The Trust Board
The YAS Board of Directors meets quarterly in addition to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in September. The public may attend these meetings*.
Board meetings are held by videoconference. Recordings of the Trust Board Meetings held in public will be published on the meeting page here.
Board papers will be published here
Board Meeting Dates 2021 - 22
27 April 2021
24 June 2021
27 July 2021
23 September 2021 (AGM)
26 October 2021
25 January 2022
Board Meeting Dates 2022-23
28 April 2022
24 May 2022
26 July 2022
27 September 2022 (AGM)
1 November 2022
2 February 2023

Tim Gilpin
Acting Chairman
Tim Gilpin joined the Trust Board in January 2017 and is an experienced HR professional.
Key Facts
- Has worked at executive level in the public sector throughout his career.
- An experienced HR professional who specialises in workforce development, coaching, mentoring and mediation.
- Extensive NHS experience including roles of Director of Workforce and Education at NHS North of England and Non-Executive Director at Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust.
- Manages a mixed portfolio of work through his own consultancy including search and selection, workforce planning and strategic roles at a regional level.

Rod Barnes
Chief Executive
Rod Barnes joined YAS as Executive Director of Finance and Performance in October 2011, with responsibility for Finance, Procurement, Fleet and Estates, ICT and Patient Transport Service.
He became Chief Executive in May 2015
Key Facts
- A member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) Governance and Audit Committee.
- Previously Director of Finance at Great Western Ambulance Service.
- Worked as Director of Finance at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust (FT) in Bath and Deputy Director of Finance at Taunton and Somerset NHS FT.
- During the early part of his career he worked in Airedale and Harrogate hospitals.
- Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Dr Julian Mark
Executive Medical Director
Julian Mark joined YAS in 2007 and became Executive Medical Director in October 2013.
Key Facts
- He chairs the National Ambulance Services’ Medical Directors group (NASMeD), a subgroup of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE).
- He qualified in Medicine from Leeds University in 1994 (BSc Hons, MB ChB) and holds the Diploma in Immediate Medical Care (DIMC) from the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (2010).
- He also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Medical Law from Northumbria University (2012). In 2017 he was awarded Founding Senior Fellowship of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (SFFMLM).
- His base clinical speciality was in Anaesthesia and held the post of honorary Senior Staff Anaesthetist at Harrogate and District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust until April 2014, subsequently continuing to practise clinically in immediate medical care as a member of the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS). He continues to instruct and examine in Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and previously instructed, examined and directed Resuscitation Council (UK) Advanced Life Support (ALS) courses until 2014.
- He sits on the Clinical Advisory Board for the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care (RCSEd) and on the Clinical Advisory Forum for NHS Improvement. He is a former member of the Department of Health Clinical Advisory Group for Major Trauma in England and is currently a member of NHS England’s Ambulance Response Programme development group.

Kathryn Vause
Executive Director of Finance
Kathryn joined YAS in 2017 as Deputy Director of Finance and was appointed to the post of Executive Director of Finance in August 2021.
Key facts
- Kathryn is an experienced NHS finance professional, beginning her career in NHS finance 30 years ago when she gained a place on the NHS graduate finance training scheme.
- She has worked in senior roles across many healthcare sectors.
- Member of Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy.

Nick Smith
Executive Director of Operations
Nick joined the YAS Executive Team in November 2018.
Key Facts
- Previously Deputy Director of the non-emergency Patient Transport Service at the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
- Nick has also worked at Cumbria Ambulance Service and outside of the NHS in a global IT consultancy company before joining the Welsh Ambulance Service in 2012.
- He started his career in Yorkshire as an ambulance cadet in 1987 for West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service and went on to work as a paramedic at Castleford and Wakefield ambulance stations.

