Head of Policy and Research
Marie-Claire leads our Charitable Activities programmes, and is responsible for the work we fund to improve survival rates.
She is passionate about creating strategies, turning evidence into action, and keeping patients and the change we want to see for them at the heart of the work we fund. She has designed and delivered a range of programmes across our charitable activities portfolio.
She has over a decade of experience in policy, research and influencing, working in Parliament before joining Ovarian Cancer Action in 2015.
Outside of work you’ll find Marie-Claire watching documentaries, swimming on Hampstead Heath or playing netball.
What does a day in the life of your role look like?
I am responsible for the programmes we are investing in to improve survival rates. So any day I could be working with the scientists we fund, thinking about new and better ways to raise awareness of the disease and its risk, or campaigning for women across the UK to have equal access to the highest quality treatment. It’s an old cliché but really no two days are the same.
What made you want to work for Ovarian Cancer Action?
I’ve always been passionate about women’s equality. There is so much progress we need to make in women’s health, and I really wanted to work somewhere where I could make a difference to women’s lives. Ovarian cancer is a disease that’s been left behind, and I’m so motivated by how much difference OCA is making to change things for the next generation.
What’s your favourite part of working at Ovarian Cancer Action / what’s the best thing you’ve worked on?
My favourite thing I’ve worked on at OCA has been our IMPROVE UK programme. It was a real evolution, from funding the national data collection that evidenced inequalities in survival, to working on our funding big to the UK Government Tampon Tax, to launching and running the UK’s first £1m+ ovarian cancer programme to address the postcode lottery in ovarian cancer treatment. I love seeing the whole journey of an idea through to making a difference for women diagnosed with the disease.
What’s a song, film or book that you would recommend?
Invisible Women is a book by Caroline Criado Perez that sets out so clearly how the world is designed for men – it makes me so passionate to be part of the solution in shifting the balance. I love a book that radicalises people!