Board of Directors

Chair

Dr Mike Richmond joined the Trust as Chair in January 2024.

Mike is an experienced physician and leader. An anaesthetist by background, he has held many senior roles in healthcare organisations both nationally and internationally, including Medical Director at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and senior roles both in the Middle East and Bermuda. Most recently was a Non-Executive Director with the Bermuda Health Council and was also Chief Executive and President of Bermuda Hospitals Board.

Chief Executive

Dr Richard Jenkins joined the Trust on 10 February 2020 as Interim Chief Executive on a joint basis with Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where he is also Chief Executive. He was subsequently appointed Chief Executive of The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust from 1 September 2022 as a joint role with his existing Chief Executive position at Barnsley. He is one of the few qualified and clinically active Chief Executives in the UK. He has previously been the Medical Director for two NHS provider organisations.

He has practiced medicine for over 28 years since graduating from the University of Sheffield in 1991 with an intercalated degree in virology as well as his medical degree. He was a trainee doctor in South Yorkshire until becoming a consultant in 2002, specialising in diabetes and endocrinology. During his training, he held various roles including as Lecturer at the University of Sheffield and he spent three years doing research for a Doctor of Medicine degree.

Managing Director

Bob Kirton joined the Trust on 6 January 2025. 

Bob was previously Managing Director of Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where he has held a number of other director roles, including Director of Strategy and Chief Delivery Officer. Prior to this, he had a successful career in retail. He has a BA in History from Leicester University and an MSc in Strategy and Leadership in Healthcare from Bradford University. Bob also completed the Aspiring CEO programme in 2022.

Medical Director

Jo joined the Trust as Medical Director in December 2022 having previously been Deputy Medical Director at Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. 

Jo graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1995 and has worked in a number of acute trusts in South Yorkshire. She has worked as an Emergency Medicine Consultant since 2008. She has held additional roles supporting education and training.

Jo is a CQC Specialist Advisor for the CQC Urgent and Emergency Care. She has a good knowledge of local healthcare challenges.

Chief Operating Officer

Sally took up the role of Chief Operating Officer in May 2022 after being the Trust’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Director of Operations since November 2018.

Sally was born and raised in Rotherham and has extensive experience in the NHS, particularly in Rotherham. She started her career with a placement at Rotherham Hospital while at university, and began her employment in Rotherham in 2001. She has held various managerial roles, including Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and General Manager roles for Medicine and Community, Surgery and UECC in Rotherham. Through these roles she has established strong working relationships across the Trust and with local partner organisations. Sally has completed a Bsc (Hons) in Business and Technology and a MSc in Health Service Management and Leadership. She completed the first cohort of the Aspiring Chief Operating Officer Programme run by NHSE in 2019.

Chief Nurse

Helen was appointed as Interim Chief Nurse in October 2021 and subsequently appointed to the substantive Chief Nurse role. She has extensive experience, qualifying as a dual registered adult / paediatric nurse.

She previously worked at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust specialising in Paediatric Critical Care and has a significant educational background, including being a Lecturer/Practitioner at the University of Sheffield and leading national educational groups. Helen joined The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust in November 2015 as Head of Nursing for our Surgical division. In February 2017 she was appointed as Deputy Chief Nurse.

Chief Finance Officer

Chris is an ACCA qualified accountant and has a BA (Hons) in Financial Services from Northumbria University. He joined the Trust in July 2025 as Chief Finance Officer in a joint role also covering Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He joined Barnsley in January 2016 as Deputy Director of Finance, and became Director of Finance in April 2019. He has worked in the NHS in senior finance roles at Calderdale and Huddersfield, and Leeds and York Partnership. Prior to moving into the NHS he has worked in the private sector and in private practice accountancy.

He is from South Yorkshire and passionate about working within the NHS. Chris strongly believes that finance has a key role to play in supporting the delivery of excellent care to patients, driving forward improvements, and ensuring that sustainable services can be provided for our populations.

Director of People

Daniel Hartley joined the Trust in June 2023 as Director of People.

Daniel was previously the Regional Director of Workforce and OD for NHS England across the North East and Yorkshire. He has over 20 years of HR, organisational development and workforce experience, and has held a number of senior leadership roles across large public sector organisations.

