Region's Ambulance Service Appoints New Non-Executive Directors

Erfana Mahmood has been selected by the Appointments Commission to serve on the Board of Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust as a Non-Executive Director and Mary Wareing has been appointed by the Trust Board as Non-Executive Director (Designate).

Erfana's appointment was made by the Appointments Commission's Health and Social Care Appointments Committee and runs from 14 May 2012 until 13 May 2016. Mary was selected under the same criteria so that she is able to fill a full Non-Executive Director position later this year from 1 October 2012 when long-standing Non-Executive Director Roger Holmes retires.

Erfana Mahmood - Erfana, from Bradford, is a qualified solicitor with extensive experience in the high value commercial lending and public sector housing sectors. She was previously Head of Volume Commercial Lending at a Leeds-based commercial law firm and sat on the Group Board for Accent Group Limited and is currently a Member of Accent's Audit and Governance committees.

Speaking about her new role Erfana said: "I am delighted with this appointment and am looking forward to applying my legal background and previous Board experience to contribute to the valuable work of the ambulance service in Yorkshire."

Mary Wareing - Mary, an experienced programme director with strong stakeholder management skills, who is from Sheffield, also has extensive experience and an excellent track record in driving transformational change in both the public and private sectors.

Mary is currently a director of Lamont Wareing Limited, a consultancy specialising in operational transformation and change management. Previous roles have included senior positions at Arla Foods UK and Sheffield City Council and as a consultant at McKinsey & Co.

Speaking about her new role Mary said: "I'm very pleased to have been appointed as Non-Executive Director (Designate) and am very much looking forward to working with Yorkshire Ambulance Service and taking up a full role later this year. It is a challenge that I am going to relish and I will enjoy being able to use my experience to support the invaluable work of the organisation which saves and improves lives every day."

Ms Della Cannings QPM, Chairman of Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: "I am pleased to welcome Erfana and Mary to the organisation. We have a high regard for the work of our non-executive directors and Erfana will bring her legal expertise and experience to bear in undertaking her role to hold the Executive team to account and work to ensure patients continue to receive high quality care. Mary has a wealth of experience from the public and private sector and I am confident that her skills and knowledge will be a great asset to us as we continue to develop our services for the benefit of patients and progress towards foundation trust status.

"On behalf of the Trust, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Non-Executive Directors Richard Roxburgh and Roger Holmes who retire this year. Richard left us at the end of July and Roger at the end of September. They have both worked tirelessly to make valuable contributions to the development of Yorkshire Ambulance Service and I wish them well for the future."

Non-executive directors are expected to spend 2 1/2 days a month working for the Trust and receive £6,096, remuneration per year which is the current rate for non-executive directors of NHS trusts.

The appointments have been made in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments' (OCPA) Code of Practice. All non-executive appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity (if any declared) to be made public.

Neither Erfana Mahmood nor Mary Wareing hold any other ministerial appointments and has no declared political activity within the last five years.