Directors

Our Directors are responsible for the operational management of the charity on a day-to-day basis.

Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity) is the UK’s largest hospital fundraising charity and the largest dedicated funder of paediatric research in the UK. As Chief Executive Louise Parkes has responsibility for both strategic leadership and operational management of the organisation, which raises money to fund:

• Rebuilding and refurbishment of the hospital, 
• Vital medical equipment,
• Pioneering child health research at GOSH and across the UK 
• Services that support children and their families.

Louise joined GOSH Children’s Charity as the Chief Executive in May 2019. Prior to her current role, Louise was at the helm of Barnardo's Income and Innovation division, where she led a directorate of over 2,000 people. This included fundraising, brand, marketing, digital, retail and business development. She also had responsibility for the delivery of fostering and adoption services and safeguarding consultancy services. Louise is currently the Chair of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Nominations Committee and a Non-Executive Director of Wenta, an enterprise agency based in Hertfordshire.

Louise has worked in the sector for more than 25 years and has successfully led fundraising directorates for a number of high-profile, UK-wide organisations including British Heart Foundation and Shelter UK.

Aoife joined the charity in February 2024 as Director of Impact and Charitable Programmes.

In this role, Aoife is responsible for managing all of the grant funding we award to GOSH and assessing the impact of grants given.

She oversees the delivery of the charity’s new research strategy, which will see an investment of £70 million into rare and complex child health conditions.

Aoife has a wealth of experience in the not-for-profit sector and medical research. She worked at Cancer Research UK for almost 20 years. She held multiple roles, including head of Clinical Research, head of the Experimental Cancer Medicine Network and Director of Information and Patient Involvement.

Aoife also holds a PhD in developmental neurobiology from the University of Cambridge.

Liz is responsible for leading GOSH Charity’s fundraising strategy across all its functions, including individual giving, retail, community fundraising, special events, philanthropy, and corporate partnerships.

As a trustee of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising and Chair of the Standards Advisory Board, she is a well-known face in the fundraising community. Liz joined GOSH Charity after holding a number of senior roles in the charity sector. She was Director of Fundraising at both Teenage Cancer Trust and Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, after heading the Direct Marketing team at British Red Cross, as well as holding marketing roles at Sense and Plan UK.

Liz has been a professional fundraiser for over 20 years and is also a Trustee of People’s Postcode Lottery’s Care, Support & Children’s trusts. Liz is committed to growing and diversifying income to help deliver the greatest possible impact for seriously ill children cared for at GOSH.

Bill has nearly 30 years’ experience in the public, commercial and charity sector and leads the charity’s finance, people, technology and corporate services (including governance) functions.

Before Bill joined GOSH Charity, he worked in London, New York, Lagos and Johannesburg for British Airways, ending as Regional Business Manager, Africa, before moving to Save the Children UK where he delivered commercial financial leadership across the organization, including involvement in the creation of Save the Children International (SCI) and the transition of Save the Children UK’s 20+ overseas countries to SCI. He joined GOSH Charity from his role as Chief Operating Officer at global children’s charity Plan International UK.

Emma Guise is GOSH Charity’s Director of Marketing and Communications, she heads up the Marketing and Communications Directorate which brings together the Brand Marketing and Creative, Communications, and Digital Engagement functions.

She works alongside her teams to develop and implement long-term marketing and communications strategies, setting out the role of digital, brand and communications as strategic enablers for the organisation as well as the role of advocacy in making the organisation and partners even more relevant to key audiences.

Emma has more than 20 years’ experience in driving and leading multi-disciplinary communications, marketing, and brand teams. Most recently she was Director of Brand and Communications at Macmillan Cancer Support, where she launched the award-winning Whatever It Takes campaign, securing the charity's first ever Cannes Lions awards as well as being​ Campaign magazine’s top film ad of 2021. Prior to that Emma led the Media and PR team at Shelter, delivering integrated communications to support the charity’s advocacy and fundraising activities.