Welcoming two new members to our Trust Board
We are pleased to welcome Phil Cowdy as Non-Executive Director and Zakki Ghauri as Associate Non-Executive Director.
Both bring a wealth of experience and expertise from senior leadership roles across the public and private sectors and will play an important role as we deliver our Trust Strategy 2026-2031 and Make Life Better Together for the people and communities we serve.
Phil Cowdy brings extensive board-level experience spanning healthcare, finance, strategy and corporate affairs. Most recently, he served as Chief Corporate Development and Corporate Affairs Officer at Smith & Nephew plc, a global medical technology company, where he was responsible for mergers and acquisitions, strategy and external communications and was a member of its Executive Committee. He retired from the company in May 2025.
During a 35-year career, Phil has advised on major corporate transactions, organisational strategy, reputation management and stakeholder engagement. Prior to joining Smith & Nephew, he spent 13 years at Deutsche Bank, providing corporate finance and capital markets advice to a wide range of UK companies. He has significant healthcare industry knowledge and currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of Bioventus Inc, a US medical technology company. He is also a qualified chartered accountant and brings extensive experience of governance, risk management and board assurance.
As a public service technology leader with more than 20 years' experience, Zakki Ghauri has led digital transformation programmes across local government, policing, arts and education. He is currently Group Director of Digital, Information and Technology Services for the City of London Corporation and its Institutions, including the City of London Police, Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama and City Schools.
Throughout his career, Zakki has championed the use of technology, data and artificial intelligence to improve outcomes for communities, while also strengthening cyber resilience, modernising public services and promoting digital inclusion. He has been recognised in the CIO100 list of the UK's leading technology leaders in both 2024 and 2025 and was named in Computing magazine's Top 100 IT Innovators and Changemakers in 2026. Zakki also serves on the Local Government Digital Panel and the Local Government Association's AI Steering Group, and is a Local Government Association Peer for both digital and cyber. He is passionate about the responsible and ethical adoption of AI, public sector innovation and supporting the next generation of digital leaders.
Ann Beasley, Chair of South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, said:
"I am delighted that we have appointed Zakki and Phil to our Trust Board.
"They are both highly respected leaders with a wealth of experience and expertise, and I know they will bring valuable insight and constructive challenge to the Trust Board. I look forward to working with them as we deliver our Trust Strategy and Make Life Better Together for the people and communities we serve."