Non Executive Director and Vice Chair

Kamran is a finance professional focusing on business transformation, through a coaching approach to people and culture change.  

Kamran qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG, worked overseas with TNT in senior finance roles, was a Finance Director for a start up before joining Royal Mail. In almost 20 years at Royal Mail, Kamran further expanded his business acumen by undertaking various senior leadership roles and professional qualifications including Risk Management , Regulatory Compliance, Procurement, Business and Personal Coaching and as Director of Cost Transformation. 

Committees

• Chair of Audit and Risk Committee
• Member of Finance and Performance Committee
• Member of Nomination and Remuneration Committee

Terms of office

• Initial appointment (as Associate Non-Executive Director): 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022
• Appointed as Non-Executive Director: 11 September 2021 to 10 September 2024
• Reappointed: 11 September 2024 to 10 September 2027
• Appointed as Interim Chair: 1 September 2023 to 31 December 2023

Non-Executive Director and Senior Independent Director

Heather is a Chartered Accountant who trained with KPMG and has spent most of her career working across a wide spectrum of industries at director levels including FTSE and AIM listed companies.

Since 2006 she has helped a number of organisations, via interim and consultancy roles, to identify operational and financial issues and weaknesses and has delivered solutions to resolve those problems and developed and implemented strategies to deliver growth and profitability.  Heather is committed to using her skills and experience to assist the Trust in meeting the challenges it faces in delivering a quality healthcare service and improving its operational performance and financial stability.

Committees

• Member of Finance and Performance Committee
• Member of Audit and Risk Committee
• Chair of Charitable Funds Committee
• Vice Chair of Nomination and Remuneration Committee

Terms of office

• Initial appointment: 17 February 2017 to 16 February 2020
• Reappointed: 17 February 2020 to 28 February 2023
• Reappointed: 1 March 2023 to 31 March 2025
• Reappointed: 1 April 2025 to 30 September 2025

Non-Executive Director

Rumit is currently a full-time practicing General Practitioner in Hatfield, Doncaster. 

A graduate of the University of Sheffield, Rumit initially followed a career path in Trauma and Orthopaedics.  His commitment to the NHS spans over 36 years and during this time he has been engaged in various capacities including the Local Medical Committee (LMC), Primary Care Groups, Primary Care Trusts and he has now been elected to a be a Clinical Director of East Doncaster Primary Care Network.  He is also the Chair of Doncaster LMC.

Rumit has been a GP Appraiser, on the National Clinical Assessment Service assessing General Practices, a GP member on the Area Prescribing Committee, and the Scheduled Drug Monitoring subcommittee of Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group.

Rumit is a keen advocate for excellent quality of care delivered in a timely fashion and in a safe environment with a clear emphasis on good communication.

Committees

• Vice Chair of Audit and Risk Committee
• Chair of People and Culture Committee
• Member of Nomination and Remuneration Committee

Terms of office

• Initial appointment: 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021
• Reappointed: 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2024
• Reappointed: 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

Non-Executive Director

Martin is an experienced chairperson with a background in large-scale manufacturing, business services, public sector, regulatory organisations, academia, and the health sector. Through his chairmanship of the Health and Safety Executive and having served for nine years on the Board of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust he has direct experience of the health sector. He has also acted as an Independent Chair for a number of reviews for several governments covering design and the built environment, government business support, and health and safety.

Committees

• Chair of Finance and Performance Committee
• Member of People and Culture Committee
• Member of Nomination and Remuneration Committee

Term of office

• Initial appointment: 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2025

Non-Executive Director

Hannah is a career HR professional focussed on leading change and has experience in both private and public sector organisations, nationally and internationally.

Currently a Director working part-time in a large government department, Hannah is bringing experience of navigating challenges at scale within a complex political framework, which she combines with prior volunteering as a school Governor in a large high school, and leading people change within commercial organisations.

Hannah lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and daughter.

Committees

• Member of Quality Committee
• Vice Chair of People and Culture Committee
• Member of Nomination and Remuneration Committee

Term of office

• Initial appointment: 17 August 2023 to 16 August 2026

Non-Executive Director

Julia brings valuable experience from senior roles in local government, academia and the NHS. She recently retired from her role as Executive Director of Public Health and Communities at Barnsley Council.

