Our dedicated Trustees play a vital role as guardians of the charity, providing strategic oversight and supporting the work of our small, committed team based in Evesham.

Our Board brings together a wealth of expertise from a diverse range of professional backgrounds, including NHS clinicians, journalists and even a Formula 1 motorsport engineer. Alongside their professional knowledge, every Trustee also brings either personal or family experience of pre-eclampsia, united by a shared passion for improving outcomes for women and families affected by the condition.

If you’re interested in becoming a Trustee and helping to shape the future of APEC, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact abbie.harris@apec.org.uk to express your interest, and we’ll be in touch if a suitable opportunity arises.

Andrew Shennan is Professor of Obstetrics at King’s College London, based at St. Thomas’ Hospital. He is clinical lead of the Maternal and Fetal Research Unit, and specialises in clinical trials in antenatal and intrapartum care. His research interests include interventions to prevent preterm birth, pre-eclampsia, encouragement of normal birth and the use of blood pressure monitoring.

He chaired the Department of Health Committee on Blood Pressure Monitoring in clinical practice, and sits on the relevant committees for the International Standardisation Organization (ISO) and the British Hypertension Society (BHS). He also advises the World Health Organisation (WHO) on perinatal research.

Kate was a Consultant Obstetrician at Guys’ and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust in London. She was appointed in 1997 and retired in 2022. As a high-risk obstetrician she took a particular interest in hypertension in pregnancy, renal disease and women requiring critical care. Kate worked closely with Professor Lucy Chappel supporting pregnant women with hypertension, undertaking primary research and ensuring that best practice was embedded across the hospital.

Kate has been heavily involved in both undergraduate and postgraduate education (as a regional lead educator in advanced antenatal care). Kate has been involved in multidisciplinary education including co-author of the Kings College midwifery HDU course, Baby Lifeline and in house PROMPT training.

In her roles as clinical lead and deputy medical director for safety at her hospital Kate was able to influence guideline development, innovation and implementation, and response to critical incidents, thus improving outcomes across a range of specialities. Talking with the families is a vital part of improving clinical services.

Kate has been involved with APEC for a number of years as a lecturer, director of education and trust, she is currently the Deputy Chair.

Darren is married to Julia and they have two wonderful sons, Joseph and Daniel. Tragically, Darren and Julia lost their first born, Emma to Pre-Eclampsia in 1994, aged just 5 days. Darren and Julia have been supporters of Action on Pre-eclampsia for several years and following a reduction in his work commitments, he hopes to be able to offer a Fathers’ perspective for APEC.

Darren has spent his career within banking and asset management, so, as well as offering a fathers’ perspective, he is able to offer his expertise on all matters finance related.

Jenny is a Professor of Obstetrics & Maternal Medicine within the Maternal & Fetal Health Research Centre, University of Manchester and Consultant Obstetrician, St Mary’s Hospital. As an obstetrician, Jenny works on the labour ward of this busy tertiary unit (>9000 deliveries), leads the diabetic, renal and hypertension service and runs two translational research clinics for women with hypertension and diabetes.

She currently leads a portfolio of clinical and laboratory science studies which spans vascular and placental biology research, preclinical models, observational cohort studies and intervention trials before, during and after pregnancy.

Jenny is also the lead site investigator for several multicenter studies related to hypertension and diabetes in pregnancy. Jenny chairs the North West Pre-eclampsia Guideline Group, is the Maternal Medicine representative for the British Maternal & Fetal Medicine Society, is a Consulting Editor for Plos Medicine, Secretary of the RCOG Blair Bell Research Society and has served on several NICE committees.

Anita Banerjee is an Obstetric Physician, General Medicine Physician and Diabetes and Endocrinology Consultant. She is an Honorary Reader in Obstetric Medicine, at King’s College London Anita graduated from King’s College, London and completed her endocrinology and diabetes training in north-west London. She worked at the Vascular Biology Institute with Gary Striker in the USA on diabetic nephropathy and women’s health. Her main interests are social health inequalities, education, high risk pregnancies and cardio-metabolic health. She is a censor for the RCP and the Clinical Academic Programme Education and Training Lead for Kings Health Partners for women and children. She is one of the central physician assessors for the UK confidential maternal deaths enquiry and the current educational lead for the UK Maternity Cardiac Society. She is one of the founding members of the RCP Obstetric Medicine diploma and co-authored the RCP acute care toolkit on managing acute medical problems in pregnancy. She has co-produced and led on innovation in healthcare and was the lead obstetric physician for the first Ockendon national report. She is a trustee and the honorary Educational Director of APEC.

Dianne has been a midwife since 1983 and worked in clinical, educational and managerial roles. During this time she became aware of APEC through learning about study days and the reading the first published book by Prof Chris Redman.

In 2005 she launched her own company MidwifeExper.com, providing education to parents and professionals, with a specialist interest in waterbirths. She has honorary roles in Birth Centres in Wenzhou China and Hyderbad India and is  clinical governance lead for Waterbirth International based in Florida, USA.

