Chair

David Meek has been appointed Chair of St George’s Hospital Charity. He brings a wealth of experience in leadership, governance, and guiding organisations through change across the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

He has held several charity leadership roles, including Deputy Chair and Interim CEO of Twycross Zoo, Deputy Chair of the British Liver Trust, Chair of the Ethical Tea Partnership, and is currently a Trustee of the Science Museum Foundation.

David is passionate about supporting the Charity’s mission, advancing health equity, and making a positive impact in the community.

Married with two grown-up daughters, Paul was educated at Emanuel School and has lived in south west London for most of his life. Following a finance career of more than 30 years with a US multi-national company both in the UK and abroad, he now undertakes project consultancy, mentoring and coaching.

He served as Lay Member for Audit and Governance at NHS Sutton CCG and as Chair of Sutton and Merton CCG’s Charitable Funds between 2012 and 2019. Paul was appointed a Trustee as of September 2017.

Pankaj joined St George’s as a Non-Executive Director in February 2025 and joined as the hospital nominated Trustee on the board of the St George’s  Hospital Charity.  

Pankaj was subsequently appointed as a Non-Executive Director at Epsom & St Helier in October 2025. He is a qualified accountant and chairs the joint GESH Audit & Risk Committee.

Pankaj brings extensive international experience from senior executive roles within globally recognised organisations. His career has encompassed leadership across finance, strategy, commercial, planning, performance management, and operations.

Pankaj led and delivered a major five-year business transformation programme for Reliance Industries, India’s largest conglomerate, alongside the design and implementation of a new Group Operating Model.

Pankaj previously served as a Non-Executive Director at University Hospitals Dorset, where he chaired both the Transformation Committee and the People & Culture Committee. In these roles, he played a key part in overseeing post-merger integration and a major hospital redevelopment programme. He also served a six-year term as a Trustee of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and has previously been a Trustee of Kidney Research UK.

Sarah joined the board as a trustee in April 2020, and was appointed honorary treasurer of the charity in May 2020 on the retirement of Anthony Marshall. 

 From 2011 until January 2020 Sarah was a non-executive director of St George’s Hospitals University Trust, most recently as chair of the Trust’s Audit Committee. Previously Sarah had been a non-executive director of NHS Wandsworth (formerly Wandsworth PCT) where she chaired the Finance & Resources Committee.

Following qualification as a chartered accountant, Sarah’s professional career focussed on corporate finance, change management and financial services: she is currently non-executive chair of the board of two companies in the Lloyd’s insurance market.

Within the community, Sarah was chair of governors of a Putney primary school for five years, and has been a longstanding trustee of Paul’s Cancer Support Centre, in Battersea. She sits as a magistrate in the adult and family courts.

Sarah and her family have lived in Putney for over thirty years and have benefitted in many ways over that time from the excellent care and expertise provided at both Queen Mary’s and St George’s hospitals.

Renuka is a chartered educational psychologist whose practice included Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and children’s social care before joining the voluntary sector, latterly as Deputy CEO and Director of Operations at Coram, the country’s first children’s charity.

Renuka has written and chaired high profile case reviews and provided consultancy both nationally and internationally. Innovation, including active stakeholder engagement, is central to her approach. Board posts have included the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO), the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, and those involving cross sector research projects and decision making in adoption and fostering.

Renuka has worked with our hospitals as a member of multi-disciplinary teams providing services to vulnerable children and families, and benefits directly from the Trust as she and her family have been residents in Wandsworth for many years.

George is the Managing Director of Eat The Fox, the consumer-brand of Harvard, a tech specialist agency. She is passionate about the role of communications and marketing in enabling brands to make their move in a world increasingly powered by technology.

George has over 15 years’ experience in communications, helping disruptive brands launch into the UK market and  global brands to help them define their strategy and create campaigns with impact. George has lived in Tooting for over a decade, and visited St George’s on a number of occasions, for both herself and her family.

Paul has over a decade’s experience of charity fundraising, particularly in mass market donor acquisition and retention. He has a particular focus on how data can help drive more impactful, effective fundraising programmes and on integrating fundraising activity with a charity’s broader strategy. Paul is currently Director of Business Development (UK and International) at Engaging Networks, working with charities to develop their approach to online fundraising, advocacy and engagement.

