Our Executive team

Learn more about the people who lead and guide our organisation. Our Executives, along with every member at WithYou, work collaboratively to make positive change in people's lives.

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Simon Phillips

Chief Executive

In his role as Chief Executive, Simon leads the organisation's strategic direction, drawing from over 25 years of experience in developing support services for people most in need.

Simon joined as CEO in January 2024, following 18 years at Macmillan Cancer Support, where he held various Executive and Board level roles. During his time at Macmillan, he held multiple roles including executive accountability for services and partnerships, strategy and performance, fundraising, innovation, technology, and people. Simon brings a wealth of experience, with over 25 years of leading the development of support services for people facing challenges such as cancer, parenting deaf children, and mental health.

Simon's leadership style emphasises a focus on the people we are here to support, and the importance of listening to and empowering our people to drive continuous improvement.

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Grace Marguerie

Executive Director of People and Inclusion

Grace is responsible for the organisation's people strategy, encompassing HR, resourcing, learning and development, and inclusion.

Over the last 20 years, Grace has held various senior HR roles within the realms of Health, Social Care, and Housing. Her expertise has been honed through diverse experiences, and in the last five years, she played a crucial role at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), contributing to the advancement of healthcare standards.

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Kate Blazey

Executive Medical Director

Serving as the Executive Medical Director, Kate oversees clinical leadership within the organisation and is accountable for the application of adequate clinical governance principles across our services. WithYou has services that provide a range of healthcare interventions and a clinical staff team made up of nurses, doctors, pharmacists, psychologists, healthcare assistants and pharmacy technicians. Kate leads the team ensuring this is delivered to a high standard.

Kate's journey in healthcare leadership began as a consultant psychiatrist in an NHS Drug and Alcohol service, where she dedicated five years to patient care. Her transition to WithYou in 2015 began as Medical Lead in a local service, evolving into the role of Associate Medical Director. In addition, she serves as the Responsible Officer and a Caldicott Guardian for the charity. She is driven by a desire to ensure our clients receive good quality, safe and effective treatment.

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Nicola Cook

Executive Director of Operations

Nicola is responsible for overseeing and leading the organisation’s Operations team, with a primary focus on significantly improving the charity's service delivery performance. Nicola provides leadership to our services in England and Scotland.

Nicola joined WithYou in 2024 from The Royal British Legion, where she was responsible for specialist welfare services supporting veterans and those serving in the Armed Forces, and their families, in the UK and overseas. Nicola started her career in politics working in Washington and Westminster. She has since spent the last 25 years working across a range of NHS and charity organisations in senior leadership roles including Macmillan Cancer Support and United Response.

Nicola’s leadership is characterised by an absolute commitment to putting the client at the very heart of what she does, ensuring their voice is heard in terms of service provision and development.

Oliver Seeley

Executive Director of Finance and Resources

Leading our Finance and Resources directorate, Oliver oversees the organisation’s financial position and corporate governance function, including our technology, finance, data, information governance, and risk management.

With an MSc in NGO Leadership, Oliver is an accomplished finance professional with a strong background in finance transformation and change management across various industries, including Accenture and British Red Cross.

Outside of work, Oliver enjoys spending time with his two young daughters, training for triathlons and watching Chelsea FC with his dad and brothers.

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Ruth Mackay

Executive Director of Business Development and Communications

Ruth is responsible for our business development and communications functions, working to ensure that our approach aligns with, and supports, our organisational strategy. She oversees all of our income generation and development in alignment with our external communications and engagement work, and leads our internal communications team. Ruth is also responsible for oversight of our Talking Therapies services.

After completing a PhD, Ruth built early career experience in research, before moving into the third sector to fulfil her drive to work for – and with – those underserved by society. Ruth joined WithYou in 2022, after developing a decade’s experience in business development, analysis and insights, and service design. Her approach is multi-disciplinary, and reflects her diverse experience from a range of third and public sector contexts, including in health and social care, criminal justice commissioning, and the drug and alcohol specialist support sector.

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