Meet our trustees

“Having survived bacterial meningitis, I know first-hand how devastating and life-changing this disease can be. I feel a deep responsibility to use both my personal experience and my professional background to help accelerate the progress we urgently need to stop people having to experience the impacts of meningitis.”

A graduate of the universities of Cambridge, Bristol and the School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton, Museji is a former senior civil servant in the UK’s Cabinet Office. His professional career has been focused on public services, including in the charity sector and local and central government. He is currently a Panel Chair for the regulation of professional practice at the Nursing & Midwifery Council and a non-executive director for ACH Limited, a small charity / social enterprise providing emergency housing for refugees.

Museji has extensive other board level leadership experience including ministerial appointments; as a former board member of the first regulator / inspector of the NHS in England, Commission for Health Improvement, OFSTED as regulator for education / skills and in pensions / consumer finance at NEST Corporation and later TPAS. He has also held non-executive director roles, including as Chair in regulated businesses (with the UK’s Metropolitan Housing Partnership and Gloucestershire Hospitals and Wye Valley NHS Trusts).

Micheál joined the board in 2019 and is a chartered accountant working in financial services in Dublin, Ireland, having previously worked in a big five audit practice. He has held a number of roles in financial services, including leading operations, risk management and project management teams.

He has experience in leading strategic change programmes, including the restructure of operational teams and simplifying and embedding operational processes.

“As a clinician practising on the frontline, I have observed the impact that vaccines have had in significantly reducing the number of cases of meningitis in the developed world over the last two and a half decades. I am delighted to be part of a community that will influence the replication of this impact worldwide, through the implementation of current and future vaccines that will emerge.”

Dayo is a senior consultant paediatrician at the Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

A global health expert, she has worked in various settings including as a WHO consultant in a catastrophic meningococcal meningitis epidemic in the traditional meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa.

Dayo has a master’s degree in epidemiology from Harvard University, sits on the council of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health Alumni Association and is a climate change activist with an interest in the relationship between climate and infectious disease epidemics. She is on the team of EcoActUs, a virtual climate boot camp.

Ray is Head of the Vaccine Evaluation Unit at the UK's Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

He is responsible for the evaluation of serological responses to various bacterial and viral vaccines, with a special interest in meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccines. He is also the Deputy Head of the UKHSA Meningococcal Reference Unit for England & Wales.

Ray gained his PhD in 1994, his MRCPath in 2003, became an Honorary Professor of Vaccine Preventable Diseases at the University of Manchester in 2009, and Visiting Professor of the Manchester Metropolitan University in 2011.

He serves as a member of the DHSC Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and frequently advises the World Health Organization and companies on meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccines.

Sarah has managed and directed all aspects of the health portfolio of the Vitol Foundation since 2014.

In her role, she supports health NGOs and social enterprises globally, identifying locally-founded partners to implement programmes that improve access to, and the quality of, healthcare services.

Sarah is also a technical advisor for Jacaranda Health and South Lake Medical Centre in Kenya and sits on the Executive Committee of a global network of foundations.

Before joining the Vitol Foundation, Sarah worked in the non-profit sector, supporting healthcare programmes in fragile contexts in East Africa. In another life, she was also a nurse and holds an MPH from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

"Our global clarion call to defeat meningitis by 2030 is achievable with national and local commitment to increase sustainable domestic funding, strategic partnerships, multi-sectoral collaboration, systems thinking and a whole-society approach to improve outcomes for people affected by meningitis."

Priscilla is a Consultant in Public Health and Disaster Management with over 20 years' experience of working in the United Kingdom and sub-Sahara Africa on public health, global health, health protection and business continuity planning.

Her collaborative leadership style and proficiency in developing and communicating a shared vision that engages stakeholders across cultures has strengthened partnerships and increased funding for several health programmes, including meningitis. Priscilla is a Fellow, Faculty of Public Health, UK and holds an MSc in Health Service Management from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Megan is Head of Strategic Partnerships at the Wellcome Trust. Previously she led government relations in European markets for Wellcome, and set up Wellcome's first international office in Germany.

Prior to joining Wellcome, Megan held a variety of senior policy roles at the Department of Health and Social Care in London, including leading England’s first National Maternity Safety strategy as well as running programmes of health system improvement and reform of international healthcare regulations.

She has also worked in the NGO sector and for the UK's NHS. Megan holds an MSc in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and a BA from the University of Oxford.

Photo credit © Krisztián Bócsi / Wellcome.

Jemima is an ICAS chartered accountant, specialising in IT audit within the financial services industry. She joined the Meningitis Research Foundation board in 2023.

Whilst at university in 2016, Jemima contracted bacterial meningococcal septicaemia (MenW) and, despite multiple complications and challenges at the time, was fortunate enough to make a full recovery.

Jemima is passionate about leveraging her personal and professional experience to contribute to Meningitis Research Foundation’s mission and work as a trustee.

Tim is renowned internationally for his ability to build, manage and sell professional services businesses. He has led major transformational change programmes in shared services, outsourcing and robotics / AI, for some of the world’s largest organisations.

After his early career as an engineer, he went on to develop the BPO businesses of major global players, including PwC and EY. More recently he took his own company from start-up, through to sale to a Nasdaq quoted global company.

Tim contracted bacterial meningitis in 2016 and, thanks to excellent medical care, made a full recovery. He is now passionate about using his skills and networks to help Meningitis Research Foundation achieve its mission.

“Like anyone affected by meningitis or septicaemia, I want to do what I can to minimise the prevalence and effects of these life changing diseases, contributing to making Meningitis Research Foundation’s vision a reality.”

Mala qualified as a chartered accountant and spent some years in financial services whilst volunteering in finance roles in various charities.

After a career break, she started working in the third sector, first in adults’ then children’s palliative care. After five years as Director of Finance and Resources at Together for Short Lives, she is embarking on a similar role in a new charity, Kentown Support.

In 2022, Mala’s oldest son died very suddenly from Meningitis B. Thomas was 22.

Caroline has been a trustee since October 2023. She had already committed to running the London Marathon in memory of Andy Tate, her friend who died from bacterial meningitis in January 2023, and was thrilled to be able to join the board later that year.

Caroline spent 14 years as an independent consultant, half in the technology space and the other half training corporate and major donor fundraisers for a number of UK and international charities. She also acted as a board advisor.

Caroline’s ‘day’ job is as part of the Accenture Global Advisor Relations team, responsible for leading across EMEA.  Caroline joined Accenture in 2022.​

Before joining Accenture, Caroline has worked for over 25 years developing and leading advisor / influencer programmes, both as a consultant and supplier. Caroline is passionate about the power of the network and the importance of being a market influencer in her own right.​

Jane is an advocate for safer pregnancy, birth and early childhood.

She co-founded Group B Strep Support in 1996 after her baby died from the infection, and serves as its Chief Executive, working with families, clinicians and policymakers to reduce preventable harm. Group B Strep is a leading cause of meningitis in babies under age three months.

Jane is Women’s Voices Lead at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, ensuring people’s experiences shape care and guidance. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Pregnancy & Baby Charities Network and is Acting Chair of the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations’ (CoMO) Advisory Council.

Across these roles, Jane champions clear information, evidence-based practice and practical support. She speaks regularly at professional and parliamentary events and contributes to research, guidelines and training. Above all, she brings compassion, persistence and collaboration to everything she does – helping to save lives and improve care for babies, parents and the professionals who support them.