Dame Linda is a successful entrepreneur and highly experienced chair who has history in Public Service across Health, Higher Education and Regional Economics. As Chair of Leeds Teaching Hospitals, one of the largest teaching hospitals in the country with more than 22,000 staff and a budget of over £1.9 billion, Linda has led the organisation to significant success. This includes a CQC ‘Good’ rating; strong financial surplus; leading staff engagement and culture ratings from NHS staff survey; and an innovative international partnership with Virginia Mason Institute embedding a culture of continuous quality improvement. She has been pivotal in driving the development of Leeds Innovation Village, as part of the City’s £2 billion Innovation Arc, realising the redevelopment of the Old Medical School into an Innovation Hub. Dame Linda has led a number of national pieces of work, including an independent Leadership Review across Health and Social Care, alongside General Sir Gordon Messenger. Linda’s strength is partnership working, bringing together and working with leaders from across the region to focus on system-wide issues that can’t be resolved by one organisation alone. She also works collaboratively to champion the representation of women on Boards. She is involved in a wide range of advisory and working groups, including the national NHS Chairs’ Advisory Group. Her nearly 30-year career in healthcare and public service has earned her numerous honours: Dame Commander (2020), CBE (2013), OBE (2003), and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Leeds. She is also a Deputy Lord Lieutenant for West Yorkshire and winner of the 2025 Sunday Times NED Award for Not-for-Profit/Public Service and the 2019 IoD Dr Neville Bain Award.