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Oxfordshire Mind Senior Management Team

An introduction to our SMT, who head our organisation.

Jess Willsher CEO
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Jess Willsher CEO

For Jess, mental health has been a particular interest, ever since her first job in a hostel, where she learnt a lot from the service users she supported and their experience of mental ill health. Over the years she worked in a variety of settings including outreach, day centres and supported housing.

Jess has over 20 years’ experience both in homelessness and mental health charities, initially in Kent and London before moving to work in Oxfordshire in 2012. Jess began working for Oxfordshire Mind in 2017 and became CEO in 2023.

“Leading this incredible team working across Oxfordshire, Reading, Wokingham & West Berkshire is a huge privilege and an exciting opportunity to utilise my skills and experience for an organisation whose values I share. Now more than ever, the work we do together is crucial to ensure everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets both support and respect.”

Eleanor Baylis Deputy CEO/ Director of Services
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Eleanor Baylis Deputy CEO/ Director of Services

Eleanor joined Oxfordshire Mind in May 2024. With a background in psychology, her main interest is improving wellbeing, and her first question about any service is: ‘so, how do we know this is doing anyone any good?’ She has worked in health, mental health and wellbeing services in Australia and the UK, and the high points of her last 10 years has been working in collaboration with other third sector, private and public sector organisations, from primary care through to intensive inpatient services, to bring about positive impact for people in Oxfordshire. Eleanor lives in Botley, a short cycle (or about 3000 steps!) from the Osney office.’

Catherine Whitmarsh Head of Fundraising and Communications
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Catherine Whitmarsh Head of Fundraising and Communications
Catherine has spent most of her career working in the education and charity sectors, most recently with Citizens Advice and Connection Support. She holds a Master’s degree in Voluntary Sector Management from the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Bayes Business School and is a Clore Social Fellow. Catherine leads our development team and is responsible for the organisation’s Grants and Philanthropy programmes. She is passionate about collaborating with others to create long-lasting, meaningful change.
In her spare time, Catherine enjoys all things outdoors, especially cycling and muddy walks with her family.
Sarah Lyles Head of People
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Sarah Lyles Head of People

Sarah joined Oxfordshire Mind in September 2025 and has 20 years’ experience working in predominantly third-sector organisations, including Andover Mencap, the YMCA, and most recently Action for Children, a national charity supporting Children and Young People and their parents and carers.

Sarah has a Master’s degree in Personnel and Development and is experienced in strategic development and consultative support for senior leadership teams, as well as leading teams of HR Professionals to deliver much-valued services to employees, managers, and leaders.

Sarah has two grown-up sons and her favourite hobbies are travelling and reading, which, when combined, are her ideal way to relax and recharge her batteries.

Francis Hale Head of Finance and IT
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Francis Hale Head of Finance and IT
Francis’ role involves overseeing the day-to-day operations of the finance & IT teams, including invoicing, purchasing, payments, and payroll. He is also responsible for working with colleagues on the Senior Management Team to produce budgets and forecasts, and reporting on financial performance in the year.
A chartered accountant with over 25 years’ experience, Francis has held senior finance roles across both the charity and private sectors, most recently with a national veterans charity.
He has a strong track record in financial strategy, reporting, audit, and regulatory compliance, as well as leading IT‑enabled change.
Outside of work Francis is a very keen follower of all kinds of motorsport and likes to spend as much time as he can with his 3 young grandchildren.
Lisa Harle-Ward Head of Wellbeing
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Lisa Harle-Ward Head of Wellbeing
Lisa Harle‑Ward is Head of Wellbeing Services with responsibility for leading and developing a range of community mental health services across Oxfordshire and Berkshire West. She works closely with teams and partners to ensure services are inclusive, responsive, and grounded in evidence‑based practice, supporting people to improve their wellbeing and move towards recovery.
Lisa has extensive experience in mental health service development and staff leadership within the voluntary sector as well as being a qualified coach and NLP practitioner. She is particularly passionate about early intervention and creating compassionate organisational cultures that enable both staff and service users to thrive. She loves to run and climb mountains in her spare time and completed her first marathon in 2024 to raise funds for Oxfordshire Mind.
Simon Pitkin Head of Housing
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Simon Pitkin Head of Housing

Simon has spent most of his career working in the charity sector, mainly in housing and homelessness. He was the manager of the Oxford Night shelter/O’Hanlon House for 17 years, before moving to be Head of Housing for Oxfordshire Mind in 2017. He is a qualified Social Worker, and has a Masters degree in Charity Management. He is a trustee of several charity’s and his local church.

Simon is married with 2 daughters, and enjoys all travel, and most water sports, he has even been known to canoe to work at Osney.