HFMA pays tribute to key supporters

HFMA chief executive Mark Knight presented the awards during the key supporters’ dinner, held during this week’s HFMA summer conference in London. ‘Members are at the heart of everything we do at the HFMA,’ he said. ‘The NHS finance community is a close-knit family that is recognised for providing a lot of mutual support.

‘But there are some members who give up significant amounts of their time to support the work of the association and the finance function as a whole. This includes helping to develop and run conferences and events, contributing to the work of our many technical committees and special interest groups, and supporting the work of our central policy and technical team.

‘These members tell us they also get a lot out of their involvement with the association, but these awards are our way of showing our appreciation for their contributions.’

The awards were presented by HFMA president Owen Harkin (pictured).

Honorary fellowships

Honorary fellowships are awarded to members who have made a sustained and substantial contribution to the HFMA. They are often awarded as members retire from HFMA activity or full-time work or as they move beyond the NHS finance function, for example taking up an NHS chief executive role. The following members were made honorary fellows and receive lifetime membership of the association.

Paul Goodfield, helped to establish the person effectiveness and leadership module in the primary care diploma and was a tutor for the HFMA Academy from 2018 to 2020. He has been a great advocate of online learning and has been a Future-Focused Finance value maker since the scheme started in 2014.

Rachel Hardy has been a dedicated supporter of the HFMA for her whole career. While holding chief finance officer roles at local and regional level, she has also found time to be chair of the West Midlands Branch, a committee member and also an HFMA trustee. She is now a financial consultant, HFMA coach and tutor and continues to support the association’s policy work.

Jo Smith is recognised as a great supporter of the HFMA, particularly contributing to its policy and technical work relating to mental health. She has been an active member of the HFMA Mental Health Steering Group, supporting numerous consultation responses, briefings and publications. She has also lent her mental health expertise to the association’s former Prescribed Specialised Services Special Interest Group.

Steve Connor has been a member of the HFMA Governance and Audit Committee since 2009 and contributed to a range of developments, publications and events. He has spoken at HFMA events, contributed to the production and revision of the Audit committee handbook and supported the development of numerous consultation documents. Mr Connor has recently retired from his role as managing director of Mersey Internal Audit Agency.

Jayne Payling first started on the HFMA Eastern Branch committee as a student representative around 1995. She has been an active member of the national student committee and a contributor to early issues of Introductory guide to NHS finance. She was also central to the creation and delivery of summer schools and development events for Anglia and Oxford, and continues to play an active role in the Eastern Academy.

Gill Jacobs is a long-standing branch secretary for the HFMA Kent, Surrey and Sussex Branch. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of the branch, its members and staff development and in 2021 she was awarded a gold key contributor award for her commitment to the branch and the HFMA.

Two further members were awarded honorary fellowships. However they were unable to attend the HFMA key supporters evening and will be presented with their fellowships at the HFMA annual conference in December. 

Elizabeth O’Mahony was appointed NHS England South West regional director in 2019, after more than 20 years’ experience in the NHS, starting in NHS finance. She was previously chief financial officer at NHS Improvement. She has been a member of the association for many years and was appointed to its board of trustees in December 2014, stepping down at the end of January 2022.

Ian Moston is currently chief finance officer at The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, but will move to Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as chief executive in the autumn. He has worked at director level within the NHS for some 17 years and has had a career-long commitment to finance staff development, tracing back to his time as a regional finance trainee. Mr Moston is a firm believer in the power of research, arguing that organisations that invest time and resources in research have better outcomes. And practising what he preaches, Mr Moston has been the chair of the HFMA Policy and Research Committee, which has steered the association’s policy and research work in recent years.

Key contributors

The HFMA awards key contributor awards to members who are active within a branch or committee and help to move the association forward. Key contributors are given five years’ free membership and work through bronze, silver and gold levels.

Bronze awards

Derek Lindsay, director of finance at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, was nominated by the Scottish Branch for his tireless work to expand the influence of the branch and its membership. An HFMA member for over 20 years, he has been a constant advocate for the association, chaired the branch for five years and represented HFMA on the international stage.

Daryl Cockman, head of financial development at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, was nominated by the Eastern Branch, with the opening line of its commendation suggesting he was ‘a local legend’. He has supported staff development in his own organisationa and across the region and remains committed to the HFMA, One NHS Finance and the Skills Development Network, despite reducing his hours as part of a semi-retirement. He will also be a judge on one of this year’s HFMA Awards panels.

Silver awards

Pat Shroff, an independent consultant, is a committed member of the HFMA London Branch.  She continues to lend her expertise to the HFMA Governance and Audit Committee. Her nomination by the HFMA London Branch references the time she spends helping new members to improve their skills, bringing insight and practical explanations to subjects and teasing simplicity out of complex issues.

Malcolm Hines, former chief financial officer now retired, is another long-serving London Branch member who has played a pivotal role in shaping the branch. He has been branch treasurer for a number of years and contributed to the development of business plans and the achievement of priorities. In its nomination, the branch said Mr Hines provided a great deal of support to the branch chair and gave up time to welcome new members and help with orientation. All in all, the branch is grateful for his energy, enthusiasm and support.

Gold award

Lynne Hartley was nominated by the HFMA Northern Branch, which described her as the ‘go to person’ for anything branch committee related. She plays a key role in organising all the professional events run by the branch, as well as helping out with the branch annual conference. As associate director (financial services) at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, she leads the Skill Development Network in the North-East and is described as a proactive committee member and a great role model.


Nigel Booth was nominated by the HFMA Yorkshire and Humber Branch. He has been a long-standing chair of the branch, ensuring it has a high profile for local members and working closely with the Skills Development Network. The branch said Mr Booth was always at meetings and was the first to put his hand up to offer help and support to the association.