Who we are

Simon is a chartered engineer who has spent the majority of his career working in engineering consultancy in the rail and highway sectors. His experience includes business leadership with responsibility for service delivery, commercial management and business performance. He is keen to apply the experience gained during his career for the benefit of NRAS, and to maximise the help it can bring to people with RA. 

Simon became aware of the enormously valuable work of NRAS through his wife Sarah, a long-term RA sufferer and NRAS member. Through her involvement with NRAS he has been able to appreciate the extensive range of services which the organisation provides, and the positive impact it makes on the lives of those living with RA. 

As Chair of the Board of Trustees Simon works closely with Clare, her Management Team and the Board to provide strategic direction to NRAS, ensuring sound finances and securing a sustainable future for the charity. Our aim is to continue to broaden the reach and appeal of NRAS amongst all those who suffer from RA and JIA and provide them with the best available support and understanding.  

Simon has three step children and lives in Gloucestershire with Sarah and their two dogs. 

Peter C. Taylor was appointed to the Norman Collisson chair of Musculoskeletal Sciences at the University of Oxford in 2011 and is a Fellow of St. Peter’s College Oxford. He was born in London and studied pre-clinical medical sciences at Gonville and Caius College at the University of Cambridge. He subsequently studied clinical medicine at the University of Oxford and was awarded a PhD degree in 1996 from the University of London. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2000 and a distinguished member of the British Society for Rheumatology in 2016. In the summer of 2015, Peter was appointed Chief Medical Advisor to the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society and has always had the highest admiration for the outstanding contribution that the charity makes to helping people living with rheumatoid arthritis lead a full and active life. Peter has worked closely with Ailsa, founder of NRAS, and with Clare and her team in negotiations with NICE regarding access to advanced treatments.

Peter has specialist clinical interests in rheumatoid arthritis and over thirty years’ experience in clinical trial design and leadership in studies of biologic and small molecular therapies including the earliest seminal trials of anti-TNF and anti-IL-6 receptor therapy as well as JAK inhibitors. He also has research interests in wellbeing measures and approaches to holistic care beyond pharmacological intervention alone.

Peter and his wife live in Oxfordshire. They have two adult children and a passion for the countryside and classical music.

Anna Woolf is the Director of London Arts and Health, as well as being a PhD candidate at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. As the Director of London Arts and Health, she supports artists, creative practitioners and health professionals across the whole of the Capital and beyond, promoting excellence and engagement in the field of arts and wellbeing. The organisation aims to extend the reach of the arts to communities and individuals who would otherwise be excluded as the leading sector support organisation, advocating for arts and health in London. Anna’s PhD research examines socially engaged and participatory art, health and applied theatre in relation to teenagers living with the complex autoimmune disease Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Prior to beginning her PhD studies, Anna has worked for a range of companies and engaged in a number of research and teaching projects both at Central and Goldsmith’s University of London. Her specialisms include working with young people from primary school through to University age, coupled with digital practices in particular. Her work spans the interdisciplinary nature of applied theatre and digital practices such as social media, online communities, filmmaking and digital facilitation. Anna has a connection to Rheumatoid Arthritis as the daughter of Ailsa Bosworth, the founder of NRAS. She brings marketing, research and a background and interest in arts and health expertise to the board. Anna has two daughters and lives in London with her husband.

Richard has worked for Anglian Water Group for most of his career and is currently Strategic Development Director within Anglian Venture Holdings and a Director of the main operational subsidiary businesses. Richard has a wide range of experience, from day to day operations through to developing and delivering commercial and strategic projects. His current role involves commercial support to a range of businesses and the strategic development of growth and market opportunities in the UK and Ireland.

