WE MAKE THE WORLD A HAPPIER, HEALTHIER & SAFER PLACE
Meet four inspiring charity leaders making a huge difference to our lives
Meet the women making a difference
I‘Ultimately, it’s about saving more lives’ As chief executive of Cancer Research UK, there’s plenty that keeps Michelle Mitchell awake at night. She reveals what it takes to lead one of the world’s largest and most trusted charities.
’ve always been very motivated by the idea of positive social change. I grew up on the Wirral in the 1980s, and as a child I got involved in anything and everything – from volunteering for my local MP to taking part in a debating society. When I got a place at the University of Manchester to study economics, I became the first in my family to go to university. My parents were very proud. After graduation, I went to work for a Labour MP, the late Donald Dewar, which was a fantastic training ground. After three years, I realised that the way I wanted to effect change was through the charity sector. I went on to work for a number of amazing NGOS, including NSPCC, Age UK and the MS Society, where I was chief executive for five years.
In 2018, I was head-hunted for the role of chief executive of Cancer Research UK (CRUK). Like many, cancer had touched my own life. I’d seen my mum nurse two of her sisters through the illness. The prospect resonated with me emotionally. I was deeply committed to the MS Society, but I found it impossible to turn down the opportunity of working on one of the biggest health issues.
Leading CRUK will be my life’s privilege. It’s a huge responsibility to ensure the charity maintains the right direction, so we can continue to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Ultimately, it’s about saving more lives.
I feel very strongly that the best way we can achieve that is through collaboration. I lead a team of 4,000 staff – 2,000 of whom work in our shops – but we also have 40,000 volunteers and fund 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses who are finding new ways to treat and cure cancer. We’re a community. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Nobel Prize-winning academic or giving us £7 a month from your pension, everybody’s contribution is incredibly valuable.
Through the generosity of our supporters, we raise about £500m a year, but funding is one of the biggest challenges. Making sure we have the money to invest in cancer research is what keeps me awake at night. That and continuing the great reputation of CRUK is always at the forefront of my mind.
Cancer is such a vast issue and choosing what to prioritise is difficult. Every year, we develop our strategy based on the medical and scientific advances available and what we feel can have the biggest impact. In 2019, we launched an initiative around brain tumour research, an area where we haven’t previously seen survival improve in the same way as other cancers. More than £50m has gone into radiotherapy research recently to make it both kinder and more effective.
I love that the public trusts us. They can see how the work we are doing is improving survival rates. So many people reach out to me and talk about the significance of that. It’s the public response that keeps me going.
At times, it’s tough to balance being a chief executive with being a mother to my children, who are 10 and 11. But the fact I’m part of something that will create a better future for them makes it worth it. I feel a very strong connection to the cause and community of people that makes up CRUK.
• cancerresearchuk.org