Meet the Leadership Team
Meet some of the faces behind Noah’s Ark; our Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees.
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Leadership Team
Dr Tagore Charles
Chief Operating Officer
Dr Tagore Charles has more than three decades of NHS experience and extensive clinical, leadership and management experience in paediatric healthcare. Tagore qualified from King’s College London in 1995 and has worked in paediatrics throughout his career. He has been a Consultant Paediatrician at St Mary’s Hospital, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, since 2008.
Alongside his clinical career, Tagore has held several leadership roles, including managing Heads of Department at St Mary’s at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. He was also Joint Clinical Lead for Paediatric End of Life Care for the Strategic Clinical Network, NHS England, London, from 2020 to 2023, providing clinical leadership across the capital. Tagore is a Fellow of the Westminster Abbey Institute and has a particular interest in public service and ethical leadership. He is also a Global Treehouse Advisor, supporting the development of children’s palliative care internationally.
As Chief Operating Officer, Tagore combines his clinical expertise with his experience in leadership and organisational management to help Noah’s Ark deliver high-quality, compassionate care and support to babies, children and young people with life-threatening and life-shortening conditions, and their families.
Hayley Manley
Director of Care
Hayley joined Noah’s Ark in 2012 and has eighteen years’ experience in both paediatric palliative care and the charity sector. Hayley is a Registered Children’s Nurse and leads the Care Team, consisting of both Clinical and Holistic Services. She also acts as Chair of the Children’s Hospice across London (CHaL) Director Group and as a Specialist Advisor to the Care Quality Commission.
Philip Roethenbaugh
Fundraising & Communications Director
Philip joined the charity in 2023. He has twenty-five years' experience as a fundraiser and marketer in the charity sector. He has worked at major national charities such as Asthma UK , Action for Children and Beat in addition to several smaller faith-based charities. For three years, Philip ran a consultancy business, supporting the development and governance of charities in the UK and oversees. His role is to ensure the Hospice raises the funding required to meet our needs and to increase the public’s awareness of our work.
Sylvia Opara
Director of People
Sylvia brings over 20 years of senior People and Culture leadership experience across higher education and private sectors. Her expertise includes people strategy, organisational transformation, employment law , and leadership development, underpinned by strong commercial acumen and a commitment to organisational effectiveness.
As Director of People Sylvia leads the Charity’s people strategy, championing a compassionate and inclusive culture where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to thrive. Sylvia is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, holds a Law degree and a Master’s in Employment Studies and Human Resource Management, and has completed executive education in People Analytics at the University of Cambridge.
Dr Juliet Pearce
Associate Medical Director
Dr Juliet Pearce graduated from St Mary’s Medical school in 1993, completed paediatric training in 2006 and has worked as a Consultant Paediatrician at Barnet Hospital since then. Her specialist interests include neurodisability, paediatric epilepsy and children’s mental health. She has extensive experience in working with tertiary care teams and families in the care of patients with a high level of complexity and life-limiting conditions.
Dr Su Laurent
Associate Medical Director
Dr Su Laurent was a Consultant Paediatrician at Barnet Hospital from 1993 to 2021. She has a keen interest in training and support and is the Director of Medical Education for the Hospital. Su has a special interest in managing children with complex medical problems. She has been involved with the charity Child Bereavement UK since its inception, inspired by their focus on learning from parents. She runs courses on bereavement support across the UK.
Susan Hannigan
Executive Assistant
Clare Miles
Finance Director (Interim)
Clare joined the charity in September 2026. She is a chartered accountant, and an MBA, and has over 20 years of experience in Charity finance, working as Director of Finance. She has played an active role ensuring that financial opportunities and constraints are recognised at Senior Leadership Team meetings, and at Board meetings. She has previously worked at several adult hospices, and this is her first time working at a children’s hospice. Clare has also worked as a charity trustee.
As interim Director of Finance, Clare’s principal role is to build and maintain a strong financial reporting framework, to coordinate the budgeting process for the 2026-27 financial year, and to support and manage the finance team.
Board of Trustees
We are governed by a Board of Trustees which is made up of nationally reputed paediatricians and sector-leading professionals.
James Tugendhat
Chairman
James Tugendhat has served on several boards over the years and is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. He also brings an excellent understanding of the challenges and dynamics of the health care industry, having spent over 20 years in leadership roles at Bupa, Health Dialog and HC-One.