Having been diagnosed with RA in 2015, the NRAS website was one of the first sites Richard visited to understand more about RA. Recognising the benefit NRAS gives to those newly diagnosed with RA he is keen to support and contribute to our work. Richard has been very active in charity work, chairing Anglian Water’s WaterAid fundraising committee since 2011 and as a Board member of the Beacon Project (a programme to improve water, sanitation and hygiene in the town of Lahan – working with the Nepalese Government, Nepal Water Supply Corporation, WaterAid Nepal, the Lahan Municipality and Anglian Water) – experience he hopes will also benefit NRAS.

Richard is married with four children, and is keen to remain as active as possible – enjoying most sports, especially cycling, swimming and rock climbing.

Rich works for ScoutsCymru as Head of Strategy supporting the Organisations Groups across Wales. He has a wide range of experience within the Voluntary Sector including Charity Governance, Volunteer support, Communications and External Affairs. 

 Having been diagnosed with RA in 2014, NRAS was the organisation Rich turned to for support and advice in understanding the condition. Living in Wales and at the time NRAS was creating its Campaigns Networks, Rich wanted to put some of experiences forward and took on a role within the NRAS Welsh Ambassadors, supporting the Organisations work in lobbying Welsh Government and engaging with stakeholders to move Rheumatology services forward in Wales, including supporting the work of JIA at NRAS in the campaign for a Paediatric Rheumatology Service for Wales. 

 Rich is married with four children, and enjoys visiting Historical sites and baking.

Rayman has 14 years of experience in strategy, corporate communications, business development and leadership for global corporations.

At MTC, he held the positions of Group Director of Social Value and Executive Director of Business Development and Corporate Communications. He played a crucial role in establishing the company’s brand and expanding its reach into domestic and international markets.

Rayman earned an executive master’s degree in business administration from Warwick Business School and, served as the Deputy Leader for the Slough Conservatives as a Councillor for five years.

Ray became aware of NRAS through his Bibi (gran), who was a long-term RA sufferer but was diagnosed much later in life due to a lack of knowledge about RA from his family.  

Ray joined as a Trustee in 2023 and aims to use his knowledge and experience in strategy, corporate communications, partnerships, and policy to help the NRAS team support its members and raise awareness of RA and JIA. 

Jim is a qualified Chartered Accountant, who has worked across practice and industry for almost 25 years. Following his most recent role as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the Institute of Directors, Jim has switched his focus to working as a portfolio CFO, helping entrepreneurial businesses deliver their strategy.

Jim became aware of the support provided by NRAS through his wife Sophie, when she was diagnosed with RA in 2010 at the age of 30. From seeing the support and advice that was on offer to his wife in understanding the condition, Jim has been really able to appreciate the positive impact it makes on the lives of those who live with RA. In recent times, NRAS has also been the go to place for her in seeking information around COVID-19 vaccines and their potential impact on people with RA.

Jim joined as a Trustee in 2021 and aims to put his knowledge of finance and business to good use in helping Clare and the NRAS team to support its member and to continue to raise awareness of RA and JIA. 

Jim lives in London with his wife and son, along with their dog and two cats. He enjoys most sports and is a keen runner and cyclist. 

Claire was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2020. The journey to finding medication that worked was exhausting and Claire found the mental adjustment to her new health condition particularly hard. In many ways it felt like she was grieving her old self.

Claire has no family history of RA and was diagnosed at a relatively young age. This, coupled with the pandemic, made the first few years following her diagnosis feel very lonely. Discovering the information and community of NRAS allowed Claire to connect to others with similar lived experiences and adjust to her condition. Now Claire feels able to advocate for herself to her medical team, is confident in managing her symptoms and knows that support is always available.

Professionally, Claire has over ten years of experience in the financial services sector, specialising in operational risk and resilience. Her experience spans the public and private sector, including writing policy at the regulator. By becoming a trustee at NRAS, Claire hopes to use her experience to continue NRAS’ great work and make sure others living with rheumatoid arthritis continue to be at the very centre of the charity.

Claire lives in South West London with her partner and their very friendly cat.

Former Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Maidenhead

The life and times of our second woman Prime Minister are documented at length elsewhere!