In 2010 Dianne became a trustee for APEC and continues to work as a midwife in her local hospital ensuring professional standards are maintained in line with NHS and NMC guidelines. She has been published widely in professional and consumer journals and has written 4 published books on waterbirth. Dianne acts as a specialist advisor to the CQC, undertaking legal work for NHSLA and private solicitors.

In 2019 Dianne was awarded an RCM fellowship for work worldwide in waterbirth.

Vijya is an experienced Property Manager for a Lettings and Property Management Company and currently lives with her husband and two young boys in London.

Vijya has been involved with APEC since 2012 and went on to become a trustee in 2015. She has been a regular speaker at the APEC study days for midwives where she shares her own personal experiences of pre-eclampsia during her first pregnancy. Sadly, in 2012 she lost her first son Krishan at 27 weeks to pre-eclampsia. Following this devastating loss, Vijya and her husband raised nearly £3,000 for APEC in their son’s memory.

Vijya is strongly committed to supporting current and future women and their families who experience pre-eclampsia, as well as sharing her experiences to educate health professionals to increase awareness.

Rob is a parent advocate trustee and lives in Northampton with his wife Kate, four year old Elsie and baby Chloe.

In 2015 he sadly learned how deadly pre-eclampsia can be when baby son Theo died shortly after birth and Kate was very lucky to have survived. Since then the couple have raised over £80,000 in memory of Theo for the local Hospital and charities such as APEC and Tommys.

Rob ran the London marathon in 2016 and since then has spoken at APEC expert days, study days and a Round Table event at the House of Lords. He is passionate about helping APEC educate families and especially partners and dads on the signs and dangers of this terrible condition. “I feel very honoured to have been asked to become an APEC trustee and that this is a great way I can honour my son’s memory and make sure his mark on the world is a good and important one. “

Rosemary has been the resident doctor on BBC Breakfast, and writes a weekly column for the Daily Express and Sunday Express Magazine. She was also the Medical editor and feature writer for Woman and Home magazine. She has written several books, including Doctor’s Notes : more incredible tales from a doctor’s surgery, and her most recent Book Menopause: The Answers.

She is still a practising doctor, working as the senior partner at a practice in south London. She has worked as the national GP representative on the Committee on Safety of Medicines, been a member of the Human genetics Commission and a non- executive Director of the Health protection Agency. She has just been appointed as a non-executive director of Sports Coaching UK.

She trained in medicine at Cambridge University, where she was awarded double first class honours. She was awarded an M.B.E. for her services to healthcare in 2004, and was awarded ‘Health Advice Columnist of the Year’ in 2016.

Dr Lisa Hinton is an Associate Professor based in the Medical Sociology and Health Experiences Research Group, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. Lisa leads a programme of applied social sciences research that aims to understand patient and staff experiences, and evaluate new interventions aimed at improving maternity care and health inequalities. Lisa often collaborates with APEC on research. You can read more about her work here.

James was Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the University of Leeds, working in St James University Hospital until September 2019. James is the Clinical Director of Maternity Investigations and Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB). He is former National Professional Advisor for Maternity care Quality Commission (CQC) and Former Senior Vice President of the RCOG with a remit for Global Women’s Health. His special interest is in High-Risk Obstetrics particularly Early Pregnancy Loss, Pre-eclampsia, Labour Ward Management and Obstetric Emergencies. He was instrumental in the orchestration of DAUs.

James retired as an APEC Trustee in September 2021 after joining in 1995. He is now our Honorary Medical Director.

Executive Director

Abbie joined the charity in February 2022 and has progressed through the organisation from Finance Lead, to Education & Operations Manager, and now Executive Director. Her progression reflects her exceptional leadership, dedication and commitment to improving outcomes for families affected by pre-eclampsia.

As Executive Director, Abbie leads the charity’s strategic direction and day-to-day operations, working closely with the Board of Trustees, clinical partners and supporters. She also remains the primary contact for our helpline and is APEC’s designated Mental Health First Aider.

Abbie’s passion for APEC’s work is deeply personal. Following the premature birth of her son, Jude, at 24 weeks and 5 days due to severe pre-eclampsia, he fought bravely for 32 days. Her experience drives her determination to raise awareness, improve care and support research into the condition.

Outside of work, Abbie is a proud mum to her lively seven-year-old daughter and enjoys going to the gym and spending time with her family.

Finance & Operations Manager

Debbie joined the charity in March 2024 as an Administration Officer, bringing with her a strong background in administration and accounts within the property management sector. Through her dedication, expertise and commitment to the charity, she has progressed to become our Finance & Operations Manager. As the charity’s operational backbone, Debbie oversees finance, governance, compliance and administrative support, providing the infrastructure that enables the team and Trustees to deliver APEC’s work effectively.

With a family history of pre-eclampsia, Debbie was closely monitored throughout her own pregnancy. Her experience has given her a strong appreciation of the importance of raising awareness and supporting families affected by the condition.

Outside of work, Debbie enjoys spending time with her husband, Calum, their three year old daughter and their mischievous Springer Spaniel, Diaz. She loves travelling, making memories with family and friends, and is proud to be part of a team making a real difference every day.