Welcoming new board members

Maudsley Charity is pleased to announce the appointment of new Trustees to its Board.

Amanda Scott and Ray Ayivor took up their appointments in March, and Professor Sir Simon Wessely will join the Board in July. The charity also recruited two additional trustees who will take up their appointments in March 2027 – Professor Rochelle Burgess and Kieran Lewis.

All will serve on a board led by Chair of Trustees, Dr Frances Corner OBE, whose tenure was renewed in January for a further three years.

As the largest specialist funder in mental health in the UK, the organisation funds work led by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, research teams at King’s College London, and the voluntary and community sector to help create a more equitable and effective mental health care system in south London. It also works to influence change in the rest of the country.

Dr Corner, said:

“I am delighted to welcome our new Board members. Their range of skills and expertise of our 2026 trustees is already adding great value to our group as we guide the charity through a refreshed strategy to 2029. The charity is implementing some key shifts in pursuit of its mission and has a growing ambition to make mental health care the best it can be, not just in south London, but in other parts of the country.”

Biographies

2026 Trustees

Professor Sir Simon Wessely

Sir Simon is a world-renowned academic psychiatrist and epidemiologist. He is a Professor of Psychological Medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London and is a Consultant Psychiatrist at King’s College Hospital and the Maudsley Hospital, an association he has had for over 37 years. He is the first psychiatrist to receive the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire which he received in the King’s Birthday Honours 2025.

Ray Ayivor

Ray Ayivor is an experienced Director of Finance and Resources who brings skills in the strategic management of the operational functions and resources required to deliver the missions of charities. This role is a “homecoming”, having previously spent nine years as a nursing assistant at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust supporting therapists and other professionals in the care and treatment of individuals affected by mental health challenges in hospital, community and rehabilitation settings.

Amanda Scott

Amanda Scott is an experienced CEO and Non-Executive Director with a 30-year track record leading and transforming purpose-led consumer and service businesses. Amanda brings deep expertise in strategy, governance, and cultural leadership and is passionate about supporting organisations that make a positive impact on people’s lives. Currently serving as a non-executive director and strategic advisor across retail, wellness, and digital sectors, and an Ambassador for The King’s Trust Women Supporting Women initiative.

2027 Trustees

Professor Rochelle Burgess

Professor Rochelle Burgess is a scholar-activist committed to transforming the academy into a space for the promotion of a more just and equitable world. She is Professor of Global Mental Health and Social Justice and Deputy Director of the UCL Centre for Global Non-Communicable Diseases, at the Institute for Global Health at UCL. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health and UK Trauma Council, among other international affiliations and advisory board memberships.

Kieran Lewis

Kieran Lewis is the Strategic Partnerships Lead at Wellcome Trust. He is currently leading Wellcome’s work related to their mental health partnerships with philanthropy, the public sector, and private investors. Prior to Wellcome, Kieran worked in a range of roles across the foundation sector, seeking to catalyse more effective and impactful collaborations between both public and private funders. Kieran advises several UK-based charities around their strategic planning and wider fundraising efforts.

Find out more about the charity’s board

Notes to Editors

About Maudsley Charity

Maudsley Charity is a grant-making charity that advances and accelerates positive change in mental health care in south London.

We fund and support key clinical, academic and community partners so that everyone who experiences mental illness, without exception, can access the care that’s right for them.

While our roots are embedded firmly in our local community in south London, we aim to also seed positive change in mental health care elsewhere in the UK, by sharing and amplifying the knowledge and evidence that is generated through the work that we fund.

https://maudsleycharity.org/about/

Contact:

Lisa Harewood
Head of Communications and Engagement
lisa.harewood@maudsleycharity.org
020 3696 9760 ext 2022