KIDNEY RESEARCH UK - Key Persons
Adrian retired as a garden designer, having previously worked in the City of London for 30 years managing investment portfolios, latterly for family trusts, universities and a wide range of charities.
Married with two adult children, he plays tennis, real tennis and golf. His other interests include gardening, genealogy, investment, travelling and mountain walking.
Andrew Cole is a former professional footballer who played for 12 teams in his career, including Manchester United and Newcastle United. Find out about the Andy Cole Fund.
Angela has worked as a renal nurse for two decades and has first-hand experience of the affect of kidney diease.
"I come from a family that has been affected by kidney disease over 5 generations and as well as living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) myself I am also the parent of a child with CKD. My family's experience has enabled me to see the impact that research has had on the treatment and management of this condition. I am passionate about getting patients actively involved in research and ensuring they have access to the best evidence based care available.
"Professionally I am a registered nurse and have worked in renal care for almost 20 years, firstly in the Shetland Islands and now in my home town of Newcastle. I am a member of the Renal Association and the Association of Nephrology Nurses UK. I also have a BA Hons degree in Literature.
"I am married with 3 children. Away from work I enjoy reading, going to the theatre, travelling and watching cricket and football."
Read more about why Angela became a trustee.
Ben works in the Group Public Affairs team at HSBC Group Plc, leading on global trade policy & public affairs. Prior to joining HSBC, Ben spent 12 years at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), latterly as the organisation's International Director, managing the CBI's office network in China, India and the United States.
Ben was diagnosed with Minimal Change Nephrotic Syndrome when he was eighteen months old and was treated at Stoke Mandeville, Ipswich and the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. He was discharged at the age of 21 and has had no subsequent relapses. He initially got involved with Kidney Research UK in 2016 and has been an active member of the Lay Advisory Committee (LAC) as well as supporting the development of the charity's public affairs and communications strategy. Most recently, he worked with the Communications & Fundraising team on the launch of the Andy Cole Fund in May 2020.
Ben lives in London with his wife Amy and their miniature schnauzer Jazz. Outside of work he enjoys football, boxing, music and reading politics and history. He studied at Durham University and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
From France, Chef Bruno has resided in both the UK and Australia. He has had a successful career and has written three cookbooks and has appeared on BBC's Hot Chefs, Junior and adult Masterchef and Austrailia's The Great South East.
Caroline is a physician scientist who, as Professor of Nephrology at University of Birmingham, led a renal research team focusing on vasculitis and related kidney disorders.
In 2010, following a sabbatical to GlaxoSmithKline, she moved to industry in order to facilitate getting medicines from the lab and into patients. At GSK she was VP and head of the early development Experimental Medicine Unit that she set up.
During 2005-2008, Caroline was a trustee of Kidney Research UK. She has been a member of the Kidney Research UK Grants Committee and served as first Academic VP of the Renal Association for three years from 2007. She is an active fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. She returned as a trustee to Kidney Research UK in 2019 and is particularly interested in alternative funding models.
Chris was diagnosed with FSGS in 2005 and eventually had to start haemodialysis during lockdown in 2020. Having spent 10 months at the hospital unit, he will soon begin dialysis at home and is looking forward to being a little more active.
Having studied maths, physics and chemistry at A level, Chris then read medieval and modern history at Birmingham University. Naturally enough, he moved on to train as a chartered accountant, specialising in taxation. He retired from PwC as global head of the transfer pricing practice. He has served on the boards of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Kidneycare UK and is now Treasurer of the Exeter & District Kidney Patients Association.
In all matters, Chris shares life with his wife (since university days) Jenny. They have a son and daughter, both married, and one grandson.
Chris continues his historical interests, reads widely, plays electric guitar, is learning silversmithing skills and (trying) to build a working steam locomotive. Chris is a bit short of time!
Dame Jacqueline Wilson is famous for her brilliant children's novels including her Tracy Beaker series. After suffering heart failure, her kidneys were damaged, she went on to receive dialysis three times a week. Jacqueline has now received a transplant.
Dame Patricia Routledge DBE is an English actress and singer. Described affectionately as a national treasure, she is best known for her television roles as Hyacinth Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances and as the private investigator in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director and Consultant in Financial Services
Deirdre Jennings is an experienced Managing Director and Consultant in Financial Services and Fintech industry working across Asia and Europe. She has a background in research with a PhD in Monte Carlo Simulations of Chemical Systems and is currently studying for a professional certificate in accounting.
Deirdre's partner, Jamie, was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2015, accelerating their plans to move back from Singapore to UK.
Both Deirdre and Jamie love to travel and have arranged holiday dialysis across Asia and Europe.
Dr Adnan Sharif is a Consultant Transplant Nephrologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.
He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2002 and underwent his medical and nephrology training in Cardiff and Birmingham respectively, before starting his consultant post in 2011 with a special interest in kidney transplantation.
