New trustees to help deliver £50 million of new research funding by 2029

Professor Nicholas Lemoine CBE, Chair of our Board of Trustees, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome these outstanding new trustees, who bring with them a wealth of experience in medical research; specifically within paediatric and renal medicine, as well as finance and investments. Their knowledge and expertise will be invaluable as we strive to invest £50 million in life-changing medical research by 2029, including much-needed new research into eating disorders, pain, and the impact of climate change on health.”

For more information on all of our trustees, see Our team.

Professor Rosalind Smyth CBE is recognised nationally and internationally as a leader in research into children’s health, and in 2015 she was awarded a CBE for services to the regulation of medicines for children.

As Director of the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and Honorary Consultant Respiratory Paediatrician at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Professor Rosalind Smyth’s research interests include clinical studies of viral/host interactions in respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis, and clinical trials and systematic reviews of treatments for childhood respiratory disease.

Professor Smyth previously served as Professor of Paediatric Medicine at the University of Liverpool and held the position of Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s UK Medicines for Children Research Network, which supported a variety of paediatric research across England.

Professor Richard Coward is Professor of Renal Medicine at the University of Bristol, and Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. His research interests include kidney cell molecular biology, for which he has was awarded a Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinician Scientist Fellowship and subsequent MRC Senior Clinical Fellowship to establish his laboratory.

Richard also holds a number of teaching and training roles, including serving as the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health South West Regional Academic Training Advisor, being a co-director of the Wellcome Trust-funded GW4 clinical academic training Fellowship scheme (including allied health professionals) and being part of the MRC Clinical Academic Research Partnership (CARP) scheme since its inception.

Jonathan Beck is a Chartered Accountant with more than 30 years’ experience in financial services, investing and the charity sector.

His varied career included 20 years overseas in Bermuda and Canada, before he returned to Scotland in 2013. He has served as Finance Director, non-executive director or trustee for a number of charities and commercial organisations, with particular interest in community, education and medical research causes. He was most recently Chief Financial Officer at Worldwide Cancer Research, an Edinburgh-based charity which funds innovative cancer research all over the world.

In addition to becoming a new Foundation trustee, Jon has been appointed to the Boards of two of its linked charities, the Africa Research Excellence Fund (AREF) and the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD).

Richard Walters is an investment professional with over 15 years in the sector.

A CFA Charterholder, he was formerly an Investment Manager at the Wellcome Trust.

Currently, he is a Portfolio Manager at the Pension Insurance Corporation focusing primarily on their alternative asset portfolio.

Richard served as an independent member of the Foundation’s Investment Committee before assuming his position as a Trustee. He is also a Trustee and treasurer of The Abbey Centre.