Our new Chair of Trustees starts in July

Sir Paul told us: “Since my daughter’s diagnosis of MS, I have developed a deep understanding of the condition. I have empathy with, and admiration for, people living with MS, their family and friends. 

Inspired by our work to stop MS 

“I have been inspired by the work of the MS Society, it’s a wonderful organisation and it’s a great honour to have been appointed as Chair of the Board of Trustees. 

“I have been impressed by the MS Society’s ambitious values and the work of my predecessor to develop an outstanding Board that is experienced, skilled and committed enough to live those values. 

“The more I learn about the work of the charity the more impressed I have been with the support it offers, the advocacy it undertakes and the research it funds. I’ve been particularly impressed by the passion, enthusiasm and practicality of everyone I’ve met. The feeling that the MS Society is as much a cause as it is a charity, is palpable.” 

From academia to the stars 

Sir Paul was President of City, University of London for over a decade. Before that, he was Vice-Chancellor of Bournemouth University and Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Science of the University of Southampton. He started his career as a university academic, was a NASA research scientist and advisor to the European Space Agency.  

He has led several national committees and is currently 

• Chair of the NHS England National Joint Registry and the Natural Environment Research Council Advisory Committee on Science Leadership 

• Director of the Universities Superannuation Scheme Ltd 

• President of the Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society 

• Patron of The Conversation UK.  

An exciting future and a sad goodbye 

Our CEO Nick Moberly says: “I’m delighted Sir Paul is joining our Board of Trustees. He brings with him a wealth of experience and I’m very much looking forward to working with him.

“We are, however, sad to say goodbye to Nick Winser. His visionary leadership along with his commitment to the MS community has been exemplary and we’re incredibly grateful for all he has done over the last five years.” 

More about who’s on our Board of Trustees 

Our Board of Trustees is made up of 12 people, 11 have a personal connection to MS. There are seven women and five men and four are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The average age of the Board is 46. 

Sir Paul will take over from Nick Winser CBE, who has led our Board of Trustees since 2017.