Hi Alastair, hope you're well. Can you paint us a portrait of yourself and your role?

I’m the CEO of North West Cancer Research, but I actually started out as an accountant working for the NHS. In between I’ve worked for a lot of different not-for-profit organisations as Director of Finance – although I’m really not very good with numbers. Outside work, I live in Lancaster and have a family and too many hobbies for the time available.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

The great thing about my job is the variety it gives. I work across the north-west and north Wales and get to meet lots of really interesting people. It's not unusual in a day to meet supporters, researchers, members of the team, volunteers, clinicians and others. The common factor for all of my days is that I’m definitely a morning person, so the day always starts early.

What motivates you to do what you do?

I’ve worked for over 25 years in the not-for-profit sector, but oddly in organisations where money and finance was very important. I think for me I like to know I’m working hard to achieve something more than just the bottom line and that what we’re doing has a positive impact beyond filling up someone’s bank account.

What is/has been your favourite aspect of being part of the collaborative community through the Health Innovation Campus?

For me it’s the constant learning and meeting new people. The Health Innovation Campus Team are great at introducing me to people it's easy to make connections with and where a shared project is only a couple of steps away. For North West Cancer Research, this has taken us into new areas of work – but ones which are exciting and which will have real impact for patients.

What future projects and collaborations are you excited about?

We’ve got new projects which aim to improve our knowledge of cancer in the region in preparation, and others on improving patient recovery just getting underway. That’s exciting, but I’m sure there is more to come.