Ellie Orton has been Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together since July 2018. She was instrumental in leading the charity’s award-winning Covid Urgent Appeal during 2020 and has since led a complete transformation within the charity. This was recognised by being awarded Charity Times Outstanding Individual Achievement Award in 2021; Association of Project Management Outstanding Organisational Award in 2021 and being named in HSJ top 100 CEOs in 2021 and Charity Times most pioneering CEOs.

Previously she was CEO at a Coventry based charity working with vulnerable and sexually exploited women, and interim CEO at the Jon Egging Trust, supporting young people with barriers in their lives to reach their full potential. Ellie is passionate about social change and the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which literally translates as ‘humanity’. She loves beaches, running, and her family, including the dog. She was proud to be awarded an OBE in June 2021 for services to the NHS.

Chris joined NHS Charities Together in September 2024 to take forward our internal operations and to ensure we are performing effectively as an organisation. He is responsible for helping the charity to evolve to enable us to achieve our goals whilst also being sustainable.

Chris was previously the Chief Finance and Impact Officer for the not-for-profit Social Finance, seeking the right balance between their finances and their mission. He has worked at a senior level across a number of not for profits and charities overseeing operational, fundraising, HR and finance teams, as well as developing national programmes.

Stuart first joined what is now NHS Charities Together as a member in 2003 when he was Chief Executive of Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity. He has worked for the organisation in various capacities, including three years as Chairman, and has been Director of Business Services since July 2020, undertaking a number of governance and organisational roles, including acting as Director for Grants in 2022.

Stuart is a passionate advocate of good governance and sharing of best practice to allow charities to do the best they can for their beneficiaries and continues to provide advice and support to charities. He is also a Member of the Charity Tribunal which hears appeals against decisions of the Charity Commission.

Louise joined NHS Charities Together in January 2021 from Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust where she had been Director of Fundraising since 2009. She started her career at the National Institute of Conductive Education, then ChildLine, followed by leading the British Heart Foundation’s Central England events team, before moving to Mencap. Louise was also a former Chair of the NHS Charities Together Fundraising Mutual Interest Group.

Chris joined NHS Charities Together in 2022 having spent the previous ten years working within the NHS working in both national policy roles at NHS England, and more recently leading a strategic transformation team in an integrated health system in Greater Manchester. Prior to joining the NHS, Chris was CEO of a charity in West Yorkshire supporting disabled children, young people and their families.

Chris is passionate about tackling inequality, harnessing the power of people and communities to drive change and the role the voluntary sector can play in health, care and wellbeing.

Outside of work Chris is a Director of award winning charitable leisure trust Active Tameside and a Trustee of the Manny Cussins Foundation.

Sarah has a strong track record in not-for-profit and public sector leadership, with over twenty years’ experience of delivering successful marketing and communications strategies for the likes of the NHS, Macmillan Cancer Support and Lambeth Council. She was Director of Engagement at national research charity Fight for Sight before joining NHS Charities Together in January 2021.

Sarah leads the external communications strategy, shaping the NHS Charities Together brand and engagement with charity members, supporters and other key stakeholders.