Demelza trustee knighted at Buckingham Palace
Sir Richard Douglas has been knighted by Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace to recognise his service to the NHS.
As part of Trustees’ Week this week, Demelza is highlighting the work of its Board of Trustees, volunteers who lead the charity and decide how it is run.
Sir Richard Douglas CB has been a trustee at Demelza since 2022 and was awarded a Knighthood in the King’s Birthday Honours List in June. He was knighted by the Princess Royal at a ceremony at the palace last month.
Richard sits on Demelza’s board as treasurer chair of people, on the Culture and Resources Committee and as GDPR Lead and Whistleblowing Trustee.
His career has been predominately spent in the healthcare sector, with his specialism in finance and policy. After qualifying as an accountant in 1983 while working for the National Audit Office, he then moved into the Department of Health, rising to the position of deputy director of finance and later, chief financial officer.
Richard held the position of CFO for 14 years before retiring from full-time executive work in 2015. Since then, he has taken on a number of private consultancy roles for companies in the healthcare sector. He also held the position of non-executive director for NHS England for five years and currently serves as chair of the South East London integrated care system (ICS).
With more than 40 years of accumulated skills and expertise in the healthcare sector, Richard wanted to give back to his local community. In 2022 he joined children’s mental health charity Place2Be as a trustee, and three months later joined Demelza’s Board of Trustees.
Trustees’ Week runs from Monday 4 November to Friday 8 November and takes place every year to celebrate the achievements of almost one million trustees who have committed their time to charities across the UK.
Demelza has 18 trustees on its board, including a Demelza parent, an RAF pilot and an employment lawyer.
Demelza CEO Lavinia Jarrett said: “We would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Sir Richard on his Knighthood. We are extremely privileged to have Sir Richard as a treasurer and trustee; he is a huge asset to our Board.
“Throughout his career, his commitment to public service and healthcare has been nothing short of incredible, and we are grateful he is sharing his years of experience with Demelza.”
"We are extremely privileged to have Sir Richard as a treasurer and trustee; he is a huge asset to our Board."
