Royal Surrey welcomes new Deputy Chair to the Board | News

A senior adviser with extensive experience across the public, voluntary and private sectors has joined Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust as Deputy Chair. 

Mohinder Sawhney - who is known as Mindy - took up the non-executive director role earlier this month (August 2026). In this post, she will work closely with our Group Chair, Joss Bigmore, to support the leadership of our Board of Directors, providing independent judgement and advice to influence strategy and development of the Trust. She will deputise for Joss in his absence and chair board committees.

Having originally trained as an economist, Mindy specialised in regional economic development and worked extensively in the United Kingdom, Russia and throughout Central and Eastern Europe. In addition to her non-executive work, she maintains roles as a senior consultant, advising organisational leaders on questions of strategy, organisation development and digital transformation.

She is an experienced board-level leader having previously held non-executive director roles at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board. She has also chaired a disability charity through a period of transformation.

She brings with her a long-standing love of the NHS, rooted in her mum’s career as a mental health nurse. Mindy said: 

“A non-executive role provides a unique opportunity to walk alongside an organisation and build relationships that last. Since beginning my post here, I've made a point of getting out and about across our sites, because you learn far more about an organisation from its people than from any strategy document. I can already see the commitment and care that runs through this Trust, and I'm excited to be part of its journey ahead.”

Joss Bigmore, Group Chair at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals and Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trusts, said:

“Mindy brings with her an impressive background and a breadth of experience across the private, public and voluntary sectors, including previous NHS non-executive roles. As well as her professional insight, she has a genuine commitment to the NHS and shares our priority of putting patients at the heart of everything we do."

Outside of her work commitments, Mindy is a keen walker, particularly with her husband and children (who she describes as being rather less keen!), and is an enthusiastic gardener - often accompanied by Radio 4 or old-school house at high volume.