Chair
Contact: chair@lcgb.org or lbrownlie@lcgb.org for non Chair matters
Linda Brownlie FCCA, IBCLC is a mum of three daughters and grandmother of two grandsons. She qualified as an IBCLC in 2016 and has a private clinic in Hull. She has volunteered for an award-winning breastfeeding peer support and volunteer doula project for the last 10 years and has volunteered extensively in the local maternity hospital and community also working with many families with challenging backgrounds throughout the perinatal period of their live. Linda had a pivotal role in saving the project from decommissioning when it was threatened in 2017. She has supervised a group of local peer supporters in Hull and runs a successful online breastfeeding group that has been supporting mums virtually for 7 years. Linda also set up an online global study support group for aspiring IBCLCs in 2013 and a group for new IBCLCs to support each other and regularly supports candidates one to one in the lead up to the exam. Linda is also a qualified accountant of 25 years and has extensive experience with financial management of both corporates and charities.
Treasurer
Contact: treasurer@lcgb.org
Heidi Nowalany IBCLC qualified as an IBCLC in 2015 and attended her first LCGB Committee meeting in September 2016 when she was immediately interested in getting more involved. Heidi planned the Mothers and Depression Study Day in November 2016. She has taken a leading role on the Advancing the IBCLC subcommittee and has now taken on the role of Treasurer. Coming from a corporate background, her interest in helping breastfeeding mothers came about after she had her first son in 2008. She began volunteering at a breastfeeding drop-in in Chicago, USA and started her own drop-in when she moved to Fulham. In addition to the weekly drop-in, she has a small private practice.
Secretary
Contact: secretary@lcgb.org
Shazlynn Omar is the mother of breastfed baby twins, and the first aspiring IBCLC to join the Board of Trustees. She brings an important perspective to the Board as a service user. Shazlynn will be applying her background in corporate journalism to her new role as LCGB’s Secretary.
Membership Secretary
Contact: membership@lcgb.org
Vikki Kidd IBCLC has a passion to normalising breastfeeding and support breastfeeding women. Coming from a nursing/midwifery background she has worked as a senior midwife in both in England and overseas. After becoming a mother she trained as an NCT Breastfeeding Counsellor, qualifying in 2008.
When living in Canada, she qualified as an IBCLC in 2011 and worked as a hospital lactation consultant and became involved in Baby Friendly (BFI) organisations to promote and support breastfeeding. Having returned to England in 2015, she now lives and practices as an independent IBCLC and NCT BFC in South Warwickshire. Becoming involved in LCGB as the Minutes Secretary, she is now the Membership Secretary and also a member of the Events Team.
Trustee
Contact: INFO@ lcgb.org
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Contact: edi@lcgb.org
Zurina Ali IBCLC has a background in teaching and academia. She gained her IBCLC certification after nearly a decade facilitating breastfeeding groups supporting women from diverse backgrounds as a trained La Leche League Peer Counsellor within the Public Health Initiative in Manchester in 2011. Zurina joined LCGB as a committee member in 2012 and coordinated the 2013 Conference in Manchester. In 2015, she was elected as the first LCGB Equality and Diversity Lead. She has represented LCGB internationally as part of the Lactation Equity Action Committee (LEAC), and currently sits on the International Lactation Consultants Association (ILCA)’s Equity Committee, which links in with her role as LCGB Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lead. Her work in advocating, promoting, supporting and sustaining breastfeeding internationally, nationally and locally are mostly within the voluntary sector, although she has the experience working within the local government and public health initiatives. She has remained committed to areas of equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion in relation to maternal and infant health and wellbeing. She has a special interest in issues of milk-kinship and donor human milk banking from the Islamic perspective and family-centred care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Zurina has been facilitating and collaborating on issues of milk-kinship and donor human milk banking between the United Kingdom and Malaysia since 2016.
Trustee
Contact: INFO@lcgb.org
Robyn Leah Nalty, IBCLC - Robyn became a young parent in 2013, inspiring her journey into the breastfeeding field and her commitment to equity in lactation care. Over the past decade, she has volunteered as a peer supporter and coordinated peer support services in hospitals, communities, and homes. Robyn also became and IBCLC in 2024, driven by a passion for improving culturally competent care for underserved communities. As a board member, Robyn aims to encourage and support aspiring IBCLCs from diverse backgrounds and champion inclusion.
Trustee
Contact: info@lcgb.org
Dr. Philip Smith, MBBS, MRCP (UK), MRCPCH - Phil has been a consultant children’s doctor since 2006, developing a deep commitment to breastfeeding advocacy after recognising gaps in medical training. He works closely with midwives to develop guidelines and ensure breastfeeding is prioritised in medical discussions. Phil is passionate about creating safe, inclusive spaces where all voices are respected. As a board member, Phil is eager to bring an innovative medical perspective to the board and continue supporting parents’ breastfeeding journeys.