Alison was appointed on 1 August 2019 and is the senior independent director and vice chair.  She also holds the position of non-executive director and senior independent director at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Alison is also a trustee with Pendle Education Trust, with lead responsibilities for special education needs. She has a significant and successful track record of strategic partnership development, large scale organisational change management, strategy development, implementation, and delivery. 

Qualifying as a chartered physiotherapist in 1985, Alison worked in clinical practice for 10 years before moving into higher education. Her academic roles include pro vice chancellor at Manchester Metropolitan University and Professor of Healthcare Education.