Who We Are – The Team

With a distinguished career spanning 40 years in the Consumer Finance Industry, Steve brings a wealth of experience and a forward-thinking approach to his role as Chief Executive Officer at the British Acoustic Neuroma Association (BANA) at our Head Office in Chesterfield. Since joining, Steve has been pivotal in managing and administering the charity, working closely with our Trustees to ensure effective governance and strategic direction.

Steve’s role encompasses the development of core strategies and meticulous budget management, ensuring that BANA operates smoothly and sustainably. He leads our core operational activities, including governance and fundraising, with a commitment to enhancing our impact and outreach.

Lou has over 40 years NHS experience working as a Senior Registered Staff Nurse  and the last 25 years of this as Community Staff Nurse. Lou also has  20 years experience in Bookkeeping, which she did on a small scale alongside her nursing, and she has excellent communication skills. Lou is based in our Chesterfield office, and can be contacted for help, advice or just a chat anytime.

“I feel with my medical background I can offer help and support to all our members, and I love working for the charity. At home I enjoy the outdoors, gardening and family walks with our dog. (We always end up in the pub !)”

Justine graduated in 3D design in 1992 and worked for several Companies including Thames Cancer registry, and Guy’s and St Thomas’s hospital in London providing Admin Support. Justine set up her own Campervan hire business in 2016, creating her own Company Website, and marketed the business through social media.

Over the last 4 years Justine has also worked as an Admin Manager for an international organisation providing training programmes for overseas Emergency Medicine doctors, and also owns and runs a small upholstery business.

“Outside of work I love live music and festivals and really enjoy running my small upholstery business, specialising in mid century furniture. I find supporting the members here at BANA is so fulfilling“.

Craig is a patient advocate and medical writer/manager working in the medical communications area in patient engagement. He started his career in this space more than 20 years ago.  Craig is passionate about helping people understand complex concepts and language, particularly in the medical field. This work aims to help people truly understand the information they’re being given, so that they’re empowered to make informed health and wellbeing decisions that are right for them. Craig believes that everyone should have access to clear information. His areas of interest include medical ethics, informed consent, health literacy, AI, insights gathering and health psychology.

“I am delighted to be a part of BANA as Trustee and Chair, and look forward to helping the Charity grow and evolve to support as many people as possible, in the ways they need.”

Peter is a consultant ENT surgeon with a special interest in skull base surgery and hearing implants. He was appointed at the University Hospital Birmingham in 2010 and is also an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham. He leads the skull base MDT in Birmingham and has a dedicated acoustic neuroma clinic with hundreds of patients under his care. Peter is the current President of the British Society of Otology.

“It is an honour to be involved with BANA as a trustee. BANA has supported many of my patients with their diagnosis and treatment journey.”

Sue is an Audiologist, Hearing Therapist and Hearing Aid Dispenser. Currently running her own private hearing healthcare practice in North Yorkshire after a 35 year career as an Audiologist.

After training in the NHS in Bradford Sue became involved in training other Audiologists whilst working for hearing aid manufacturers. She has always had a keen interest in professional issues and was a member of the British Academy of Audiology Board for 8 years before she took over as the President of BAA for 2 years.

Sue has a keen interest in hearing rehabilitation and specialises in hearing technology.

“I’m delighted to be involved with BANA as a Trustee and on the Medical Advisory Panel, I hope I can bring my knowledge and experience of working in many aspects of Audiology into the role and help our members advocate for their hearing health”.

Jools works as a Nurse Consultant within the Cambridge Skull Base Unit, where she has been based since 2010. She co-leads the NF2 service for the East of England/Midland region and is the primary contact within her team for patient experience, including user and carer issues.

She is a previous member of the British Skull Base Society Council, is a current member of the national Vestibular Schwannoma audit and research panel and she routinely provides advice and guidance to relevant charities and patient support groups for people affected by NF2 and skull base disorders.

Clinically, Jools manages nurse-led clinics for patients with vestibular schwannoma, catering to those undergoing surveillance and those post-surgery or radiotherapy. She provides a direct point of contact for patients needing assistance with symptoms stemming from their condition or treatment. Jools participates in skull base multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings and consultant clinics, ensuring patient advocacy and support are central to discussions.

Pooja works in digital quality assurance for healthcare organisations and is passionate about improving healthcare quality and access to healthcare through technology. She has been in this space for several years and is particularly interested in making complex processes more efficient and accessible, ensuring that people can confidently use technology to support health and wellbeing. Pooja believes that technology has the power to transform patient outcomes and is dedicated to driving innovation in this field.

Pooja was diagnosed with an AN/VS in May 2023 and underwent trans lab surgery in November 2023. From her own journey, she recognises how personal and unique each person’s experience with Acoustic Neuroma can be.

“I am honoured to be a BANA Trustee and to work alongside the charity in supporting those affected by an Acoustic Neuroma. I look forward to contributing to BANA’s efforts in providing guidance, resources, and a strong community for everyone on this journey.”

Andrew was a joiner/carpenter after leaving school at the age of 16. In April 2017, Andrew was diagnosed with a 3.5 cm AN/VS. Due to its size and position, he needed urgent surgery to remove the tumour via Translab surgery in May 2017. Post op, he woke with no hearing or balance nerve, and grade 6 (highest grade) facial palsy that led to multiple operations on his eye, including eye weight. He is now on eye drops and night gel for life.

Andrew is so positive in every aspect of life, he takes each day as it comes and now has more appreciation for life and feels like one of the lucky ones with a second chance at life: “one door closes, another opens” is one of his favourite sayings. He still continues his favourite hobby, running, all over the countryside on his trail runs, plus still playing 5-a-side football and hiking.

Aarti has almost 20 years’ experience working as Head of Finance and more recently in commercial finance, with a focus on strategic planning, governance and transformation.

She was diagnosed with a large acoustic neuroma in 2023, which led to several major surgeries, lasting side effects and a long recovery. During this time she discovered BANA and found reassurance and connection through its community.

Aarti is family-focused and loves spending time with her husband and twins. She also enjoys keeping fit through weightlifting and boxing, and describes herself as someone who doesn’t take life too seriously and tries to bring an infectiously positive outlook to everything she does.

Brian Moore is Emeritus Professor of Auditory Perception at the University of Cambridge. His research interests are: the perception of sound; mechanisms of normal hearing and hearing impairments; the relationship of auditory abilities to speech perception; design of signal processing hearing aids for sensorineural hearing loss; methods for fitting hearing aids to the individual; design and specification of high-fidelity sound-reproducing equipment; perception of music and of musical instruments.

Professor Ramsden was a consultant neuro-otologist in Manchester for over 30 years. There, he had a particular interest in the surgery of acoustic neuroma. He pioneered the multichannel Cochlear Implant in the UK as well as the Auditory Brain Stem Implant. Richard was President of ENT UK and was awarded an MBE for services to Otolaryngology in 2015. He’s now based in the balmy southern climes of Oxfordshire.

Dani is extremely proud to be an ambassador for the British Acoustic Neuroma Association (BANA), using her personal experience to support others and their families that have been impacted by acoustic neuromas. Having surgery to remove the tumour aged 22, Dani was a Professional Footballer for Liverpool FC, and almost three months to the day after surgery made her debut in the Champions League. Since retiring from professional football, Dani endeavour’s to serve as a positive role model for life after surgery, sharing her story and experiences to inspire others facing their own challenges.