Leadership team

Nigel Harding

Chief Executive

Nigel joined Shooting Star Children’s Hospices in September 2018 as Chief Executive, bringing 20 years’ of experience in senior appointments in medical and palliative care.

Most recently Nigel was Chief Executive of St Joseph’s Hospice, where he remains a Trustee, and Chief Executive of Woking and Sam Beare Hospices. He previously worked as Director of Development at St John’s Hospice in St John’s Wood, and then moved to Ireland to run the Mount Carmel Medical Group, a private health care company with three acute hospitals in Dublin, Kilkenny and Sligo.

Jenny Johnson

Director of Finance & Resources

Jenny joined Shooting Star Children’s Hospices in March 2017 as Head of Finance, becoming Director of Finance & Resources in October 2019. Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant over 25 years ago, she brings almost 20 years’ of experience in senior roles within financial services organisations.

Prior to joining Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, Jenny had taken a year’s sabbatical after working as Chief Accounting Officer for eight years at Premium Credit Ltd, the number one premium finance company in the UK, providing finance to customers to pay for insurance premiums, school fees, membership fees, season tickets and more. She previously worked for Motability Operations as Head of Finance Services. As operators of the Motability Scheme, their aim is to provide a wide range of cars, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles, scooters and powered wheelchairs that meet its customers’ disability needs.

Best thing about Shooting Star Children’s Hospices:

“I find my job incredibly rewarding – seeing first hand what a difference our care services make to supported families. My previous roles were challenging and rewarding for very different reasons, but at Shooting Star Children’s Hospices I see a much more genuine sense of appreciation for what I do and this makes me want to go the extra mile.”

Clare Reilly

Director of HR

Having volunteered at Shooting Star Children’s Hospices for a year, Clare joined the leadership team as Interim Director of HR in October 2019. Prior to joining Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, Clare ran a successful HR consultancy working with various global clients on organisation effectiveness, change and culture.

Clare brings a wealth of HR experience having worked at director level at Diageo, a global leader in premium drinks, for 12 years. For example, in her role of Talent & Organisation Effectiveness Director Africa at Diageo, Clare was accountable for the development of the talent and organisation priorities across all African markets.

Clare has a passion for leadership development, employee engagement and releasing potential of all staff.

Best thing about Shooting Star Children’s Hospices:

“Having volunteered at Shooting Star House for the past year, I am hugely motivated by all the staff working to deliver the absolute best care for children with life-limiting conditions, and their families, and feel proud to be part of something in my local community.”

Jo Cohen

Director of Operations

Jo was appointed to this new role in April 2021.  Her role is to ensure operational excellence and effectiveness; increase statutory funding; leveraging our existing asses to increase income and embed excellent external relationships with the statutory and hospice sector.  For the previous year, during the pandemic, she had been working as Interim Director of Care-Business.

She has been working at Shooting Star Children’s Hospices since 2011 as Statutory Partnerships Manager and Head of Care – Business Management since 2015.

Jo has worked in the charity sector for 30 years for a range of national and regional disability charities as Regional Operations, Business and Development Manager. She completed her MBA in 2003.

Jo is passionate about charities being run as well as, if not better than, any other business to ensure that the children and families that we work with receive the maximum benefit from the money that’s raised. She considers it a great privilege to be able to work every day in the incredibly special hospice environment.

Best thing about Shooting Star Children’s Hospices:

“Knowing that everyone who works here is passionate about providing the best possible service to the children and families.”

Geraldine Sheedy

Interim Director of Care

Geraldine took up the Interim Director of Care role in April 2020. She has been working at Shooting Star Children’s Hospices in a number of roles since 2010, most recently as Head of Care at Shooting Star House.

Geraldine has more than 30 years of nursing experience across a wide range of service settings including children’s and adult’s hospital care, community children’s nursing services and the private sector. Geraldine undertook her nurse training at The West Middlesex University Hospital in west London and Greenwich University. Her professional qualifications include registration in both adult and paediatric nursing.

Geraldine is passionate about children’s hospice care; as soon as she started working for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices she knew that in this environment she could be the nurse she always wanted to be. She considers children’s hospice care as the gold standard that all healthcare for children should be measured against.

Best thing about Shooting Star Children’s Hospices:

“Every day I have the privilege of witnessing amazing acts of human kindness, care and love.”

Karen Sugarman MBE

Executive Vice-President

Following a career in music, Karen joined Cancer Research UK as a volunteer before spending 15 years working with children and young people living with cancer and leukaemia. Having been aware of the vital importance of the hospice movement due to personal circumstances, it was in 2002 that Karen fulfilled her ambition to work in children’s palliative care when she joined The Shooting Star Trust.

In her current role as Executive Vice-President of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, Karen helps to drive and develop specialist fundraising streams, creating high-profile events and key donor programmes to build longevity and sustainability. Karen works closely with her co Vice-Presidents, who include Tony Hadley and Simon Cowell, and the charities army of high profile Patrons an celebrity supporters.

Karen has been responsible for securing and speaking at private events, including Buckingham Palace and Downing Street, as well as leading on projects such as the X Factor charity singe and working with Patron Dame Joan Collins who has donated much of her vast wardrobe to many of the charity’s shops.

Most recently, Karen secured £250,000 funding from the ICAP Charity Day to refurbish our Guildford hospice, Christopher’s, and was  responsible for working with NEXT to see the charity benefit from the retailers 5p carrier bag levy, raising £300,000 over three years.

Karen has recently become a weekend volunteer at one of our charity shops and looks forward to a weekly visit from some very special four-legged friends: “They know I have a jar of doggy biscuits under the counter. I now know all the dogs by their names; Gilbert the puppy loves our shop!”

In October 2020, Karen was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her hard work and dedication to charity, supporting children with life-limiting conditions, and their families for over 35 years.

Best thing about Shooting Star Children’s Hospices:

“Working with an incredible team across the charity and helping to create some very special memories for the children and families we support.”

Sally Wells

Director of Fundraising Operations

Sally brings a wealth of organisational knowledge and fundraising experience having joined The Shooting Star Trust in 2000. Focusing initially in the trusts and corporate field, Sally was instrumental in helping to achieve the £6.5 million capital appeal to build Shooting Star House. Following this, Sally spent ten years’ specialising in major donor and high profile event fundraising, with a focus on planning and executing the team’s annual strategy.

In her current role, Sally leads the entire fundraising team – Community, Corporate, Specialist, Challenge Events and Supporter Development – overseeing day-to-day operations as well as developing and implementing the fundraising strategy to maximise income generation and help ensure Shooting Star Children’s Hospices remains a leading children’s hospice charity.

Best thing about Shooting Star Children’s Hospices:

“Fundraising, particularly in the current climate, can be challenging, but knowing that every day we’re making a difference to families who desperately need our care and support is hugely inspiring. That, and the fact we have such a dedicated team, makes my job incredibly rewarding.”