Sheila Chingono is a Government Lawyer, Adult Crime Magistrate, public speaker and stroke survivor. In 2023, Sheila experienced a life-changing haemorrhagic stroke at the age of 32, resulting in left-sided paralysis. Through determination, rehabilitation and the support of others, she successfully returned to work as a Government Lawyer, resumed sitting as an Adult Crime Magistrate, and also returned to her part-time retail role at Next—demonstrating that rebuilding a career after brain injury can take many forms. As a volunteer ambassador for Different Strokes, the UK's charity for working-age stroke survivors, Sheila speaks nationally on recovery, resilience and returning to work, using her lived experience to help employers, healthcare professionals and organisations better understand the realities of life after stroke. She is passionate about ensuring lived experience shapes professional practice, workplace inclusion and public policy.

Clare is a highly specialist neurological occupational therapist with over 15 years of clinical experience, predominantly with adults. She has worked across the patient pathway, from hyper-acute stroke and major trauma services, through early supported discharge and inpatient neurological rehabilitation to longer term community rehabilitation services. She is passionate about the creative problem solving which lies at the heart of occupational therapy and loves the holistic nature of neurological practice. Alongside her clinical work she has worked as an expert witness with Harrison Associates for over four years. Last year she left the NHS to work as a freelance neurological occupational therapist, predominantly with those who have experienced personal injury. She enjoys learning about the latest developments in clinical practice, supervising junior staff and leading training sessions. Her particular interests are dysexecutive syndrome, the frontal lobe paradox, and the interaction between interoceptive awareness and functional neurological disorder. Clare enjoys working with clients on the spectrum of return to work input, spanning from pre-vocational input to supporting high level staff to remain in post following mild TBI.

Holly King brings twenty years of specialised experience in complex trauma and amputee rehabilitation. A distinguished career in military rehabilitation, at Headley Court and the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, shaped her expertise in treating the consequences of major trauma, including post-amputation pain, which she now delivers through her clinic, HK Physio Limited www.hkphysioltd.co.uk.

Holly has published academic research on electroacupuncture for phantom limb pain and, in January 2025, co-authored landmark research into the harm caused by repetitive testimony in catastrophic injury litigation.

Since November 2025, Holly has been Co-Director of AR Training www.art-training.co.uk, equipping healthcare professionals working in major trauma with the expertise and confidence to deliver exceptional rehabilitation.

In 2023, she founded Stride Forward www.strideforward.org.uk, a charity providing vocational, non-clinical mentoring that helps people whose lives have been changed by serious injury or illness achieve their goals in employment, business, social enterprise or sport.

Matt Bourn is a Chartered Financial Adviser who works with individuals and families following life changing injuries, including acquired brain injuries. He supports clients both during litigation and after settlement, helping them make informed financial decisions and plan for the future. By working alongside solicitors, deputies, case managers and family members, Matt helps ensure compensation awards are managed effectively to provide long term financial security and support clients' rehabilitation, independence and life goals.

Natalie Clapshaw is Director of Development at Headway London, where she leads on partnerships, projects and strategy with a focus on co-production and creativity. She joined Headway in 2016 as a Caseworker and brings a lifelong connection to brain injury support, having begun volunteering at Headway Devon at the age of nine. 

With deep roots in the Headway community, Natalie works to challenge traditional ideas of expertise and create spaces where members are recognised as leaders and collaborators. She has built strong relationships with research institutions, academics and policymakers to ensure that the voices of people with brain injuries are not only included, but central. Her work is grounded in trust, imagination, and the belief that lived experience should sit at the centre of every conversation. 

Laween sustained a brain injury when he was 2 to 3 years old when he had a fall from two floors. Nevertheless, he progressed in his education, and worked in a scientific discipline for 12 years, and then completed a Master’s Degree in Analytical Chemistry. After receiving a late diagnosis of widespread traumatic brain injury in 2016, which he initiated, he secured a job as Office Administrator with Headway the brain injury association and he worked there for around 2 years. He joined The Silverlining Brain Injury Charity in January 2022 where he works full time as Link Worker and Rehabilitation Assistant. It’s a very busy job but he enjoys it.

As Link Worker, Laween represents the Charity at conferences and delivers talks to solicitors, case managers, healthcare professionals etc. The aim is to promote the Charity, increase awareness of brain injury, and let people know about the support and services available to Charity members (Silverliners). Laween also attends parliamentary events and meetings to keep up to date with the ABI Action Plan and other developments in parliament.

