Our board and president

Our Board

Myeloma UK is governed by a Board of Trustees who have a wealth of experience in finance, business, and medicine. Some also have direct experience of myeloma or a related condition or have supported loved ones through their cancer.

The trustees meet with our executive team throughout the year, as both a full board and as members of various sub committees, giving their time freely to provide support, knowledge, and oversight of the vital work that Myeloma UK does.

Simon Linnett, Chairman

Simon is Vice-Chairman of Rothschild & Co in the City where he has spent his working life since university as an adviser to corporates and Governments focussed on the governance and financing of public services at the interface between the public and private sectors.

His first involvement in Health goes back 15-20 years discussing ideas on financing the NHS without resorting to PFI schemes. As a result of his learned interest in health governance, and from his time as a Trustee of the Queen’s Nursing Institute, Simon became Chair of the Luton & Dunstable University NHS Foundation Trust in 2014. The Trust merged in 2021 with Bedford Hospital and he continues to chair the newly formed Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust where, amongst other interests, he focusses attention on the cancer pathway and performance.

Simon said: “Myeloma UK is a strong institution which has made major differences to the diagnosis and treatment of a complex and incurable blood cancer. I consider myself very fortunate to have been given this opportunity to contribute to the next phase of development, which will address the continuing unmet patient need in diagnosis, treatment and care.”

Alex Montgomery, Treasurer

Alex joined the Myeloma UK Board in 2019.

He read law at Edinburgh University and initially qualified as a solicitor with Murray Beith Murray before switching his career to focus on investment management for private clients and charities.  Alex was a Partner of Turcan Connell for several years and played a leading role in the evolution of the firm’s financial services activities into Tcam, an independent business of which he was Joint CEO until it was acquired in 2018 by Seven Investment Management.

Throughout his career Alex has been involved in advising charity clients and he currently serves as a Trustee of a grant making foundation.

Alex said “Myeloma UK is an important organisation that plays a critical role in improving the lives of patients. I very much believe that the objectives of the charity to support current myeloma patients and their families, to drive improvements to diagnosis and treatments, and to amplify the patient voice in healthcare decision making deliver a positive outcome for patients and their families”.

Sarah Henshaw, Trustee

Sarah Henshaw joined the Myeloma UK Board of Directors in 2019.

Sarah has been the myeloma Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Nottingham Centre for Clinical Haematology for 11 years. She has set up and run four independent nurse-led clinics managing symptoms, pain, associated treatments, and MGUS. Her particular interests are quality of life for myeloma patients, pain management, management of late effects, and the progression of new treatments.

Sarah is an independent nurse prescriber. Further to her BSc in healthcare studies, she is undertaking an MSc in health and social care, specialising in palliative and end of life care.

She has recently begun work with an international working group of myeloma Clinical Nurse Specialists where she hopes to impact on the IMW nursing programme; and is in the early phases of setting up a National Myeloma Nurse Network in conjunction with the UK Myeloma Forum with the intention to standardise myeloma nursing care, and develop best practice protocols and nurse education.

Sarah is a member of the UKMF executive board and was a trustee of The Basil Skyers Myeloma Foundation until June 2018.

Dr Karthik Ramasamy, Trustee

Dr Karthik Ramasamy joined the Myeloma UK Board of Directors in 2019.

Dr Ramasamy is a consultant haematologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Director of the Oxford Myeloma Translational Research Centre. He is also Lead Clinician for myeloma and other plasma cell dyscrasias at the Thames Valley Strategic Clinical Network. He has been a Chief Investigator of myeloma studies in renal impairment and bone disease and Principal Investigator on several myeloma trials.

Geraldine Haley, Trustee

Geraldine Haley joined the Myeloma UK Board of Directors in 2019.

Geraldine Haley has spent 25 years with Standard Chartered Bank, where she gained generalist and specialist Human Resources experience, including time as Global Head of HR for Corporate and Institutional Banking and culminating in her role as Global Head of Executive Talent. Geraldine set-up a consulting practice in 2016 where she focuses on coaching Senior Executives, accelerating team performance and bespoke leadership development programmes.

Alan Chant, Trustee

Alan Chant joined the Myeloma UK Board of Directors in 2019.

Alan was diagnosed with myeloma in 2011, since then he has worked with Myeloma UK as a member of Support Groups, spoken at Infodays, been a member of research panels and a patient expert on NICE technical appraisals. He was also a patient representative on the 2016 NICE Myeloma Guidelines.

