Appointment of

Chair

Candidate Information

February 2020

Introduction

In the UK, one in six of us has a neurological condition.

That’s 14.7million mums, dads, brothers, sisters,

colleagues and friends – each and every one needing

specialist support and care.

The National Brain Appeal (formerly known as The

National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery

Development Foundation) raises funds to advance

treatment and research for The National Hospital for

Neurology and Neurosurgery and the UCL Institute of

Neurology (both based at Queen Square in London).

Our vision is to improve the outcome and quality of life

for the one in six affected by a neurological condition.

We do this by funding pioneering research, providing

access to the best technology for expert diagnosis and

treatment, and training tomorrow’s clinicians. To date,

the charity has raised over £45m for state-of-the-art

equipment, major building programmes and life-saving

research – above and beyond what the NHS can

provide.

The National Hospital in Queen Square was established in

1860 and is regarded as the ‘cradle of British neurology’.

As one of the world-leading neurological centres, the

hospital provides comprehensive services for the

diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with

neurological conditions, including: those that affect the

spinal cord, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, brain cancer,

epilepsy, brain injury, dementia, prion disease,

Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis and a host of

neuromuscular conditions.

The UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology has a

world-class reputation for neuroscience. Its mission is to

translate neuroscience discovery research into treatments

for patients with neurological diseases.

To continue pioneering world class research and care,

our agenda is ambitious and forward-looking. We have

a desire for the charity to establish a goal of raising

between £7.5-10m per annum within a five year time

horizon, spearheaded by a dynamic and driven Chair

who has a deep empathy for the mission of The

National Brain appeal and will be highly motivated by

the prospect of making a fundamental difference

to the advancement of our understanding and

treatment of neurological diseases to help every

person with a neurological condition live their life

to the full.

About us

The National Brain Appeal raises funds to advance treatment and research at The National Hospital for

Neurology & Neurosurgery and the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology – together known as

‘Queen Square’.

The mission of The National Brain Appeal is specific – namely, to fund advances in neurology and

neurosurgery. The charity believes that by focusing its efforts on The National Hospital for Neurology

and Neurosurgery and the UCL Institute of Neurology, it is funding the leaders in the field – whose

work has both national and international impact. As such, our main priority is to ensure continued

excellence in treatment, research, teaching, international collaboration and care by supporting:

In August 2019, we celebrated our 35th anniversary. In that time, the charity has raised over £45m

and – in the past five years alone – has contributed over £10m to Queen Square. From many

perspectives, however, our work has only just begun. There are over 14.7m million people with a

neurological condition in the UK today. This is more than the number of people living with cancer,

coronary heart disease and diabetes combined.

Due to life expectancy increasing in the UK, a larger burden has now been placed on the NHS, and

with the higher prevalence of neurological disease connected to older age, this issue will only become

greater. In spite of this there has been a continuing lack of national prioritisation to deliver better

outcomes for people with neurological conditions.

The Charity has grown steadily over the last few years, raising £2.36m in voluntary income for the

year to end March 2019, up from £1.71m four years ago.

With needs increasing, however, there are £12m of projects already in the pipeline for 2020-2022.

This requires the Charity to more than double its annual voluntary income over the next three years.

The difference we make

We have fundraised £45m through legacies, individual donations, grant-making trusts, companies and

community groups; here are just some of the projects we have funded:

Operating Theatres

As part of a major £24m upgrade of the existing theatre suites and the creation of two new theatres,

we raised £4m to fully fund the creation of a new specialist Complex Spinal Theatre, alongside

education and office facilities for neurosurgeons.

The Molly Lane Fox Unit

Originally opened in March 2011 after raising £2.5m for the Brain Tumour Unit project as a whole.

This unique facility put The National Hospital at the forefront in diagnosis, treatment and care of

patients with brain cancer. The unit has been such a success that in 2017 we raised another

£670,000 to double the unit’s size so that more patients can now access the unique services on offer,

including taking part in pioneering trials with the aim of discovering breakthrough treatments for

brain tumours.

Advanced Neuroimaging Suite

Completed at a total cost of £14 million, our £6m funding helped to buy specialist MRI scanner and

the neuronavigational BrainSuite system – which provides real-time scanning of the brain and spine

during surgery and innovative treatments to patients with complex neurological conditions.

Neurorehabilitation Unit

Conditions such as strokes, multiple sclerosis, brain tumours, Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord

injuries can leave patients without the most basic skills. The larger, more advanced rehabilitation unit

at The National Hospital now helps patients to deal with these limitations and return to their homes,

equipped to cope with day-to-day life as independently as possible. We raised £5m for this vital

project.

The Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases

The centre accommodates a large team of experts, research facilities and specialised systems to

support the development of new treatments for conditions such as spinal muscular atrophy, motor

neurone diseases, myasthenia gravis and muscular dystrophy. We raised £1.4m to help create the

centre

Dementia Research Centre

We raised £2.4m to help establish the centre, which aims to trial new drugs and treatments to slow

the progression of dementia. Breakthroughs include identifying the first Alzheimer’s gene and

pioneering magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to improve diagnosis and track progression

of the disease. Now, the main focus of the centre is on the five rarer dementias which tend to affect

people at a younger age than Alzheimer’s.

