Sapna Marwaha's
Board & Non-Executive
Leadership
Alongside my work through Formation Consultancy, I hold a number of board and non-executive leadership positions across the research and health system.
In these roles, I contribute directly to governance, oversight and strategic decision-making, operating within the same complex environments that my clients are navigating.
"This provides a system-level perspective on how organisations align people, policy and risk, and how research culture, governance and research security interact in practice."
A system-level perspective on governance and decision-making
Board and non-executive roles provide insight not just into individual organisations, but into how the wider research and innovation system functions under pressure.
In practice, challenges rarely sit within a single area:
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governance decisions are shaped by organisational culture and leadership dynamics
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risk is interpreted and acted on through behaviours, incentives and structures
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research security considerations intersect with collaboration, trust and equity, particularly in international contexts
This reinforces a core principle of our work:
Research culture, governance and research security are distinct, but interdependent, and must be understood and designed to work together in practice.
Current roles
I currently hold roles across the research and health system, including:
Trustee
Research Data Scotland
Independent Chair
Membership Committee
Nuffield Council on Bioethics
I have also previously held roles, including: Deputy Chair, Association of Research Managers and Administrators UK Development Board Member, EDI in Science and Health (EDIS)
"These roles span data, health, ethics, equity and research management, contributing to decision-making across different parts of the wider system."
Contributing to decisions in complex environments
Through these roles, I contribute to governance and decision-making in contexts that are:
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complex and highly regulated
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operating under significant uncertainty and constraint
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balancing multiple priorities, including risk, innovation and public value
This includes contributing to:
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shaping governance approaches in high-stakes environments
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balancing risk, opportunity and accountability in strategic decisions
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overseeing research, data and innovation systems
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navigating the cultural and structural factors that influence outcomes
Informing my consultancy work
This experience shapes how I work with Formation Consultancy. It means the approaches I design are credible and practical, grounded in how organisations really function: how decisions get made, how risk is managed, how governance operates across the research and innovation sector.
It also sharpens my ability to help organisations align:
Research Culture:
behaviours, incentives and decision making
Governance and Assurance:
strategy, structure, accountability and oversight
Research Security and Trusted Research:
proportionate approaches to managing rish
Working across systems, not silos
A consistent theme across both my board roles and consultancy work is the importance of integration.
Organisations are often structured around separate functions but the challenges they face are interconnected.
My work focuses on helping organisations move beyond this fragmentation, ensuring that:
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governance is enabled by the right culture
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research security is applied in ways that sustain trust, collaboration and equity
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policies translate into behaviours, decisions and outcomes
Connecting strategy and practice
This combination of board-level responsibility and consultancy delivery creates a direct link between:
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strategy and implementation
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policy and practice
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structure and behaviour
It allows me to support organisations not only in defining what effective governance and risk management look like, but in ensuring that they work in practice in complex, global and evolving research environments.
Advisory and board support
I am available to provide independent advisory and non-executive support to organisations operating in complex research, health and innovation environments.
I work with boards, committees and senior leadership teams to:
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contribute to governance, oversight and strategic decision-making
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provide independent challenge and perspective in high-stakes contexts
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support the alignment of culture, governance and research security
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help organisations navigate complexity across people, policy and risk
My approach is grounded in both system-level experience and practical delivery, bringing a combination of strategic insight and real-world understanding of how organisations function under pressure.