APPOINTMENT OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENT BRIEF September 2019

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WELCOME FROM OUR CHAIRMAN

I am delighted you are interested in the role of Chief Executive at Bowel Cancer UK.

Every 30 minutes someone dies from bowel cancer, making it the UK’s second biggest cancer killer. However, this shouldn’t be the case as it is a treatable and curable disease, especially if diagnosed early.

Bowel Cancer UK (‘BCUK’) is the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity. We are determined to save lives, improve the quality of life and support all those affected by bowel cancer in the UK. Our vision is a future where nobody dies of the disease.

Following the successful merger of the two largest UK bowel cancer charities in January 2018, our enlarged charity is having more impact and reaching more people than ever before. During 2018 we launched a new brand and identity, generated record income, supported more patients and their families, invested in quality research and successfully helped campaign for changes in Government policy.

Despite these successes and the exceptional regard for the charity, our profile, reach and funding are below where they should be for the scale of bowel cancer and the impact it has on individuals, families and communities. We are now looking for a Chief Executive to help shape and guide the charity through its next phase and to deliver step change benefits to those affected by the disease. This is not a “fixing” brief, but an opportunity to turbocharge a high-performing charity.

As Chief Executive you will join an organisation with a vibrant, dynamic and entrepreneurial environment and work with a highly motivated and caring senior leadership team. You will help the charity operate to the highest standards, raise more money, invest in research and support services, influence national policy and make a meaningful and impactful contribution to the lives of those impacted by bowel cancer.

We are looking for a strategic leader who will be able to take the charity to the next level. Somebody who shares our vision, brings a passion for continuous improvement, embraces innovation and who engages empathetically with our patients, supporters, donors and our staff.

As an experienced and inspirational leader, you will become a strong Ambassador for bowel cancer. This is an exceptional opportunity to make a transformational impact on BCUK and the patients and families we support.

Thank you for your interest.

Patrick Figgis Chairman Bowel Cancer UK

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INTRODUCTION

Bowel or colorectal cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum and is a significant health care issue in the UK today.

The harsh reality is that every year 16,000 people lose their lives to bowel cancer. Early diagnosis is critical to changing this, but the real problem is that it can be difficult to detect early because the symptoms can be relatively vague or caused by other benign bowel conditions.

It is the UK’s second largest cause of cancer related mortality, with significantly more lives lost to bowel cancer than either breast or prostate cancer. However, this is a disease, which can be prevented or treated and cured.

By 2035 the absolute number of cases will grow by 30% in women and 28% in men leading to 12,500 additional cases a year. That means by 2035, 53,600 people will be diagnosed and over 19,000 people will die each year. This is a 20% increase in the number of deaths, compared to today.

Early diagnosis is critical to saving lives..

Almost everyone (98%) diagnosed with bowel cancer at its earliest stage will survive for more than five years but this drops significantly to around 8% as the disease develops to stage 4 and spreads to other parts of the body.

Currently around 50% of people will either be diagnosed at stage 4 or progress to it. This is one of the key reasons that survival rates for bowel cancer in the UK are significantly poorer than in other leading countries in Europe.

Bowel Cancer UK is determined to address this and to ensure everyone is given the opportunity of an early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care so more people can survive bowel cancer.

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ABOUT US Bowel Cancer UK is the UK’s leading bowel cancer charity formed from the merger of Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer on the 1st January 2018.

Our Vision A world where nobody dies of bowel cancer.

Our Mission We’re determined to save lives and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by bowel cancer by championing early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.

Our Values and Operating Principles We will always be:

Patient & family centred Expert and Informed Compassionate Evidence based Authentic Innovative & proactive Inclusive

Our Strategic Goals 1. To ensure that more people have their cancer prevented or detected early; 2. To ensure that people diagnosed with bowel cancer are able to access all clinically relevant treatments and high-quality care,

to help them reach a cure or to live well for longer; 3. To ensure people diagnosed with bowel cancer are supported to live a good quality of life with and beyond bowel cancer.

To achieve our goals, we support and fund targeted research, provide expert information and support to patients and their families, educate the public and health professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and access to best treatment and care.