He retains an active research focus and is currently Chief Investigator on a number of prospective cohort and randomized clinical trials related to dialysis and kidney transplantation. In addition to his clinical and research interests, he is the secretary of the non-government organization, Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH), which campaigns against illegal and unethical organ procurement around the globe and the group was nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for its work in this area.
He also sits on the steering committee for Give A Kidney, a registered charity that promotes non-directed altruistic kidney donation and is a member of the National BAME Transplantation Alliance that seeks to promote blood, stem cell and organ donation from minority ethnic groups in the UK.
Read more about why Adnan became a trustee.
"I am the Executive director of research, innovation and policy at Kidney Research UK. After undertaking a PhD focusing on uraemic cardiomyopathy in the Department of Nephrology, Queen Mary College, University of London, I took up a cardiovascular research fellowship at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney. There I set up the infrastructure for the isolation and study of single cardiac myocytes and developed a number of models of cardiovascular disease. From there I was appointed as senior research scientist/senior research fellow at the ANZAC Research Institute, University of Sydney. My research experience spans a number of areas including diabetes, hypertension, ageing and nutrition, as well as renal.
"I returned to the UK in 2014 for family reasons, and after a year in the Cardiovascular Sciences Department at Leicester University, moved into the charity sector. I have a strong interest in research ethics and in ensuring that research outputs are translated into patient benefit as rapidly and efficiently as possible."
Charlie has been an NHS Consultant looking after people with kidney disease since 1991. He is now based in Newcastle upon Tyne, having previously spent 21 years in Bristol.
He served on the Research Grants Committee at Kidney Research UK from 2003-2007. In 2003-4 he spent a year at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Boston, USA. When he returned from the USA he became Chair of the UK Renal Registry, and then President of the Renal Association.
He has been involved in research on several topics, including variation in the quality of kidney care from centre to centre. His major interest is in understanding how to ensure that the results of clinical research are reliably translated into action in routine clinical practice.
He is a keen cyclist. plays saxophone, clarinet and piano, and likes growing vegetables.
David has been an NHS Consultant since 1993 looking after children with kidney diseases. After training in paediatric nephrology in Glasgow and Toronto, he took up his first consultant post at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. In 2005 he moved to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.
David was the national clinical lead during the initial five years establishing the Scottish Paediatric Renal and Urology Network. This government-supported initiative established a national managed clinical network delivering specialist paediatric renal services closer to home in all paediatric centres across Scotland.
In 2015 David was elected President of the British Association for Paediatric Nephrology. During his three-year tenure he also served as a trustee of the Renal Association.
David has witnessed exciting developments in scientific and clinical research in UK paediatric nephrology through his consultant career. He has been an active supporter of and participant in multi-centre research led by his clinical colleagues nationally. He believes that the integration of research findings into paediatric clinical practice is a key part of improving everyday care to children. Research and clinical networks have afforded an opportunity both to collaborate in research and to disseminate learning.
David's interests include travel, photography, music and, as a guilty pleasure, reading crime novels.
Jill has had a varied career in renal research and has previously had research funded by Kidney Research UK.
Frances Edmonds is an acknowledged expert in the business of cross-cultural communication.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Experimental Nephrology at the University of Edinburgh
Jeremy Hughes is Professor of Experimental Nephrology at the University of Edinburgh and Honorary Consultant in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
He joined the Kidney Research UK Research Grants Committee in 2011 and became Chair of the committee in 2013. He became a Trustee of Kidney Research UK in 2018.
He has previously held MRC and Wellcome Trust Research Fellowships in London, Seattle and Edinburgh. His research interests are broad and have primarily focussed upon the study of inflammation, scarring and healing within the kidney.
He is very much involved with medical student education and is Head of Year 3 at Edinburgh Medical School. He is also Programme Lead for the Health Sciences degree programme that aims to provide students with the skills to become future (maybe renal!) researchers.
Outside work, he loves music, cinema, theatre and walking the dog on the beach.
John is one of the Professors of Nephrology at University College London Medical School and The Royal Free Hospital and an Honorary Fellow of Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge.
"En route I have spent time at Cambridge and Oxford Universities also the University of California and Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, USA from where I became a consultant at The London Hospital, Whitechapel from 1982, moving to my current positions in 2003. I work in general nephrology with niches in metabolic medicine and in the interplay between kidney, cardiovascular system and bone. Over the years I have run research programmes trying to understand why kidney patients are so prone to heart disease and fractures, problem areas that are closely connected.
Supporting education and research is central to what we all try to do and is energized by the buzz that the young transmit upstream to the pleasure and benefit of all concerned. A stint as Sub‑Dean for Student Admissions (1990‑1997) required me to meet and interview large numbers of young men and women, many of them outstanding individuals. The ability of some of them to reach the highest level despite having to handle the most adverse circumstances is a source of wonder to me and I am fortunate that I can still mix with young people through my appointments at UCL and Cambridge.
