Kerry Smith

Kerry joined the Trust in 2011 as a People Business Partner and has worked in various roles during this time. She was appointed as the Trust’s Deputy Chief People Officer in 2021, and also acted-up as the Chief People Officer for a short time in 2022.

Having started her HR career in the private sector, Kerry joined the NHS in 2004 and has enjoyed working across many different NHS settings across Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire, including acute trusts, community trusts, commissioning services, and, of course more recently, within Mental Health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care and Substance Misuse services.

Kerry holds a degree in Business Studies, a Master’s in Strategic Human Resource Management and a professional CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) qualification.

Kerry is also extremely passionate and fully committed to continuing the great work of Paul Draycott’s legacy and a commitment for compassionate leadership driven through our People Plan, our values and behaviours, and how we ensure consistent equality, diversity and inclusion for everyone.