Derek Bodell - Chair

Derek qualified as a Social Worker and worked for 10 years in Newcastle upon Tyne before taking a post as Programme Director at the Bedford Stuyvesant Family Centre, Brooklyn Bureau of Community Service (BBCS) in New York in 1986. Whilst there, he became a volunteer with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis running weekly support groups.

He returned to the UK to work on the national AIDS public education campaign at the Health Education Authority. He subsequently worked as Regional HIV/AIDS Programme Manager, South West Thames and South Thames Regional Health Authorities in London before becoming Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust (NAT). At NAT he established the Diana, Princess of Wales lecture on AIDS in memory of NAT’s Patron, which has so far been delivered by Kofi Annan, President Bill Clinton and Elton John.

After leaving NAT he became a freelance consultant on HIV working with UNAIDS, the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and a range of NGOs and government agencies. More recently he has worked across Europe for the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) supporting their work in gaining support and funding for the development of a preventive tool for women. He was a member of the Department of Health’s Sexual Health Independent Advisory Group and a former Chair of HIV Scotland.

Alan Brooks - Treasurer

Alan was born and brought up in Zimbabwe. He completed his tertiary education in South Africa and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1977. He emigrated to the UK on qualification and after working initially in the accounting profession, he worked for a multinational in the textile industry, followed by employment in trade finance and mining sectors. He has close family that live in Zimbabwe. Now retired, he holds various voluntary positions in sport and recreation and in the charity sector. He joined the Island UK board in 2008, was its Chair for a period and now serves as Treasurer.

Rutendo Gambe - Board Member

Rutendo is a newly qualified doctor currently working in Hull as an Academic Foundation Doctor. Prior to medicine, she pursued research in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia, and it was during this time that the necessity of a holistic approach to care for all patients with a life limiting diagnosis became clear. She is interested in palliative medicine from clinical and research perspectives, with a focus on models of palliative care and symptom management.

Anne Lloyd Williams - Board Member

Anne has been involved in international relief and development for most of her career. She spent 18 years with OXFAM working on programme development and oversight of work in various regions of Africa. She also spent a number of years as International Grants Officer for the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. In this capacity she helped initiate and develop the Fund's palliative care grants programme in Africa. She visited a wide range of palliative care programmes in Africa and came to know about and admire the work of Island Hospice in Zimbabwe.

Dermott McDonald - Board Member

Dermott is a Netherlands-based consultant with 20 years’ experience working on institutional, trust and corporate donor funding acquisition and has led institutional funding teams at a range of INGOs, including Mildmay International, VSO and Trocaire.

As a consultant, Dermott has undertaken assignments for INGOs, networks and donors, supporting on funding, strategy and programme development with expertise on HIV, UHC, migrants, key population health access and rights and palliative care. In the Netherlands, Dermott works with Dutch INGOs: AFEW International, Dokters Van De Wereld and War Child Holland supporting participatory learning on grant writing, funding strategy development, Theory of Change and consortia building for INGOs.

Dermott has partnered with the international development palliative care sector over many years, including as a strategic consultant for OSF’s palliative care programming and fund raising and donor engagement support for the Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance, APCA, KEHPCA, Hospice Ethiopia and Island Hospice.

Claire Morris - Board Member

Claire is the Global Advocacy Director at the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance and has been working in the social sector for over 20 years. She is a committed and passionate advocate for hospice and palliative care globally.

Claire has contributed to a number of publications including the first ever Global Atlas on Palliative Care at the End of Life and HIV care and support: the forgotten pillar. She has also written for a number of journals, including the International Journal of Palliative Nursing and the European Journal of Palliative Care.

Claire has spoken at international conferences, including the Latin American and European Palliative Care conferences and has advocated for palliative care at the UN High Level Meetings on HIV and Non-Communicable Diseases and the World Health Assembly. She sat on the UN Social Protection and Care and Support Working Group for two years representing the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance. She has also organised World Hospice and Palliative Care Day since it began in 2005 with approximately 60-70 countries participating in the events.