Board of Trustees

Unity in Health is governed by a board of trustees, who meet regularly to discuss the charity’s strategic direction.

Bruno Lafleur, CA, CFA, MBA

Trustee
Bruno is the Finance Director at Red & Yellow, a private healthcare company based in London that provides specialist care and support for people with dementia. He previously worked in private equity advisory services at UBS in London and Triago in Paris advising institutional investors on the sale of their private equity investments and helping...
Bruno Lafleur, CA, CFA, MBA

Gayathri Santhi-McBain, LLB

Trustee
Gayathri Santhi-McBain pursued legal studies in the U.K. before commencing a career in journalism. This career took her to Brunei where she started a newspaper and gained insight into the issues of migrant workers. Working for Standard and Poors, Gayathri covered the Asia-Pacific equity markets and then proceeded to write analysis and set benchmark prices...
Gayathri Santhi-McBain, LLB

Jo James, RN, MSc, PGC

Trustee
Jo James qualified as a registered general nurse in 1988 and completed a MSc in Medical Anthropology in 1997. She is a healthcare professional with a wide and varied portfolio of experience. Throughout her career, she has championed the development of excellent nursing care through education, understanding and professional accountability.   Currently working as the...
Jo James, RN, MSc, PGC

Lekamge Neville De Silva, BSc (Hons); MSc; PGCE

Trustee
Neville was born in Sri Lanka and qualified as Mental Health professional in the UK, where he worked in the National Health Service (NHS). At present Neville is involved in the field of Mindfulness Research Groups worldwide. He is a qualified and accredited Mindfulness Teacher Trainer with ‘Breathworks UK’, where he works as a Holistic...
Lekamge Neville De Silva, BSc (Hons); MSc; PGCE

Staff

João Marçal-Grilo, BSc, MA, RMN

Founding Director
João studied Geography at the Universidade Nova, Lisbon and the University of Aberdeen. Later on, he completed a Master of Arts in Development Studies at the University of London, and trained as a Registered Mental Health Nurse at King’s College London. Since then, João worked in a variety of both inpatient and community based mental health...
João Marçal-Grilo, BSc, MA, RMN

Sharon Scott, MSc, RGN, HE Dip Ca

Founding Director
Sharon Scott trained as a registered general nurse. Throughout her nursing career she has concentrated her clinical work and academic study in the field of specialist palliative care and has gained experience both in the UK and overseas. Sharon was instrumental in developing a palliative care service for people with advanced dementia and their carers...
Sharon Scott, MSc, RGN, HE Dip Ca

Dr Marjorie Gardner, Bsc, MA, EdD

Director of Education & Training
Marjorie studied Psychology at the University of Durham before training as an Occupational Therapist. She subsequently studied for her M.A in Management and Leadership in Health and Social Care at the Nuffield Institute for Health, University of Leeds. Marjorie has over 30 years experience in mental health practice as a clinician, educator and manager. Her...
Dr Marjorie Gardner, Bsc, MA, EdD

Lucy Hiorns

Fundraising Partnerships Manager
Lucy studied Economics at the University of Manchester. Following graduation she spent a couple of years working in public sector management consultancy. She began working in fundraising and communications in 2011 and has since worked for a variety of big and small charities including Macmillan Cancer Support and The British Lung Foundation. Lucy works 2...
Lucy Hiorns

Luvana Shrestha, Bsc, MA

UiH Country Representative, Nepal
Luvana completed a comprehensive post-graduate degree in Human Rights from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. Subsequently, Luvana developed a vast curriculum in the fields of mental health, women and children, Human Rights, and human trafficking. Luvana worked for a variety of organisations including the UN World Food Programme (Nepal), UNWOMAN (Nepal), Save the Children International (Nepal),...
Luvana Shrestha, Bsc, MA

Angelo Leo, RN, RPN, Clinical Educator

UiH Clinical Nurse Specialist
Angelo trained as a Registered Psychiatric Nurse and Registered Nurse at The British Columbia Institute of Technology and the University of British Columbia. His career in mental health has been in community mental health services in Vancouver where he worked with adult and older adult populations. He has vast experience in case management, crisis intervention,...
Angelo Leo, RN, RPN, Clinical Educator

Patricia Charters, BSc

Programme Officer | Staff
Patricia studied Clinical Psychology at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. Throughout her career, she worked in a variety of health and social care areas, focusing particularly in the fields of substance misuse and social exclusion. Patricia has extensive clinical practice of working with marginalised groups and ethnic minorities and continues to have a key role...
Patricia Charters, BSc

Vera Capoulas

Web & Media Designer
Vera completed her studies in Graphic Design in Lisbon, Portugal. She subsequently worked for different advertising agencies including Volume, Dot One, Ogilvy, MKT, Euro RSCG and Publicis. As a creative director, Vera has managed several advertising teams, and throughout her career she has developed a special interest and skills in communication, branding, web design and...
Vera Capoulas