Board of Trustees

Miss Helen Cocks

President of ENT UK

Helen Cocks is Clinical Director for Head and Neck and a Consultant Head and Neck and Endocrine Surgeon at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust. She is heavily involved in education as an educational and clinical supervisor. She has been an SAC liaison member and curriculum lead during the introduction of the new curriculum. and she is an experienced intercollegiate examiner. She has published a number of papers and book chapters. She has been PI for a number of portfolio studies, currently PATHOS and LARCH. She successfully completed the Lady Estelle Wolfson Emerging Leaders Fellowship at the RCS Eng in 2017 and is the President of ENT UK.

Mr Taran Tatla

President-elect

Taranjit Singh Tatla (Taran Tatla) graduated with first class Intercalated BSc in Anatomy (1994) and MB,BS (1996) from University College London, before rapid progress through basic and higher surgical training incorporating posts at many of the renowned London teaching hospitals. FRCS (ORL-HNS) was awarded from the Royal College of Surgeons in England (2006) and he has been a full-time NHS consultant at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust since 2008, specialising in ENT surgery with Thyroid, Head and Neck (H&N) and Laryngology sub-interests. In 2018 he completed his PhD collaborating with the Hamlyn Centre for Robotics (Imperial College London), and Applied Optics Group (University of Kent), developing a novel multimodal optical imaging platform for clinical application. This forms the basis of his ongoing translational research activities. Taran continues to manage a wide variety of patients, contributing as a core member to the local H&N Cancer and Thyroid Cancer MDTs (Chair for the latter), providing community, secondary and tertiary care services for NW London. Clinical interests include disease screening, minimally invasive endoscopic surgery and LASERS for diagnostics and therapies, complex swallow and tracheostomy care, as well as evolving digitally integrated service delivery models incorporating tele-training and telemedicine.

His clinical work has been complimented by research, training and leadership roles that have provided unique interface and collaboration between health care professionals (HCPs), clinical academia, Med-Tech and Pharma partners from across industries. He has delivered various multidisciplinary postgraduate courses nationally since 2004, core learning themes including optimised team working, linked learning and research between HCPs and engineers from University of Kent (Canterbury), University College and Imperial College London. In 2015 he set up the celebratory Rowena Ryan Trainees and Trainers annual awards, now incorporated into the ENT UK Foundation, and include an international focus.

Taran has served as the ENT Lead for the NIHR NW London Clinical Research Network (2012 – 2024), Training Programme Director for ENT Higher Surgical Training (North Thames, 2018 - 2024), elected council member of the British Laryngological Association (2019 to date), Honorary Secretary for ENT UK (2020 - 2022) and founder committee member of the ENT UK Foundation (2021 – 2024).

Prof Nirmal Kumar

Professor B Nirmal Kumar, Chair ENT UK Foundation

Professor Nirmal Kumar is currently Chair of the ENT UK Foundation which is the philanthropic and fundraising arm of ENT UK and was President of ENT UK (2019-2022). His full-time clinical role is Consultant ENT surgeon at WWL Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, UK where he is also Associate Medical Director having previously been Director of Medical Education for several years. Regionally, he led the ENT Northwest research network for the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) between 2015 and 2022 and is currently leading many NIHR trials. Nirmal is Honorary Professor at Edge Hill University Medical School where he is UG clinical lead and is also quality lead for the PG MCh & MMed programme. He is a FRCS (ORL) examiner, former vice-chair of the Specialist Advisory Committee in ENT and current council member of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. Nirmal is Fellow of the Academy of Medical Educators, Fellow of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers, RCS Edinburgh, Honorary Fellow of Sri Lanka College of otolaryngology, and Indian Academy of ORL-HNS. He is MD, PhD examiner for several Universities in the UK and abroad, delivered invited key-note lectures and orations around the world and has published more than 200 peer reviewed articles in the medical literature.