As Rehabilitation Assistant, Laween supports Silverliners and helps them to join activities and meetings. He sets up online Zoom calls for Silverliners, publishes the monthly calendar, and reminds everyone about upcoming events. He also meets Silverliners face-to-face at events.

Laween even parachuted from 15,000 feet, in September 2025, to raise money for the Charity. It was an awesome experience!

Francesca Pounds qualified as a Registered General Nurse in 2010 and has worked as a Case Manager since 2019. She has extensive experience supporting clients with acquired brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, complex mental health conditions, and orthopaedic injuries.

Francesca has developed particular expertise in managing complex mental health and behavioural needs alongside physical disabilities, as well as navigating challenging family dynamics across both active and settled cases. Her previous roles as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in end of life and palliative care, and as a carer for a medically complex child, provide her with valuable insight into grief, family experiences, and holistic client support.

Known for her diligent, flexible, and compassionate approach, Francesca is based in Bedfordshire and supports clients nationwide. She is committed to continuous professional development and regularly undertakes specialist training to enhance her case management practice.

Having survived being DOA at hospital following an incident that ended his career in the army, Jonathan found his second career to be in the charity sector. For the last twenty or-so years, he has worked to help support other people who are living with brain injury and complex neurological challenges. In 2021, he approached The Silverlining Brain Injury Charity with a proposition of employment, and thanks this time to being the right face, in the right place, at the right time, he continues to devote his professional life to raising funds to support The Silverlining Charity. He has a wonderful wife, two incredible daughters and one noisy Jack Russell, Tilly!

As well as being a song writer (https://soundcloud.com/jon-davies-music) he also delivers motivational talks inspired by his lived-experiences (Agent: Champions UK)

Simon Wilson suffered traumatic cardiac arrest when he was run over by a lorry in September 2022. His obvious physical injuries include two amputations; but it has been the unseen brain injury and partial loss of vision which have proved most challenging.

Simon was a Secondary Headteacher and struggled to adjust to his new life. It has been with the support of Stride Forward, along with a dedicated psychologist and occupational therapist, which has made the biggest difference to his new life.

Stride Forward matched a mentor with Simon who was able to develop with him a new sense of purpose, which is why he is here today as a Lived Experience Speaker; his aim is to benefit others by sharing his experiences.

Meg Fozzard is a South London based disabled freelance producer. Her career as a producer began back in 2018 when she studied Creative Producing for Digital Platforms at the National Film and Television School. There, she learnt how to produce for AR, VR, podcasts, smart home devices and social media.
 
She graduated in February 2019 and became disabled in April 2019, drastically altering her career.
 
Her career highlights include working as a Producer on the Museum of Austerity XR experience with director Sacha Wares, the National Theatre and the English Touring Theatre, working as the Project Coordinator on the podcast Equal Too: Achieving Disability Equality with HARDER THAN YOU THINK ahead of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo and being part of the team at BBC Voice and AI that created Beat the Bot, an AI voice controlled quiz.

She is now leading her first project, Cripping Up, a virtual reality experience about her day to day life navigating the world as a wheelchair user.

Anisha is an independent neuro-specialist speech and language therapist, lecturer and researcher with over 15 years’ experience in neurorehabilitation and acquired brain injury (ABI). Her clinical and academic work focuses particularly on cognitive-communication disorders (CCD) and ABI. She chairs the RCSLT’s ABI Clinical Excellence Network and has lead-authored the updated RCSLT’s national clinical guidance on ABI as well as co-authored RCSLT’s new CCD clinical guidance.

Anisha is passionate about advocating for individuals with brain injuries; raising awareness of the subtle and often hidden communication changes that follow as a result, and improving support for communication and participation across all aspects of the individual’s life. 

Alice Collier is a Senior Associate in the Court of Protection team at Irwin Mitchell. She specialises in managing deputyships and trusts for both adults and children who have received multi‑million‑pound settlement awards following serious personal injury or clinical negligence.

Alice has a broad range of experience, including gifting and statutory will applications and has a particular focus on deputyship cases with an international dimension. Alice acted for the successful applicant in IMTC v KS, a case which clarified the jurisdictional limits of the Court of Protection in relation to minors habitually resident abroad, and provides training in this area.

In addition to her legal work, Alice is a trustee of Southwest London Headway, a charity dedicated to improving life after brain injury.

