Board

Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Association, known as IA, is a registered charity supporting people living with an ileostomy or internal pouch, their families, friends and carers.

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Since its inception in 1956, the core structure of IA has been its body of volunteers. Volunteers who have lived the experience and understand what life is like after surgery.

Using their own skills and knowledge, not only in terms of their medical history but also their varied career paths, IA’s board enjoys a rich and varied set of people who have a common aim; to develop, improve and promote the wellbeing of people with an ileostomy or an internal pouch.

Following a restructure in 2018, IA became a company limited by guarantee. Remaining true to its heritage as a registered charity, and a core set of volunteers with the lived experience, IA’s Board continues to put its members and those living with an ileostomy or internal pouch at the heart of everything it does.

Having that unique insight enables our Board members to think passionately about the decisions they make knowing their own similar journey has led them there.

IA’s Board, headed up by the Chair of the Board and a team of Trustees, oversees the strategic direction of the charity and manages its assets. IA is fortunate to enrich its Board with healthcare professionals who have either a stoma care nursing or surgical background, who can offer a medical insight and liaison into the medical professionals who support people that are undergoing, or have undergone, surgery.

In an honorary position, IA has been privileged to have a prestigious surgeon undertake the role of National President since Bryan Brooke took on the role of founding President in 1956. IA’s fifth and current National President is Professor Gordon L. Carlson CBE BSc (Hons), MB ChB (Hons), MD, FRCS, FRCS(Gen), FRCSEd (Ad Hom).

The Board meets four times per year in addition to IA’s Annual General Meeting where the Board and the voting members, one from each of IA’s local groups, discuss the business of the charity and vote on important matters.

Many of our Trustees are also committee members of their local IA groups and, as such, continue to represent the patient voice across the whole of the organisation. Reporting in to the Board are a small complement of staff, headed up by IA’s CEO, who manage the daily activities of the charity and ensure its smooth running and compliance with regulation.

In addition to the main Board, IA has a series of sub committees who oversee some of the many functions that IA perform such as visiting, research, internal pouch, Young IA and communications. Each of these sub committees make recommendations to the board who decide on the resulting actions.

Click any of the images below to read more about the roles of our trustees and their individual profile.

Professor Gordon L. CarlsonCBE BSc (Hons), MB ChB (Hons), MD, FRCS, FRCS(Gen), FRCSEd (Ad Hom)National President

Michael BellCEO and National Treasurer

Stuart HayChair of the Board

Anna RennieVice Chair and Trustee

Amar PanchalChair of the Finance Sub Committee

Carol KatteLiaison with Stoma Care Nursing

Neil SmartJoint Chair of Research Sub Committee and Trustee

Prof Thomas PinkneyMBChB, MD, MMedEd, FRCSJoint Chair of Research Sub Committee

John SmailTrustee

Tracey UsherTrustee

Cepta BurkeTrustee

David DrakeleyTrustee

Jacqui SibbaldTrustee

Justin BishopTrustee

Brigitte SiefkenInternal Pouch Sub Committee Member and Trustee

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Meet the Team

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Professor Gordon L. CarlsonCBE BSc (Hons), MB ChB (Hons), MD, FRCS, FRCS(Gen), FRCSEd (Ad Hom)

National President

Professor Gordon Carlson CBE is a Consultant surgeon at Salford Royal, an Honorary Professor of Surgery at The University of Manchester and of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Salford.

Professor Carlson trained in Manchester and after house officer posts at Salford Royal, working for Professor Sir Miles Irving (former IA National President) and Lord Leslie Turnberg, he undertook postgraduate surgical training in Newcastle, returning to Salford as Medical Research Council (MRC) Training Fellow in 1991.

After a period as Lecturer in Surgery at the University of Manchester, he was awarded the Intercollegiate Medal in 1996 and he became the first surgeon in England to be awarded a prestigious MRC Senior Clinical Fellowship in 1997, when he took up his post as Consultant Surgeon at Salford.

Prof Carlson is internationally recognised for his pioneering work in the management of abdominal sepsis and intestinal failure and with his colleagues, runs the world-renowned Intestinal Failure Unit at Salford Royal. The unit treats patients with complex abdominal infection and intestinal fistulas from across the UK and the world.

Professor Carlson’s contributions to the management of sepsis and intestinal failure have led to him co-authoring national standard in this area and winning numerous awards; his most prestigious one being a CBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list in 2019 for his services to general and intestinal failure surgery (source srft.nhs.uk).

