Locala Health and Wellbeing is welcoming a new Non-Executive Director to its Board with the appointment of Kathryn Lavery to the role.

Kathryn brings a wealth of strategic experience having worked across the health, local authority, social enterprise and charity sectors.

She joins as a Non-Executive Director as part of planned changes to the Locala Board.

Dianne McKerracher has completed her tenure as Board Chair and will leave the post in January. Colin Lynch will move from his Non-Executive Director role to become Chair of the Board with Kathryn taking over the seat vacated by Colin.

“I’m really looking forward to joining Locala and finding out even more about the exciting and innovative work the social enterprise does,” Kathryn said.

“Having myself worked across the health sector at Board level for a number of years, I hope that my knowledge will help guide Locala forward and help drive our new and exciting looking strategy. I’m also keen to support Locala’s continuing work to make sure we listen to and communicate effectively with, our colleagues, patients and stakeholders.”

For the past year, Kathryn has been Chair of the Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust – a role she will continue alongside her work with Locala.

Having spent most of her working life as a full-time officer for Nalgo then Unison, Kathryn was also a Hull City Councillor from 1988-2007, and is an Honorary Alderman of Hull.

Kathryn has extensive NHS experience having previously been Chair of NHS Hull and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service – and has also been an Independent Director of community interest company NAVIGO and Chair of the Hull Kingston Rovers Foundation.

Kathryn will begins her new role with Locala this month to enable a handover with Colin Lynch before he takes up his new role as Chair of the Board.