Paul Doherty is an occupational psychologist, employment consultant and vocational rehabilitation practitioner, and co-founder of Doherty Stobbs. He has more than 30 years’ experience as an expert witness and has assessed and worked with many people with brain injury, both within and outside the legal system. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, awarded in recognition of an outstanding contribution to the application of psychology to work, and a Fellow of the Academy of Experts.

His wider career has included Ministry of Defence research into stress, resilience and performance in hostile environments, specialist behavioural assessment for the NHS and policing, senior government assessment, and award-winning work on the Civil Service Fast Stream. This broader experience of selection, assessment and workplace performance informs his approach to employment after brain injury.

In his work, Paul is often asking a series of practical questions. What has changed since the injury, and what has not? Is intellectual ability preserved but judgement, inhibition, self-awareness or stamina affected? Can the person not only perform a task, but sustain it across a working week without exhausting themselves? Does educational success, perhaps achieved with significant structure and adjustments, translate into the less predictable demands of employment?

He also considers the three stages of employment: getting a job, keeping it and progressing. What barriers arise in recruitment and selection? What adjustments are needed to maintain work as roles, managers or organisational cultures change? What happens when progression brings greater interpersonal, organisational or leadership demands? He is particularly interested in the demands of professional and senior roles, self-employment, and the interaction between pre-existing neurodivergence and acquired brain injury.

Paul undertakes expert work for both claimant and defendant solicitors, as well as single joint instructions. This gives him experience of the different arguments advanced on each side about employment prospects, rehabilitation, reasonable adjustments and future earnings, and of the distinction between what may be possible in supportive circumstances and what is likely to remain sustainable in the realities of employment.

Maria Rovira-Martin is a Senior HR Business Partner at Irwin Mitchell. With extensive experience supporting leaders and colleagues across a large professional services organisation, she is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces where everyone can fulfil their potential. Today, Maria will be sharing practical insights on supporting people with brain injuries to successfully return to and thrive in employment

Qualified physiotherapist with over 13 years of experience across NHS and private healthcare settings, specialising in intensive care, neuro-rehabilitation, and clinical leadership. In my current role as a Support & Rehabilitation Coordinator at Irwin Mitchell, I work closely with clients, families, healthcare professionals, and support services to identify our clients’ needs, overcome barriers, and access the resources required to maximise independence, wellbeing, and quality of life. I am passionate about taking a holistic, person-centred approach that helps individuals achieve the outcomes that matter most to them

Professor Rafey Faruqui, FRCPsych, FHEA, MSc, MA, MSc. DIC

Rafey Faruqui is Editor of Oxford Textbook of Neuropsychiatry and a former Chair of Faculty of Neuropsychiatry at the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych). He has served as a member of RCPsych Council (2012-2016 & 2021-2025) and as a member of RCPsych Board of Trustees (2021-2025). He is appointed as an Honorary Professor at the University of Kent and as a Consultant Neuropsychiatrist at Kent & Medway Mental Health Trust. He has previously taught `Professionalism, Law and Ethics` at the Kent & Medway Medical School and worked as a Clinical Research Fellow at Imperial College London.

He has served as a member of Mental Health Specialized Clinical Reference Group of NHS England and as a Specialist Adviser to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

His academic and research interests include, health policy, service structure research, workforce development, rehabilitation of people with brain injury, lifestyle medicine, and forensic aspects of neuropsychiatric practice.  He is convenor of `Brain Health Research Group in Kent` and works closely with primary care, psychology, neurophysiology, neurology, and researchers working in areas of neuroplasticity, exercise science, and endurance research.

Luke Parry is a traumatic brain injury survivor. He was a student at Oxford University studying general engineering and was in his third year when he fell and lost part of his skull. He was initially told he might not walk again and so rehabilitation took up most of his time. He gave lots of help around the house to gradually regain some independence, and now runs, swims and competes in hyrox. He volunteered at the rehabilitation centre which once treated him, The Lewin, accompanied by his support worker. To gain independence his first paid job was walking dogs and assisting in creating Neumind with his twin brother, Ellis, where they are both co-founders. He also volunteered at Shepreth wildlife park where he worked in the education centre and continued in this vein with his next voluntary job, at Sancton Wood school working in the Science department. Luke is an ambassador for science in education, helping to run enrichment and outreach clubs with a dream to inspire others to think beyond imposed limitations to do something they enjoy and which will make a difference to others.