Blood Cancer UK’s chief executive Gemma Peters is leaving to lead Macmillan Cancer Support.

She will join Macmillan in January next year.

Peters has been CEO at Blood Cancer UK since 2017. Prior to joining the charity she was executive director at King’s Health Partners and King’s College and held events management roles at Sense and Mencap.

“I am delighted to be joining the brilliant Macmillan team, having long admired and personally seen Macmillan’s impact for families affected by cancer,” said Peters.

“Building a strong organisation that ensures the voices of people living with cancer are heard has been central to my time at Blood Cancer UK and I feel very lucky and proud to be able to build on that at Macmillan, whose mission has never been more important.”

Macmillan chair Richard Murley added: “We are excited by the leadership Gemma will bring to take Macmillan forward at this critical time for cancer treatment and care.

“During the recruitment process, trustees, colleagues and people living with cancer were impressed by Gemma’s passion, her deep knowledge of cancer care, her strategic insight and track record leading effective and inclusive organisations.”

This year Macmillan apologised after a damning report found its organisation was blighted by a ‘racist and bullying culture’.

This report, by the Social Justice Collective, had been commissioned by the charity and its staff.

The charity’s leadership team has said that it “fully accept the findings of the report and its recommendations”.

Peters replaces Lynda Thomas who is leaving at the end of 2022 after more than 20 years at the charity. She joined in 2001 as head of media and campaigns and has been chief executive since 2014, initially on an interim basis.

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