Michele is a former consultant paediatrician with a masters in Medical Law and more than 10 years’ experience in haematology and oncology. She joins The Charity from Rays of Sunshine where, as CEO, she played a key role in restoring services and income post-pandemic.
Michele said: “It’s my great privilege to take up the CEO role at The Brain Tumour Charity and to join such a capable and dedicated team which is relentless in its search for a cure for this devastating group of conditions, and tireless in its support for all those who have experienced this most difficult of diagnoses.
“With so many advances elsewhere in cancer treatment, now more than ever, there’s an urgent need to see similar improvements for the brain tumour community. I look forward to working alongside this amazing community to ensure The Brain Tumour Charity’s hugely important work continues unabated in the drive to deliver its unashamedly ambitious goals.
“A doctor by training and background, my experience as a consultant working in the field of paediatric haematology and oncology for more than 10 years meant I regularly looked after children who’d been diagnosed with a range of different brain tumours and so saw first-hand the cruelties associated with this most difficult of conditions. Contact with this extraordinary and courageous group of patients – and the family and friends around them – was both humbling and inspiring. It left an indelible mark on me as a clinician and ignited a deep desire to find more ways to do more for more – in honour of those I have met along the way. I came to The Brain Tumour Charity as part of that search.
“I’m passionate about the need to address the inequalities of access, care and outcome, which affect a group of people already dealing with the immediate challenges associated with a brain tumour diagnosis. I’m excited to join in the Brain Tumour Charity’s drive for change by way of ground breaking research and patient support. This is a singularly difficult set of diseases as, whether low grade or high grade, a tumour in the brain will always have a profound impact on the individual affected as well as those around them – for their entire life.
“The Brain Tumour Charity is a truly inspirational organisation for its ability to recognise this; to listen to the voice of the community and advocate for the changes needed, no matter how hard or long the road. A clinician at heart, I have found this approach resonates perfectly with my own personal drive to always place the patient at the very centre of the work ahead and join The Brain Tumour Charity in the knowledge this is where that important work is already happening.”
Jack Morris CBE, Chair of Trustees at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “It’s taken The Charity a long time to find our new CEO. This is because we’ve been looking for someone with very special, almost unique, qualities to lead it into the future. In Michele, the Trustees and I feel we’ve found that person.
“Michele’s wide professional experience in the medical, legal and charity sectors is almost unparalleled and her empathetic style fits well with the caring and understanding culture we promote amongst our staff and within the brain tumour community we serve. We’re greatly looking forward to Michele joining us and taking The Charity onward and upward as it moves forward with its new strategy – Living Longer and Better 2023-2030.
“I’d also like to warmly thank Beth Worrall for stepping in for us and being such an outstanding Interim CEO recently. Also, to our marvellous Team who have ensured The Charity’s vital work has continued to shine during this period.”
Interim CEO Beth Worrall, who’ll hand over to Michele on 17 July, said: “Michele brings a wealth of fantastic and hugely relevant experience alongside excellent leadership credentials. I have every confidence in Michele’s ability to take this truly amazing organisation forwards and am excited to continue to support her and the team as I return to my role as a Trustee.”
The Brain Tumour Charity, the largest dedicated funder of brain tumour research globally, is a year into its research strategy Accelerating a Cure which includes the ambition to invest another £40m in world-class research by 2027.
Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, volunteers and partners, The Charity raised almost £13 million last year and delivered personalised support services to more than 27,000 individuals from 2021-2022.