Board member biographies

Paul became Chair of The BDA England Board from April 2024, following in the footsteps of Julie Abayomi. Paul has a broad dietetic background including research, clinical practice, operational and strategic leadership across AHP professions. Paul previously chaired the BDA Diabetes Specialist Group and has been a committee member of the group for many years. Paul’s role in the NHS is within Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust where he is Divisional Director of Therapies. Alongside this Paul continues to undertake clinical work in Diabetes. Paul is passionate about the role of the England Board in supporting delivery of the BDA Strategic Plan, whilst improving engagement with members and making sure the work of the board becomes more visible with our membership.

Amy is Principal Dietitian and Lead Governor at Leeds & York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health and learning disability services in Yorkshire. She has previously been seconded to BDA staff in the post of Clinical Leader. She is a previous committee member of the BDA Food Services Specialist Group, a contributor to the BDA Nutrition & Hydration Digest and the author of the mental health & learning disability supplement to the Digest, and an author of two chapters of the Manual of Dietetic Practice 7th edition. Prior to retraining as a dietitian, Amy had a successful career in marketing, where she worked on campaigns for international food brands and specialised in public health communications for bodies including Department of Health, Food Standards Agency and Drinkaware. Amy joined the BDA England Board in 2025.

Fiona is based in the Midlands and has worked as an acute and primary care dietitian, prior to moving into academia. She has been involved in curriculum development at both pre-registration and post-registration levels and have served on the Education Board and Quality Standards Committee.
Fiona has been a member of the England board for the past 4 years. She joined, when her term of office as BDA Chairman ended, since she is passionate about improving the channels of communication between local Branches and the Board.

Raphaella is the Chief Dietitian at Dorset County Hospital, where she leads a multidisciplinary team comprising administrative staff, dietetic support workers, dietetic apprentices, dietitians, trainee Advanced Clinical Practitioners (ACPs), ACPs, and nutrition nurses working across both acute and community services. She is a member of the paediatric diabetes specialist subgroup committee and has previously held roles including Chair, Ordinary Member and Education Officer. Clinically, Raphaella works with paediatric patients and has a particular interest in diabetes as well. She is passionate about team engagement and development and, in recent years, has supported staff through return-to-practice programmes and performance management processes. Raphaella also has a strong interest in community engagement and work experience opportunities, alongside supporting colleagues in enhanced and advanced practice roles.

Long Li is Head of Dietetics at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He has a strong background in both clinical leadership and higher education, having previously worked as a Senior Lecturer and led the delivery of an MSc Dietetics programme. He has also been an External Examiner for MSc Dietetics courses in England. Long has volunteered with the British Dietetic Association for over 12 years in a variety of roles across local branches and specialist groups. He is passionate about advancing the dietetic profession, strengthening leadership at all levels, and ensuring dietitians are well positioned to influence healthcare policy and service transformation. His particular interests include workforce development, service improvement, advancing dietetic practice through research and innovation, and developing high-quality, evidence-based services that deliver excellent outcomes for patients while making the best use of resources. Long is committed to promoting the value of dietetics across health and social care, education, research and the wider public sphere, and to supporting the profession to thrive in an ever-changing landscape.

Becca joined the BDA England Board in June 2023. Becca qualified as a dietitian from UWIC (Cardiff Met) in 2001 and started her career at Harefield Hospital before moving to Northampton General Hospital where she gained ten years of clinical experience. In addition to her work in the NHS Becca pursued an interest in weight management and set up a private bariatric clinic. Working in weight management sparked an interest in mental health which saw Becca move to working for just under ten years in a secure mental health setting. Becca stepped into a lead position for the dietetic department before accepting an opportunity to set up a dietetic service for Cleveland Clinic London. In June 2023 Becca commenced in post as Head of Service for Dietetics and Speech and Language Therapy at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW).

Sarah joined the board in 2023. Sarah works in Gloucestershire leading the Home Enteral Feeding service, a multi-disciplinary team of Dietitians, Dietetic Support workers, Enteral Nutrition Nurses and administrative staff. Sarah has been recently working with the BDA on the Dietetic Support workforce project, producing the new Dietetic Support workforce framework and other resources. It was the work in this area which lead Sarah to apply for a position on the BDA England Board and is looking forward to contributing this knowledge and learning more about the BDA from the Board meetings and activities.

Linda Hindle is the Deputy Chief Allied Health Professional Officer for England; she works for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in the Department of Health and Social Care; leading work to champion the contribution of the Allied Health Professions, Fire, Ambulance and Police services to improving the public’s health and wellbeing across England. Linda is committed to social justice and environmental sustainability; she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Birthday Honours for services to public health; a fellowship by distinction from the Faculty of Public Health in 2024; an honorary fellowship from the Royal Society for Public Health in 2024 and a fellowship from the British Dietetic Association in 2025 in recognition of outstanding commitment to the BDA and the profession in the fields of obesity management and public health nutrition. Linda is a co-founder of AHPs4PH, a social media community of practice for AHPs with an interest in public health. Linda has previously worked as a consultant dietitian as well as in commissioning and service management. She has experience of working in and with Local Authority, NHS, private sector, research and education organisations.

Nat Leeman serves as the Student Representative on the British Dietetic Association's England Country Board, where she represents the interests and perspectives of student dietitians across England. Currently studying Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Surrey, she is passionate about student engagement, leadership, and supporting the development of the future dietetic workforce. Alongside her BDA role, Nat has held student leadership positions within her course and the Nutrition and Dietetics Society, championing initiatives that enhance the student experience and foster professional development.
Her contributions to student representation have been recognised through the University of Surrey's Signatory of the Year 2026 and Course Representative of the Year 2026 (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences) awards. She is committed to ensuring student voices are heard and represented, helping to shape the future of the dietetic profession.

Diana is a former Clinical Lead Dietitian within Barts Health NHS Trust and Specialist Diabetes Specialist. Since retiring from the NHS continues to facilitate the two Diabetes CPD modules for the BDA generally three times per year. Formerly a Trade Union/Industrial relations representative for over 30 years including holding the position of Chair of the England Employment Relations Committee, and served on the England Board for three terms. Currently an invited member on the Board.