COELIAC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Member of the National NHS Youth Forum
Aishah Farooq's journey into advocating for the voices of children and young people began with her own experience of accessing healthcare services as a young person. This led her to joining University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust's Youth Forum, where she was involved in shaping how healthcare should be delivered from a young persons' perspective. Her passion for improving healthcare services acted as driver to her to becoming a Trust young Governor, where she sits on the Council of Governors and ensures youth voice is involved in every decision.
Aishah is a member of the National NHS Youth Forum and has led a Health Inequalities project, from which the recommendations and outcomes of the project were successfully included and shaped a position paper in response to the White Paper released by the OHID. Aishah has also used her lived experience of accessing healthcare services to contribute, as a lay member, on the NICE guideline on Babies, Children and Young People's Experiences of Healthcare.
She is currently a Patient Public Voice Partner for the asthma workstream and also sits as a Board Member for the Children and Young People's Transformation board at NHSE. She is currently in her second year studying Pharmacology at the University of Bristol.
Aishah has been diagnosed with coeliac disease and is particularly interested in ensuring that children and young people are provided with the support and early and accurate diagnosis to prevent future complications associated to coeliac disease.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Professor of Medical Physics at the University of Nottingham
Alan Perkins is a Professor of Medical Physics at the University of Nottingham and Honorary Consultant Clinical Scientist, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. Professor Perkins is also a member of Coeliac UK having been diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2010 after a brief period of acute anaemia. This was the first time in his life he had been a patient in the hospital he had worked in for 30 years. He also holds the position of Chair of our newly formed Research Strategy Board (RSB) to which he brings not only a personal insight into the condition but vast expertise in research, and along with the Board, will help us to work towards a step change in research into coeliac disease.
Angeli Hemnani is a financial analyst with over 20 years experience in research and strategy, having worked with leading investment banking firms in Asia, Europe and West Africa. She holds a Masters degree in Finance from the London Business School and a Bachelors degree in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Angeli lives in London and is married with two children, one of whom was diagnosed with coeliac disease at the age of 7. As such, she is deeply passionate about the essential role of Coeliac UK and hopes to use her skills and experience to contribute towards the charity's growth, financial stability, robust risk management and strong governance.
Anita Patel is a GP based in the Midlands. With a personal interest in lifestyle medicine, she uses her knowledge to educate patients on how diet and food can affect health and wellbeing. She was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2010, and her sister soon after. Thereafter followed a period of learning and passing on information on what a gluten free diet involves to both family and friends.
As a Trustee for Coeliac UK Anita hopes to assist in developing strategies to increase awareness in both the general population and health professionals, so that people are diagnosed and treated earlier. Both her background and her work as a GP means she has insight into the ever changing environment of the NHS, Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) and healthcare services, and enables her to bring her unique perspective, as both a healthcare professional and patient, to the charity.
Job Titles:
- Director of Membership, Services and Volunteering
Annette has worked in the charity sector for over 11 years, including roles with the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and as a previous Trustee of a local Council for Voluntary Service. She joined Coeliac UK in 2008 as Membership Services Manager with a focus of streamlining the newly developed membership scheme.
In 2016 Annette was appointed Director of Membership, Services and Volunteering and, leading a team of nine, is involved with the strategic development, delivery and monitoring of services, adding value to the membership experience and encouraging new members and supporters to join Coeliac UK.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Partner at Hakluyt
Chris Dilloway is a partner at Hakluyt, the strategic advisory firm for businesses and investors.
Chris specialises in digital and cyber risk. He has 15 years' experience advising senior clients on the management of these issues, at both the strategic and more operational level. He has also worked in ecommerce and digital development, and he has a DPhil in information security from the University of Oxford.
Chris's younger daughter, Edith, was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2020, when she was 18 months old. He and his family have been members of Coeliac UK since then, and Chris hopes to use his skills and experience in managing digital and cyber issues, and also in risk management more widely, to contribute to the growth and development of the charity.
Job Titles:
- Management Accountant
- Trustee
Clive Hart is a qualified management accountant with over 15 years of experience. He has worked in a number of senior finance roles, covering different lines of business and countries. As a trustee for Coeliac UK, Clive will bring his financial and operational experience to help the charity achieve its strategic objectives.
He is currently the Legal & Financial Director for Capgemini UK plc.
Gerry Robins graduated from Newcastle upon Tyne in 1995. Following jobs in the North East he moved to Yorkshire to specialise in Gastroenterology in 1998. From 1999 to 2001 Gerry undertook successfully an MD thesis into the electrogenic causes of diarrhoea. Subsequently, he was appointed a Lecturer in Medicine at the University of Leeds, during which time he undertook further research into the links between obesity and colorectal cancer, and the nutritional aspects of coeliac disease and the gluten free diet with subsequent presentations at international meetings and publications. Gerry was appointed as a Consultant Gastroenterologist at York in April 2008.
