New boss to lead city's kidney disease charity

Former deputy chief scientific officer at NHS England has been chosen as the new boss for a charity that supports people living with kidney disease.

Fiona Carragher will be the new chief executive of Peterborough-based Kidney Research UK. The charity estimated more than 18,000 people were living with the illness in the city.

Carragher, who is moving from the Alzheimer's Society, will take up the role in August from Sandra Curies, who is retiring after 13 years.

"On a personal level, this next chapter represents a return to the earliest days of my clinical career, where the stories of individuals and families affected by kidney disease remain etched in my mind," said Carragher.

Kidney Research UK focuses on funding research into the prevention, treatment and management of disease.

Matthew Newcombe-Ellis, chairman of the trustee board, said: "In the last year, we delivered record income and invested more than £12m into research, awareness and education, building on the legacy of 13 years of exceptional leadership by Sandra Currie.

"But the scale of the challenge ahead is significant. With one in 10 people in the UK affected by kidney disease, we must deliver a step-change in the scale of our work and the impact we deliver for patients.

"I am confident Fiona has the vision, experience and determination to lead us into that next phase of growth and ambition."

At the Alzheimer's Society, she helped strengthened partnerships across the research system and drove initiatives such as accelerating new, technology-based solutions designed with and for people living with dementia.

A passionate advocate for women in science, she also established the first Women in Science and Engineering fellowship programme in the NHS.

Carragher added: "Throughout my career I have been driven by the conviction that science and research can reshape the societal challenges of our generation.

"It has been a privilege to see that hope translate into real progress in dementia in my time at Alzheimer's Society, and I now carry that same belief forward, with urgency and purpose, into this next chapter at Kidney Research UK."

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