After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Durham, she trained as a student nurse at the Middlesex Hospital in London. In the 1990s, she trained as a midwife in Sheffield and has been a proud South Yorkshire citizen ever since. Her 5-year specialist public health training was based in Yorkshire and Humber with her first placement being in Rotherham so she is very pleased to return in a non-executive role. Before becoming the Director of Public Health for Barnsley in 2015, she worked in Bradford as a consultant in public health. 

Julia was appointed as an Honorary Professor at Sheffield Hallam University in November 2023 and is a longstanding honorary senior lecturer at the University of Sheffield. Her academic interests include public health, law and medical ethics. She is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health.

She has provided public health and leadership expertise to various regional and national committees, including as a member of NICE guidelines committees, chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Workforce Development Steering Group and deputy chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Association of Directors of Public Health. 

She is interested in compassionate and responsible leadership and the importance of a culture where all staff and patients feel valued and listened to. Her commitment to social justice and addressing inequalities is what drives her. She is looking forward to being a committed advocate for the Trust and for Rotherham as a whole.

Committees

• Chair of Quality Committee
• Member of Charitable Funds Committee
• Member of Nomination and Remuneration Committee

Term of office

• Initial appointment: 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2026

Non-Executive Director

Shirley was delighted and honoured to join the Trust as a Non-Executive Director in November 2024. She has had a long and successful career in the health and care sector and higher education and is currently the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford. With a professional background in nursing, she is committed to both advancing the quality of patient care and supporting the Trust to understand how best to enhance staff wellbeing and engagement. Shirley has led the University to be first in England for Social Mobility.

Shirley has served on the Governing Body of Bradford District Care Trust as a Stakeholder Governor and works closely with NHS Trusts in West Yorkshire. She is a member of the Health and Wellbeing Board and is involved in many population health research programmes and initiatives as well as having significant experience of workforce planning and education and training.

Committees

• Member of Quality Committee
• Member of People and Culture Committee
• Member of Charitable Funds Committee
• Member of Nomination and Remuneration Committee

Term of office

• Initial appointment: 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2027

Associate Non-Executive Director

Andrew is a Chartered Accountant, having qualified within an audit background. He has worked in a service environment for several large organisations, including significant experience of providing outsourced government contracts in defence, education and employability.

Having recently completed a five-year period as the Chief Finance Officer at Change Grow Live, a national charity that helps tens of thousands of people each day to make a difference in their lives, Andrew is now moving to a portfolio of roles, which includes the Trustee of an education charity that supports individuals to develop their potential through vocational training, where Andrew is chair of the Finance and Audit Committee.

Previously, Andrew worked as a Finance Director in a skills and employability provider, which offered a wide range of apprenticeships and a variety of employability solutions aimed at providing individuals with the skills needed to gain and improve employment.

Andrew has also consistently driven change aimed at improving delivery at the frontline and is committed to playing a part in improving the lives of others.

Term of office

• Initial appointment: 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2025

Director of Operations / Deputy Chief Operating Officer

Jodie joined the Trust in 2022 as Director of Operations/ Deputy Chief Operating Officer. 

Jodie began her career in the NHS as a healthcare assistant whilst completing her degree to become an Occupational Therapist in York. She has held a number of clinical and senior management roles throughout the country in the NHS, private sector and the charitable sector. Jodie has gone on to continue her studies and has completed a Business Degree with the University of Essex, and in 2015 completed an MBA at the University of Hull. Jodie has also completed the prestigious Nye Bevan programme with the NHS Leadership Academy.

Director of Health Informatics

James Rawlinson joined the Trust in September 2015 as Director of Health Informatics, responsible for Digital Transformation, Information and Technical support. Starting the NHS in 1994,  James has worked across all parts the NHS and has led some of the UKs largest digital changes, and has been nationally recognised for Digital Innovation. Previous roles include The Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.

In addition to his substantive role in Rotherham, James is Provider CIO lead for South Yorkshire Integrated Care System, Chair of Northern and Yorkshire Director of Informatics Forum, and sits on national NHS CIO advisory councils.

Director of Estates and Facilities

Joint Director of Communications

Director of Corporate Affairs