Who we are

Dr Roman Raczka BSc MSc DClinPsy AFBPsS CPsychol is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist working as the Consultant Lead Clinical Psychologist for Central London Community Health (CLCH) NHS Trust where he is the CLCH Trust Head of Psychology and the Inner London professional lead for Clinical Psychology

Roman has previously worked in a number of London NHS Trusts as well as having an academic appointment at Royal Holloway, University of London, and visiting lecturer in the London Clinical Psychology training courses.  

Roman has had a number of leadership roles in the BPS including Chair of the Division of Clinical Psychology, DCP England Lead, and DCP London Chair.

He was the DCP representative on the BPS Covid Co-ordinating Group and Chaired the COVID Adaptation to Practice sub-group leading on the development of a number of COVID publications.

Dr Laura Dean is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Principal Occupational Psychologist in the Cabinet Office.

She also has an academic appointment at Birkbeck, University of London. She is a Principal Fellow of Advance HE and has over twenty years of HE teaching and psychology practice experience.

Laura is a member of the Division of Occupational Psychology, Division of Academics, Researchers and Teachers of Psychology, and the Register of Qualifications in Test Use.

Dr Carol Cole MA (Hons), MSc; PhD, AFBPS is a chartered psychologist and has been a member of the BPS since she was an undergraduate at the University of Glasgow. Following completion of her doctorate and clinical training at Birmingham University she worked as a clinical psychologist before becoming a change management consultant with the NHS and head of health at the Office for Public Management.

She then established a successful consultancy in organisation development, applying the principles and practice of psychology to enhance the effectiveness of organisations, teams and individuals.

She has worked in the UK, Europe, the USA and the Middle East with clients from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Having developed a particular interest in board effectiveness and governance, she has built a portfolio of trustee and non-executive roles.

Bruno is a highly respected community psychologist with a deep commitment to inclusive, participatory and creative approaches to research and education. He currently serves as Chair of the BPS Southeast Branch, where he has played a key role in promoting community-led and socially responsive psychology.

Alongside his work with the society, Bruno brings a wealth of leadership experience from across public health and community sectors. He has served as Chair of the Brighton & Hove Health and Wellbeing Board, is a member of the Sussex Safeguarding Board, and a Governor of Sussex Hospitals.

His award-winning work has included contributions to the United Nations Report on Poverty, and his research and publications span topics such as social injustice, homelessness, and austerity.

Professor Patricia Hind is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist. She is a Trustee of the BPS and Chair of the Education and Training Board. She has been a member of the BPS since she was an undergraduate at Leeds University, where she was Chairman and co-founder of the first Undergraduate Psychology conference in March 1972.

She holds a master’s degree in industrial/Organisational Psychology from the University of Hull and a PhD from the University of Leeds which examined the complexities of managing volunteers. Her career led her to City University where she designed, developed and obtained accreditation for the MSc in Organisational Psychology.

Her expertise in in Leadership and Executive Development. As a scholar practitioner she is Professor of Leadership and Management Development and currently senior adjunct faculty and researcher at Ashridge Executive Education, part of Hult International Business School. She has been a visiting

Professor Carol McGuinness is Professor Emerita at Queen’s University Belfast. She is a Chartered Psychologist, member of the Division of Academics, Researchers and Teachers in Psychology, the Cognitive Section, and the Northern Ireland Branch.

She graduated from University College Dublin with a 1st class honours BA psychology degree in 1972, and an MA in 1974. She received her PhD from Queen’s in 1979, where she has worked for most of her professional life, teaching and researching.

She has been a passionate advocate for teaching psychology, both locally in Northern Ireland and UK wide, and was awarded a National Teaching Fellow in 2000 (the first year the fellowships were awarded).

With a background in cognitive psychology, Carol's research has a strong educational focus.

Professor Tony Lavender’s training in Clinical Psychology was at the Institute of Psychiatry and Doctorate from Kings College London (1977-1979).

He has played a leading role in workforce development nationally with the Department of Health, British Psychological Society, National Institute of Mental Health and NHS Digital.

He has published extensively on services and therapies for people with psychosis and personality disorder, workforce planning, the history of clinical psychology and more recently anorexia.

He held roles as Dean of a large Faculty and then Pro-Vice Chancellor (covering research, internationalisation, sustainability and equality and diversity) at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Dr Richard Stephens is a Chartered Psychologist with a research career spanning 4 decades.

Richard is Chair of Research Board, and a former Chair of the Psychologist and Digest Editorial Advisory Committee (2020-2025) and of the Psychobiology Section (2013-2017).

Richard’s early CV comprises research on the neuropsychological effects pesticides, mild head injury, and alcohol.

More recently Richard has developed an international reputation for research on emotional language.

His research on the benefits of swearing for pain tolerance and for performing physical tasks has been widely disseminated. Richard also practices science communication, regularly writing and giving talks about psychological science for non-academic audiences.

Matthew is a management consultant and mental health advocate with an academic background in psychology. He has worked on behavioural change for global organisational change programmes as well as stakeholder management and assurance exercises. 

Matthew has also served on the governance board for a charitable digital training programme, which fostered intergenerational relationships and increased digital inclusion within a large local community. Alongside his consulting work, Matthew co-chairs a global mental health employee resource group, overseeing mental health awareness across multiple locations. 

As part of this role, he leads awareness raising events intersecting on the topics of mental health, gender identity, cultural diversity, gender equity and physical disabilities. He is passionate about ensuring that people from all walks of life can find like-minded communities and be signposted to the most relevant support for them, whenever needed. 

David Carew is an elected trustee of the BPS and an experienced Occupational and Organizational Psychologist with practitioner and senior leadership experience gained across several public, private and non-government organisations in the UK, Europe and the United States.

