Meet the new trustees

Back to listing

Welcome to our new Chair, Treasurer and Medical Trustee

We would like to wish a very warm welcome to three new NASS Trustees.

Following Raj Mahapatra’s decision to step down as Chair, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Hannah Bruce, who will take over officially on 23 September.

Hannah tells us, “I previously served as a Trustee of NASS and was diagnosed with axial Spa (AS) in 2018. As someone who experienced long delays to diagnosis, I’m a passionate advocate for NASS’ work in reducing diagnosis times and use my influencing skills from my role as Head of Public Policy at the England and Wales Cricket Board to support NASS’ policy work with Government Ministers and MPs”

We are also pleased to welcome a new Treasurer to the board following Nick Reid’s decision not to re-stand. He will be replaced by Mike Frankl who has been involved in the charity sector for thirty years, as a professional as well as a trustee. Mike says “I can see that that 2026 as the 50th anniversary of NASS is a big opportunity to raise additional funds and increase membership. Many projects I have been involved with require fundraising and I have a good track record in helping these succeed.”

We also welcome Dr Jane Freeston as a Medical Trustee of NASS following Professor Hasan Tahir’s decision to stand down. Jane is a Consultant Rheumatologist in the Spondyloarthritis Service at The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and has worked with NASS recently on our time to diagnosis survey and was part of the Leeds Aspiring to Excellence Team. Jane tells us “I cannot think of a better charity for which to be a Trustee.  Its leadership is exceptional, and as a clinician I am fully committed to helping NASS along its journey to inform and support the axial SpA community, raising standards and moving care forward in a positive direction.”

Welcome to all three new Trustees and of course Paul Curry who was re-elected at the AGM. Heartfelt thanks also go to those who stood down for their commitment and input: Nick Reid (Treasurer), Professor Hasan Tahir (Medical) and Alexia Granatt (Lay), plus all those who put themselves forward for election.

 

The results of the NASS AGM 2025

Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote prior to our AGM which took place on Saturday 6 September. The results are as follows:

  1. The AGM approved the minutes of the fifth meeting of the AGM of the National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society held on 28 September 2024, with 225 votes cast in favour and 2 against.
  2. The AGM approved the Report and Accounts, with 228 votes cast in favour and 1 against.
  3. The AGM approved BKL LLP to be the auditor, with 228 votes cast in favour and 1 against.
  4. Election of trustees:

We received one nomination for a trustee to be Chair of NASS. As we were seeking to elect one person, the following was elected unopposed to the Board of trustees: Hannah Bruce

As the Chair is selected by the Board of Trustees, the Board will be asked to approve Hannah Bruce as the Chair of NASS at its meeting on 23rd September 2025.

We received one nomination for a Treasurer trustee. As we were seeking to elect one person, the following was elected unopposed to the Board of trustees: Mike Frankl

We received one nomination for a healthcare professional trustee. As we were seeking to elect one person, the following was elected unopposed to the Board of trustees: Dr Jane Freeston

We received five nominations for one lay trustee role. Votes cast were as follows:

  • Paul Curry – 81 votes
  • Alexia Granatt – 53 votes
  • Emma Leach – 56 votes
  • Akash Patel – 43 votes
  • Sandra Jackson – 25 votes