Emma is the Global CEO of the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation (FLF), bringing over 20 years of experience in non-profit leadership, growth, and global health.
Before joining the FLF in February 2025, she was Chief Growth Officer at mothers2mothers, driving international expansion, establishing high-impact partnerships, and creating award-winning campaigns. Emma also has extensive governance experience, having served as Vice-Chair of Amnesty International UK, is a trustee of CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), and sits on Gucci’s Chime Advisory Board.
At the heart of Emma’s career is a deep belief in preventing the preventable – but also pushing beyond survival. “Why would we not do everything in our power to enable people affected by cancer to thrive?” She believes healthcare should be shaped by those who rely on it, advocating for user-led services that harness the knowledge and experience of those directly affected. Her leadership at the FLF is focused on scaling impact, growing FLF’s global presence, and driving meaningful collaborations.
Beyond her work, Emma is a mother of three boys and a devoted cocker spaniel owner. She spends her spare time enjoying cake and cold-water swimming.
Dr Smith earned his Medical Degree and PhD at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine at the Long Island Jewish Hospital, NY, spent 3 years as a Resident in Pathology at Washington University – Barnes Hospital, in St. Louis, MO, then another year as a Resident in Internal Medicine at the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis, MO. His Fellowship in Medical Oncology was at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre, NY where he also was a Fellow in Biomedical Research in the Clinical Scholars Program. He is Board-certified in Internal Medicine, Haematology and Medical Oncology.
Dr Smith’s experience is broad and spans a number of years. After serving as Assistant Professor in Medical Oncology at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, he joined Fox Chase Cancer Centre in 1993, where he remained as Director of the Lymphoma Program and Professor of Medicine until 2012. He served as the Director of the Lymphoid Malignancy Program at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH from 2012 to 2017, when he joined the GW Cancer Centre in Washington DC as Associate Cancer Centre Director for Clinical Investigations, as well as Chief of the Division of Oncology & Blood Disorders. His clinical and laboratory interests have focused on targeted approaches to improve therapy of lymphoid malignancies. He has been involved in numerous clinical trials of targeted therapies, including CART cells, in lymphoma, leukaemia and myeloma.
Dr Smith’s honours include a lifetime achievement award from the Delaware chapter of the LLS. He is an active member of the ASCO, AACR, ASH and ECOG. He has served on the NCCN lymphoma and myeloma guideline committees and chaired the Mantle Cell Lymphoma subcommittee of the NCTN lymphoma planning committee.
Maggie Bolger has joined the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation as our Chief Development Officer.
Maggie brings over a decade of experience in development and fundraising, having led successful campaigns and major gift initiatives at prestigious organizations such as the Jane Goodall Institute, Oregon Health & Science University Foundation, and the Oregon Food Bank.
Her expertise in building robust fundraising infrastructures and securing significant contributions will be instrumental in advancing the FLF’s mission to find a cure for follicular lymphoma. Maggie is dedicated to driving the foundation’s strategic fundraising efforts, ensuring sustained growth and impactful donor engagement.
Julie previously worked as a Senior Research Fellow at University College London (UCL), where she conducted sexual health research and obtained a PhD in HIV epidemiology.
In her last role she gained experience in grant development, large multi-centre clinical trials, individual participant data meta-analysis and linking with industry. Julie has a particular interest in Patient and Public Involvement in research and believes it is crucial to incorporate patient’s views and experiences into the research process. She assisted in the set-up of Katie’s Team, a patient and public involvement group for women’s health in East London.
Julie has joined the FLF Team to set-up the FLF’s research programme of work and leads on all the operational aspects of the foundation. She is advising on the structure of each programme area, establishing standard operating procedures and reporting metrics and supporting the development of new partnerships and is directly responsible for the FL Patient Recruitment and Engagement.
Rosie is the Head of Donor Engagement at the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation, where she also leads the charity’s marketing and communications efforts. She initially joined the FLF as the Individual Giving Manager in 2022 and was promoted to her current role in 2024. Rosie is dedicated to enhancing the value and duration of support from donors and engaging with our volunteers who organize fundraising events.
Prior to her time at FLF, Rosie worked at Marie Curie and Blind Veterans, gaining extensive experience in individual giving and donor engagement. Passionate about improving cancer treatments globally, she is committed to spreading the FLF message and ensuring the necessary funds are raised to find a cure. Rosie deeply values every donor, recognizing that the charity’s work is only possible thanks to their generosity and support.
Zoe’s background is in laboratory-based translational biomedical research, having previously worked at Boehringer Ingelheim in Vienna, Austria, the Cambridge Institute of Cancer Research UK and at the Centre for Cell Biology and Cutaneous Research Queen Mary University of London, as part of her PhD studies.