Mandy Wilcock
Director of People and Organisational Development
Mandy joined YAS in 2019 and became part of the Executive Team in June 2021.
Key Facts
- Mandy has over 30 years’ experience working in HR and OD across the NHS at national, regional and organisational levels in acute, primary, community, ambulance and commissioning sectors.
- Her most recent role was the Trust’s Associate Director of Corporate Affairs.
- Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Phil Storr
Associate Non-Executive Director
Phil Storr joined the Trust Board in January 2017 and leads on the valuable work of the YAS Charity.
Key Facts
- 30 years’ experience in the NHS, initially as a paramedic before moving into regional and national operational management
- 15 years’ experience leading and developing health care resilience policy at national and international level
- As Head of NHS Preparedness at the Department of Health led the design and introduction of the NHS Emergency Preparedness Resilience & Response structure
- Significant experience in planning for, and responding to, complex operational challenges affecting delivery of patient services at regional and national level.
- Previous YAS roles include chair of Quality Committee and Deputy Chair.

Anne Cooper
Non-Executive Director
Anne Cooper joined the Trust Board in December 2018 and is an accomplished senior nurse leader.
Key facts
- An accomplished senior nurse leader with a career spanning 35 years in the NHS. Over the last ten years Anne has worked at national level in large NHS organisations, including two years at NHS England.
- Anne is a Fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute and in 2014 was voted by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) and Nursing Times as one of the top 12 social pioneers in health and included on the HSJ’s top 50 list of inspirational women in the NHS.
- Anne is Clinical Director at Ethical Healthcare Consulting and runs a leadership programme for women in health and social care IT, called 'Minerva Now'.

Jeremy Pease
Non-Executive Director
Jeremy joined the Trust Board in February 2019 and has over 35 years' NHS experience.
Key facts
- Jeremy has worked for the NHS for over 35 years in human resources and operational management roles in acute, community, mental health and ambulance organisations, including the former South Yorkshire Ambulance Service.
- His more recent NHS experience includes service improvement roles with NHS Improvement and the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team
- He has previously worked as a Non-Executive Director at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.
- He has been self-employed since 2007 and runs his own management consultancy.

Andrew Chang
Non-Executive Director
Andrew joined the Trust in October 2020 and chairs the Audit Committee.
Key Facts
- Andrew has a senior level experience in governance, risk and internal audit, and has undertaken a range of non-executive appointments across both the public and private sectors.
- He is also a Non-Executive Director at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, where he is Chairman of its Audit Committee.
- His previous posts include Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee at Bradford College, Chairman of Training for Bradford Ltd that trades as City Training Services, Trustee for Bradford Grammar School, Treasurer for Yorkshire WaterAid and Chief Internal Auditor at Yorkshire Water.
- Alongside his Board roles, Andrew is also a Governor at Leeds City College and Vice Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Luminate Education Group.

Amanda Moat
Non-Executive Director
Amanda was appointed to the Trust Board in June 2021.
Key facts
- An experienced senior manager in risk, compliance and quality, with particular expertise in the financial services and legal sectors.
- Has advised on strategic matters including resourcing, diversification, product innovation, mergers and acquisitions, and change management.
- Currently holds a number of non-executive directorships, including The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust where she is the associate NED Safeguarding Lead, Bolton@Home and Arcon Housing Group.
- A Director at Candam Ltd, a Taekwondo school, and a volunteer at Highfield School in Wakefield, a secondary school for pupils with complex needs, and at the Change Management Institute.

Zafir Ali
Associate Non-Executive Director
Zafir joined the Board in June 2021 as an Associate Non-Executive Director (Development), and became an Associate Non-Executive Director in January 2023.
Key facts
- Holds a number of roles at the Government’s Internal Audit Agency: Deputy Head of Internal Audit and Counter Fraud Specialist for the Department of Health and Social Care; Head of Internal Audit for the Health Research Authority and Head of Internal Audit for the NHS Counter Fraud Authority.
- Has extensive audit/business knowledge and experience with over 20 years advising central government departments in governance, assurance, risk management and counter fraud environments and 10 years working in public-facing frontline roles in the civil service.