NHS Board
NON EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
Chair - Vacancy
Marsali Caig Vice Chair
Marsali Caig was born and brought up in Kirkcudbright. Following legal training at university and Law School in England she worked in Whitehall for a number of years supporting Health Ministers and the Secretary of State for Health with developing their policy portfolios and parliamentary health & social care business in the House of Commons; this included assisting with speech-writing and attending Health Questions. She gained significant experience of communications, virtual project management and rapid turnaround of work, as well as building comprehensive knowledge and experience of stakeholder management, analysis, policy development and inter-departmental working (such as the Sure Start programme). She also worked with Special Advisers to the Secretary of State for Health to ensure health policy developments were communicated effectively and timeously to the House of Commons.
She returned to her native Dumfries & Galloway and worked in a number of positions in the early days of Joint Strategic Planning & Commissioning between the NHS and Local Authority before moving to work in Cumbria, leading on a range of areas including business development, development of clinical care pathways, a turnaround Programme focused primarily on organisational culture and governance, and a major financial recovery programme.
She has been a Trustee of the local charity Food Train, and is currently Chair of Dumfries & Galloway Citizens Advice Service.
Marsali is passionate about values based leadership and organisational culture. She has considerable personal experience of health services.
She was initially appointed in 2020 by the Scottish Government as a Whistleblowing lead NED following the Sturrock Report and recommendation, before becoming Vice Chair in 2023 and more recently taking on the role of Interim Chair since August 2024.
Dr Greg Black
Dr Greg Black has a background in physics and engineering as well as project management, risk and assurance. He has worked in the radioactive substances industry for a number of years including both the private and public sectors, most recently as a Senior Regulator and Advisor.
Greg has experience of leading and delivering large and complex projects, managing risk and financial performance. As a regulator he has experience of auditing on behalf of the public to ensure that organisations’ manage risks to the public and the environment and scrutinising their governance arrangements.
Kim Dams
Kim Dams’ career covers the private and voluntary sector in a wide range of leadership roles, including in finance, risk, compliance and data management. Kim has extensive experience in good governance of boards, risk committees, finance committees and audit committees and has chaired several Board sub committees.
She brings experience in leading and overseeing organisational change, governance in fast developing organisations and of the operational delivery of customer services.
Kim is passionate about rights-based, person-centred and value driven policies, focussing on people-led decision-making, community engagement, equality, human rights and the intersectionality of rural issues.
Gwilym Gibbons
Gwilym Gibbons is a social-value creative leader, producer, Lifeboat Crew Member, and former Park Ranger. He has been Chief Executive of The Crichton Trust a social enterprise in Dumfries since April 2018, where he is leading a bold vision for a new way to work, live, study and play – cross-generational, age-friendly and adaptive, low carbon and tech-enabled while staying highly socially connected. Gwilym was previously Chief Executive of Horsecross Arts, where he led the Perth Concert Hall team and the £16m redevelopment of the historic Perth Theatre. For eight years prior he was the first Director of Shetland Arts, in which capacity he spearheaded the development and construction of the award-winning Mareel, the UK’s most northerly cinema and music venue. As a social entrepreneur Gwilym holds several non-executive roles including Chair/Co-founder of the Future Economy Company and Chair of Tourbook CIC. Gwilym is co-chair South of Scotland SCDI and a former Board Member of Creative Scotland.
Self-educated while growing up in communes throughout the UK, after two experimental years in school, Gwilym found his way into the arts through a youth arts project in Milton Keynes, beginning his career as a freelance drama and circus workshop leader and street theatre performer. Gwilym is a Fellow of RSA, Chartered Fellow of Chartered Management Institute and was awarded in 2014 an Honorary Fellowship of University of Highland and Islands for his contribution to arts and education.
Garry Forsyth
Garry Forsyth retired from policing in 2023 following a career in six different forces around the UK. He was one of the UKs Counter Terror Commanders, and a highly experienced Gold Commander for Public Order, Firearms and CBRN. He was one of the Gold Commanders for the Olympic Games and for the riots in 2011 and has an excellent understanding of managing risk. He also has extensive experience in leading large scale change and transformation programmes in three different forces over 10 years which have consistently delivered substantial savings at the same time as improving performance and operational delivery for the public. Garry is passionate about public service, fairness and organisational culture and was awarded the Kings Police Medal in 2023 for distinguished services to policing.
Vacancy
HEALTH BOARD EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS
Julie White Chief Executive
Dr Ken Donaldson Medical Director
Katy Kerr Director of Finance
Katy Kerr worked in the NHS in the North East of England for a number of years before taking up employment as an Accountant with the NHS in Dumfries where she has worked since 1998. Whilst her background is mainly in Primary Care, she has been involved in major service change, including leading on significant capital developments. In December 2013, Katy was appointed as Director of Finance for NHS Dumfries and Galloway. Katy is a member of the NHS Board’s Management Team, supporting decision making processes for the organisation and providing corporate leadership. Katy also plays a key role in Integration in Dumfries and Galloway and was appointed Chief Finance Officer for the Integrated Joint Board in 2016.
Roles/memberships/representation:
NHS Dumfries and Galloway
- Executive Director
- Board Member
- Endowment Fund Trustee
Dumfries and Galloway Integrated Joint Board
- Chief Finance Officer
External organisations – NHS
- Director of Finances
- Family Health Services Executive Group (Chair)
- South East and Tayside Regional Planning Group Member
- West of Scotland Directors of Finance
- Scottish Screening Committee
External organisation – Health and Social Care Integration
- Integration Development
- Integrated Joint Board Chief Finance Officer
- Scottish Government/Community Pharmacy Scotland
Valerie White Director of Public Health
Valerie White is Director of Public Health (DPH) at NHS Dumfries and Galloway. Valerie qualified from Glasgow University as a dentist in 2001 and worked in clinical roles in general dental practice, hospital and community settings in the UK and Australia before returning to the UK to undertake further training in Dental Public Health in the North East of England and East of Scotland. During her training in Dental Public Health Valerie completed the Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, a Masters in Public Health at the University of Glasgow and Diploma in Dental Public Health at the Royal College of Surgeons England. Valerie took up her first Consultant post in Dental Public Health at NHS Dumfries and Galloway in 2010, before moving into the DPH role in 2019 initially as Interim DPH taking up the substantive role in 2021. Valerie is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.
Valerie is passionate about promotion of good health for all and has a specific interest around collaborative and partnership working to address the wider determinants of health, in particular in relation to tackling poverty and inequality.
OTHER REPRESENTATIVES
Bill Irving Chair Area Clinical Forum
Vicky Keir Employee Director