My career has been somewhat hybrid and this breadth emphasises to me the critical role of research and education orientated charities. I was a Special Trustee to The London Hospital (now Barts and The London Charity And Related Charities) and I continue with The St Peter's Trust, The Astor Foundation and Kidney Research UK.
Julia Watson is a British actress, best known for playing Baz in the BBC medical drama Casualty.
Kate is an actress who has featured in a number of well-known shows such as Eastenders, Doctors and Coronation Street.
The former indie band member, turned radio and tv broadcaster, whose father was hospitalised following sudden kidney failure. Lauren supported our Making Every Kidney Count appeal when she hosted the BBC Lifeline Appeal on BBC television.
Job Titles:
- Celebrity Chef, Lawrence, Developed Chronic Kidney Disease and Had to Undergo Surgery to Have a Kidney Transplant in 2000 at the Age of Just 35
Celebrity chef, Lawrence, developed chronic kidney disease and had to undergo surgery to have a kidney transplant in 2000 at the age of just 35.
Lisa is a seasoned finance executive with 25 years of senior management experience in corporate and investment banking across Europe, North America and Asia.
She has a degree in Applied Sciences Electrical Engineering from the University of British Columbia and a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario.
Lisa has had an extensive career in risk management. Until recently, she was group head of the European Credit Division at MUFG Bank in London. Prior to that she spent 15 years at Morgan Stanley as a managing director leading the firm's European capital markets risk management team. Earlier in her career, Lisa worked in engineering services with the Swire Group in Hong Kong.
Lisa is passionate about kidney research as her mother was a chronic kidney disease patient. Lisa lives in London with her husband and daughter. In her free time, she enjoys cooking and experimenting with gluten free recipes, travelling and Pilates.
Lucy Davis is an actress best known for being in the BBC comedy The Office and the horror-comedy movie Shaun of the Dead. Lucy had a kidney transplant from her mother after being diagnosed with kidney failure in 1995.
"I started my career working for a creative agency and had the opportunity to work with a number of high-profile brands and charities, including Tesco, Reed and Maserati. I then moved ‘client side' and have been working in the charity sector for over 13 years. I have worked with and for a wide range of charities including Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, The RSPB and Alzheimer's Research UK before joining Kidney Research UK in 2018.
I am very excited about the next phase that Kidney Research UK is entering and believe there is a real opportunity to educate and raise awareness of the seriousness of kidney disease. I am focused on building the kidney community by galvanising support and significantly increasing our income to accelerate research discoveries and make research count for those affected by kidney disease.
I spend the majority of my spare time with my family and two children - Jake and Rosie. We love to travel and try new experiences and food! I am also a keen swimmer, including the occasional open water swim."
Matthew Amroliwala is a BBC television newsreader. He is also well known as a co-presenter on Crimewatch.
Actress Nina Wadia is star of Goodness Gracious Me and BBC soap EastEnders. Nina has first-hand experience of the damage that kidney disease can do, as her mother passed away as a result of polycystic kidney disease.
"I have worked in the charity sector since 2013 and don't see myself ever working in any other. Whatever I do has to have a purpose and transform lives.
"I joined Kidney Research UK as I am passionate about transforming the lives of those affected by kidney disease and reaching the day when everyone lives free from kidney disease.
"I am inspired by our ambition as it should be the aim of every charity to put itself out of business by eradicating the purpose for which it exists.
"I am a CIMA qualified accountant and have an MBA. I am also an accredited personal performance and youth impact coach and a certified neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner. I am also a co-author of The Finance Journey 2 - a development and leadership model for finance teams, which forms the foundation of the Charity Finance Group (CFG) Inspiring Financial Leadership series of seminars.
Former champion jockey and journalist, Richard Pitman became an ambassador after he donated one of his kidneys altruistically. Richard's decision to donate his kidney stemmed from witnessing his close friend suffering from kidney disease.
"My first career was in nursing, and I was a ward sister in a secure Mental Health Unit in Glasgow, my home city. Following a move "down South" initially to Sheffield, I have been working in the voluntary sector since 1990. Many of those years were spent developing a fundraising career, and I spent 15 years with a major cancer charity, latterly as Director of Fundraising.
"I joined Kidney Research UK as CEO in September 2012 and enjoy the challenges of working in a charity that needs to increase it's influence and significantly increase income to enable us to do more research. I have been so impressed with the renal community, clinical staff, researchers, patients, our staff at the charity, the many professionals involved in renal care, and the families who care for patients, as we all work to improve the prospects for kidney patients.
"When I am not at work I dabble a bit with my garden, although it is way too big for a non-gardener. I have recently taken up dancing to try to notch up a few more hours of exercise each week, and I have developed an interest recently in classic cars, not sure where that came from. I am mum to Andrew, David, Laurence and Eve who keep me constantly in touch with the latest music, trends and technology! Or they try to."
Former EastEnders star Stefan Booth pledged his support to the charity following his personal experiences of the illness. Stefansaw the effects that kidney disease can have on people's lives, having lost his mother to polycystic kidney disease.