IA was delighted to welcome Professor Carlson as its National President in September 2020.

Michael Bell

CEO and National Treasurer

Michael joined IA in 2012 as National Treasurer and became CEO in 2018, having been instrumental in guiding IA through a complex legal and organisational restructure. He has delegated responsibility from the charity’s trustees for the overall management of the charity and its staff, as well as its finance function activities, including financial planning and reporting. He also attends all board and company meetings, along with a number of sub-committee meetings as required.

Prior to his time at IA, he spent almost 30 years working in the City of London, initially within the banking sector before moving into investment management. He has a wealth of experience across a broad range of business areas and roles, from traditional finance lead to project management and systems implementation roles. He also worked for a leading City training company as course director, delivering education and training to senior finance professionals. He eventually moved into the charity sector, fulfilling a long-held desire to hold a position where he felt he could make a real difference to people’s lives.

He has been a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants since 2000, having qualified in 1995.

Stuart Hay

Chair of the Board

Having been involved with IA since just after surgery in 1975, Stuart became, and still remains, Chairman of the North Eastern group in the early 1990’s. He joined the national executive committee after retiring in 2011 and became national chairman in 2018.

Stuart can honestly say his Ileostomy has changed him, and his life, immensely. He was only ill for about six weeks, with ulcerative colitis, prior to surgery. Once fully recovered Stuart was more than keen to show that he was capable of everything others could do. He played squash, five a side football and did the Great North run in 1982. In 1989 he joined a self-build project working evenings and weekends after my fulltime job. During that period, he also changed careers twice ultimately retiring as the senior network technician from Newcastle University at the end of 2010.

IA became incorporated during his time as national chairman which has proved quite challenging but at the same time very rewarding. Stuart looks forward to helping to take the charity forward to what will be a long and bright future.

Anna Rennie

Vice Chair and Trustee

Anna had an ileostomy for 18 years after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. It was made permanent in summer 2013 whilst she was studying for a BA (hons) in Silversmithing and Jewellery. Anna now teaches this part time at Truro College in between designing and making silverware. Outside of work she absolutely loves cycling which helps her mentally and physically, plus she is out in the fresh air.

Anna has been involved with IA for several years now and really enjoys her role as a trustee in such an important organisation.

Amar Panchal

Chair of the Finance Sub Committee

Amar Panchal is a financial risk associate at Starling Bank, where he primarily oversees capital risk, wholesale credit risk as well as providing support to the bank’s resolution and recovery planning.

Prior to this he trained as a chartered accountant at PriceWaterhouseCooper, starting in the audit practice and later leading engagements across banking risk and regulatory landscape, focusing predominantly working with start-ups and financial technology companies seeking to obtaining a banking licence.

Amar graduated from Cass Business School with a 2:1 in Banking and Internal Finance and is also a certified Financial Risk Manager from the Global Association of Risk Professionals.

He was keen to help IA after seeing the impact the charity has had on its members as well as seeing the opportunity for the charity to grow in the future.

Carol Katte

Liaison with Stoma Care Nursing

Carol been a Stoma Care Specialist Nurse for almost thirty years. After specialising in surgical nursing, both in the UK and South Africa, Carol was then a district nursing sister, and community liaison sister. From this last post she was ‘led’ into the stoma care world setting up a stoma care nursing service where she worked because there wasn’t one! As you can imagine, there have been many changes and developments over those years: improvements in surgery, innovations in appliances and products, more stoma care specialist nurses, support from charities, the involvement of manufacturers and delivery companies.

Carol became aware of the tremendous organisation of IA early in my stoma journey, and often used its patients’ and professionals’ information leaflets, DVDs (videos originally) and the visiting scheme. Becoming involved with Surrey IA first (invited by Carolyn Stammers to replace her as she moved on) Carol later stepped in to her shoes as stoma nurse liaison when she retired, together with co-liaison nurse, Alison.

The nurse liaison role is to liaise with and support the organisations representing Stoma Nursing: the Association of Stoma Care Nurses (ASCNUK), the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) Gastrointestinal Forum, the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists (WCET), Patients, Industry and Professionals (PIPs) Forum, the Scottish Stoma Forum (SSF) as well as the member organisations (MOs, the local groups of IA) and our members.

Alison and Carol answer queries received at national office or on social media. Whilst they cannot give specific medical or nursing advice, they can give general explanations and direct people to the right place for assistance. They also help with the website and the production of information leaflets for patients and professionals and describe the role as a very interesting and rewarding position.

