Our team

Tim Maughan

Interim Chief Executive Officer

Tim joined the NCRI as interim Chief Executive Officer in Feb 2023. Tim is the Emeritues Professor of Clinical Oncology at the University of Oxford, and was the founding chair of the NCRI Clinical and Translational Radiotherapy Research Working Group (CTRad)

Nicola Keat

Head of Groups

After completing a degree in Biological Sciences (with a placement year working at Novartis), Nicola moved into the research funding arena, working in the Clinical Trials Team at Cancer Research UK. Nicola joined the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) as Head of Research Groups in April 2015, providing leadership and strategic input into the activities of the NCRI’s Groups, ensuring a collaborative approach to clinical research endeavours. Her team is responsible for the delivery of all activities of the NCRI Groups, currently including the NCRI Groups, Clinical and Translational Radiotherapy Research (CTRad) Working Group and the Cancer Clinical Trials Unit (CTU) Group. Nicola is also responsible for oversight of all patient involvement in NCRI activities via the NCRI Advocate Forum. In 2017, Nicola completed a Masters of Business Administration with the Open University.

Emma Breeze

Programme Manager

Emma joined the NCRI in September 2022 as Programme Manager, having previously worked in conferences and events. Emma supports the activities of the NCRI groups, to ensure they align with the strategic aims of NCRI. This includes oversight of the NCRI Proposal Guidance meetings and Clinical Trials Units activities.

Hannah Taylor

Forum Coordinator

Hannah joined NCRI in June 2021 as Forum Coordinator and coordinates the operational running of the Advocate Forum and Early Career Researcher (ECR) Forum, in addition to providing ongoing support for all members.

Jack Towner

Creative and Technical Officer

Jack joined the NCRI in March 2010 and part of the communciations team. He is responsible for the administration and development of NCRI’s websites, SalesForce CRM administration and developing cross-departmental automations.

Owen Blagrove

Management Accountant

Owen joined the NCRI as the Management Accountant as an external contractor in February 2017 and became a permanent staff member in April 2017.  Before joining NCRI Owen worked for a variety of organisations within the Public, Commercial and Charity Sectors such as Transport for London, Unite Group PLC, The Marine Society, Brent Council and various housing authorities.

One of Owen’s key role is to analyse key financial information and to provide feedback that will aid managerial planning and decision making that will ensure the sustainability and future growth of NCRI.