As Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s Health and Care Enterprise Board I had some idea of what to expect when joining the Board of Directors. However, every time I go to a meeting, I am always surprised about the sheer number of great things we have happening across Greater Lincolnshire, across a variety of sectors.

Being able to have this insight into other sectors and the opportunities they are creating is invaluable. 

Lincolnshire is a very distinctive county, and its rurality does come with challenges, particularly in health and care; but that also means we have a great opportunity to draw together our assets and work with partners to overcome these challenges and make sure that Greater Lincolnshire is a great place to live. 

Originally from New Zealand, I have chosen to live in Lincolnshire, and I care a lot about the area and the people that live here. I believe that people in the county should have access to the same opportunities and resources as the people who live in the big cities like London or Manchester. During my time on the board of the LEP, I am excited to increase these opportunities and help to improve people’s lives. 

Throughout my career I have worked across private, public and third sectors. My mixture of experience combined with my passion and enthusiasm for Greater Lincolnshire is something that I bring with me to the board. 

I am currently Chief Executive of LIVES, a Lincolnshire-based charity that works on improving healthcare inequality and making healthcare more accessible, particularly in rural areas.  

LIVES has been established for 53 years and was created specifically to respond to the needs of Lincolnshire, which it still does today as a regional charity that has chosen not to expand. Innovation is a big part of what LIVES does, as we are always looking for ways to best meet the needs of the community.  

We are currently working on the development of a specialist immersive training centre at the Lincolnshire Showground, which is a long-term investment in the county that will also create new job opportunities and allow us to share LIVES skills with a wider community.  

Just under 69,000 people are employed in the health and care sector in Greater Lincolnshire and I am excited to have the chance to work with health and care partners, educational partners such as the universities and of course the NHS to improve the sector. 

I believe that LEP values align closely with those of LIVES, particularly the focus on innovation, creating opportunities and facilitating support with partnerships.  

During my time on the board, I am keen to foster connections between health and care and other LEP priorities such as the UK Food Valley, defence and skills. It will be great to see how we can all work together across Greater Lincolnshire to create an even stronger economy and make it an even better place to live.  

In the future I want to see a thriving Greater Lincolnshire with more opportunities and a strong health and care sector that can support people to live healthy and productive lives.  

I am particularly keen on using innovation and creativity to solve some of the problems Greater Lincolnshire faces. Clinical entrepreneurs especially are so important to the health and care sector, and being able to support them to grow their businesses is vital. Solving these challenges through innovation will also allow us to help other rural counties overcome these problems. 

I look forward to working alongside the LEP to ensure that Greater Lincolnshire meets the needs of the people and to ensure that innovative businesses are attracted to the area.