Our Liaison Nurses are experienced Stoma Care Specialist Nurses, and are members of The Association of Stoma Care Nurses (ASCN UK), the Association of Coloproctology Nurses (ACPN), the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Gastroenterology Forum, and the World Council of Enterostomal Nurses (WCET).

They liaise with other appropriate organisations as required, such as the Scottish Stoma Nurse Group (SSSG) and the Patient, Industry and Professionals Forum (PIPs).

Neil Smart

Joint Chair of Research Sub Committee and Trustee

Neil Smart is a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust and is Editor in Chief of Colorectal Disease magazine.

Prof Thomas PinkneyMBChB, MD, MMedEd, FRCS

Joint Chair of Research Sub Committee

Professor Thomas Pinkney MBChB, MD, MMedEd, FRCS, received his Medical Degree from the University of Birmingham in 2000. He was appointed as Senior Lecturer in Surgery in 2012 and awarded an honorary consultant appointment at the University Hospitals Birmingham at the same time. In 2019 he was appointed as George Drexler and Royal College of Surgeons Chair of Surgical Trials at the University of Birmingham. He is also Chair of the Cohort Studies Committee and Vice-Chair of the Research Committee of the European Society of Coloproctology.

Prof Pinkney’s research interests are predominantly in clinical and translational research in inflammatory bowel disease and surgical site infection. As a founding member of the West Midlands Research Collaborative, he maintains an interest in development of trainee-led clinical trials in surgery. He sits on the NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) CET Board and the NIHR RfPB West Midlands Panel.

Amongst other positions, Prof Pinkney is a Member of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease sub-committee, Association of Coloproctology of GB&I (ACPGBI), and Associate Editor of Colorectal Disease Journal.

John Smail

Trustee

John has been a member of IA since soon after his initial operation in April 1979 and has over 40 years’ experience of living with an ileostomy. Since illness (ulcerative colitis), surgery and subsequent recovery, he has led a full life, bringing up two sons and one daughter, and helping out with six grandchildren. After regaining his health, John continued to work in the banking sector until 1994, when he was made redundant. He retrained in IT and found further work in finance, taking on various part-time roles in small companies.

Joining Norfolk & Suffolk IA in 1980 he became a committee member soon afterwards. He was appointed group treasurer in 1983, a position he held for 13 years, and then vice-chairman, which he undertakes today.

In 1995, he was elected to the National Executive committee of IA, and undertook the role of national welfare co-ordinator, a post John held for 10 years. In 2002, John took the position of IA Journal Editor & Advertising Manager where he was responsible for all content of the Journal, both editorial and advertising, and for the distribution of 12,000 copies each quarter to around 55 local groups that existed at that time. In 2003, when it was apparent that substantial changes were required to the association’s website to bring it up to date in a fast-changing communications environment, John took on the website also. He also oversaw IA’s re-branding of the Journal and website at the time of its 50th anniversary in 2006.

In addition to his position on the Board , John is am a member of the Management Committee. His personal interests are history, travel, genealogy and cooking.

Tracey Usher

Trustee

Tracey had her stoma formed in 2013 after being ill for a number of years with ulcerative colitis. The immediate difference in her health told me her she had made the right choice in having the surgery, and had wished she had been given more information about this option earlier as she may have chosen this path over the medication and its side effects.

Having attended the SCN rehab clinics at the hospital where she met some of the local IA group members and joined up. Tracey loved meeting the members and knowing that others in her area were there to support at what is obviously a difficult time. Tracey joined the committee a couple of years later and in her time with Peterborough & Wisbech IA she set up their social media channels, arranged young IA events, social walks around a local nature park, supported the committee with members’ meetings and most importantly made some of the dearest friends of her life.

When the opportunity arose to join the board of trustees for the national charity she jumped at the chance as this enables her to make a difference at both a local and national level. All aspects of Tracey’s life revolve around stomas as she works with stoma patients every day, using her experiences to offer practical advice and solutions to challenges they may be facing.

Cepta Burke

Trustee

Cepta was a member of Ireland IA for over 23 years, having served as both treasurer & secretary until she retired from these positions in 2018. Cepta has represented IA at this level for a number of years and feels it has been great to be part of IA and seeing it evolve to where it is today and also being part of the changes that have been established in IA nationally.