Mr Andrew Kinshuck

Honorary Treasurer

Miss Nara Orban

Honorary Secretary

Nara Orban was appointed as Consultant ENT Surgeon at St Bartholomew's and The Royal London Hospitals in 2017.  She studied medicine and Imperial College, Charing Cross Hospital and trained in both Oxford at the John Radcliffe Hospitals, as well as London including at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital and had worked at the Airway Fellow at Charing Cross.

Her interests are focused on airway and voice disorders as well as disorders of the nose and sinuses, in both adults and children.  She is dedicated to surgical education teaching, marking and supporting the Masters in Surgical Education course at Imperial College and is the Royal College of Surgeons Tutor for Barts Health.

Mr Ram Moorthy

Clinical Trustee

Mr Sean Carrie

Clinical Trustee

Sean Carrie has been a Consultant ENT Surgeon at the Freeman Hospital and HonorarySenior Lecturer at Newcastle University since 1999. His interests in rhinology are office-based surgery and surgical outcomes.

He is Past President of the European Rhinologic Society (ERS) and the Past President of the British Rhinological Society (BRS). 

He is Chairman and convenor of the Newcastle Sinus Surgery course. He has also served as ENT UK Council member and as a member of the SAC in Otolaryngology.  

He was Chief Investigator of the NIHR funded ‘NAIROS’ multicentre RCT of septoplasty. He has additional research interests in the growth of nasal mucosal cell cultures in vitro.  

Ms Janet Legget-Jones

Lay Trustee

Janet started life as a vet after studying at Cambridge, she spent 10 years working in a variety of practice including 5 years in Hong Kong. 

Her career since then has a background in Animal Health Pharmaceuticals, followed by consultancy within her own speciality of marketing (market research & business analysis).
She moved into the Higher Education sector in 2006 working in clinical general management, fundraising and developing marketing strategy for 5 years developing a North Wales Clinical School.
She then returned to consultancy with a contract working for Lintbells as Business Development Director 2 days a week. 
5 years as Education Programme & Comms Manager for Liverpool Health Partners.
Started as Head of Education Business Development and Support for the Royal College of Physicians, now Associate Director for Education.

When not working she sings in 2 choirs in North Wales, runs half marathons, plays netball and has a smallholding. 

Professor Nigel Weatherill

Lay Trustee

Nigel studied mathematics at university and after a short time in industry has followed a career in academia. Initially a teacher and researcher, progressing into management, leading to the position of a Vice-Chancellor, his academic career has provided opportunities to be involved with many exciting projects. These have included designing a supersonic car to leading the UK National STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) project, to Scientist-in-Residence in Singapore and a Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Now retired, Nigel is active in numerous voluntary roles that most recently have included Chair of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Chair of Crimestoppers (Merseyside) and Chair of the North West Regional Advisory Board of the Canal and River Trust. He is also a trustee of the Maggie’s Cancer Centre at Clatterbridge Hospital.

His passion for the outdoors has taken him to remote places around the world, usually in the pursuit of big trout and salmon!

Ms Elaine Hanly

Lay Trustee

Elaine is a portfolio non-executive Director with 20+ years board director and Committee Chair experience across financial services companies and non-profit boards. Elaine was a Senior Partner and former Head of Banking & Financial Services at one of Ireland’s largest corporate and financial services firms. 

She was previously Trustee and member of Council at The Royal Victoria Eye & Ear Hospital Dublin , Ireland’s national centre of excellence for Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology.

She is currently a non–executive Director of Allianz Darta Saving Life Assurance, an Irish-regulated insurance company and Gresham House Investments ICAV.

She previously sat on the Boards of UniCredit Bank Ireland plc, Helaba Dublin LandesbankHessen Thüringen International and a Stanley Black & Decker insurance captive.

She earned her first-class honours BCL from University College Dublin and is a member of the Law Society of Ireland. She completed the Harvard Business School’s Corporate Director Certificate in 2021 and is a member of Women Executives on Board  (WEoB) and co-chairs their EMEA Group.