experience and has an in-depth understanding of the intricacies of the Health and Social Care sector. She has a strong record in leading sustainable growth and transforming operational performance across adult and children’s services.
A leader with a passion for delivering the highest possible quality services, she has dedicated her career to improving outcomes for the people we support. During her career, Nicola has developed considerable skills and expertise in leading successful teams across a range of areas, including the delivery of residential care homes, supported living environments, mental health, learning disability and autism services.
Committed to managing successful, effective teams and fostering a culture of empathy, integrity, and continuous improvement across all levels of organisations, ensuring the highest standards of care and support is a key focus of her leadership.
Dawn is a highly qualified Health and Social Care professional with extensive experience across a range of complex mental health settings. Her background spans forensic mental health, dual diagnosis, substance misuse, mental health rehabilitation, crisis resolution and home treatment, primary care mental health, and patient flow management.
In her current role as Chief Operating Officer (COO), Dawn brings strategic insight and resilience to the development and delivery of complex projects. She excels in leading service transformation, driving quality improvement, and innovation. Her collaborative approach enables teams to build strong networks that engage the workforce and enhance performance and outcomes for the people they support.
Dawn is also a qualified CBT Therapist, Nurse Prescriber, and a specialist advisor to the Care Quality Commission (CQC), having contributed to numerous inspections nationwide. Her clinical expertise and regulatory knowledge make her a respected leader in shaping and improving mental health services.
Daniel has over twenty years of finance experience within the NHS and healthcare settings. He is a multifaceted finance professional specialising in financial accounting, planning and cash management. Daniel has also undertaken roles within finance systems, management accounts, governance and project accounting.
Daniel has a BA Hons in Accountancy and is highly skilled in a wide range of finance and accounting packages. As a highly experienced manager, Daniel has played a key part in the development and restructuring of a number of financial accounting departments, including numerous process and system implementations.
Sarah brings over thirteen years of experience in Senior HR leadership within the Health and Social Care industry. Her proven track record of strategic HR management, coupled with her extensive expertise in employee engagement, development, and wellbeing, makes her an outstanding addition to our Executive Leadership Team.
With the entirety of her career spent in the care sector, Sarah is passionate about employee wellbeing and supporting teams to be the best they can be within their roles, through quality training, engagement and support, to enable them to thrive within their roles to provide the best quality of care to those that live with us. In her spare time, Sarah loves fitness and especially running; she is a proud mum of two wonderful children who keep her hands full.
Lisa brings over 25 years of commercial leadership experience within the health and social care sector. She has a strong track record of driving sustainable growth, developing strategic partnerships and strengthening organisational performance in complex and regulated environments.
As Commercial Director, Lisa leads Northern Healthcare’s commercial strategy, overseeing business development, commissioner engagement and service expansion. She works closely with operational and executive colleagues to ensure growth is delivered responsibly, aligned to quality standards and underpinned by strong governance.
Lisa is recognised for her strategic insight, relationship-led approach and ability to create sustainable opportunities that support both organisational performance and positive outcomes for the people Northern Healthcare serves. Outside of work, Lisa enjoys sailing, travels in Scooby the motorhome and long “walkies” with her dog-son, Derek.
Asmah holds an MSc (Hons) in Psychology and a Level 5 qualification in Health and Social Care. She began her career in health and social care as a part-time Support Worker while studying at university.
With over 16 years’ experience across residential homes, supported living, and domiciliary care, Asmah brings extensive knowledge of supporting individuals with learning disabilities, autism, acquired brain injury, and mental health needs. She has also developed valuable experience through voluntary work. Asmah joined Northern Healthcare in October 2022 as a Regional Operations Manager, where her focus is on delivering consistently high-quality support across services and providing strong, coaching-led leadership that enables teams to thrive.
Jo is Head of Quality and Compliance and a Registered Mental Health Nurse, with a career rooted in frontline mental health care. She began her journey as a Health Care Assistant and has worked across Acute, Psychiatric Intensive Care (PICU), and Rehabilitation services within both adult and children’s sectors.
Jo spent 17 years in hospital healthcare settings before moving into community-based services and joining Northern Healthcare in early 2022. Her experience includes managing complex secure units, commissioning new services, and working as a Regulatory Inspector of hospitals, as well as a specialist CAMHS inpatient advisor. Alongside her professional role, she is also a school governor at a local primary school, providing specialist support for children with complex learning difficulties. Jo is deeply passionate about mental health awareness, reducing stigma, and ensuring the most vulnerable people in society are supported to live safe, enriched, and fulfilling lives.
Sharon is Senior HR Business Partner at Northern Healthcare, bringing extensive experience in people management and workforce development within health and social care. She plays a key role in supporting leaders and teams to build positive, inclusive, and high-performing workplaces that enable high-quality care delivery.
Sharon works closely with operational and senior leadership teams, providing strategic HR guidance across employee relations, organisational change, learning and development, and staff wellbeing. She is passionate about creating supportive cultures where people feel valued, empowered, and equipped to deliver the best possible outcomes for the individuals we support.
Sophie is a Registered Mental Health Nurse with a background in Psychology and Counselling, having completed a BSc (Hons) before training as a mental health nurse. From early in her studies, Sophie knew she wanted to build a career within the mental health field.
She brings 10 years of experience working in hospital healthcare settings, with expertise across acute, rehabilitation, forensic, and drug and alcohol services, before transitioning into community-based care. Sophie joined Northern Healthcare in October 2022 as an Assessment Practitioner, completing assessments for individuals moving into services, and was appointed Mental Health Lead in April 2023. She is proud to be part of the Northern Healthcare team and is passionate about supporting services and teams to deliver consistently high-quality, person-centred mental health care.
Jessica is the Marketing Manager at Northern Healthcare, where she leads the organisation’s marketing and communications function, providing strategic direction to support growth, reputation and engagement across the business. Responsible for shaping and delivering a cohesive marketing strategy that aligns with organisational objectives, Jessica oversees brand development, digital transformation and multi-channel campaigns, ensuring all communications reflect Northern Healthcare’s values and long-term vision.
With over 12 years’ experience in marketing and communications, Jessica brings a wealth of expertise across brand development, digital strategy and integrated campaign delivery. Her career has been shaped by a strong focus on purpose-driven organisations, enabling her to deliver impactful, audience-focused communications that drive both engagement and organisational growth.
Jessica has a strong personal passion for mental health and wellbeing, which underpins her work. During the pandemic, she worked as a Mental Health Support Worker, gaining valuable frontline experience supporting individuals with complex needs. This experience has given her a deeper understanding of the challenges faced within the sector and continues to inform her approach to communications, ensuring they are empathetic, authentic and truly reflective of the people Northern Healthcare supports.