As well as clinical commitments Gerry is active in NHS Management and Governance including senior roles at York and Scarborough NHS Foundation Trust and working for the GMC. Gerry continues to participate in clinical research in coeliac disease and still sees many patients with coeliac disease in his clinics. Over the years whilst acknowledging significant improvement, Gerry acknowledges the challenges patients with coeliac disease still face with regards to getting a diagnosis and receiving the ongoing care and support that they need and deserve.
Job Titles:
- Director of Evidence and Policy
Heidi began her career as a chemist in product development and then production management in the manufacturing industry. During a career break to raise a family, she also completed a PhD in Nutrition and Food Science, including areas of immunology and microbiology. For seven years she was the Research Manager at Coeliac UK, developing strong governance and ensuring the voice of the coeliac community was heard via the research priority setting partnership.
Now as a member of the senior management team, her role is pivotal in the strategic development of the charity's knowledge base, with the support of a super talented team of seven. Heidi also plays an important representational role among key stakeholders in research and the health and food sectors.
Helen joined Coeliac UK in September 2016 as Director of Fundraising and Business Development. With nearly 25 years experience in the charity sector, she has held roles in both large and small organisations, ranging from Chief Executive to freelance fundraiser.
Helen's role encompasses many of the supporter-engagement areas of the work of Coeliac UK, and with the three different teams works to deliver a positive experience for all our valued supporters, volunteers and contributors.
Hilary's professional background lies in business transformation within complex, multifaceted organisations. Her senior management career started in marketing at Coca-Cola, and progressed in the retail and wholesale industry before moving to Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology and digital transformation services. She gained considerable knowledge and interest in the food and drink sector before making the move to the charity sector as CEO of London's largest food redistribution charity, The Felix Project.
Hilary has direct experience of coeliac disease, as her son has the condition. This provides her with first hand experience of living gluten free and provides additional motivation to achieve real and lasting change for the gluten free community. Hilary also volunteers as a Board Member of Age UK Ealing and for international poverty and disaster relief charity, Tearfund.
Ife joined Coeliac UK as Director of Finance in June 2021. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a passion for facilitating good corporate governance. With a graduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, Ife moved to the UK to pursue, amongst other things, an accountancy qualification and a master's degree at the Henley Business School.
Organisations she has worked for include Marks and Spencer, Citizens Advice Bureau and Concern Worldwide UK. Before joining Coeliac UK, she worked as Head of Finance and Administration for Microloan Foundation UK and Finance Officer of The University and College Union. Ife also volunteers as a parent governor in her child's school.
Job Titles:
- Support Services Assistant
I joined Coeliac UK 11 years ago having recently moved to the area and I can honestly say that I love my job! I work as a Support and HR Services Assistant which gives me the opportunity to get involved in all aspects of the organisation - which I enjoy hugely - as well as specifically supporting the Chief Executive's Team.
The charity is a small organisation and the staff here are extremely friendly; most are friends as well as work colleagues. Coeliac UK offers flexible working hours allowing me the freedom to look after my grandchildren on the days I'm not working and ensuring I can maintain a harmonious work life balance.
Job Titles:
- Disease Research Centre, Norway Open Menu
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Co - Owner and Managing Director at Electrify
Lawrence Broadie is the co-owner and Managing Director at Electrify, a creative marketing and communications agency that has extensive experience working with charity and publicly funded organisations across the UK.
A former Head of Marketing at Heart of Midlothian FC, and trustee at the club's official charity Big Hearts Community Trust, Lawrence has worked in agencies for a decade, founding Electrify in 2015.
Lawrence is also a regular public speaker, delivering third sector training courses on marketing, communications and storytelling. He was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2012.
Maureen Burnside has been a Trustee since 2017, and became Chair in early 2021. Here she shares her thoughts about the charity and joining the Board of Trustees.
I was delighted to be appointed as a Board Member for Coeliac UK in 2017. Although my mother was diagnosed with coeliac disease over twenty years ago, through which I became keenly aware of the challenges faced, I myself remained undiagnosed until 2014. It has been great to be able to give something back to the charity that has helped provide so much support and information.
Professionally, I worked for over thirty years as a solicitor specialising in corporate and commercial law, first as a partner in a major Scottish law firm and then as an 'in house' solicitor for a company focused on the food sector. Now retired, I spend my time walking in the Scottish countryside, trying out new gluten free recipes and helping support Coeliac UK. I believe that my knowledge and experience of living with coeliac disease, together with my background in law and governance help me in being an effective Chair and in supporting the trustees and the management team in driving the charity forward to help as many people as possible, and to ensure that there is no life limited by gluten.