Our pledge is bold, ambitious and inspiring. Within ten years:

• We will have helped transform survival rates, from only one in every two people surviving bowel cancer over five years, to three out of four people surviving;

• There will be better and more personalised information and support for every patient throughout their journey; • Screening will be optimal, leading to more cancers being detected early or prevented.

Bowel Cancer UK today and the opportunity for the future…

The merger of the two largest UK bowel cancer charities in January 2018 illustrates the dynamic and leadership mindset of the charity and its Trustees, with a clear determination that there should be more impact, better outcomes and a more efficient and effective operation – all for the benefit of those impacted by the disease.

Following the merger, we employ around 60 staff at offices in England, Wales and Scotland, with home-based staff members in Northern Ireland. In addition, we are supported by a strong network of volunteers.

In August 2018 we launched a new brand and identity, following input from external advisors and our supporters. We are already seeing the benefit and impact of this re-launch, with strong engagement, a clearer identity, improved recognition and greater impact.

“Timing to take the charity to the next level could not be better”

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With the merger complete we now have the platform for transformational change. The incoming CEO has the opportunity to shape the future of an organisation with a strong cause, strong reputation, excellent foundations and enormous passion for making a difference.

SOME KEY ACHIEVEMENTS Both legacy charities individually and since our merger together, have had some very significant achievements – just a few are mentioned below to provide a flavour of the work we do.

Policy and influencing Bowel cancer screening is the very best way for the disease to be detected at an early stage, but until now the test used in

the programme has been blunt and missed too many cancers. Also too few people have taken part in the programme due to its complexity. Therefore, Bowel Cancer UK has long campaigned for the introduction of a new, simpler to use and more accurate screening test – the faecal immunochemical test – and this has now been introduced in Scotland and England and will be fully rolled out in Wales in September and is being introduced in Northern Ireland. Wales and England have also made an important commitment to reduce screening age to 50 in line with Scotland and international best practice. This will undoubtedly lead to more cancers being prevented and more people diagnosed at an earlier stage when treatment is more effective.

The charity has also been at the forefront of campaigning to improve the diagnosis treatment and care of younger bowel cancer patients through our flagship Never Too Young campaign. This has led to significant changes in public awareness, academic study and positive changes in clinical guidance. We also instigated and secured funding from the Department of Health for the development of a risk assessment tool led by Professor William Hamilton at the University of Exeter, to support GPs to better identify the presenting symptoms of bowel cancer or inflammatory bowel disease in patients under 50. This is the first of its kind for young people and aims to speed up the diagnosis of younger patients who often experience significant delays.

The charity has also driven forward improvements in the identification and management of people at highest risk of bowel cancer with genetic conditions such as Lynch syndrome. As a result of our campaigning work and strong collaborative partnership with expert clinicians and scientists, this has led in 2017 to new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance being introduced for universal testing and now finally to the development of targeted screening for this high risk group.

Following the publication and extensive coverage of our Spotlight on Wales report in early 2018, we welcomed the Welsh Government’s commitment to launching a new Bowel Cancer Initiative in Wales to drive forward improvements in outcomes for people with bowel cancer as these lag behind the rest of the UK and worldwide. They are also addressing the capacity crisis in their endoscopy workforce and have been the first nation to commit to universal testing for Lynch syndrome.

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Research To accelerate progress in saving almost 332,000 lives from bowel cancer between now and 2035, we bought together 100

leading scientists, healthcare professionals and people affected by the disease to identify the key research gaps and priorities in bowel cancer research, published in a scientific journal in December 2017. If these gaps are addressed, they could transform survival rates and ultimately benefit thousands of people in the future.

Following the publication of our Critical Gaps paper, we set up a research programme and were delighted to be accepted as a member of the Association of Medical Research charities (AMRC). The charity has so far committed over £800,000 to UK based scientists and researchers to fund bowel cancer research projects that meet the charity’s research priorities drawn from the Critical Gaps programme.

We also launched an ambitious partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons for England worth £500,000 to establish the UK’s first Colorectal Cancer Surgical Research Chair at the University of Leeds and a network of the charity’s Colorectal Cancer Surgical Research Fellows. We have also launched a fundraising appeal in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh to put a similar post into Scotland.

