Julia Palca Chair

'Having had cancer myself, I was delighted to become part of a charity which puts the patient at the heart of everything it does, and cares for the carers too.'

Julia joined the board in October 2001 and was elected Chair in July 2010. She also sits on the Audit Committee, the Finance & Legal Committee, the Remuneration Committee, and the Nominations Committee.

She studied law and politics at Durham University, and was, until 2012, a partner/consultant with law firm Olswang LLP.

She is Chairman of the Royal Free Charity, trustee of the Nuffield Trust, trustee of the Olswang Foundation, special adviser to the Prison Reform Trust and has been a member of the Board of the Institute of Employment Studies and of several other charities, including Cancerlink which merged with Macmillan in 2001.

Julia has herself had cancer. She is also a part time employment judge, lives in London and is married with three children.