Throughout his career in the charity sector, Paul has worked for causes focused on scientific research and medical health. He has a close personal connection to St George’s, having a young son with epilepsy who is under the care of the hospital’s Paediatric Neurology Service.

Dr Upadhya combines senior level experience in Finance (ex Managing Director at Bear Stearns) with in depth experience in Medicine (Senior General Practitioner and Senior Specialist Doctor in Psychiatry).

She was one of the first Female CEOs at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and was included in Top 5 Rising Stars working in the Gulf (2009) and the Top 50 Global Stars working in Finance (2009) by Financial News.

She is a fully qualified medical doctor, a Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners, an affiliate of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

She also holds an MBA specialising in Finance from Imperial Management School, London. She is now working in the field of future of healthcare and artificial intelligence. She is also on the board of Council of Cranfield University and several companies in Dubai and India.

Suzanne is a highly experienced charity chief executive and the CEO of Guts UK, the national charity for the digestive system.  Previous CEO roles include Bipolar UK and Citizens Advice Merton and Lambeth.

Prior to working in the voluntary sector Suzanne was an economist including chief economist in the City and senior economist with the Bank of England.  Non-executive and trustee roles have included Crisis, the homeless charity, and Chair of the Mental Health Alliance.  Suzanne was awarded a MBE for Services to Bipolar in 2017. 

Suzanne and her family live in south west London and have benefitted from the excellent care and expertise provided at St George’s and Queen Mary’s hospitals. 

Derek Macallan first came to St George’s as a Medical Registrar in 1988. Although he has spent time elsewhere, he has maintained a strong link to St George’s since then. He completed his PhD at “St George’s Hospital Medical School”, as it was then and was appointed as a Consultant in Infectious Diseases at St George’s in 1998, and subsequently as a Professor in 2007. He has served as a Non-Executive Director at Epsom & St Heliers University Hospitals NHS Trust from 2019 to 2024 and chairs the St George’s Hospital Charity ‘Advisory Group for Research’. He currently leads a research group in the Institute for Infection and Immunity at St George’s – his research focuses on better understanding how the immune system is regulated and maintained in the face of multiple challenges over the life-course. He is passionate about the quality of care provided in our hospitals and appreciates the value the charity can give to improve the patient experience as well as the impact it can have on supporting research. He is married to Helen who runs a charity providing affordable counselling in SW London - when not at work he loves to hike in the Surrey Hills and beyond.

Paul is a leadership and fundraising consultant with more than 20 years’ experience in the charity sector. He has held senior roles at organisations including Teenage Cancer Trust, Depaul UK and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, where he led teams through periods of growth, change and transformation.

He is now founder of Giant Steps, a consultancy that helps charities develop ambitious strategies, strengthen team culture and deliver long-term income growth. In recent years, he has supported more than 20 charities including Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity, The Children’s Society and Ronald McDonald House Charities UK. Paul also mentors senior leaders across the sector, helping them lead with clarity, confidence and care.

Paul has lived in Tooting for over 15 years. One of his children was born nearby and a member of his family works at the hospital—giving him a strong personal connection to St George’s. He’s proud to support the charity’s work as a trustee, helping it achieve the greatest possible impact for patients, families and staff.

Gwen has over 20 years’ experience in senior roles across government and the charity sector. She has led major programmes on issues including childhood obesity, drugs, alcohol and loneliness, helping to shape policies that make a practical difference to people’s lives. Gwen has overseen multi-million-pound grant programmes and is committed to making sure funding reaches the communities that need it most. Alongside her roles in the civil service, she has worked at the Health Foundation, where she focused on preventing ill health and reducing health inequalities, and now works at the General Medical Council. She is committed to improving health and tackling unfair differences in outcomes.

Gwen has lived in the local area for many years and has a close personal connection to St George’s Hospital, where her children were born. She is looking forward to working with the Charity to ensure its work delivers meaningful benefits for the patients and communities who need it most.