Ginika Achokwu
Ginika is a compassionate leader with extensive senior leadership experience across acute, community, and mental health services, as well as strategic commissioning. Beginning her clinical career supporting children with complex long-term care needs, Ginika went on to hold key safeguarding roles, including Named Nurse and Designated Nurse for children and young people. Her deep understanding of safeguarding complexities underpins her commitment to a holistic, 'Think Family' approach. Ginika is adept at leading change through collaboration and navigating complex systems with confidence and clarity.
In addition to her professional roles, Ginika serves as a school governor and is a passionate advocate for inclusivity and reducing health inequalities.
James Liddy
James is a Managing Director and Head of Gaming, Lodging and Leisure Investment Banking EMEA at Jefferies Group, a multinational independent investment bank and financial services company. James is a seasoned investment banker in the gaming, lodging and leisure sector, with significant prior experience in healthcare services and financial services. Previously, he was a senior banker and Head of Gaming, Lodging and Leisure at Deutsche Bank and Moelis & Company. He qualified as a chartered accountant at PwC in Australia. James is a father of two, and believes passionately in the work undertaken by Noah’s Ark.
Professor Lorna Fraser
Lorna is Professor of Palliative Care and Child Health at King’s College London and an NIHR Research Professor. With a background in clinical paediatrics, her research focuses on children and young people.
Lorna leads a research team at the Cicely Saunders Institute focused on the needs of children, their families, and the healthcare professionals who support them. Lorna is internationally recognised for her expertise in using routine health data to inform policy and tackle healthcare inequalities. Her work has influenced national service specifications, children's palliative care funding, and vaccine prioritisation for children with COVID.
Lorna's work is supported by a broad portfolio of funding, including three NIHR fellowships. Her team received the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s Patient and Public Involvement prize in 2022.
Michelle Mendelsson
Michelle is an Executive Coach and was, until recently a Director at Credit Suisse and Head of EMEA Diversity and Inclusion, responsible for the strategic development and implementation of their comprehensive diversity programme. Prior to joining Credit Suisse in 2000, Michelle worked for Marks and Spencer in a variety of commercial positions. Michelle chairs our ‘People’ subcommittee.
Paul Pomroy
Paul is CEO of Warner Hotels, the UK’s leading hotel chain just for adults and part of Bourne Leisure which also owns and operates Haven. He joined the company in March to propel its growth strategy and strengthen the brand and guest experience.
Paul has almost 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry having spent a large proportion of his career at McDonald’s. There he was CEO of McDonald’s UK and also Chief Restaurant Officer & Corporate Senior Vice President, International Operated Markets where he helped to drive the growth and sustained success of the business.
Passionate about people, talent development, and DE&I, Paul sits on our ‘People’ and ‘Marketing & Communications’ subcommittees. As the father of two young boys, the work undertaken by Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice sits very close to his heart.
Richard Amat
Richard is a graduate of the London School of Economics and a Chartered Accountant. He spent 25 years working for a major US investment bank in a variety of senior finance and operational roles. Richard is Noah’s Ark Treasurer and Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.
Simon Beresford
Simon leads the Fundraising and Marketing Department at the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), delivering major national appeals for some of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Simon and his team have raised over £800 million pounds in the last five years, setting a new Guinness World Record and winning numerous awards along the way. In both 2022 and 2023 Simon was named one of Marketing Week’s ‘Top 100 most effective marketers in the UK’. He is also an experienced trustee, having served on several children’s charity boards prior to joining Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice.
Camilla Kingdon
Dr Kingdon is a Consultant Neonatologist at Evelina London Children’s Hospital, where she has worked since 2000, with specialist interests in neonatal nutrition, donor milk banking and the neurodevelopmental follow-up of high-risk newborns. She graduated from the University of Cape Town in 1989, trained in paediatrics in London, and holds an MA in Managing Medical Careers from the University of Brighton. She served as President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) from 2021 to 2024, having previously served on its Board of Trustees.
Dr Kingdon has also served as Head of the London School of Paediatrics and Child Health and is a Non-Executive Director at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. Her wider leadership includes chairing the UK Healthy Air Coalition and contributing to national NHS work focused on children’s health and healthcare improvement.
We are a charity with people at its heart that takes pride in making the unimaginable possible.
