Regional Chairs
NORTH
Panita Chouhan
Panita Chouhan is a passionate Family Ambassador at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, where she ensures that families' voices are heard and their needs are met within the healthcare system. With 17 years of experience in the NHS Mental Health, Panita acts as a crucial liaison between families and healthcare providers, advocating for patient-centred care. This year, she has taken a leading role in the awards committee, where her strategic direction and process improvements have been instrumental in recognising and celebrating the achievements of individuals within the Trust. Panita also serves as Co-Chair for APNA North, where she continues to champion diversity and inclusion.
Mohinder Kapoor
Consultant Psychiatrist
Associate Medical director for R& D
Trustee for charity - Speak their name
Medical appraiser
Medical investigator for patient safety team
Former clinical director for OPS
Former TPD for Foundation trainees
Volunteer for 13 community clinic etc
MIDLANDS
RANDEEP KAUR KULAR
Director – Office of Strategy Management
University Hospitals Birmingham
& Co-Chair of APNA NHS Midlands
Currently, Randeep serves as Director for the Office of Strategy Management at University Hospitals Birmingham. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the formulation of strategy, managing strategic initiatives and translating the organisation’s long-term vision and national policy into practical delivery in clinical settings and across the Trust. Her work focuses on improving the health environment and experience for both patients and staff.
Beyond her NHS responsibilities, Randeep is Co-Chair of APNA NHS in the Midlands, supporting South Asian leadership across the health service. As a trained mediator she also serves as a Magistrate in the UK’s first Sikh Court.
A strong advocate for reducing health inequalities and promoting equality. Randeep has a proven track record of delivering impactful programmes and initiatives in these areas. Randeep Kaur Kular began her career in research and policy at the Runnymede Trust (Race Relations think tank), before progressing to national roles at HM Customs, the Cabinet Office, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and the Department of Health.
Outside of her professional commitments, Randeep is a proud mother of two children—raising them remains her greatest source of pride.
DR MASOOD Ahmed
Dr Masood Ahmed is the Chair of Medology and a distinguished NHS leader with over 25 years of experience driving transformative change in healthcare. Known for his expertise in system transformation, leadership development, and innovation, Masood has played a pivotal role in reshaping the healthcare landscape. He holds several roles, including Non-Executive Director on NHS Boards, Trustee at the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity and as a trusted advisor to senior and future leaders. His influence extends beyond the UK, where he advises start-ups and supports healthcare organizations globally. Throughout his career, Masood has held significant positions such as Global Medical Director at Dell, Visiting Lecturer at UCL Global Business School for Health, and Chief Medical Officer for NHS Black Country. During the pandemic, he oversaw the healthcare of 1.5 million people, demonstrating his strategic acumen. As the Chief Digital Information Officer of an NHS Integrated Care System, he led the charge in developing a “digital first, not digital only” strategy, further cementing his reputation as a forward-thinking leader. Masood is also dedicated to fostering the next generation of healthcare leaders through his mentoring roles at UCL and Oxford University. He is a key member of the NHS Confederation BME Leadership Network Steering Group, where he pioneered a national BME leadership mentoring program. A passionate advocate for systems leadership, quality improvement, and the mindful application of AI in healthcare, Masood’s work is characterised by his unwavering commitment to innovation and transformative change. His contributions continue to leave a lasting impact on the global healthcare community.
south
Samina Arfan
Associate Director, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
North London NHS Foundation Trust
Co Chair, APNA – South Region
Samina Arfan is the Associate Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at North London NHS Foundation Trust and Co Chair for APNA in the South region. With more than 25 years of NHS experience, she brings deep expertise in advancing equality, tackling health inequalities, and shaping inclusive cultures across complex health and social care systems.
Joining North London NHS Foundation Trust in 2023, Samina leads the Trust’s EDI portfolio with a strong focus on workforce equity and health equity, ensuring that inclusion is embedded in both employment practice and service delivery. Previously, she served as Head of EDI at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Samina has a proven track record of system wide leadership across the health and care sector, with experience spanning equalities, commissioning, primary care, and workforce development. She has held several influential roles, including Strategic Lead for EDI in Greater Manchester, working with Clinical Commissioning Groups and partners across a place based system to ensure EDI is central to planning and delivery. She has also led jointly developed EDI strategies across local authorities and CCGs, co designed with staff, communities and local stakeholders.
Recognised nationally for her leadership, Samina completed the NHS Confederation’s EDI Directors Programme and was celebrated as a ‘Product Lead’ for developing a shared EDI service model for the Greater Manchester Commissioning Support Unit. She was also nominated to the prestigious Elizabeth Garrett Anderson leadership programme, achieving an MSc with Merit in Healthcare Leadership in 2017.
