5 reflections from 5 years at Cancer Research UK

It’s hard to believe that last month marked five years since I became chief executive at Cancer Research UK. It's fair to say there’s been lots of unexpected twists and turns, but I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve thanks to the support of so many. As the year draws to a close, I thought it would be a good opportunity to share a few of my reflections and learnings from my time at the charity.  

#1 Substantive change can take longer than you expect 

I remember having a list of 10 things that I wanted to achieve during my first year at Cancer Research UK. I had a good idea of what the opportunities were, but substantive change can take time. Ensuring there is alignment and support from across the charity, buy in from stakeholders, and a thorough strategic plan in place is critical to creating change that is impactful and long-lasting. 

Half a decade on from drawing up that list, some things have been ticked off, some have pivoted into new opportunities, and some are ongoing pieces of work. Of course, I couldn’t have predicted Covid-19, an economic recession, a cost-of-living crisis, and conflicts around the world; macroeconomic factors that have significantly impacted the cost of our work and the rate of our progress. 

While the initial process of implementing change can take time, my experience is that things do go a lot faster after a tipping point. I’m proud of several transformational pieces of work that we’ve undertaken during my time as chief executive – including the launch of our new strategy and our refreshed brand in recent years. 

#2 Collaboration shouldn’t be underestimated 

No one person, organisation or country is going to beat cancer on its own. In the UK, we need a thriving research environment and the support of the Government, other research funders, and cancer societies to pool our resources and knowledge if we’re to have the biggest impact for people affected by cancer. 

On a global scale, initiatives like Cancer Grand Challenges help unite some of the world’s brightest minds and empower the global research community to come together. Initiatives that are only made possible thanks to international partnerships and collaboration between funders that have a shared vision. 

If you look at any aspect of our work, collaboration is at its heart. Whether involving people with cancer in what we do, working with other cancer charities through One Cancer Voice, part-funding research programmes with other organisations, or creating actionable policy recommendations for Government through our manifesto for cancer research and care. I firmly believe that by working together, we can make the biggest difference. 

#3 I'm inspired and motivated by our staff, volunteers, scientists, researchers, clinicians, nurses, NHS staff, and supporters every day 

Throughout my career in the charity sector, I’ve been impressed by the dedication of colleagues and volunteers. There are around 25,000 registered volunteers who contribute to Cancer Research UK’s work each year – an incredible number – and each person has individual reasons why they choose to support our work.  

As well as personal motivations, the charity sector is unique in bringing people together with a common cause, mission and purpose. It’s something that lends itself to creating a more enjoyable and productive workplace that gets the best out of its people. I feel very fortunate to work with talented colleagues that trust and like one another, something that can often be overlooked. 

None of our work would be possible, however, without our supporters. In the last few years, they have continued to give generously despite real-term income declining for many, and I’m always inspired by the creative fundraising ideas that people come up with. Whether through regular monthly donations, gifts in Wills, goods donated or purchased in our stores, or by taking part in our events, our supporters motivate me every day. 

#4 The biggest challenges often lead to the biggest opportunities 

As a leader of any organisation, you cannot control everything. You can have the best laid plans, but often you’ll be judged on external factors that you have little control over, some of which I've already covered. What is critical, however, is that you use those times as opportunities to change and adapt.  

During difficult and challenging times, there is often a higher risk tolerance than you may think, and it’s something I’ve been conscious of throughout my time at Cancer Research UK. One example is the innovation we’ve shown to adapt to the changing behaviours of supporters through our fundraising activity. While events like Race for Life remain a vital part of our activity, we’ve also targeted growth in areas like social media challenges, after the success that we saw during Covid-19.  

Another key consideration – that is front of mind in everything we do – is the state of cancer care in the UK. We know that waiting times are too long, survival rates aren’t improving quickly enough, and a long-term approach is needed to improve cancer outcomes in the UK. It’s why we took the step to launch our manifesto last month, to outline why cancer is an issue that must be prioritised by all parties in the upcoming general election. 

#5 I’m only just getting started 

We are beating cancer. We’ve made important progress over the previous five years that is bringing hope to people with cancer in the UK and globally. However, we’re in a race for the future and want to go further and faster – preventing more cancer cases than ever before, diagnosing cancers earlier, and bringing new tests and treatments to patients more quickly.  

There is so much more to do and achieve – and I’m very excited about the coming years. I firmly believe Cancer Research UK is best placed to tackle the global health challenge that is cancer. We have a world-class research network in place, but finance remains our rate limiting step and we need others to join us in our mission if we’re to achieve our vision of bringing about a world where everybody can lead longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.