More recently, Zoe has worked for several years as a senior trials co-ordinator at the Centre for Women’s Health at Queen Mary University of London. In her last role, Zoe was closely involved with Katie’s Team (a women’s health patient and public involvement advisory group based in East London), ensuring women’s voices were represented in the research being carried out.
Zoe has joined the FLF team to support the development of the FLF research programme.
Nicola has a background in clinical trial and operational research coordination, previously focusing on infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. In her previous role at Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders she worked on a successful clinical trial which revolutionised treatment for people with drug-resistant tuberculosis and is now being used worldwide.
Through her work, Nicola has specialised in community and patient engagement and involvement at an international level, having previously worked at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit and the International Organisation for Migration.
Nicola has joined the FLF team to support the development and implementation of FLF research and patient programmes. She feels passionate to contribute to accelerating translational research and is committed to collaborating with those most affected by research outcomes, ensuring that the patient perspective is meaningfully integrated into research.
Louise Blair joins us in a new role, as FLF Fundraising Manager. Lou is responsible for sustaining and building the UK fundraising pipeline of individual donors along with trusts and corporates.
Having spent her early career as an author of numerous health-based cookbook. Lou decided to make the move to fundraising within the charity sector, the thrill of making a difference for which ever cause she worked for continues to drive her enthusiasm and passion.
Lou has a wide and varied experience of Fundraising Management in NFP, gained from over 11 years in various roles for a number of different charities including MNDA, Diabetes UK and Woking and Sam Beare Hospice. Lou has a true desire to make the lives of those living with medical conditions the best they can be and is delighted to join the team of passionate individuals at FLF to help make that difference.
Zubair is a highly experienced and qualified accountant with over 15 years of experience in finance. He has worked across various sectors, which has given him the ability to pick up the best and most efficient practices across different industries. Zubair is skilled in report building, budgeting, and forecasting, and is detailed oriented with creative problem-solving abilities. He is always striving for process improvement and ensuring the FLF adheres to important governance rules and financial procedures. Zubair is also passionate about using his expertise to support a great cause and thoroughly enjoys working within the charity sector.
Fiona has spent her career offering high level operational and administrative services across a variety of corporate and not for profit organisations. She is now at a stage where working towards a common goal that will have a positive impact on people’s health and lifestyle is far more motivating and rewarding than merely seeing an increase in profits.
Passionate about being a pro-active member of the marketing and communications team, and also providing support to the FLF Team in all aspects of admin, Fiona is excited and grateful for the opportunity to work within such an amazing charity, and finds everyone incredibly enthusiastic which is a breath of fresh air.
“At last, my natural exuberance for even the most menial of tasks has found a place alongside a fantastically like-minded team. No one minds how excited I get about spreadsheets!”
Raluca has built a career offering executive assistance, office management, and administrative support across a range of sectors. Working for the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation has allowed her to focus on work that’s both meaningful and impactful, aligning with her desire to contribute to a cause that makes a real difference in people’s lives.
As a dedicated and proactive member of the team, Raluca thrives on providing administrative support and working collaboratively to achieve the FLF’s goals. She is excited to be part of a passionate, purpose-driven team, where every task—no matter how small—is approached with care and enthusiasm.
‘It’s a privilege to bring my skills to a team that shares my passion for making a difference. I’m constantly inspired by the energy and drive of everyone around me!’
David has worked across the pharmaceutical industry for three decades and has been advising the FLF since February 2019.
From 2017-2018, David advised Cancer Research UK on re-structuring and implementing change within the Commercial Partnerships division. He also headed up the Opportunity Sourcing and Translation group through formation and recruitment of a team of 15 practitioners. He led on elements of CRUK’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship agenda.
For 4 years previously, David was Senior Advisor within the Corporate Development group at Gilead Sciences. Dr Kennard was also VP, Strategic Alliances YM BioSciences Inc. prior to its acquisition by Gilead Sciences in February 2013. Before joining YM, he was CEO of NeuroTargets, and prior to that he was COO of SR Pharma Plc, a UK-based biotechnology company which developed therapeutic vaccines. He was also with GlaxoSmithKline in development and then strategic planning roles.
Jessica Okosun is Professor of Translational Cancer Research and Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist at the Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London.
She is a Consultant Haematologist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London UK specialising in lymphomas.
Her research interests are focused on understanding how lymphomas initiate, diversify and evolve, particularly follicular lymphoma in a bid to define novel biomarkers and improve treatment. She serves as a member of the UK’s National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Low Grade and High Grade Lymphoma subgroups. She also serves on a number of Scientific Advisory Committees. She chairs the Barts Cancer Centre’s Patient and Public Involvement Research Advisory Group. Jessica has been advising the FLF since February 2019.
