Our team

Abbie Fearon

Senior Programme Manager (Strategic Projects)

Abbie joined NCRI in August 2021 as Programme Manager in the Strategy and Initiatives team. She is responsible for developing the strategy of NCRI Groups and delivering on the organisation’s strategic priorities. Prior to joining NCRI, Abbie completed a PhD at Barts Cancer Institute on drug-resistant endometrial cancer and worked in the field of tissue repair and regeneration as a Postdoctoral Scientist at ETH Zurich.

Abdul Mutabbir

Research Analyst

Abdul joined NCRI in June 2018 as Data Analyst and is responsible for managing the Cancer Research Database (CaRD), which aims to discover and analyse trends in research spend in the UK. He also represents the NCRI on the international cancer research partnership (ICRP), an alliance of cancer organisations working together to enhance global collaboration and strategic coordination of research.

Alice Kidd

Groups Coordinator

Alice joined NCRI in November 2020 as Research Group Coordinator and supports the operational running of the Radiotherapy, Bladder & Renal, Brain and Head & Neck Groups.

Carolyn Chan

Radiotherapy Senior Programme Manager

Carolyn is Senior Programme Manager for Radiotherapy Research. Carolyn is responsible for the day to day running of NCRI’s Clinical and Translational Radiotherapy Research Working Group (CTRad) providing strategic, scientific, project and administrative support.

Hannah Taylor

Forum Coordinator

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

Iain Frame

Chief Executive Officer

Iain joined the NCRI as Chief Executive Officer in August 2018. Previously he was Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK, leading the charity in key areas of business including, strategic planning, budget management, staff development and ensuring the successful delivery of the charity’s bold and ambitious strategy. Iain has also been involved with NCRI as a previous member of the NCRI Board of Trustees. Prior to his role at Prostate Cancer UK, Iain held the post of Research Director at Diabetes UK for five years, during which time he took forward its funding of high quality, internationally acclaimed studies and worked with the fundraising teams to help almost double the organisation’s research spend. Iain started in the world of charitable research funding with the Wellcome Trust, following many years actively involved in research as a parasitologist.

Iain is a strong advocate of getting results by developing partnerships and using innovative approaches to support the research community.

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.

Katy Shearer

Strategy Coordinator

Katy joined the NCRI in June 2021 as Strategy Coordinator and is responsible for supporting the delivery of strategic projects, with a focus on the NCRI’s activities in cancer-related health data research. Previously, Katy worked as a strategic copywriter in a healthcare advertising agency. She graduated from University College London with a Masters’ Degree in Natural Sciences.

Laura Chambers

Groups Manager

Laura is a Research Groups Manager. She is responsible for the Haem Onc, Lymphoma, Pathology, Prostate and Sarcoma Groups, as well as managing the groups’ governance structure and the NCRI CTU Group. She supports the Groups to develop their strategic priorities and deliver against them as well as ensuring the activities of the Groups align with the NCRI Strategy.

Nanita Dalal

Groups Manager

Nanita joined NCRI in January 2013 as Research Group Coordinator. She scopes and identifies new areas of work that are of strategic importance to the NCRI or areas of unmet need that the NCRI and NCRI Groups can tackle.

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 Consumer Forum. In 2017, Nicola completed a Masters of Business Administration with the Open University.

Nicole Leida

Head of Conference and Events

Nicole joined NCRI in June 2015 as Head of Conference and Events. She provides leadership and direction for the strategic development of the NCRI Cancer Conference and other NCRI events while overseeing their operational delivery.

Nicole has a degree in PR and Advertising with an MA in Event Management and a postgraduate certificate in Business Finance and Management. After a brief spell as a graphic designer, Nicole worked as a marketing manager for a fashion company in her native Italy, near Milan.

When she moved to the UK, she worked as an event planner for the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the UK and various other clients including well-known educational institutions and hospitality establishments. She then joined the Royal Society of Medicine, where she worked for over seven years and was responsible for leading and coordinating the strategic planning function and day-to-day operations of an event team of 30.

Nicole is a full member of the Association of British Professional Conference Organisers (ABPCO) and was elected joint-chair in 2014. She currently sits on a number of event management panels as well as industry advisory boards.

Alongside her main job, she is passionate about health and well-being and is also a qualified Nutritional Therapist and yoga teacher.

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.

Patrick Howard

Groups Coordinator

Patrick joined NCRI in November 2020 as Research Group Coordinator and supports the operational running of the Children’s, Gynaecological, LWBC, Skin and TYA Groups.

Rachel Laurence

Communications Manager

Rachel joined NCRI in October 2019 as Communications Manager and is responsible for developing and implementing the NCRI communications strategy, which aims to ensure effective dissemination of information about NCRI’s role and activities.

Ruth Haley

Groups Coordinator

Ruth joined NCRI in January 2020 as Research Group Coordinator and supports the operational running of the Breast, Colorectal, Lung, SPED and Upper GI Groups.

Ruth McGregor

Head of Business Operations

Ruth joined the NCRI as Head of Business Operations as a contractor in September 2019, taking on the role permanently in December.

Her team is responsible for delivery of NCRI operations including finance, governance, HR, IT and communications.

Ruth is a qualified accountant with a background in finance and procurement. Before joining NCRI, she worked in a variety of not for profit organisations including Transport for London, the Football Association and the Royal Albert Hall, having started her career in the private sector with roles in banking, insurance and IT.