Trustees Week 2026 – Highlighting the valuable contributions our Trustees make to Brainkind

Earlier this year, we welcomed a brand-new cohort of trustees into Brainkind, and we want to use Trustees Week to introduce some of them.

They each bring specialist knowledge and a range of experiences to help support and grow the work of Brainkind. They all also have a personal connection with and understanding of the impact that brain injuries and neurological conditions can have.

Introducing Kevin Braim

Kevin is the Chief Information Officer of St Mary’s University, London, and brings board level digital, technology and risk expertise, alongside strong financial and governance experience.

While his professional background is not directly in health or social care, he brings the skills, experience and commitment needed to support the organisation as it continues to strengthen its impact and long-term sustainability.

Kevin said: “I am motivated by the organisation’s mission to improve outcomes for people living with brain injury and neurological conditions, and by the opportunity to contribute my experience at a point in Brainkind’s development as it delivers on its ambitions.”

Kevin’s interest in becoming a trustee for Brainkind comes from his personal experience of the impact that neurological conditions can have. Kevin said: “Two years ago, a close family friend was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. I believe organizations like Brainkind are essential in helping individuals and families not only manage but also live with dignity, independence, and purpose.”

Introducing Jude Brooks

Jude works as an independent board advisor, consultant and coach, helping responsible business deliver social impact alongside business performance. She brings experience of income diversification, strategic transition, and helping organisations tell powerful stories.

Jude said: “I’m proud and excited to be a trustee of Brainkind. My family has had first-hand experience of traumatic brain injury, and we know how important it is to get the right care and support.

“By volunteering my time, I’m giving something back, as well as learning a lot and enjoying it. Having spent my career in marketing and social impact, I hope to help Brainkind tell its story, build support and be heard.”

Introducing Nigel Scott

Nigel started working in the charity sector in 1991 because he wanted to go home at the end of the day feeling that he had done some good, and once he started his first senior job, he was encouraged to become a trustee to see how things looked from the other side.

Since then, he has been a trustee of many organisations, including The Children’s Trust from 2015 to 2025, a charity that works with children with acquired brain injuries. As with Kevin and Jude, Nigel has personal experience of the impact of brain injuries after his godson suffered a brain injury. This understanding and the opportunity to give something back to those who care for people with brain injuries or other neurological conditions motivated him to first become a trustee of The Children’s Trust and now a trustee of Brainkind.

Nigel said: “It felt like that after 10 years with children with TBIs, I was growing up by working with adults with TBIs.
“I plan to visit as many of our national services as I can, the key to being a successful trustee is knowing and understanding the needs of the people we support so that I can ensure that the decisions we make are always in their best interests. It’s new, it’s different and it’s challenging but I’m looking forward to it enormously!”

Introducing Neil Churchill OBE

Neil is the Director for People and Communities at NHS England, where he leads programmes designed to improve quality and reduce inequalities, and was awarded an OBE in 2018 for services to carers and the voluntary sector.

Part of the reason that Neil chose to become a trustee for Brainkind was his experience with brain injuries and neurological conditions. Neil said: “My dad had a brain injury because of a stroke and fall a couple of years before he died. He managed to build back elements of the life he wanted to lead but rehabilitation is never easy, and I understand how important it is to get the right support at the right time. As a new trustee, my priority has been to meet some of the people we support and understand their perspectives on what we do.”

While Neil has only been a Trustee at Brainkind for a short time, he has already visited two of our services. This gave him the opportunity to learn more about and see first-hand the care and rehabilitation offered at the services, listening to colleagues to hear about what was working well and any challenges the services wanted further help with. He was especially impressed with how open and inclusive the services were, saying: “It was clear that people’s views mattered, whether you lived here or were family or friend.”

Reflecting on his visits to the services, Neil said: “My visits helped me understand some of the things which are harder to measure, such as leadership, culture and the extent to which services listen and respond to what people tell us. Excellent care, in my experience, is built on a bedrock of listening and learning, constantly seeking ways to improve. I’m looking forward to learning more from other Brainkind services across the country and the people we are here to support.”

Thank you, Kevin, Jude, Nigel and Neil, for sharing your thoughts, experiences and hopes for the future of Brainkind. It’s lovely to learn more about each of your personal reasons for joining our Board of Trustees. We look forward to working with you and the other trustees to ensure that Brainkind fulfils its purpose of supporting those with brain injuries and other neurological conditions so that life after brain injury can be a life well lived.

If you would like to learn more about the Brainkind trustees, visit the Board of Trustees page on our website.