Nicola Ridges-Jones to take over role as Interim Voluntary CEO at Oracle Cancer Trust

After four years of invaluable support and leadership of Oracle Cancer Trust, Voluntary CEO Jamie Newall has decided to step down from his role at Oracle.

Jamie helped the charity Oracle achieve AMRC membership, negotiated the Charity’s first Intellectual Property income from funding early-stage research and has steered the charity through the challenging COVID-19 crisis.

Oracle is starting the search for a permanent CEO and Board Trustee Nicola Ridges-Jones, has agreed to accept the role as interim Voluntary CEO. Former Managing Director of a leading warehousing and logistics firm, MSX, Nicola also holds a number non-executive Directorships as well as running a commercial property company.

Nicola has supported Oracle Cancer Trust for many years raising over £100,000 in memory of her father, Fred Ridges who died of throat cancer. Nicola joins the charity at a very challenging time for medical research charities who have experienced substantial loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Says Peter Rhys Evans, Chair of Oracle, “On behalf of the Trustee Board I would like to thank Jamie for his incredible enthusiasm and energy to support the Charity over the past four years, and welcome Nicola who has kindly volunteered to take on the role.  We are facing the worst funding crisis in the charity’s 30 year history and our urgent priority is to ensure we can fund new projects in 2021 to maintain the momentum to drive forward Oracle’s nationwide head and neck cancer research programme.  COVID has resulted in many delayed diagnoses and treatments and funding new research is vital.”