Our People
We hand pick our people and invite them to join us. Invitations are extended to independent mediators who have a proven track record of themselves grappling with 'wicked problems' at board level over many years. All Problem Resolution associates are fully qualified and have passed muster against the exacting standards set by Problem Resolution.
Mark Smithers (Managing Director)
Mark's background is as an international 'big deal maker' and negotiator in the oil and gas industries and in Enterprise Transformational Outsourcing to various market sectors. He has extensive experience in teaching and coaching negotiators.
Mark is an accredited mediator with UK Mediation and has been working with the NHS through PRL since 2008. He has personally mediated several hundred team mediations with both senior teams of clinicians and senior management and executives.
Gill Bellord
(Mediator)
Gill has two decades of experience in developing workforce policies and improving employment relations in the NHS. She has been an independent mediator working with problem Resolution Limited since 2015. She was trained and accredited by the Centre for Effective Dispute resolution (CEDR) in 2012.
Gill was Director of Employment Relations and Reward at NHS Employers until 2015 where she was responsible for the management the national negotiating machinery for NHS pay and pensions and other key HR work programmes. Gill previously worked on a range of HR policy areas at the Department of Health including pay, workforce planning and medical education.
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Deborah O'Dea (Mediator)
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Deborah has worked for 27 years in the NHS primarily as a Workforce Director. She also has 3 years as the general manager of a medical unit and 18 months as acting Chief Executive of an acute Trust. In 2003 she negotiated employment policies that included mediation as part of the process and so has extensive knowledge of internally provided as well as independent mediation. Deborah is an accredited mediator with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) and a member of CEDR Exchange.
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Jane was appointed as Consultant Colorectal Surgeon in 1996. Until December 2017 Jane was Medical Director for a large multi-site Acute Trust, a role she held for almost ten years. She was the professional lead for around 800 doctors and held the Responsible Office role. She saw, at first hand, the value of mediation for two of the Trust’s teams.
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She has been the Medical Director for a Cancer network, led Strategic redesign workstreams at the East of England SHA, been a Specialist Adviser for the CQC, sat on the Board of Governors of the University of Hertfordshire and is currently the Honorary Colonel for 254 Medical Regiment.
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Now in Independent Medical Management practice she is an accredited mediator with CEDR.
Jane McCue
(Mediator)
Tim Peachey ( Mediator)
Tim was a consultant anaesthetist and medical manager at the Royal Free Hospital in London, specialising in anaesthesia for major cancer surgery and liver transplantation.
He has over 10 years experience serving on NHS Boards in roles including Medical Director (Royal Free), Chief Executive (Barnet and Chase Farm) and most recently Deputy Chief Executive at Bart's Health. He has been a specialist advisor for the CQC and has interests in governance , serious incident investigation and information technology.
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He is now an independent consultant and serves on the Board of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust as a non-executive director and vice-chair.
Tim is an accredited mediator with CEDR.
Sheona Ramsbottom (Mediator)
Sheona has a background in psychology and has worked in the health sector for over 25 years, 10 of those working as a Psychotherapist in palliative care.
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She moved into training communication skills to all levels of staff working within the health sector, from 3 day advanced courses for senior staff to shorter workshops designed for all staff, working both nationally and internationally.
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She is a lead trainer with the SAGE & THYME programme and has worked extensively in developing effective, evidence based, experiential training courses.
Sheona is an accredited mediator with TCM, training in 2012.