We have also committed to fund a Royal College of Surgeons for England Surgical Specialty Lead in colorectal liver metastases, in partnership with the Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons. A three year appointment, the Surgical Specialty Lead will strive to address some of the issues in treatments for liver metastases by developing new clinical trials and driving innovative research in this area.

We have also established a virtual network of patients and families members who wish to get involved in, and influence bowel cancer research. This will ensure that research is focussed on the most important outcomes for patients, while minimising and removing barriers that would prevent patients from taking part.

We are also active advisors and collaborators on numerous research programmes around the UK.

Services Following our merger, a new Services Directorate was formed and Director appointed – with the remit to develop a strategy

for Bowel Cancer UK’s service offer. After consultation with patients and their families, healthcare professionals and staff, the strategy is close to completion and the team are developing the implementation plan to achieve the ambitious goals over the next three years.

We collaborated with the Moondance Foundation in Wales to lead the Moondance Bowel Cancer Project, which aims to transform five-year bowel cancer survival rates in Wales within a decade. Thanks to funding from the Moondance Foundation, motivated partners from across the bowel cancer community will work together to deliver a series of activities to improve all areas of the patient pathway – from improving awareness of signs and symptoms, increasing screening uptake, to driving down diagnostic waiting times and transforming the way we deliver surgery.

We reviewed, updated and rebranded our suite of Information Standard accredited health information resources and welcomed 1,250 new members to our Online Community forum – bringing our total membership to over 3,000.

We delivered education and clinical updates to 225 bowel cancer specialist nurses through two study days in 2018 – one in England and one in Scotland. Planning for the 2019 events is progressing and these will be held in September (England) and November (Northern Ireland).

This year we piloted two ‘Living well with bowel cancer events’ aimed at patients, family and friends. The aim of these patient and family focused days was to provide a supportive, informative and uplifting day through a variety of talks, interactive

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workshops and peer support. Across the two events (Manchester and Edinburgh), 110 people attended and 85% said they found the day either extremely or very beneficial and 100% said they would recommend the days to others.

Marketing and Communications 2019 was our most successful Bowel Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) ever, culminating in 724 pieces of media coverage,

theoretically reached 409 million people. During BCAM we announced two new patrons: Jeremy Bowen and Connor Swindells. Following Jeremy Bowen and our former CEO, Deborah Alsina’s appearance on BBC Breakfast, NHS England released a press release about the ‘Bowen Bounce’ which highlighted a three-fold increase to their website to check for information on bowel cancer.

We launched our #thisisbowelcancer campaign shining a light on the varied and many people affected by bowel cancer. From patients to doctors, family members to researchers, hundreds of people got involved by sharing a photo and one word about themselves. We also published a powerful portrait series for the campaign taken by acclaimed photographer, Sophie Mayanne.

Our first podcast series featured George Alagiah interviewing supporters and leading experts on the disease, as well as discussing his own treatment and diagnosis. The first three episodes covered advanced bowel cancer, living with a stoma and caring for a loved one. Response from patients and healthcare professionals has been extremely positive and we are planning a further series in Autumn 2019.

Fundraising

In 2018, nearly 8,000 individuals and over 600 organisations donated and raised funds to support our work helping the charity achieve its highest ever income total.

Our community fundraising programme continues to go from strength to strength. ‘Walk Together’, our sponsored 5 mile walk is a particular highlight offering an opportunity for everyone affected by bowel cancer to come together as a community and celebrate lives saved and remember those who have been lost to the disease. A grand total of 500 people across all four nations of the UK took part in events in London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff in 2018.

Over 1,500 runners and challenge event supporters raised £1.3m for the charity in 2018. This is the highest ever total for this income area with flagship events such as the London Marathon and Great North Run making major contributions to this success.

We raised over £100,000 from individual donations and regular gifts with noticeable peaks in giving during Bowel Cancer Awareness Month (April) and the launch of our new brand (August).

In 2018 we generated over £800,000 from corporates, major donors and trusts – a good percentage of which were multi-year gifts.