Our income and expenditure (2018/19)

The role of Chair

The Board of the Charity is looking to appoint an outstanding Chair with a deep empathy for the

mission and values of The National Brain Appeal and a desire to help fulfil the charity’s mission and

charitable objectives, lead the development of the strategy and support the fundraising efforts.

Fundamentally, our new Chair will, with the Board, lead an ambitious programme to raise funding for

this ground-breaking charity and to raise its profile with potential funders, with the Hospital and

Institute, and with the general public.

The Board of Trustees

The Board is distinguished by the fact that it includes a number of preeminent medics that work at

Queen Square. The Trustees determine the overall policy and strategic direction of The National Brain

Appeal in response to requests from The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the

Institute for Neurology.

The members are elected by Council (which comprises the directors of the company) to serve a period

of three years. Ad hoc committees, which include the Trustees, are formed to run periodic special

events. The Trustees are led by a Chair, and meet at least six times a year. The day-to-day

administration of the charity is delegated to the Chief Executive, Theresa Dauncey.

Our current Trustees:

Caroline Church

Edward Datnow FRCS

Joanna David

Professor John Duncan

Joan Grieve

Professor Mike Hanna

Elizabeth Kornat

Herchel Maclear-Jordan

Diarmid Ogilvy (Treasurer)

Michael Powell

Michael Smith

Peter Stone (Chair)

Professor Alan Thompson

Dr. Chris Turner

Role description

Strategy

The Board discusses and agrees the strategy for the Charity and oversees its implementation, but also

challenges the Executive team on strategic issues including the focus for fulfilling the Charity’s mission

and charitable objectives, its fundraising, income generation and people strategies.

Internal/External Relationships

The Board plays a vitally important role in maintaining relationships, including with the Hospital and

the Institute, potential funders, partners, and staff.

Profile Raising

The Chair will be instrumental in continuing to develop the profile of the Charity; with potential funders,

statutory bodies, and the general public. He/she will personally promote The National Brain Appeal to a

wider audience of potential donors and beneficiaries.

Chief Executive

The Board has an important role to play in providing support and wise counsel to the Chief Executive,

Theresa Dauncey, as well as challenge when required.

Corporate Governance

The Board seeks a Chair who can promote appropriate standards of corporate governance in line with

charity law, and ensure an effective independent Board with the appropriate membership and well-

functioning committees.

Person Specification

It would be a clear advantage for the Chair to have a substantial background operating at a senior

level. This could be in commercial, non-profit or public sectors. It is most important that he/she

demonstrates:

• Strong empathy with the mission and values of The National Brain Appeal and an interest in the

work of the Hospital and the Institute

• Dynamism, passion, and desire to develop and drive through the vision and strategy

• The ability to develop a constructive and productive relationship with the Chief Executive,

providing support and leadership

• A good degree of strategic and financial acumen

• A willingness to use personal and professional networks to support the Executive’s fundraising

activity

• Enthusiasm to promote The National Brain Appeal internationally

• An outstanding communicator with the ability to inspire confidence and engage effectively with

people from all walks of life

• Experience as a Chair in the public, private or voluntary sectors. Chairmanship skills with

experience of chairing well‐managed, inclusive meetings, ensuring all Trustees’ views are taken

into account and that consensus and clarity of outcomes are achieved – an exemplar of good

governance and the principles of Trusteeship

• Experience as an ambassador for an organisation – ideally with experience representing an

organisation’s interests to a wide range of commercial and public sector organisations

• Consensual yet decisive – able to manage a strong and highly experienced Board and Executive

Terms of appointment

The appointment will be for an initial period of three years and re-appointment may be made

for a second term.

The members are elected by Council (which comprises the directors of the company) to serve a

period of three years. Ad hoc committees, which include the Trustees, are formed to run

periodic special events.

The Trustees are led by a Chair, and meet at least six times a year.

Board meetings in 2020 will take place on the following dates:

Thursday 14th May

Thursday 9th July

Thursday 17th September

Thursday 5th November

Thursday 10th December

You can find out more information about The National Brain Appeal at the following links:

• Report and Accounts to 31st March 2019

• Annual review 2019

• Annual review 2018

• Newsletter Spring/Summer 2019

• Video about The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Video link to patient stories

How to apply

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to The National Brain Appeal on this appointment. Candidates should apply for this role through our website at www.saxbam.com/appointments using code UAJAI. Click on the ‘apply’ button and follow the instructions to upload a CV and cover letter, and complete the online equal opportunities monitoring* form. The closing date for applications is noon on Thursday 12th March 2020. Interviews with Saxton Bampfylde will take place between 23 March and 3rd April. A final interview with The National Brain Appeal will be on Tuesday 21st April. * The equal opportunities monitoring online form will not be shared with anyone involved in assessing your application. Please complete as part of the application process. GDPR personal data notice According to GDPR guidelines, we are only able to process your Sensitive Personal Data (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, health, sex life, or sexual orientation) with your express consent. You will be asked to complete a consent form when you apply and please do not include any Sensitive Personal Data within your CV (although this can be included in your covering letter if you wish to do so), remembering also not to include contact details for referees without their prior agreement. The equal opportunities monitoring online form will not be shared with anyone involved in assessing your application. Please complete as part of the application process.