Stop MS Appeal Board

Sir David Bell

Non-Executive Director, The Economist

Knighted for his longstanding services to industry, the arts and charity, Sir David is a non-executive director of The Economist, former director of Pearson plc and former Chair and Chief Executive of the Financial Times.
    
Sir David’s involvement in public life and service spans many years. He is currently a senior independent director for Cambridge Press and Assessment, Co-Chair of Foundation Future London, a non executive director at Rare Recruitment, The Talent Foundry, Bath Mozartfest, The Intrapreneurs Club and Scrum. 

Ann Cairns

Ann started life as a research scientist before moving into banking. She rose up the ranks in Citibank, then became CEO of Transaction Banking at ABN before joining Alvarez and Marsal. In 2011 Ann joined Mastercard as a C-suite Executive managing all markets outside the US, over 200 countries, she concluded as Executive Vice Chair.

Ann is passionate about equality. She chaired the 30% Club for 3 years and currently chairs the Financial Alliance for Women. Ann’s sister has progressive MS.

Lianne Carvell

Lianne is a designer who trained in Menswear Design at Central Saint Martins, then worked for prestigious British Menswear brands. Her designs have received press praise, won awards, high profile customer followings and featured in London Fashion Week. Lianne is now Creative Director and CEO at Monkey Sox which she co-founded with her husband James, a GP who lives with MS.

Monkey Sox are performance socks that encourage an active lifestyle for all and open conversations about MS. Since its inception in 2018, Monkey Sox has donated 50% of profits to MS charities, including the MS Society.

Lianne and the team have made a special edition Stop MS Appeal sock where 100% of profits will go directly to the Stop MS Appeal.

Professor Graham F Chase

Chartered Surveyor and Chartered Arbitrator

Graham’s career as a chartered surveyor and chartered arbitrator spans five decades. He’s currently Senior Surveyor at Chase Sinclair Clarke LLP and Head of Valuations at Barnsdales.

Graham is a Fellow and Past President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Chairman of the Association of Town and City Management, Past Master of the Chartered Surveyors Livery Company and a Member of the Court of the Arbitrators Livery Company. He’s also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and a visiting professor at Westminster University.

Iain Conn

Iain was Group Chief Executive of Centrica plc from 2015-2020. He was previously Chief Executive, Downstream of BP from 2007-2014 and a member of BP’s Board from 2004-2014. He also served as a Non-Executive Director and senior independent director of both BT plc and Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, and as an external member of Council of Imperial College.

Iain is currently Chairman of Engineering UK, Senior Advisor to Blackstone, and a member of a number of corporate and advisory boards.

Sir Paul Curran

Sir Paul was appointed as Chair of our Board of Trustees in 2022.

President of City, University of London for over a decade, he was previously VC of Bournemouth and Deputy VC of Southampton universities, a research academic, NASA scientist and ESA advisor.

Sir Paul is Chair, NHS National Joint Registry, Director, Universities Superannuation Scheme Ltd. and President, Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society. He told us:

“Since my daughter’s MS diagnosis, I have developed a deep understanding of its causes, consequences and treatments.”

Nick Moberly

Chief Executive, MS Society

Nick joined our executive team in early 2019. He has a wealth of experience in leadership and the health sector, with a strong background in the NHS. His last two roles have been as CEO, most recently at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Before that he was CEO at Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust for nine years.

Nick is also a trustee of Christian Aid, joining the charity in 2018.

Charlie Potter

Partner, Brunswick Group

Charlie co-leads Brunswick’s global litigation from their London office. He has advised on some of the most high-profile issues for global corporate clients in legal proceedings, investigations and wider disputes. 

Charlie was previously a barrister at Blackstone Chambers where he specialised in public/administrative and commercial law. 

Before becoming a lawyer, Charlie spent four years at the BBC. This included being a producer at the flagship television news and current affairs programme, Newsnight.

David Silver

Non-executive Director and Investor

David became a member of the Stop MS Appeal Board in December 2022 and one of our trustees in January 2023. He is also a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

He has an MBA from London Business School and originally practised as a lawyer before moving into investment banking. He spent 23 years at a US investment bank, including the last nine years as Head of European investment banking. During this period he worked extensively with entrepreneurs and private equity firms globally, and their portfolio companies. He now has various Non-executive Director roles.

David was diagnosed with MS in 2010. He is committed to helping the MS Society support the scientific research community and the many people affected by MS in the UK.

Jonathan Yates

Chairman, Monument Re

Jonathan is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries with over 35 years’ experience in the life insurance industry. In 2016, he co-founded and now chairs Monument Re, a life insurance and reinsurance group based in Bermuda. He was previously CEO of Windsor Life and, subsequently, Guardian Assurance and also Group Finance Director of Phoenix Group Holdings plc, a UK-listed insurance and asset management company.

Jonathan has previously held non-Executive Directorships with Paternoster Insurance in the UK and The Empire Life Insurance Company in Canada. He is currently a non-Executive Director with the Viridium Group in Germany.

Mark Wood

Stop MS Appeal Board, Chair

Private Equity Chairman and Investor

Mark, has held several senior positions in global institutions, including Global Head of Cash Management at Barclays Bank, Chief Executive of Prudential UK and Europe, AXA UK, AA, MAI and B&C. In 2006, with £500m of private equity backing, Mark founded Paternoster, which quickly became the market leader in Pension Bulk Annuities. The business was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2010. Mark chairs PensionBee, Digitalis, RAC Financial Services, Acquis Insurance, Utility Bidder, and Leakbot.

Until 2019, Mark was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the NSPCC.