He is also currently a patient representative on other cancer bodies (NCRI Trustee and member or their Haematology & Oncology Group, UK Myeloma Research Academy, Cancer Research UK and Oxford Oncology Clinical Trials Office), other research organisations (including Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, UKCRC, Wellcome Trust and NIHR funding bodies) and is a Trustee on Oxford University Hospitals Charity.

Alan has over 40 years’ business experience, including 22 years at director level in large national consumer-focused companies including Sainsbury’s, Beecham, United Biscuits and Seagram. He was principally responsible for marketing and corporate development and was involved in the launch and development of the UK National Lottery.

Alan said “I am delighted to be joining the Myeloma UK Board, and extending my involvement with the charity. Myeloma UK is an impressive organisation that puts the needs of myeloma patients foremost in everything they do. The staff bring enthusiasm, passion and commitment to their roles. It is a privilege to be playing an enlarged role with them.”

Paul Brocklehurst, Trustee

Paul Brocklehurst joined the Myeloma UK Board in 2021.

Paul has worked as a Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the past 20 years with a proven track record of strategic technology leadership across both public and private sector organisations.

Paul has expert knowledge of technology and transformation change, and has significant experience in the initiation and management of business change. Further specialisms also include management with responsibilities for programme delivery, governance, and risk management.

Paul said: “It is an honour to be joining the board of Myeloma UK, the organisation plays an important role in improving and supporting the lives of patients. I am excited to have this opportunity to contribute towards the future development of the organisation”.

Dr Fenella Willis, Trustee

Fenella joined the Myeloma UK Board in 2020.

Dr Willis has been a Consultant Haematologist at St George’s Hospital and has held an Honorary Senior Lecturer post in the medical school since 2004. She is the clinical lead for the Myeloma and Apheresis services at St George’s Hospital and has been the Principle Investigator in a wide portfolio of Myeloma and Haemato-oncology clinical trials. Fenella is the co-chair for the Myeloma UK Early Diagnosis Steering group and the Chair of board of trustees for the Full Circle Fund Charity, which provides supportive care therapies to adults and children with life limiting and chronic diseases.

Andrea Abrahams, Trustee

Andrea joined the Myeloma UK Board in 2021.

Andrea has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for the past 30 years in a variety of sales, training, and marketing roles at both a UK and global level. She has led and managed sales and marketing teams and been responsible for strategy development and implementation as well as linking her work into pricing and re-imbursement teams, policy, and patient advocacy teams. At a global level, she has also worked with the research and development teams to advise on how development programmes could be commercialised in order to ensure patients receive the therapies best suited to their condition.

Andrea lost her partner, Adam, to myeloma at the age of 55 after a very short period of time resulting from a late diagnosis. She is committed to delivering better outcomes for future patients and has previously served on a Myeloma UK Early Diagnosis sub-committee.

Andrea said: “It is a privilege to be joining the board of Myeloma UK, a charity that has supported me and my family in the past. The organisation’s focus on patients, research, and driving access to medicines will ensure better patient outcomes for Myeloma patients and is a vision that I personally am excited to be able to support”.

Polly Hughes, Trustee

Polly joined the Myeloma UK Board in 2022.

Polly has over 20 years experience delivering successful strategies and income generation programmes for a diverse range of U.K. and international charitable organisations.

Her fundraising experience encompasses corporate partnerships, major gifts at 6 and 7 figure level,  UK and International Events, Grants, trusts and legacies as well as statutory income programmes with a focus on helping charities deliver their short, medium and longer term objectives.

“Having seen firsthand the positive impact of early diagnosis for blood cancer within my family. It’s a privilege to be supporting Myeloma U.K as we transform the experience for myeloma patients and their loved ones.”

Karen Paul, Trustee

Karen Paul joined the Board of Trustees in 2023.

Karen was diagnosed with smouldering myeloma during the pandemic. She is a skilled and passionate fundraiser and is keen to harness her singular experience of living with the disease and expertise to amplify patient voices and spearhead change for the myeloma community.

Karen had left a successful career in law to look after her two young sons when her husband Ian was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004. Having witnessed first-hand the vital importance of medical research, following his recovery, Karen threw herself into fundraising and has helped to raise significant sums for charities including Cancer Research UK.

She’s since expanded her efforts to supporting the arts and has been a trustee at Hampstead Theatre for nearly a decade.

In 2018, she founded Stellar Theatre, which offers bespoke theatre in people’s homes and private venues.

Karen also sits on the Campaign Advisory Group for The Royal Free Charity.