Heart of Oxford Business Board

Jo is the Managing Director of Oxford Innovation Space, where she's worked for 22 years.

The company is the UK's leading operator of innovation spaces for start ups and early stage SMEs.

In July 2020, Jo suddenly lost her husband Rob to ischaemic heart disease. This is why supporting BHF's mission of saving lives through research is very important to her.

Lynne is Finance Director at Woking & Same Beare Hospices. She has worked in many countries and has more than 30 years' experience in senior finance positions.  

During this time, she's worked in several sectors, but spent the last 15 working within charity. 

Lynne is passionate about using her skills and experience to help make a difference at BHF. 

Suzanne is the Deputy Chief Executive for South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District councils. 

Suzanne has worked in local government roles throughout her career, and has a background in local economic development.

In 2009, Suzanne contracted endocarditis, a rare heart infection. In the the following year, she underwent open heart surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge, to repair her mitral valve, which had been damaged by the infection.

As a keen supporter of BHF, Suzanne ran the London Marathon in 2020 and 2021 and raised more than £4,700. 

Dr Christel Gudberg is a neuroscientist and psychologist with a doctorate in Clinical Neurology from the University of Oxford. She has more than 10 years’ experience leading large scale projects in clinical and industry settings. 

Dr Gudberg is the CEO and co founder of Hupela, a women’s health organisation combining research with evidence based self care. She is also the founder of Sleep Asylum, a platform sharing research informed insights on sleep, psychology and living well.

She is passionate about women’s health, and working as part of the Heart of Oxford Business Board to support vital research in cardiovascular health. 

Jonathan has 23 years’ experience in recruitment, following an earlier career in retail management and sales. He spent 21 of those years at recruitment agency Hays, primarily working within the public sector.

In his role as a Business Director for Client Engagement, Jonathan delivers strategic and tailored recruitment solutions to the public sector across the south east of England.

During an 46 year career in high tech engineering, Paul spent 10 years as an engineering manager, and 28 years as a project or programme manager.

His key projects have included the development of the world’s first smartphone, and the world’s first Bluetooth chips. 

After experiencing a heart attack and a lifesaving operation at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in 2015, Paul is keen to promote the BHF cause.

Svetlana is an Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Science, and Principal Investigator at the Radcliffe Department of Medicine and BHF Oxford Centre of Research Excellence (CRE).

Mother of 2 Svetlana graduated in medicine in 1998 in Russia, and worked as a general physician until she moved to the UK in 2005. In 2010, she completed a DPhil in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Oxford.

In 2013, Svetlana was awarded the BHF CRE Transitional Intermediate Fellowship. She later won the BHF Intermediate Research Fellowship in 2016, and the BHF Science Research Fellowship in 2022.