Our Directors

CEO

Jane Burns

Jane is the Chief Executive Officer at Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People.
Jane has worked in the Third Sector for over 30 years and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. She has held several roles as Director of Income Generation often combined with Marketing and Comms in very different organisation and for very different causes. They have included Help the Aged, the MND Association and YMCA England. She has been CEO at Rainbows since September 2023, having previously been Director of Income Generation and Marketing.
Jane is passionate about the support that Rainbows offers to babies, children, young people and their families across the East Midlands and the difference it can make. She is committed to ensuring that we deliver on our strategy to increase our reach and provide the Rainbows experience wherever it is needed.
Jane is also a Priest in the Church of England and is licensed to two parishes in Kettering in the Dioceses of Peterborough.

Executive Nurse & Director of Clinical Operations

Julie Taylor

Julie is the Executive Nurse & Director of Clinical Operations at Rainbows Hospice or Children & Young People Julie has been nursing for 35 years and has built a wealth of experience in large complex organisations in a variety of sectors. Julie is a registered Adult & Children’s Nurse with specialist qualifications in Paediatric Intensive Care, Advanced Neonatal Nursing & Healthcare Leadership. She has spent the majority of her career in Children’s & Neonatal Services within the NHS in Leicester & Birmingham. All of Julie’s senior roles in recent years have incorporated leading on the Safeguarding agenda for the organisation. She has advanced training in Safeguarding children & adults and is the Executive Lead for Safeguarding at Rainbows Julie has a particular interest in Research, Quality Improvement, Safety & Governance & Leadership Development.

Director of People

Julia Bates

Julia is the Director of People at Rainbows Hospice for Children & Young People.
Julia is an FCIPD qualified HR generalist with over 25 years experience in HR, and for the last 12 years in the charity sector.
At Rainbows, Julia oversees the People, Facilities and Deputy Executive support functions. Her passions lie in organisational culture, inclusivity and developing a workforce fit for the future.
Julia is currently Chair of the University of Leicester students union, a role which enables her to continually develop and support the next generation of students.

Director of Income Generation and Marketing

Nishil Saujani

Director of Finance

Josie Lee

Josie has a BA (Hons) in Management Studies with French from the University of Nottingham and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Josie qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in Nottingham, working on wide-ranging clients in the Audit department before transferring to work in industry. Josie has worked for Supply Pilot, an IT software business helping major retailers to engage with and collect data from their suppliers, for the last 11 years, becoming CFO and a key member of the management team in 2018. Supply Pilot successfully gained 2 rounds of private equity investment in 2016 and 2021 and after the business grew and diversified it’s customer base Josie was a key player in it’s sale to a US company in the Autumn of 2023 and has been helping the transition and integration of the businesses since then. In her personal life Josie has been married to James for 21 years and has 3 teenage daughters Harriet (18), Rebecca (16) and Eliza (13) as well as a very cuddly cockerpoo, Murphy. She is a regular gym goer, skier, sings with a female vocal ensemble (Mirabile) and is a long time member of Trent Vineyard Church in Nottingham, where she volunteers with children with additional needs. Josie is also always up for a challenge and will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in October.

Director of Digitally Enabled Transformation

Samuel Massiah

Our Trustees

Chairman of the Board

Paul Stothard

“Supporting extremely talented colleagues in shining a little bit of joy into what is otherwise a very dark world for the families, children and young people we help”

Vice Chairperson

Sue Dryden

“As a Trustee it’s a privilege to be part of a team that helps families create happy and lasting memories as they care for their child at the end of their lives.”

Treasurer

Angela Browning

“I feel proud and grateful to play a small part in helping the wonderful Rainbows’ team to make a difference to life limited children and their families.”

Trustee

Richard Whall

“Having the privilege of working in a diverse and talented team to support staff in providing great care to life limited children and their families.”

Trustee

Chan Kataria

“I am privileged to be a Trustee of Rainbows, which is an amazing organisation that makes a real difference to Children and Young Persons at a crucial time in their lives.”

Trustee

Andy Matthews

“Every day Rainbows makes an unimaginable difference to many families. It is a privilege to be part of such an amazing organisation.”

Trustee

Vipal Karavadra

“Playing my small part in the amazing and vital organisation and being able support the much needed and selfless work the team do at Rainbows is a privilege to me”

Trustee

Vijay Sharma

“I feel privileged as a Trustee to play a small part in supporting Team Rainbows in making a huge difference to children and young people with life limiting conditions and their families. ”

Trustee

Alison Neate

“As a parent of a young child and also as a professional, being a part of this amazing organisation and having the opportunity to contribute to it’s incredible achievements is something of which I am very proud.”

Trustee

Lotte Rietveld

“I’m honoured to be a part of ensuring Rainbows children, young people and families receive the support and care they need to make the most of their lives during an unimaginably difficult time. “

Trustee

Ruchira Bhalla

“As a GP and mother, I am honoured to merge my professional and personal experiences, bringing my skills to such a dedicated team contributing to the compassionate care for children, young people, and their families in navigating their journeys”

Trustee

Dr Pete Barry

“I have worked with colleagues at Rainbows for many years in my former clinical role, and I am honoured to join you all as a trustee. Rainbows really is a special place, and I hope that I will be able to contribute to support its continued development wherever the wotk of the charity is needed. “

Trustee

Dan Walsh

“Within other roles I have undertaken, I have been fortunate enough to witness the incredible impact that Rainbows has made on numerous families. I feel extremely privileged to be able to be involved with the charity and amongst the incredible team of people who make it all possible.”