THE National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) has announced the appointment of two senior corporate executives, Bashir Bahaj and Lisa Tookey, to its Board of Trustees.
Bashir Bahaj is joining NASP as Chair of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee and will be leading on financial governance and strategy. Bashir is a partner in Deloitte’s corporate audit practice in London, where he has spent his entire career since graduating from Imperial College London. He has a wealth of experience in working with clients in the UK and internationally across a range of industries and sectors and has held a variety of executive leadership roles within the firm.
Lisa Tookey is a senior commercial leader with over 25 years of global experience driving growth, innovation, and strategy across the retail, consumer, and wellness industries. She is currently the Managing Director of Wellness Solutions at Holland & Barrett, leading innovation in products and services that improve customers’ health outcomes.
In her previous role as Chief Commercial Officer at the Jamie Oliver Group, she led the company’s expansion from a UK-based media business into a global multi-platform brand. She has also held leadership roles in multiple media and brand organisations and advised food-tech start-ups and scale-ups.
Jonathan Badyal, NASP’s interim Chair of Trustees, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Bashir and Lisa to NASP’s Board of Trustees. They bring with them a vast amount of expertise and experience and I know they can’t wait to get stuck in!
“NASP’s research shows the extraordinary impact that social prescribing can have on people’s lives, as well as on the wider NHS. At this critical time for our health system, Bashir and Lisa will play an invaluable role in shaping the future of our work.”
The announcement follows the recent appointment of Professor Kamila Hawthorne as NASP’s new Chair of Trustees.
The Academy is also hugely grateful to Dr Harry Brunjes and Patty Dimond, who are stepping down as trustees at the end of their terms.
Social prescribing is a way of connecting people to non-medical activities, groups and services in the community that improve health and wellbeing. This approach became part of NHS care across England in 2019, with Social Prescribing Link Workers employed by GP practices to support patients. Since then, more than 2.6 million people have been referred to social prescribing services.
NASP was established as a registered charity in 2019 and is at the forefront of developing social prescribing in England and around the world.
