Liz has taken over the role of Chair from Angela Style, who held the role for six years. Liz joins the Board with a wealth of experience across the sector, including 9 years as the CEO of Wellbeing of Women, Chair of Air Ambulances UK and Trustee of law reform and human rights charity, Justice. Liz also sits on the Advisory Board for Cambridge Global Health Partners.
Commenting on taking on the role, Liz said: “I’m incredibly proud to be taking on the role of Chair at Endometriosis UK. Endometriosis UK is a small charity making a huge difference to the lives of people with endometriosis – a condition affecting 1.5 million women in the UK. Over the last few years, the charity has seen a huge shift in the way endometriosis is spoken about, and I look forward to continuing this work to ensure women with endometriosis are given the right support at the right time”.
Read our interview with Liz below.
Liz – firstly – congratulations and welcome to #TeamEndo! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name’s Liz Campbell. I have been involved in different charities all my life as a volunteer, a trustee, and an employee; ranging from small grassroots organisations to large national charities. I strongly believe in the benefits of volunteering and the power of small charities in making a big difference, which is of course what Endometriosis UK is all about!
I have recently finished my term as Chair of Air Ambulances UK – the national organisation supporting the UK air ambulance charities. Here I helped develop a national fundraising strategy by not only raising money, but also through raising their profile, campaigning for change, and sharing best practice.
I am also a Trustee and Board Member for Justice, the law reform and human rights charity, and sit on the Advisory Board of Cambridge Global Health Partners (CGHP). CGHP facilitates volunteering by people who work for the NHS in the Cambridge area and forms partnerships with other countries to share skills and experiences to create sustainable improvements in health services in the UK and internationally.
What inspired you to take this role on?
For 9 years I was the chief executive of Wellbeing of Women, the national charity that raises money and funds research into health issues that only affect women. Here I learnt about endometriosis and other conditions that deserve more recognition and support.
I created a research strategy that began to fund not only issues of pregnancy and women’s cancer but also issues that affect quality of life. We led programmes to raise awareness of these issues amongst all genders and also encouraged schools to educate about gynaecological health and not just sexual health.
We invested in research to understand what might cause endometriosis and what other treatments might help. I retired from Wellbeing of Women at the end of 2014 but have looked for another way to contribute to women’s health. When I saw the role of Chair at Endometriosis UK I was really excited. I knew of the charity and its excellent record of achievement in raising the profile of the condition and supporting thousands of women who suffer. I wanted to be part of such an important charity and help make a real difference to the lives of those affected.
What exactly is the role of Chair at Endometriosis UK?
As a charity Chair I believe your role is to support and enable the greatest success for the charity. Part of this is ensuring that we all work as a team. The Board needs to have robust discussion and hear different viewpoints but be able to come together and agree the best course of action. The Chief Executive and her team need support but also constructive challenge to ensure the charity stays true to its mission and goals doing what it has promised its supporters it will achieve. This involves ensuring the charity has good governance, sticks to best practice in the way it is run and can account for every £ being well spent. We need to remember, always, that the money the charity has, belongs to donors who have given it to us for a purpose and we need to put it to best use.
What are you looking forward to helping the organisation achieve?
There is so much more that needs to be done to support those with endometriosis to ensure women have access to the right care at the right time. Society needs to wake up and recognise and understand endometriosis and the impact it has on people’s lives. I look forward to helping the organisation achieve our goals and ensure the voice of those with endometriosis is heard.
Endometriosis UK’s Chair was recruited using the platform Nurole, a board-level hiring platform dedicated to matching the right people with the right board roles.