Cepta has had an Ileostomy for over 27 years now due to chronic ulcerative colitis. She did have a J Pouch for about 18 months but as this didn’t work out for her, she went on the have a permanent ileostomy and this enables her to live life to the full. She previously worked in the health service in Ireland for 37 years, retired from there 10 years ago and now does part-time work in an out of hours GP service.

Her hobbies include trying to be an amateur photographer and still trying to master the game of golf. Cepta loves walking and has completed 4 stages of the Camino de Santiago.

David Drakeley

Trustee

David is 67, had surgery nearly 38 years ago weighing only 5 stone, after what initially was thought to be colitis but turned out to be Crohn’s disease. David describes how all he could do was eat, sleep and go to work and, of course, go to the toilet lots and lots. As was fairly common at the time his surgery involved complete colon removal. He feels his surgery was done well as three months later David went on a company outing to Chessington with his kids – something he had not been able to do for four years prior. David also joined IA for the first time.

He went on to be an aircraft engineer fixing aircraft for BCAL and then BA. Unfortunately 11 years after his operation David and his wife sadly lost their daughter and having let his membership lapse, he rejoined IA. Going to a meeting David was persuaded into joining the committee. That was fine except shortly afterwards the secretary moved away from Sussex and he got volunteered to stand in whilst someone else was found – a position he still holds 25 years later!

Having never used a computer before his time as an engineer heI soon learnt and ended up being the shift computer expert while at work.

David retired in 2017 and has enjoyed most of that time. Unfortunately, recurrent illness, hospital stays, coronavirus and following his wife’s diagnosis of breast cancer in 2020 has not allowed them to enjoy their normal visits to National Trust sites. David is hoping for a much brighter future and one where he envisages what retirement is supposed to be like.

Jacqui Sibbald

Trustee

Jacqui lives near Glasgow, Scotland, having retired early from the local authority and now working part time as a football safety officer. She enjoys singing, playing guitar and going on holiday, whether it be going away in her motorhome with her husband to enjoying a cruise. She also loves spending time with family and friends. Jacqui has been a member of West & Central Scotland IA since 1996 when she had her first surgery for ulcerative colitis and became a committee member in 1999 taking on the role of secretary and now chairperson; a position she continues to hold.

Jacqui is very committed to IA and its aims both on a local and national level, and has been a board member since around 2011. She also sits on the visiting sub committee. Jacqui feels very privileged to be part of an organisation that focusses on mutual support, particularly with the visiting aspect, reaching out and helping people to adjust to life with an ileostomy or ileo-anal pouch. She is also very proud to be part of an organisation that has continued to grow and adapt to the times while maintaining a focus on what the members want. On a local level, since restructuring, Jacqui is enjoying being able to focus on what IA is really about and has enjoyed some very successful social activities with their members: bus tour, afternoon tea, steam train journey, chatting over a cuppa, etc.

Justin Bishop

Trustee

Justin has spent 30 years working in the City of London, working for brokers, technology companies and large investment banks. He has gained a varied experience by working in a number of diverse roles including project and change management.

He joined Surrey IA after his first surgery in 2005 for Ulcerative Colitis and joined the committee in 2015, where he is the One2One Support coordinator. He feels that he has received so much help & support from IA, both locally and nationally, which helped him feel ’not alone’ after surgery. Therefore, he feels that it is very important to help others in the way that he was helped and to use his business skills to help the charity.

In his spare time, Justin enjoys holidays with his wife Jill, walking, watching cricket and rugby, and spending time with family and friends.

Brigitte Siefken

Internal Pouch Sub Committee Member and Trustee

Brigitte has had an internal pouch since 2016. Her route to internal pouch surgery was an unusual one. She did not have UC, Crohn’s or FAP, so being suddenly told she needed colorectal surgery to prevent colon cancer appearing within 2 -20 years was utterly devastating.

She reached out and found IA. Making that call to national office changed everything. The visitor chats changed her perspective, informing and reassuring her as she faced the long wait for surgery. April 2014 saw her having her first operation – her restorative proctocolectomy and internal pouch creation. The second surgery came in July 2016 when she went from life with a loop ileostomy to living with a J- pouch.

Between the two operations she joined her local IA committee, wanting to offer others the kindness and support she had been shown. She is now Chair and One2One Support Volunteer Coordinator for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire IA Branch. In 2019 she joined IA’s internal pouch committee.

Says Brigitte, “No-one should walk this path alone – not when there are others who can support you and help you find the inner strength you maybe never knew you had. If I can ease the path of just a handful of others, I will have done my job.”