He obtained his BA and MA in Psychology from University College Dublin and an MSc in Occupational Psychology from Birkbeck College, University of London, and is currently Senior Lecturer in Organizational Behaviour in the Faculty of Business and Management at Cranfield University.

Prior to joining Cranfield University his most recent appointment was as at the UK Department for Work and Pensions where he held the role of Chief Psychologist and Head of Profession working in policy development and operational delivery.

Previously, he has worked in human service organisations in various roles, prisons, and in the development of employment services for underserved groups.

Before retirement from the NHS, Julia ran an innovative community child psychology service for many years that she had developed from scratch, and was involved at a senior management level at the Trusts she worked in.

Julia was also closely involved in the training of clinical psychologists, both in teaching and supervision.

Following that, Julia was a member of the National CAMHS Support Service, including a period of being the East Midlands Lead. This service was established jointly by the last Labour Government’s Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department of Health to work with services and commissioners on improvement programmes for NHS CAMHS services.

Julia was a Specialist Advisor with Care Quality Commission for a number of years, taking part in many inspections.

Jon has held a series of senior HR Director roles within a variety of commercial organisations. These include Diageo, InterContinental Hotels and most recently Barclays Bank.

At Barclays Jon held a global role responsible for culture change and organisation development.

Jon began his corporate career at Mars Confectionery and has worked in the UK and the US.

Jon is now consulting independently on culture, change management, senior team effectiveness and leadership development.  

Matthew Howell has held a number of senior leadership roles within a variety of commercial organisations as well as professional bodies.

These include Deloitte, RSM, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and the British Medical Association (BMA). Most recently, he serves as CEO of Nexia, a global accountancy and consultancy network.

At both RICS and the BMA Matthew led the organisations to support their focus on adding value to existing and new members.

With a background in international marketing, Matthew brings a commercial perspective and focus on how organisations can grow sustainably.

Kevin was appointed Trustee in April 2023.

Kevin has 30 years’ experience in senior finance roles in professional practice and public company finance, including healthcare businesses, serving as both Audit Partner and Chief Financial Officer.

Kevin is Chairman of Marlowe plc, a leader in business critical and regulatory assurance services, including occupational health.

Kevin is a qualified accountant and has a degree in modern languages, which has helped him work extensively overseas.

Our CEO, Sarb Bajwa, joined the society in April 2018.

Over the years, Sarb has worked in the aid sector, in legal and financial services, and the energy industry.

He has continually sought to contribute to the overarching goals of each organisation while also leading these various professional membership bodies through a variety of challenging national and international political environments.

Driven to promote and support positive growth and development in all aspects of the society's work, his goal is to ensure the BPS continues to make a meaningful and positive contribution to the world.

Contact the CEO

Diane Ashby joined the society in March 2019 to lead the BPS Change programme.

She started her career in retail and worked in store management for Marks and Spencer and a number of senior roles in The Body Shop.

She has experience in both the private and public sector and has managed a diverse set of customer-facing services including contact centres, shops, warehouses, libraries, highways operations and waste services.

She has also driven a number of major transformational change programmes, implementing new operating models, business systems, process improvements and cultural change.

Contact the Deputy CEO

Tony joined the BPS in August of 2024.  

As Director of IT Tony is responsible for setting the direction and leading on the development of technology and data across the organisation. 

Tony has worked in technology and data roles across the not-for-profit sector for over 20 years, most recently at Sense the National Disability Charity.

Tony has a background in digital transformation and service management with a focus on improving outcomes and experiences through the use of technology.

He is also involved in working closely with the public sector as a regional chair for the Society of Innovation, Technology and Modernisation along with a number of other national groups.

Contact the Director of IT

Rachel Dufton joined the BPS in September 2018.

As Director of Communications and Engagement she has responsibility for all internal and external communications and stakeholder engagement.

Rachel has worked in senior communications roles for a range of high profile professional bodies, charities and regulators across the health sector.

She led communications functions at the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the children’s charity Ambitious about Autism, and the Royal College of Nursing where she won several UK and international awards including the Chartered Institute of Public Relations ‘Outstanding In-House Team of the Year’.

Contact the Director of Communications and Engagement 

Debra Malpass joined the BPS in January 2020.

She leads the research, insight & knowledge management function and oversees the Research and Impact team, the Practice Guidance Team and the History of Psychology Centre.

She has a Ph.D in psychology and a wealth of experience as an academic researcher having worked in psychology departments in the UK and USA for over a decade.   

Prior to joining the BPS Debra worked as a researcher at AQA, the UK’s largest exam board. In this post she carried out mixed methods research with 14-16 year olds.

She also designed GCSE, A-level and vocational qualifications and carried out statistical analysis to set exam grade boundaries every summer.

Debra also led the Research and Analysis team at the Solicitors Regulation Authority, where she pioneered the use of machine learning, behavioural insights and randomised controlled trials to regulate the legal market.

Contact the Director of Knowledge and Insight

Paly Bassi joined the society in December 2020.

She started her career leading the operational performance of a large retailer within the Midlands. Paly focussed on turning loss making retail branches into profit making within a short period of time.

This sparked her passion within turnaround and accounting, as she moved into practice at PwC. Providing advisory services to organisations in troubled financial situations, across different industries, working in both the public and private sectors including the NHS.

Paly has commercial and leadership experience within the Banking and Retail sectors where she has provided commercial analysis and insight, financial reporting and forecasting. Paly enjoys influencing and challenging business decisions and stakeholders to maximise business profit.

Paly has been a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants for over 10 years and has been awarded fellowship status.