ASPIRE LIVING - Key Persons
Adrian has a degree in fine art, is a qualified teacher and graduated from Lancaster University in 2005 with a postgraduate diploma in leadership. He has worked in numerous senior positions in education and care including Special College Principal, Director of Education, Senior Manager for the Prison Service, Chair of a Special School Academy, Chair of a Wildlife Trust and Chief Executive of a Special FE College and Charity.
Adrian has a wealth of experience of leading regulated education and care services, contract management and commissioning for adults and young people with social emotional and mental health needs, autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, and enduing mental health conditions.
Adrian is passionate about providing high quality services for people with additional and complex needs and, in a previous role with a national education provider, held organisational responsibility for safeguarding, equality, diversity and inclusion.
Chris has worked in social care since 1986, having commenced his career supporting people with a learning disability living in the South Wales valleys.
Within two years Chris had been promoted to a management position, initially of a small residential service before setting up a new respite service for people with a learning disability.
After spending four years working for a local authority Chris went on to continue his career for the next 31 years, working for two of the leading providers of support services for people with a learning disability in South, Mid and West Wales, where he held a number of senior positions such as Assistant Corporate Director, Director of Operations and Head of Service.
Chris has a passion for providing high quality support for people and has an extensive knowledge of sectorial issues and is committed to working in partnership with colleagues from health, social services and other charitable & voluntary organisations.
Chris is fully conversant with the frameworks under which services are regulated having previously been the Responsible Individual with Care Inspectorate Wales and currently the Nominated Individual with the Care Quality Commission.
Chris has also previously been a trustee and chairperson of various Mind organisations.
Daniel joined the Board in 2021, he has experience over a wide range of industry, with a focus in consultancy, principally on international renewable projects across technology, finance and auditing.
He is a chartered engineer and qualified internal auditor, as well as continuing Non-Executive Director experience as a School Trustee and Chair of the Operations Sub-Committee. As part of his support to the charity, Daniel is also a member of the Thera Group Audit Sub-Committee.
Daniel is married, proud father of three daughters and when time allows keeps fit and healthy, having hung up his rugby boots a few years ago, with running, triathlons and skiing.
He is keen to continue supporting Aspire Living and Thera to provide the important work of helping adults with learning difficulties live the lives they wish to have.
I am a medical consultant with a broad clinical experience; a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FRCOG). I have worked full-time with the NHS for twenty-six years and as Director of Herefordshire Integrated Sexual Health for fourteen years. I retired from the NHS at the end of March 2019 but went back to work to support my Service as Consultant and Director for the new organisation, Solutions4Health (S4H). In total, I have lived in Herefordshire for twenty years. I have an executive MBA and I am a Care Quality Commission (CQC) Specialist Adviser.
My interests include music, singing, dancing, general management, planning, education, diversity and personnel. I belonged to the church choir and have played musical instruments including violin and piano. As an athlete, I was privileged to represent Nigeria in the All Africa Games. I also represented my undergraduate University (Lagos) in Ghana. My events included sprinting, hurdles and long jump.
I am a Board member of several charities including the Courtyard Theatre for The Arts Hereford and West Mercia Women's AID. I belong to the City of Hereford Rotary Club, the Gideons and the Soroptimists for Hereford and District.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Service Quality Director
My name is Ian Harper and I'm the Service Quality Director for Aspire Living. I have been a Service Quality Director for almost 9 years.
I had been a family carer for 32 years when my son, Jonathan, died suddenly and unexpectedly in September 2017. I am passionate about equality and have worked alongside family carers and people with a learning disability in planning their futures.
I moved with my family into Herefordshire in 1989 and due to the traumatic experience of getting Jonathan's needs met adequately I joined Herefordshire Mencap and served as chairman between 1993 - 2000. I have been an Aspire Trustee since 1993 when it was customary for Herefordshire Mencap's chair to become a Trustee of the 2 companies founded by the committee in the mid-1980s. I have been an ECHO Trustee for 12 years and am also Chair of Governors at Blackmarston Special Primary School, my son's former primary school.
I have worked extensively on learning disability and health issues locally, regionally and nationally. Roles have included Vice Chair of Herefordshire's Community Health Council, working on the implementation of the first Carers Act in 1995, member of the pilot brokerage project and a stalwart of the Learning Disability Partnership Board from its inception in 2001.
Since 2004 I have worked for Herefordshire Mencap supporting the Executive Committee and was employed by Herefordshire Council in its person-centred planning team, central review team and ultimately in the West Team of the Social Care Department.
My other life revolves around my family, enjoying their exploits and helping with our two young grandsons. I also enjoy reading crime/psychological thrillers, being in the garden and I am a bit of a news-nerd!
Suzanne lives in Worcestershire and is married to Dale and has teenage twins called Molly and Jack. She has worked within the NHS for 22 years and for 10 of those years at Board level as a Chief Officer. Suzanne currently works for an NHS Trust in Birmingham. Throughout her NHS career, she has been focused on improving health and health services so that people have every opportunity to live a happy and healthy life. Suzanne feels a deep sense of responsibility for creating compassionate and inclusive cultures and has always promoted equality, diversity and inclusion. Suzanne's previous career was as a research scientist and she has a PhD in Biological Sciences.
Suzanne feels privileged to have been appointed as a Non-Executive Director with Aspire and is excited to be joining a team who put the people we support at the heart of the organisation.