I have been incredibly impressed by the enthusiasm and hard work of all within the charity, particularly through the recent pandemic, and this has enabled it to go from strength to strength. The charity does a lot of fantastic work behind the scenes such as working with Government departments to ensure our voice is heard, funding research regarding all aspects of coeliac disease, speaking to CCGs regarding keeping prescriptions, and ensuring the press doesn't print ill-informed articles. I'm excited to be in this role and hope to meet many of you during my tenure.
Maureen Burnside has over 30 years of experience as a solicitor, specialising in corporate and commercial law. She has knowledge of the food sector though seven years' working in the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) sector, latterly as Senior Legal Counsel with Muller, and before that she was a partner for nearly 20 years in one of Scotland's top law firms. She combines a strong knowledge of commercial law with a practical, commercial approach to its application.
She is now providing consultancy legal services to FMCG companies whilst helping manage the family farm in Scotland, which gives her time to offer her skills to charities such as Coeliac UK. She was diagnosed with coeliac disease three years ago but is very familiar with the disease and its challenges as her mother was diagnosed over twenty years ago.
Job Titles:
- Remembering Emeritus Professor
I joined the team at Coeliac UK in late 2018 as one of the Membership Helpline Dietitians. Prior to this, I spent thirteen years working in the NHS supporting patients in the gastroenterology department and in particular managing dietetic clinics for patients with coeliac disease. Based in our Cardiff office, I provide dietetic support, information and advice on the gluten free diet and diagnosis both by phone and email, as well as identifying where we can improve and develop new resources to meet our community's needs.
Throughout my career I have particularly enjoyed working in the area of coeliac disease and now working for Coeliac UK I can have the opportunity to work, support and give advice to people who are following a gluten free diet, helping them to live well, gluten free. The team have been warm and welcoming, I have felt very much part of the team from day one! I am looking forward to deepening my knowledge in coeliac disease with the excellent research that Coeliac UK are involved in.
Job Titles:
- Management Consultant
- Trustee
- Vice Chair
Nicky Valmas is a management consultant with over 30 years experience specialising in HR, procurement and sales & marketing spanning many sectors from Finance to IT and FMCG, all underpinned by an Honours Degree in Quantity Surveying and qualifications in other disciplines such as Project management. As a versatile pragmatic problem solver, Nicky has been Managing Director of Flo Consulting Ltd for nearly 16 years and provides change and transformation consultancy and interim management to a wide range of businesses.
Nicky's husband Tim has coeliac disease and together they have fund raised aggressively for the charity since Tim's diagnosis in 2006 and Nicky hopes to use her skills and knowledge to help support and improve the awareness of the disease in both the general population and the restaurant arena as Tim is passionate about eating out in a safe and enjoyable way.
I have worked at Coeliac UK as a dietitian on the Helpline since June 2009. My role involves answering enquiries about diagnosis, the gluten-free diet and health related issues via telephone, email, letter and social media, as well as reviewing and drafting articles for our range of publications and website. It's great to be able to speak to Members on a daily basis and help them on their journey through diagnosis and beyond and because the enquiries are so varied, no two days are the same.
Coeliac UK is a great place to work. I have had many opportunities to develop my knowledge and attend various training courses during my time here. As we are a small team we work closely together, many of us are friends, and there is lots of scope for cross team working. It's great to be part of the Charity and know that the work we are doing is really helping to make a difference to those with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis.
Coffee Mornings organised by the Bucks Support group based in High Wycombe are held on the third Monday of each month at 1030am. The venue is the "Place to Eat" cafeteria of John Lewis, High Wycombe. The MK branch of John Lewis has a similar set up and uses the same dates. Anyone interested is welcome to attend without prior notice - Just roll up on the day. A member of the Bucks Support Group Committee will be on hand to assist or have a chat. A Coeliac U.K. banner should be on view to help you identify the volunteer. Other events during the year also appear as bold numbers in Bucks Group calendar. If you would be interested in attending please contact Steph or Brian.
Job Titles:
- Head of Advocacy / Pennaeth Eiriolaeth
I joined Coeliac UK in March 2015 in the newly created role of Lead in Wales. I'd previously worked in public affairs and campaigns for international development charities and I was really interested to work in a new area on a condition I knew little about. In January 2021, I took on the role of Devolved Nations Lead, representing the charity in the devolved nations and working with colleagues to deliver for our members across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Since July 2022, I have taken on the expanded role of Head of Advocacy, leading on our influencing work and parliamentary engagement work across the UK. It's a great job. I get to help shape our approach to ensuring we persuade those in positions of power across the UK to bring about the change our community most needs. And I rely on all the amazing work of my colleagues to help underpin those conversations. After all, our voice is only as strong as those we represent.
I'm based in the Evidence and Policy team but the nature of my job means I work across the organisation with a variety of different amazing colleagues. Coeliac UK is a fantastic organisation to work for and despite working remotely from Head Office, I've always been made to feel part of the team (even if I miss out on the odd gluten free cake or tea run). I've learnt so much in the last few years and yet still feel like I learn something new every day.