Board of Directors Profiles

William Alderson RSHom

William was voted on to the Board of Directors at the 2010 Annual General Meeting.

William is a member of the Communications Committee.

These roles have informed her awareness of developments within the profession over the last 14 years. She has represented the Society on both CORH council and Accreditation Working Group over the last six years.

Zofia is also Vice Chair of the European Council for Classical Homeopathy, and has been a member of the British Acupuncture Accreditation Board and Accreditation Committee since March 2005.

Zofia trained at the Northern College of Homeopathy and has been a practising homeopath for 22 years. She has completed training in supervision and the Society’s Assessor training.

Declaration of Interests - nothing to declare.

A native of Blakely, Manchester, Phil attended the local Grammar School before obtaining an HND (Distinction) in Business Studies at Bolton Institute of Technology. The interest in Business Studies followed a fascination with Economics at A level, and a subsequent strong interest in Marketing. On the advice of his marketing lecturer, Phil pursued a career in sales and marketing with Van den Bergh & Jurgens, a subsidiary of Unilever, where he gained valuable business experience.

It was later during a 3-year stay in British Columbia Canada, that Phil discovered his interest in natural health and on his return to the UK worked first for Sunwheel, and later Whole Earth Foods. Between these 2 jobs came a 6-year period where Phil discovered a way of combining his interest in natural health with his work and became a founder member of what later became Futon Company.

In 1985, Phil decided to study Homeopathic Medicine with Misha Norland, at The School of Homeopathy in Devon. In order to devote himself to his studies he said goodbye to Futon Company, but has remained profoundly influenced by his experience there in taking a business from a turnover of £10,000 a year when he joined to over half a million a year when he left. Phil has practised homeopathy since 1988. He considers his most consistent mentor to be Professor George Vithoulkas, with whom he still studies every year in Alonissos Greece.

Phil's current goal, as well as supporting the movement towards the single register and independent accreditation for Colleges of Homeopathy, is to lend his experience towards helping the Society's fundamental mission of 'Homeopathy for all.' Phil has a clear vision of a future where Homeopathy takes its rightful place as a highly respected profession, and where a high percentage of the general public know about the benefits of homeopathy for their health.

Declared Interests: Distributor for Radar Homeopathic Software in the UK. Co-organiser for the annual Vithoulkas Open Course, in Alonissos, Greece.

Diane Goodwin RSHom - Vice Chair
Diane came to homeopathy through a background in operating theatre nursing. She began studying Homeopathy in 1983 and graduated from the Northumbrian College of Homeopathy (the Darlington Collective) in 1987. After graduation she went on to do postgraduate work in Darlington which eventually lead to The Dynamis School of which Diane was also the first administrator.

Diane has been a member of The Society of Homeopaths since 1983 and has been in full time practice in Edinburgh since 1987. During this time homeopathy has taken her around the world, from Budapest to Brazil, from Calcutta to California, teaching, studying and treating patients. She is a strong advocate of statutory state regulation believing that this will not only protect the public but also help to create a career path for homoeopaths both within and without the NHS. She also feels it is important to recognise the changes in the way health care will be delivered in the future and to be able to adapt to those changes.

Diane is Chair of the The Society's Membership & Communications Committee.

Declaration of Interests - nothing to declare.

Caroline graduated from The London College of Classical Homeopathy in 1996. She practises in London and Brighton. Alongside private practice, making homeopathy more widely available, particularly to disadvantaged groups has been an area of special interest, she has worked in a number of funded projects in varied settings from prisons to NHS clinics.

Supervision is an important focus for her as a supervisor of students and post-graduates and as a member of a peer group. She has worked for The Society as an Assessor and Mentor 2003–2006.

Caroline is passionate about homeopathic research and feels that a strong stance is required in terms of building research capacity into our practices. She lectures and supervises at South Downs School of Homeopathy and has lectured abroad in Eastern Europe and Central America.

Imogen Spencer has over 15 years clinical experience as a Homeopath, having qualified at The College of Homeopathy, Regents College in 1994.

Imogen has professionally represented Homeopathy in the National media, including appearances on BBC Breakfast News, Channel 5 News, GMTV, The Wright Stuff, and BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

Having been voted on to the Board of Directors at the 2010 Annual General Meeting Imogen is a member of The Society's Communications Committee.

Homeopathy is Imogen’s first career. Having grown up using Homeopathy and begun study at age 19. Her flexible practice allows patients to use homeopathy as either an alternative medicine or complementary therapy. Areas of speciality include women’s health and obstetrics and paediatrics.

Imogen lives in London, practicing from both private clinics and a subsidised women’s centre.

Imogen’s vision for Homeopathy is for the evidence of its effectiveness to become fully recognised. To advance this position it is necessary to develop research and data and transmit the outcome and information about Homeopathy to the public and medical profession. This will in turn increase the availability of Homeopathy to a wider section of people.

It is Imogen’s aim whilst on the Board of Directors to work pro-actively towards achieving regulatory status for Homeopathy.

Richard Barr - Co-opted board member

Richard Barr was born in 1947. He is half American but has lived all his life in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire (apart from frequent spells in the USA and a year at the University of Nebraska). He was educated at Wisbech Grammar School and the College of Law. Richard is a member of The Society's Professional Standards Committee.

His mother was a doctor and his father was a lawyer, but despite becoming a solicitor he has always been interested in medicine.

He has been a solicitor since 1971 and now works with a “virtual law firm” (Scott Moncrieff Harbour and Sinclair) and runs his legal practice from his home in North Norfolk where he handles mainly medical cases.

He is a member of the Council of the Law Society and is on the Standards Committee of a local authority.

Although he is not a homeopath, he has become interested in it ever since his wife Kirsten started to train to be a homeopath after experiencing at first hand some spectacular results following homeopathic treatment – including helping her daughter to recover from a severe brain inury after she had been damaged through medical negligence.

In his spare time he is a published writer. He has written two books for the Consumers Association and is a frequent contributor of articles to legal periodicals and occasionally to national newspapers. He broadcasts regularly on legal matters on BBC Radio Norfolk.

Leslie spent 40 years in business, including 10 years at Unilever Port Sunlight and 30 years in Textile related industries fulfilling Director Roles in Sales, Business development, Exports, and Mergers and Acquisitions. His last position before taking early retirement and setting up his own consultancy firm in 2001 was that of Business Development and Export Director of Rufflette Limited, the UK Brand leader in Window Furnishing Tapes and Accessories. He was also responsible for Intellectual Property (Trademarks, Patents and Licensing Agreements).

Leslie has been a self employed business consultant since 2002 carrying out many consultancy tasks both textile and business related. He is currently the Senior Independent Director of a small Mutual Insurance Company, having been Chairman and acting general manager over the past 7 years. He is also Chairman of Trustees of the Society Pension Fund. He is a Director of Chester Credit Union and a Board Trustee of the Chester Citizen Advice Bureau. His other work includes independent examination of accounts and advice on Corporate Governance to Trusts and Parish Councils.

Leslie was invited to become a co-opted member of the Board of the Society of Homeopaths and Financial Consultant in 2006 and after initial interviews was appointed to the board in a non-voting capacity. He is the Chair of the Finance and General Purpose subcommittee.