Trustees' Week is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of nearly one million trustees across the UK.
During Trustees' Week, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine will be sharing the stories of three of our Board of Trustees, the body that exercises governance of the institution.
The Board is made up of independent trustees, drawn from the fields of business, law, accountancy, politics, higher education and the public sector with both local and international experience.
Hear below from Chair Jim McKenna, who reflects on the responsibilities of the Board during LSTM's special 125th anniversary year. During the week, fellow trustees Nyovani Janet Madise and Vice Chair Sue Russell share their experiences of being a trustee and what inspires them about LSTM and its work.
by Jim McKenna, Chair of the Board of Trustees at LSTM
It is a privilege to serve as Chair of the Board of Trustees at LSTM, and especially so as we enter our special 125th anniversary year. As custodians of LSTM’s present and future, this important landmark invites us to reflect how we can ensure the long-term sustainability of the institution, allowing it to continue to thrive, and to deliver its historic mission to improve global health for the most disadvantaged communities.
This year, the Board of Trustees have played a key role in the development of an ambitious strategy for its next phase. Though shaped by the last 125 years, this strategy embraces change and a positive new direction for LSTM – based on collaboration, capacity building, equitable partnerships and inclusivity.
At LSTM, we are committed to ensuring that the board reflects the communities that the institution serves. I am proud to lead a board that includes skilled professionals based here in Liverpool – the city I am proud to have studied and started my career in – as well as experienced global health leaders and researchers from around the world.
The theme of this year’s Trustees' Week, Many voices. Working together. With purpose, emphasises the importance of embedding a similar ethos at board level. An effective board that delivers good governance draws upon the individual strengths of its members, both utilising their professional expertise but also the diversity of views, backgrounds and experiences they bring.
At LSTM, we are committed to ensuring that the board reflects the communities that the institution serves. I am proud to lead a board that includes skilled professionals based here in Liverpool – the city I am proud to have studied and started my career in – as well as experienced global health leaders and researchers from around the world.
The board draws on business, legal and financial specialists whose expertise contributes to our sound governance and engagement with stakeholders. Working closely together with the management team, our dedicated staff, students and supporters, we can continue to deliver with real impact.
For Trustees' Week 2023, I am delighted to introduce two trustees who are helping to deliver that impact. Nyovani Janet Madise is Director of Research and Head of the Malawi office of the African Institute for Development Policy, while Vice-Chair Sue Russell is a solicitor and member of Hill Dickinson LLP, an international law firm based in Liverpool.