Our Trustees
Barbara Chidgey – Founder Trustee – Chair
A previous secondary headteacher with over 31 years’ experience in senior leadership roles in education in both England and Wales, Barbara is passionate about leadership, fairness, and equality. From headship, she has been working in the private sector concentrating on bespoke leadership development skills’ support and training. She is a highly experienced coach, facilitator and a designer of events.
Barbara is currently an associate of Cardiff Metropolitan University, studying for a professional doctorate investigating the use of conversational leadership, within health and social care settings.
Barbara was the Executive Chair of Leading Wales Awards, which she led and drove forward from it’s conception in 2004 until it was concluded in 2019; from the Awards Daring to Dream emerged as part of its legacy.
Her voluntary roles have included trustee and vice chair with the Community Foundation in Wales, and chair of Chartered Management Institute in Wales, (CMI Cymru was founded under her chairmanship). She also led and chaired Engage for Success Wales and is a Bevan Advocate (part of the Bevan Commission).
Barbara started Daring to Dream as a named charitable fund in 2019, inspired by her own extensive patient experiences and trusted relationships with health professionals. Her own journey helped her learn just how important to physical recovery for a patient is their emotional health and well-being.
Barbara became trustee and chair of Daring to Dream in July 2020.
Simon Babar – Legal, Governance and Risk Management
Simon is a solicitor with over 20 years’ experience in the legal profession, 15 years of which has been spent supporting regulated financial services.
He brings expertise in risk management, governance and controls as well as an enthusiasm for delivering great outcomes for the people he supports.
Outside of work, Simon lives near Chesptow, with his wife and two children and enjoys a range of outdoor activities.
Susan Bennett – Corporate Engagement
Susan has more than 20 years’ experience in marketing and communications within financial services and fintech.
Her work has been recognised through a number of industry awards, including Excellence in Marketing at the Marketers’ Choice European Woman in Finance 2025 Award and the Above and Beyond Award at the Women in Technology and Data Awards 2024.
Susan is currently Managing Director, Head of Global Marketing and Brand at Tradeweb, where she leads the firm’s global marketing strategy and brand development. With a strong focus on building high-impact, data-driven marketing programmes, she has played a key role in strengthening Tradeweb’s global brand and supporting its continued growth across markets.
Since joining Tradeweb in 2016, Susan has held a number of senior roles, including leading marketing and communications for Europe and Asia before stepping into her current global position. Her expertise spans brand strategy, integrated campaigns, product marketing and corporate communications. Prior to Tradeweb, she held senior marketing roles at S&P Global and worked at the European Islamic Bank and GFT Capital Markets, building deep expertise in strategic marketing and client engagement.
Originally from Namibia, Susan moved to the UK in 2002 after completing her studies in Marketing and Business Managements in Cape Town, South Africa. She brings a global perspective to her work and is passionate about using marketing and storytelling to create meaningful connections.
John Chown – Treasurer
John is a qualified chartered accountant and has been a director of Williams Ross Limited in Cardiff for 17 years. He has had a professional involvement in providing assurance services, advice, support, and training in the not for profit sector covering charities, credit unions and other voluntary organisations for a number of years.
His voluntary activities have included being a management board member of the Wales Co-operative Centre for over 14 years, Chair of Cynon Taf Community Houing Housing Group. He also became a trustee of The Bevan Foundation in January 2020.
John joined the Daring to Dream board in July 2020.
Leigh Manley – Patient Advocacy & DEI
Leigh Manley currently operates as a freelance creative facilitator, writer, and poet. He writes for both children and adults and his work takes him into schools, libraries, care homes, and a variety of community-led organisations. He is a member of the Society of Authors and an alumnus of Literature Wales’ flagship writers’ development programme, Representing Wales (2023/24). He is published widely in magazines and anthologies and his first collection of poetry for young people is due out with Firefly Press in 2027.
An alumnus of Aberystwyth University (1995-98), prior to writing Leigh enjoyed a 22-year career as an award-winning leader at Admiral Group (1999-2022), specialising in talent acquisition, strategic growth, organisational change, and developing high performance teams.
In 2016, he collapsed in the gym and was subsequently diagnosed with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. Ever since, he’s used his lived experience to shine a light on the importance of research into cardiovascular disease and the emotional challenges of living well with illness in a world not designed for disabled people.
He has been a member of BHF Cymru’s Wales Cardiac Public Panel (WCPP) since its inception in 2024 and he recently joined the National Cardiovascular Research Network (NCRN) to provide insights and guidance into the patient’s perspective.
Leigh has been a supporter of Daring to Dream since he was introduced to its mission in late 2024 and he’s delighted to join the board as a trustee, helping to support the emotional health and wellbeing of the 1.2 million adults in Wales living with physical illness.
Dr Nav Masani MB BS MRCP – Clinical Lead
Nav is a highly experienced consultant cardiologist specialising in the non-invasive management of heart disease and adult congenital heart disease. He is a subspecialty expert in echocardiography with a high national profile and international reputation; he is the Past President of the British Society of Echocardiography and Founder/Director of the Cardiff Echocardiography course. He has held a number of leadership roles at Cardiff & Vale University Health Board and was recently appointed Assistant Medical Director for Strategic Clinical Planning Programmes.
Nav joined the board of Daring to Dream in July 2020. He brings an understanding of the need to support patients’ emotional wellbeing at times of physical illness, particularly in the hospital environment. He is keen to improve the understanding and interactions between patients, family and healthcare staff.
