Become our Chair Designate

Welcome from Paul Spanswick, Chair

Thank you for your interest in becoming the Chair Designate of Teenage Cancer Trust. There has never been a more important moment to step forward.

Every day, young people across the UK face cancer at a point in their lives when everything should be opening up for them. Our mission – ensuring they receive specialist, age‑appropriate care and the emotional, psychological and social support they need – has never been more urgent. Pressures on the NHS are growing, inequalities are widening and demand for our services is increasing quickly. We enter 2026 with momentum and confidence. We are looking outward – strengthening partnerships, focusing our efforts, and accelerating the work that delivers the greatest impact for young people. The next few years will shape the future of specialist teenage and young adult cancer care in the UK and our work is even more important as we support the UK’s National Cancer Plan.

The appointment of a Chair Designate comes at a pivotal point: a new CEO joining, planned Trustee rotations, a shifting NHS partnership model, and a strategy that calls for sharper advocacy, closer collaboration and the determination to push for change where young people are being overlooked. You will help guide the Board through this transition – ensuring decisions are timely, focused and grounded in the lived experience of the young people we serve. And crucially, you will champion their voices and strengthen their representation in our governance and decision‑making, ensuring young people shape – not just inform – the future of the charity. Your first year will be significant. You’ll support the recruitment of an exceptional CEO, immerse yourself in our governance and risk landscape, and build strong relationships with the executive and wider team, our clinical partners, supporter, Founders and Patrons and, most importantly, young people themselves. You’ll also help shape the future Board – one equipped to steward a charity that relies on influence, partnership and financial resilience to protect and grow specialist services, and one that reflects the diversity and experiences of the young people we support.

We are looking for someone who brings clarity, pace and good judgement. Someone who can lead through complexity, influence national conversations, and build confidence across a wide range of stakeholders. Most of all, someone who is unwavering in their commitment to young people – ready to champion their voices, strengthen their representation, and ensure they remain at the heart of every decision we take. This is a rare opportunity to lead a charity with a powerful legacy and a determined, ambitious future. If you are motivated by impact, driven by purpose, and ready to play a defining role in shaping what comes next for Teenage Cancer Trust, we would be very pleased to hear from you.

Paul Spanswick, Chair