Our Trustees

Nigel is a seasoned business leader and charity chair with over three decades of experience in retail, leadership development, and nonprofit governance. His career began in the UK retail sector, where he held senior roles at BHS and the Burton Group (later Arcadia Group), including Head of Marketing at Topshop and General Manager of its flagship Oxford Circus store. He later became Retail Director. He went on to serve as Retail Managing Director at The Body Shop, working closely with founder Dame Anita Roddick.     He set up his own consultancy in 2016 and works with individuals and teams across the globe as a Team Coach, focusing on leadership and team development.    His commitment to social impact is reflected in his extensive charity work. He chaired The Fiorentini Foundation that helps disadvantaged children via the performing arts, was chair of The ELLA Foundation, supporting charity chief executives, and in the summer of 2024 he stood down after six years as chair of Sing Inside, a charity that delivers singing workshops in prisons to promote rehabilitation and community engagement.     Long Covid has deeply affected Nigel's family with his wife living with its devastating impact for the past five years. He has seen first-hand how vital support, understanding and advocacy are for those navigating the condition.

Danny is Professor of Immunology at Imperial College London, where he heads a lab.. During the pandemic he has advised policymakers including the House of Commons and House of Lords Science Committees, the APPG on Coronavirus, the Cabinet Office, Sir Keir Starmer and the Shadow Cabinet, the Welsh Assembly, the EU, The Scottish Parliament, WHO, NICE and the Department of Health. For over 20 years Danny has edited medical journals including Oxford Open Immunology, Immunology, and Vaccine. He is a trustee at the Medical Research Foundation and a board member for the African Research Excellence Fund. He previously headed strategy on infection, immunity and population health at the Wellcome Trust. His research interests focus on the immunology of infectious diseases including severe bacterial infections, SARS-CoV-2, Zika virus and Chikungunya virus. He also has a long record in autoimmunity research. Danny’s SARS-CoV-2 research is published in journals including the Lancet, Nature and Science. He heads an NIHR-funded research programme to look at mechanisms of pathogenesis and development of new diagnostic tests in a large cohort of individuals with Long Covid. External website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/d.altmann

Aimie has personal experience of Long Covid and has worked for over 20 years within the public and charity sectors. She is the Director of her own consultancy practice, offering a range of services to individuals and organisations committed to positive change. In the last seven years she has specialised in health and care with roles focused on developing and supporting partnerships, community-based approaches and system change to improve the lives of people with multiple, chronic or complex health conditions. Aimie's other experience includes working in the UK Treasury, for a philanthropic trust in the Middle East and on innovative finance and business mechanisms for social benefit. Aimie lives in Dorset, is a trustee of her local voluntary sector infrastructure organisation, and can often be found enjoying the sea or the countryside with her family.

Jo has lived experience of Long Covid and is a founder member of Long Covid Support. She is one of the administrators of the Long Covid Support Facebook group and co-facilitates the charity’s peer support work, managing wellbeing activities for members. Jo is experienced in coaching and mentoring, is a volunteer walk leader for Walk Wandsworth and a Director of a Vintage VW Campervan hire company. Her previous professional experience was within the creative operations area of the entertainments industry and marketing agencies.

Gareth has lived experience of Long Covid. He is a qualified Professional Accountant with over 20 years of experience in the financial sector having worked for the BBC and Lloyds Bank. He is also active in several local community interest initiatives involving the environment and social deprivation. A keen triathlete, he was in training at the start of lockdown in April 2020 when he fell ill with Long Covid. He has been involved with the Long Covid Support charity since January 2023 where he is a key contributor to the Finance and Fundraising teams. He is also a Welsh speaker and a member of Long Covid Wales.

Temitope is a Biochemist and Chartered Accountant with a passion for helping people. With 15 years’ experience in finance, business strategy and change management, she has worked with different organisations in healthcare, energy, and other sectors. Temitope has served as a strategic partner to boards of directors and has led finance teams to develop operational processes that improved efficiency. In addition to her professional career, Temitope has volunteered informally with non-profit organisations for many years. In 2018, she registered a charity called the “Hand of Love Africa Initiative”, coordinating teams of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory scientists to provide medicines and diagnoses, in addition to raising funds for food and supplies to rural communities in Nigeria.

Margaret is a founder Trustee of Long Covid Support. She co-facilitates the charity’s work with researchers, and runs an associated Facebook group called Covid-19 Research Involvement Group. As a person with Long Covid, she has worked with organisations such as NHSEI and NIHR, as well as academics and clinicians. She has co-authored peer reviewed articles on Long Covid, presented at international and national conferences and has co-created research with professional academics and health practitioners. Margaret’s previous patient involvement and advocacy experience is in Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) and she is deputy Chair of Trustees of the charity Pregnancy Sickness Support (PSS). She has conducted, published and presented patient-led research, and has co-authored clinical practice guidelines and a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership. She is a scientist by profession and is currently a Patient Involvement in Research professional in the NHS.

Natalie is a founder member of Long Covid Support and is herself a person with Long Covid. She has contributed to the organisation's advocacy work, campaigning for accessible and equitable health and welfare services for people with Long Covid and other long term chronic health conditions. Natalie has worked with organisations including NHSEI, NICE and the ONS sharing lived experience expertise. She also advocates for equitable access to services at regional level as the patient voice representative for the NHS North West Health Inequalities steering group. Natalie has been actively involved in co-designing research priorities, has collaborated in research and co-authored journal articles on Long Covid. Her background is in education leadership.