Spokespeople

Matthew became Chief Executive of Marie Curie in 2019, having previously served as Chief Executive of The Children's Society and Chief Executive of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

With more than 20 years' executive and non-executive experience healthcare leadership and wider charity and education sectors, Matthew is a trusted national voice on palliative and end of life care, health inequalities, pressures facing the NHS and wider systems issues. He regularly appears across broadcast and print media, including BBC News, ITV News, Sky News, BBC Radio 4's Today programme and national newspapers, offering clear, evidence-based insight into how the health and care system can better support people at the end of life.

His recent broadcast appearances include BBC News coverage of hospice funding pressures and service closures, ITV News interviews on access to end of life care, and national media reaction to government funding announcements.

Under his leadership, Marie Curie is driving service and system reform, campaigning to fix end of life care, improved access to care, and better support for families.

Matthew is also a lay member of Council (non-exec) at the University of Liverpool, Chair of New Horizon, a charity supporting young people in London experiencing homelessness, and a Board member of St George's House Windsor.

Sarah was appointed Chief Medical Officer in April 2023 and continues to undertake some clinical work at our Bradford hospice.

Sarah originally joined Marie Curie in 2001 working at the Edinburgh hospice as a junior doctor, having initially pursued a career in General Practice. The experience working in Edinburgh inspired her to retrain in palliative medicine, and she became Consultant in Palliative Medicine and Medical Director of Marie Curie Hospice, Bradford in 2007. In July 2020, Sarah became UK Medical Director for Marie Curie, and combined this role with her ongoing clinical work in the hospice in Bradford.

Sarah is passionate about ensuring better end of life care for all, especially for marginalised groups, and in delivering truly person-centred care as part of a place based approach.

Andrew started his nursing career in Leicester in 1991 and worked in various nursing roles until joining a hospital specialist palliative care team in 1995. Moving to Wales in 1999, Andrew worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in specialist palliative care at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport. 

Since joining Marie Curie in 2000, Andrew has held various senior clinical management roles including managing the Marie Curie Hospices in Cardiff and the Vale and West Midlands as well as the Marie Curie Nursing Service in the South West and, more recently, in Wales.

Having joined Marie Curie in November 2020, Sam was appointed Executive Director of Policy and Research in April 2023. Since starting with the charity, Marie Curie has successfully campaigned for the introduction of an explicit legal requirement for palliative care services to be commissioned in every part of England, and initiated the "UK Commission on Bereavement" – an independent commission exploring changes needed to policy and practice to better support bereaved people. Following publication of ground-breaking new research identifying the number of people dying in poverty each year, Marie Curie also recently launched the "Dying in Poverty" campaign, calling for key changes to ensure no one faces poverty at the end of life.

Sam was previously Policy Director at The Children's Society and is also a former chair of the End Child Poverty coalition. Prior to that, Sam completed his PhD in the Social Policy department at the University of York, at which point he was also an adviser at a Citizens Advice Bureau. He is also author of the book "Broken Benefits: What's gone wrong with welfare reform".

Ruth applied to join Marie Curie after seeing the incredible support provided by a local hospice to a close friend and his family at the end of his life. Prior to this, she was Director of Link Age Southwark, a charity providing support in the community to lonely and isolated older people and people with dementia.

She leads Marie Curie's policy and public affairs work for England and can speak on a diverse range of issues from health and social care to accessing benefits and bereavement support.

Ruth has led policy, public affairs and research teams at the National Council for Voluntary organisations, the Overseas Development Institute and UNICEF UK.

Marie Curie Nurses, Healthcare Assistants and palliative specialists are able to talk about the clinical care and emotional support they provide.

Related:

What it's like to be a Marie Curie Nurse