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OUR FUTURE PLANS The Board is committed to building on the success the charity has already enjoyed and to continue to drive the charity forward, so we can increase our impact and reach for people affected by bowel cancer. That is why we are now looking for a Chief Executive with the skills, experience and personal qualities to take the charity forward.

We have ambitious growth and investment plans, a commitment to continuing to invest in exceptional research, targeted plans to extend our reach and an appetite for innovation.

“With our bold new ambitions, inspiring cause, strong new brand and sound financial base this is a great time to join the charity

as we scale up to ensure we deliver our vision for a day when no one dies of bowel cancer”

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THE ROLE

Overview of the post Together with the Board, the Chief Executive will be responsible for our long-term strategy, for leading its implementation and for the operational management of the charity. The role includes evaluating the impact and outcomes of our strategic priorities, ensuring that we constantly monitor the allocation of resources in our pursuit of a world where no one dies of bowel cancer.

As the Chief Executive, you will help chart the next phase of the charity’s influence, identifying and driving areas where a step change in impact can be delivered. You will help drive and support major fundraising initiatives and exploit new channels, partnerships and commercial opportunities.

This leadership role also involves being a strong ambassador and influencer for bowel cancer, with committed and authentic engagement with a range of supporters, policy makers and health professionals. As the leader of the charity, the Chief Executive will have a strong media presence and profile.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES As shown in the diagram below the role currently has five direct reports:

Chief Executive

Director of Fundraising

Director of Finance

Director of Services

Director of Research &

External Affairs

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The Chief Executive’s main duties and responsibilities are as follows:

Leadership • Provide visible, inspiring and effective leadership, direction and oversight to the charity to maximise impact for people

affected by bowel cancer; • Develop and lead an effective, high performing Senior Leadership team that delivers on plans and strategies, manages risk

and generates opportunities for the future; • Provide clear organisational leadership and build, promote and maintain a high-performance culture across Bowel Cancer

UK; • Act as an ambassador for bowel cancer – with strong external presence and profile; • Ensure the recruitment of appropriately skilled staff, and establish appropriate remuneration levels and performance-based

conditions for staff within a framework agreed to by the Board; • Encourage a culture of collaboration, innovation and positive change; • Promote a culture of learning and development, including supporting the development of the Senior Leadership Team and

staff; • Ensure the charity monitors and effectively responds to changes in the diagnosis, treatment and care of people with bowel

cancer.

Strategy Development, Planning and Reporting • Together with the Board, lead on reviewing and refreshing the vision, strategic direction and priorities of the charity; • Ensure that strategic and annual planning processes are in place and effective plans are produced for approval by the Board

and delivered, monitored and evaluated by the charity; • Ensure impact monitoring and evaluation processes are in place across the charity and report back on progress quarterly to

the Board.

Stakeholder Engagement and Management • Act as an ambassador for Bowel Cancer UK and proactively seek

opportunities to raise the profile of bowel cancer and the charity; • Support the Director of Fundraising with the stewardship of high value

donors and prospects; • Proactively seek and create opportunities to extend the charity’s

impact, reach and influence; • Deliver presentations at conferences and other external events and act as the charity’s spokesperson on key issues; • Act as the charity’s main spokesperson and represent the charity’s position in the media as required; • Develop and maintain effective strategic relationships with Government, statutory bodies, the NHS and other relevant local,

national and international organisations in continuing to press for improvements to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of people affected by bowel cancer;

• Champion the active engagement of patients and their families in all aspects of the charity and ensure their views and experiences inform the charity’s work;

• Develop national and international partnerships where appropriate and share and implement best practices for the benefit of bowel cancer patients.

