The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has announced the appointment of two new members to the executive team. Robbie Turner will be joining as Chief Membership Officer and Hannah Leonard as Chief Policy Officer and will work alongside existing Chief Executive Gill Walton and Chief Operating Officer Chris Truman.
Gill said of the new appointments:
“With our new strategy, we saw an opportunity to ensure that our internal structures allow us to be by the side of our members and to be even better at what we do. I’m delighted that Robbie and Hannah will be joining us, bringing with them a wealth and breadth of knowledge. We are incredibly lucky at the RCM to attract – and retain – such talented staff, both from within and outside the midwifery community. Now more than ever, our members, and prospective members, need the best team by their side, and we absolutely have that.”
Robbie Turner is currently Director of Inclusion & Diversity at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), where he leads the development and implementation of RIBA’s inclusion strategy. Previously, he served as the Executive Director of Pharmacy & Member Experience at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), where he oversaw work to expand the role of pharmacists ensuring that they were supported to deliver high quality clinical services. In each of his roles Robbie has consistently focused on improving members’ lives by advocating for better conditions, culture, and professional development.
Robbie said:
“I am so pleased to be joining the RCM, particularly at such a pivotal time for the midwifery community. I’ve spent many years working in and around membership organisations and I’m really looking forward to bringing what I’ve learned to the College. Most importantly, though, I’m looking forward to finding out what our members think, what they want and need from us and how we can deliver for them. The RCM’s strategy is called ‘by your side’ and we absolutely have to be by the side of members, giving them the support that helps them to be the best midwife, maternity support worker or student midwife they can be.”
A midwife since 2009, Hannah Leonard is currently Deputy Director of Maternity and Perinatal Services at Dorset Integrated Care Board, where she leads on improvements across the system for local maternity and neonatal care. Hannah has a strong track record in service improvement, clinical leadership, research, and education. She has contributed as a midwifery expert for several MBRRACE perinatal reviews. In 2021, she became Consultant Midwife Training Programme Pathway Lead at Health Education England Southeast, supporting individuals and organisations through mentorship and consultancy.
Hannah said:
“Throughout my career, I’ve been passionate about high-quality care, not only in my own practise by supporting others to deliver it too. I understand firsthand the impact of both good and poor care on staff and families, and I understand the work that’s needed to ensure every midwife, every maternity support worker, every woman and her family has a positive experience of maternity services. I’m really looking forward to joining the RCM to help shape the national agenda so that every member of the midwifery community is valued and supported in the vital work they do.”
The new RCM executive team will be in place by the autumn.
