“Don’t dilute your brilliance or contort yourself to fit expectations. Your perspective, your lived experience, your voice – they are your power.” 

This Black History Month, senior NHS London executives reflect on the importance of diverse representation within leadership teams, and the powerful influence this has on healthcare services across the capital. 

When Agatha Nortley-Meshe, Medical Director of Primary Care for the NHS in London, first qualified as a GP, she completed a Darzi Fellowship, her first formal leadership training. Here, she worked with the South West London Strategic Health Authority on a hospital reconfiguration programme, and learned about her leadership style, navigating complexity with compassion and clarity. 

Since then, Agatha has undertaken a variety of leadership roles, from working as a clinical lead for Urgent and Emergency Care in Croydon, to leading as Medical Director for Urgent Care for the London Ambulance Service. Now, as Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS London, her work focuses on primary care transformation, digital enablement, and neighbourhood health.  

This Black History Month, Agatha shares what the theme, ‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride’, means to her, and shares her thoughts on the importance of having diverse voices in healthcare decision-making and leadership. 

Agatha Nortley-Meshe, Medical Director for Primary Care for the NHS in London, said: 

“Black History Month is an opportunity to reflect, celebrate and recommit. It’s a time to honour the generations who came before us, whose resilience, courage and creativity laid the foundations we stand on today. It’s also a reminder that the work of equity, representation and anti-racism is not confined to one month—it’s a daily responsibility. 

“Standing Firm in Power and Pride, resonates deeply with me. For me, it’s about self-knowledge, confidence and grace. As Black leaders, we often navigate the tension between hypervisibility and invisibility – being seen but not always understood, or having to prove our worth twice over.  

“I often say I became a healthcare leader by accident and opportunity. I’ve always had a curiosity about the bigger picture – about how systems work, how change happens, and how we can make a difference beyond the individual patient in front of us. 

“As a GP trainee, I was fortunate enough to have a mentor who was deeply involved in local and regional leadership. He opened the door for me to sit in on meetings and observe leadership in action, and that was my first real introduction to clinical leadership. 

“Around that time, I also became fascinated by patient safety and improvement. Together with a colleague, Dr Imran Qureshi, I co-founded DAPSglobal, an organisation focused on developing leadership, safety culture and quality improvement in junior doctors and frontline teams. That experience gave me an early understanding of how empowering people at every level can create lasting change. 

“My advice to aspiring Black colleagues is simple: be you. Don’t dilute your brilliance or contort yourself to fit expectations. Your perspective, your lived experience, your voice – they are your power. Seek mentors, build networks, and find communities that help you thrive. 

“To established leaders of all backgrounds: look for the talent around you, especially where it has historically been overlooked. Open doors. Sponsor others. Create psychological safety so everyone feels seen, valued and empowered to lead. 

“Across London, Black colleagues are making extraordinary contributions every day – driving transformation, improving access, leading innovations in digital health, workforce, and neighbourhood models of care. Their impact is woven through everything we do, from the front line to the boardroom. 

“As Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS London, it’s a privilege to lead alongside so many brilliant people who reflect the diversity and dynamism of this city. Together, we are reimagining what inclusive, compassionate and equitable healthcare leadership looks like, and that’s something worth celebrating, not just this month, but always. 

“Leadership can sometimes feel lonely, especially when you are ‘the only one in the room’. But when we support each other, share our stories, and hold space for one another, we create ripples that change the system itself 

“Standing Firm in Power and Pride means leading authentically, staying grounded in your values, and refusing to shrink yourself to fit into systems that weren’t built with you in mind.”