Operational Management • Define and secure the resources (human, material, and financial) required to deliver the charity’s strategy and establish

policies and protocols needed to operate effectively and deliver the vision, mission and objectives of Bowel Cancer UK; • Ensure that day to day operations of Bowel Cancer UK are effectively and efficiently coordinated, implemented and

conducted; • Ensure the charity has clear annual plans and budget and that systems are in place to monitor and evaluate success or

challenges against the strategy;

“A strategic leader who will be able to take the

charity to the next level”

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• Ensure that robust financial management systems are in place to ensure careful management and use of the charity’s financial resources;

• Ensure the charity has a clear strategy and plans in place for every aspect of its operation and strategically input and support SLT members to lead and develop these;

• Ensure that the charity’s fundraising team sets and meets its targets and work strategically with the team to secure the

charity’s funding and to cultivate relationships with high value patrons and donors; • Ensure the charity is presented in an appropriate and professional manner to its stakeholders, to promote its goals, build

reputation and foster effective partnerships; • Regularly review and assess the external environment and the changing landscape for charities, including regulatory

requirements and best practice.

Governance and Risk Management • With the Chair and Trustees, ensure the governance approach is in line with best practice and appropriate and proportionate,

allowing the charity to operate effectively, while maintaining a high standard of best practice and fulfilling all legal, statutory and regulatory responsibilities;

• Ensure the charity has policies, systems and processes that are fit for purpose and ensure the charity is both effectively and efficiently run;

• Ensure there are effective risk management systems in place and these are monitored and regularly reported on to the Board;

• Ensure that reporting to the Board and its Committees is always transparent and timely.

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PERSON SPECIFICATION Essential experience

• Significant experience of effective leadership and management responsibility at CEO or Senior Director level including setting, managing and controlling of large budgets;

• Experience of developing and implementing organisational strategies and of leading an organisation through a period of growth and/or transformational change;

• A strong track record of leading an executive team in setting and delivering a strategy; • Evidence of effective working with a team, with the ability to ensure full stakeholder engagement and the ability to secure

the commitment of other key organisations, agencies and individuals to work together to achieve shared goals; • Experience of motivating, developing, coaching and empowering teams to achieve ambitious objectives, whilst ensuring

individuals across an organisation feel valued and are supported to develop and fulfil their own personal aspirations and potential;

• Experience of leading engagement across diverse stakeholder groups, with a proven ability to build lasting relationships with a wide range of stakeholders;

• Understanding of operating in a regulated, highly public and transparent organisation.

Desirable experience • Experience of running a successful charity, third sector or equivalent organisation; • Experience of policy & influencing, service delivery, fundraising, marketing and communications; • Experience of working within/for the healthcare/medical research sector; • Experience of social media engagement and presence for a brand or cause; • Wider public health experience and knowledge of the UK’s health system.

Personal qualities • Evidence of intellectual capacity to grasp complex issues and exercise strategic judgment; • Integrity and a passion for making a positive difference; • A commitment to collaboration and developing effective interpersonal relationships; • Demonstrates a commitment to and ability to live the charity’s values: patient & family centred; expert & informed;

compassionate; evidence based; innovative & proactive; inclusive; • An inspiring leader – self-motivated with time, energy and commitment; • A people person – accessible and directional in equal measure with strong emotional intelligence and empathy. An individual

who patients and their families will admire; • An excellent ambassador for the charity with a strong network of connections; • A compelling communicator – able to set out a vision and take people with them to achieve it; • Curious, enquiring approach to activities – a creative problem solver, driven by a desire to improve and innovate; • Strong strategic thinker, experience of financial management and commercial acumen.

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TERMS OF APPOINTMENT This is a senior position within the organisation. Salary and benefits will be commensurate with a growing charitable organisation operating in a complex and multi-stakeholder environment.

The role is based at the charity’s head office in Kennington, London with some domestic travel required in support of the charity’s activities across all four home nations.

HOW TO APPLY Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to Bowel Cancer UK on this appointment. Candidates should apply for this role through our website at www.saxbam.com/appointments, using code LAGAZA. Click on the ‘apply’ button and follow the instructions to upload a CV and cover letter. The closing date for applications is noon on 14 October 2019. GDPR personal data notice According to GDPR guidelines, we are only able to process your Sensitive Personal Data (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, genetic data, biometric data, health, sex life, or sexual orientation) with your express consent. You will be asked to complete a consent form when you apply and please do not include any Sensitive Personal Data within your CV (although this can be included in your covering letter if you wish to do so), remembering also not to include contact details for referees without their prior agreement. The equal opportunities monitoring online form will not be shared with anyone involved in assessing your application. Please complete as part of the application process.

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