Gail Jackson - Chief Executive Officer Expand Gail joined Solving Kids Cancer on 14th April 2020 as the charity’s new CEO. Gail has a wealth of experience in supporting children and families, having started her career as a children’s social worker. Gail has held senior leadership positions within regional and national charities and more recently has been CEO of a regional community development charity. Gail is passionate about working for organisations with children at its heart and this is what led her to SKC. Gail lives in rural Lincolnshire with her husband, two teenage children, 2 dogs and 4 hens.
Claire Hislop - Head of Operations Expand Claire has worked for the charity since 2012, joining the Fundraising Team initially before becoming Head of Development in 2016 and then Head of Operations in 2017. Claire oversees the charity's Family Support Service, the HR function and communications. She also leads on information governance and health and safety compliance. Outside of work, Claire likes to spend time with her family - husband Yassine and their new baby boy, and her nephews - and enjoys travelling.
Leona Knox - Head of Research Expand Leona’s role is to ensure Solving Kids’ Cancer effectively and efficiently delivers on its Research Strategy, as the charity strives to improve outcomes for children with neuroblastoma. Leona supports our Scientific Advisory Board to function effectively and manages all administrative aspects of our grant review and award process, ensuring that we work to the standards and values required by the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). As part of her role with the charity, Leona also leads on the development and delivery of the scientific agenda of our annual Neuroblastoma Parent Education Conference in London, selecting and inviting leading neuroblastoma researchers from around the world to share recent updates directly with the parent/patient population they are working to help. Leona is a Steering Committee member of the international multi-stakeholder platform ACCELERATE, Affiliate Member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), member of European pressure group Unite2Cure, and a member of the Kids v Cancer Parent Council in the US. Her son, Oscar, died from neuroblastoma in 2014 at the age of five.
Vicky Inglis - Head of Family Support Services Expand Vicky leads our Family Support Team and she truly understands. Her brave son, Jamie, passed away in January 2013 after battling neuroblastoma for half of his life. Throughout Jamie's treatment, which included travel to the US and Germany, his parents became informed about neuroblastoma and the research landscape. Vicky left her primary school teaching career to work with Solving Kids' Cancer. Jamie's legacy lives on. Vicky is always available to identify and address each families' needs, aiming for the best outcome each time.
Gemma Wadsley - Head of Strategic Finance Expand Gemma joined Solving Kids' Cancer in 2019 as Head of Strategic Finance and is responsible for all of our financial affairs, working closely with the Treasurer. Previously she worked at Macmillan Cancer Support for 11 years, predominantly as Director of Finance, and more recently at RNIB also as Director of Finance. Gemma has two young children - James and Sammy - and spends much of her free time playing superheroes and building Lego. Any other spare time is spent cycling around the countryside or with friends.
Anne Denman - Head of Fundraising & Communications Expand Anne joined Solving Kids’ Cancer as Head of Fundraising and Communications in April 2020. Anne started her career in the theatre and for the last 10 years has worked in the voluntary and statutory sector within children’s social care and most recently in community development. Anne is passionate about supporting charities that have positive outcomes for children at their heart. Anne lives in Nottingham with her partner and two children.
Anna Austin - Donor Manager Expand Anna became aware of Solving Kids’ Cancer when her daughter Isla was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma on her first birthday. Isla had frontline treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital and then with the help, support and guidance of Solving Kids’ Cancer embarked on a clinical trial in New York. Isla is currently in remission and started school this academic year. Prior to Isla’s diagnosis Anna worked in e-commence within head office roles for leading UK retailers, latterly as an Ecommerce Trading Manager. Anna lives in Hertfordshire with her husband Rick and children, son Finn and twin daughters Lottie and Isla. “I have seen first hand the devastation neuroblastoma causes. Our innocent children are being put through such brutal treatment, the heartbreaking loss of lives and the cruel and serious side effects survivors contend with. I am honoured to be part of this organisation and passionate about making a difference. Together we must fight for our children, for kinder treatment and a cure”.
Hayley Blackwell - Family Support Coordinator Expand Hayley is always on hand to provide support to families throughout their child's cancer journey. She has been through this with her own daughter. Eva was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma in 2014 and is now over three years in remission, thriving after being successfully treated in the UK. She is ideally placed to guide other families. Away from work, Hayley enjoys music festivals and travelling. She also volunteers for the Make-A-Wish Foundation as a wish visitor.
Georgina Clark - Executive Assistant Expand Georgina joined Solving Kids’ Cancer in January 2021, as Executive Assistant, providing an efficient and effective administration service to the Chief Executive, Company Secretary and Head of Research. Georgina also supports the Board of Trustees, ensuring that the Charity adheres to good governance. Georgina has experience of supporting a range of business processes within both the public and private sector, and more recently, held a similar role in the third sector, whilst working for a charity supporting rural communities. Georgina lives in rural Lincolnshire with her husband and two boys and enjoys an active lifestyle with her family.
Edward Fordham - Finance Assistant Expand Ed joined the team in 2019 and supports the finance processing and reporting of the charity. He previously worked as a consultant specializing in automating finance systems and before that in various finance roles with the charity Christian Aid. Ed has one young son and another child on the way and enjoys spending his time with his family.
Emily Hall - Research & Digital Communications Officer Expand Research has been a passion of Emily's since studying for her degree in Chemistry at the University of Sheffield. In her role at Solving Kids’ Cancer, her goal is to share the amazing research funded by the charity and our partners with as many people as possible, to help end the suffering caused by neuroblastoma. Outside of work she enjoys exploring London’s lovely green spaces, and relaxing with a good book!
Daniel Ingle – Family Support Coordinator & Supporter Services Manager Expand Dan supports our Fundraising and Family Support Teams to raise the funds that are so important to our work. A whizz with numbers and Microsoft Excel, he's always on hand for our families who are running campaigns for their child. Dan is a Scout leader and can often be found volunteering his spare time to organise activities and train the young members of his groups.
Sophie Lizra - Community and Events Manager Expand Sophie joined the team in summer 2019 and supports our fabulous community fundraisers and challenge events participants. Her goal is to ensure those who join Team Solving Kids' Cancer have the best time and raise plenty of money for children affected by neuroblastoma and their families. At home, Sophie loves spending time with her cats!
Donna Ludwinski - Family Support Advocate Expand Donna Ludwinski has a vast knowledge of the neuroblastoma research landscape. As a staunch parent advocate, Donna is passionate about providing resources to neuroblastoma families and guiding them through the world of clinical trials to empower their decision-making. She is based in New York, USA, and is the Director of Research Programs for Solving Kids' Cancer in the US. Donna is an active member of the New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT) Advisory Council, Coalition Against Childhood Cancer (CAC2) Board, and National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pediatric Central Institutional Review Board. She is also a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Pediatric Cancer Working Group (PCWG) and was a member of their Steering Committee 2015-2018. Donna also serves on the Pediatric Oncology Subcommittee of the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (PedsODAC) for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Donna’s son, Erik, passed from neuroblastoma in 2010 at the age of 24.
Laura Nott - Fundraising Campaigns and Communications Manager Expand Laura joined the team in May 2019 and supports families who are fundraising for their child with Solving Kids' Cancer. She has previously volunteered for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and has a degree in Criminology from the University of Leicester. Laura moved to London in 2019 and likes to spend her weekends seeing as much of the city as she can.