New Chair & Vice Chair elected for national Aortic Dissection patient charity
Posted on 21st February 2025
The Trustees of national patient charity Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland have elected a new Chair & Vice-Chair. Aortic Dissection survivors Mrs. Anne Cotton and Prof. J. Robert Sneyd take the lead, as Founding Chair Mr. Gareth Owens steps down for health reasons after seven years at the helm.
The charity prides itself on being led by patients, for patients and on having a governance model with built-in democratic accountability of the leadership to its 1,500+ members. The seven Trustees are all elected by the membership and serve for a 3-year term. Following the charity's AGM on 9th January 2025, the Trustees met and elected Mrs. Anne Cotton and Prof. Rob Sneyd as the new Chair & Vice-Chair respectively.
Anne Cotton is one of the founder members of Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland. She had an acute Type A Aortic Dissection in 2015, with emergency surgery at Derriford hospital. Since then, she has had her entire Aorta replaced in stages at QE Hospital, Birmingham - first a Frozen Elephant Trunk in 2018 and then in 2022, her entire descending thoracic and abdominal Aorta. She recently recorded an episode of the THINK AORTA podcast with the doctor who diagnosed her initial dissection. Anne feels that through her lived experiences and previously having served on the Committee as Secretary, she is well-equipped to support the charity in the next stage of its growth, as Chair of Trustees. She leads the charity's preparations for the SCTS Annual Meeting, is a PPI Partner on the national DECIDE-TAD research programme and hosts the charity's annual AD Buddies summer garden party in Warwick. As a former primary school teacher and Samaritan, Anne is able to engage with adults & children from diverse backgrounds on behalf of the charity and support newer members to feel comfortable, included and welcome, when they find the charity after being affected by Aortic Dissection.
Prof. Rob Sneyd is a retired doctor with a background in anaesthesia, academia and healthcare leadership. In October 2022 he experienced an acute Type A Aortic Dissection and life-saving surgery in Kathmandu, Nepal. He has spoken and written about this experience and you can watch a video of his story here. Rob's motivation in becoming Vice Chair of the national patient charity is to help out and improve patient experiences and outcomes. Rob has relevant experience as a Trustee and as a leader and is effective at developing and delivering strategy, through engagement with public bodies and professional organisations. He recently led the charity's successful engagement with DVLA about driving after Aortic Dissection. Raised in Cornwall, Rob's medical journey began as a Nursing Auxiliary in Plymouth in 1975. Graduating from Cambridge University in 1981, he trained in London, Manchester and the USA, including a research degree and a stint in the pharmaceutical industry. He served as Executive Dean of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Plymouth until 2018. He has held leadership roles in the Association of Anaesthetists, the Royal College of Anaesthetists, and the European Society of Anaesthesiology. Rob has previously served on two NHS Trust boards, chaired a Social Enterprise and a research charity. He remains active in research.
Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland's Board of Trustees comprises five Aortic Dissection patients, one relative/caregiver and one bereaved relative, truly representing the community the charity serves and amplifying their voices.
Outgoing Chair Mr. Gareth Owens said: "It has been the privilege of my life to serve for seven years as Founding Chair of Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland. I am incredibly proud of the leadership role the charity has played in creating a national Aortic Dissection community; providing the services that members of it need; and influencing a huge positive change in Aortic Dissection patient care nationally and internationally. Anne and Rob inherit a strong and rapidly growing national patient charity, with a track record of delivery by partnering with a wide network of people and organizations in healthcare, including all of the professional societies concerned with Aortic disease. Over the next few months, I will be handing-over my responsibilities and introducing Anne & Rob to our key contacts, so that our work and relationships may continue in the same vein."
Dan Burgess, Founder of the national patient charity for Aortic Dissection, said "I'd like to welcome Anne & Rob as Chair and Vice-Chair and wish them well in their new roles. They have both contributed significantly to the charity already. Together with fellow Trustees Pete Hill, Clare Payne, Victoria Campbell, Haleema Saadia and myself, they will lead our work forward and deliver on our promises to the community that we created. The national patient charity for Aortic Dissection is in good hands. I'd also like to thank Gareth for his exceptional leadership, dedication and professionalism, which has brought Aortic Dissection Awareness UK & Ireland so far in just six years."
To connect with any of the Trustees, please contact us.