Governance

Jenny joined The Retreat’s Senior Management Team in 1996 as Director of Finance, after a career as a chartered accountant working for leading accountancy firm Grant Thornton, in Bradford and Leeds.

She became Chief Executive at The Retreat in 1997 and began building up her management team. During her time at The Retreat Jenny has helped the organisation gain financial stability and gain its reputation as a provider of high quality specialist services. Together with the rest of her team, she has also modernised its image, whilst retaining and respecting its traditional values.

Jenny is a former trustee of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and is currently a member of Council at the University of York.
Contact Jenny McAleese

Robert was appointed as Director of Finance and Facilities at The Retreat in 1998, following 16 years as Regional Finance Director and Head of Property Management at Lambert Smith Hampton chartered surveyors in Sheffield. Previously he completed his training as a chartered accountant in Sheffield.

He is responsible for overseeing The Retreat’s finances, including its contracts, procurement, cash flow and trading performance. In addition, Robert has overall responsibility for The Retreat’s physical facilities including capital developments, properties and grounds.
Contact Robert Brownlow

Chris joined The Retreat as Consultant Psychiatrist in 1993, having worked as a Consultant in the NHS service in Trafford, Manchester. Arriving at a time of huge change in the organisation, Chris contributed to the development of all our services, and fostered the development of an increasingly psychologically-informed approach to psychiatric care.

Initially he worked in all areas of the hospital, but over the years has focussed increasingly on his particular interests in working with people who have experienced trauma, or have a diagnosis of ‘personality disorder’ or an eating disorder. He set up and is responsible for the Acorn Programme, a residential Therapeutic Community for women, which was the first Therapeutic Community in the country to achieve accreditation by the Community of Communities. He also started our work with Eating Disorders, and initiated the development of our Eating Disorders service. As a Group Analyst as well as a Psychiatrist, Chris emphasises the social and psychological aspects of recovery, and is interested in how the unit environment can be made therapeutic.

Chris has been Medical Director since 2007, working to ensure the whole of the Retreat works psychotherapeutically, and that people using the services and people providing them share an environment which encourages thinking and recovery.
Contact Chris Holman

Roland was appointed as Director of Clinical Services in the spring of 2010. He is currently engaged in the creation of proposals for new services at The Retreat and ensuring the continued organisational maturity to take The Retreat into the future.

Roland is a Chartered Psychologist and prior to his current role was the Director of Forensic Service with Affinity Healthcare, where he introduced new secure forensic services. Prior to this time he spent thirty years working in the criminal justice system, most of it within the prison system, both public and private. He was Director of Therapy at HMP Dovegate’s two hundred bed therapeutic community, from its design in 1999 to full operation and accreditation in 2006. Roland practised in and managed the psychological services at HMP Gartree where he opened the first therapeutic community for life sentence prisoners, which still flourishes today.

His particular areas of interest are in the design of planned therapeutic environments and living systems, group therapy, Personality Disorder, murder, the assessment of risk and the management of hostage negotiation. Roland continues to be involved with the Association of Therapeutic Communities and the Royal College of Psychiatry’s Community of Communities Quality Network.
Contact Roland Woodward

Stuart is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and has spent his working life in technical and commercial roles in both the private and public sectors. These have included being Supply and Contracts Director for British Coal and more recently Director of Procurement at Powergen and Commercial Director for the NatWest Group. He has also been Procurement Director at HM Treasury and is a past President of the International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management.

Stuart now combines his role at the Retreat with other voluntary work and with research in management as a Professor at Southampton University School of Management, specialising in supply economics. He is also Chairman of the Reform Club’s Science and Technology Group

He is a member of Friargate Quaker meeting York and has previously served as clerk of Doncaster Quaker meeting and as Clerk of Finance for Yorkshire General Meeting of the Society of Friends

Kay has been a Director at The Retreat since 2005, she combines her commitments  at The Retreat with sessional work as a lay member on the Fitness to Practice Committees of both the General Medical Council and the General Dental Council. Closer to home in Cumbria, she is involved with a number of village activities, which along with family responsibilities and a large garden keep her fully occupied in retirement! 

She retired as Director of Social Services for Cumbria over 10 years ago, after working in a number of locations across the UK and was delighted to be appointed to serve at The Retreat as this combined both her professional experiences and skills with her life long membership of the Society of Friends.