Theresa has been the MP for Maidenhead since 1997 and it was in her capacity as constituency MP that she first supported our founder and Chief Executive, Ailsa Bosworth, who could not, at that time, access the treatment she needed. After the launch of the charity, in 2001, Theresa enthusiastically engaged with NRAS by attending local events and regularly meeting with Ailsa to hear about the issues that matter to people with RA. It was shortly after we were founded that she became our patron.

In her time as Home Secretary from 2010-16, Theresa continued to be generous with her more limited time and has continued to host our biennial Healthcare Champions Awards in the Houses of Parliament and to attend an annual event in the local area. Shortly before becoming Prime Minister, Theresa kindly facilitated a meeting with the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Stephen Crabb MP at our request. The productive meeting provided us with an opportunity to update Theresa and Stephen on the work of NRAS and the challenges faced by people with RA in accessing the welfare system. Now, as Prime Minister, we look forward to a renewed relationship with her as our patron whilst recognising her increased time pressures.

As a charity, we are apolitical and it’s important to state that we are likely to disagree at times with decisions made by governments of which ever political hue, but this should not prevent us from being a critical friend in order to be able to engage effectively.

Whilst very grateful for the patronage of the former Prime Minister, we continue to engage with politicians in all parties and in all areas of the UK.

cD, MD, FRCP Consultant Rheumatologist

After six years as NRAS Chief Medical Advisor Professor Panayi has very kindly agreed to become an NRAS Patron.

He has worked tirelessly on our behalf throughout this period and has been a staunch supporter of the charity. We are delighted that he has agreed to take up this new role and look forward to working with him in the future. 

A few words from Professor Panayi:

“I am honoured, proud and very happy to become a Patron of NRAS joining Theresa May MP who has given her time and energy so unstintingly to the Society. I have spent a professional lifetime as an academic rheumatologist. As arc Professor of Rheumatology I had three important functions: the provision of clinical rheumatology to patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis; the teaching of medical students, trainee rheumatologists and members of professions allied to rheumatology (nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists); and research into the mechanisms of inflammation that cause joint damage with the resultant problems of pain, disability, loss of work and social isolation of patients. All three of these activities are clearly intertwined for I have always felt that clinical practice focuses one’s attention on the patients and their problems and is thus a powerful force directing the type of research to be done. Furthermore, the outcome of research, if not applied back in the form of new treatments in the clinic and if not transmitted to future practitioners of rheumatology, is sterile. 

However, despite these endeavours I have always felt that there was a fourth ingredient missing from my professional endeavours. The missing ingredient was the political dimension of patient power. Political activities by doctors on behalf of their patients can always be misinterpreted as promotion of professional self-interest. No such jaundiced viewpoint can be expressed, at least openly, when patients are using political means to achieve more funding and thus better treatment, for in health care, just as in other spheres of life, competition for resources is a reality. However, although there were many organisations promoting the interests of patients with rheumatic diseases there was no organisation that specifically campaigned for those with rheumatoid arthritis. This was a curious and unexplained gap. I could not see how this gap could be filled until I met Ailsa Bosworth. We hit it off from the very beginning. As we know, she took on the Herculean task of organising NRAS. And as we know, she has made it into a successful, truly national charity that is recognised internationally. I have been very happy to support all the activities of NRAS but I have been particularly happy to answer the questions and the worries of patients directed at me via their emails as NRAS National Medical Adviser.

Now, in my new capacity as Patron, I will of course continue this support. Indeed, as Professor Emeritus of Rheumatology at King’s College London, I have more time and will hopefully contribute even more.”

Retired Consultant Rheumatologist, Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital since 1988; Hon.

Professor to University of East Anglia; Clinical Director of Norfolk & Suffolk Comprehensive Local Research Network; RCP Patient Involvement Officer; Past Chief Medical Advisor to NRAS;  Medical Adviser to Raynaud’s & Scleroderma Assoc; long-standing interest in systemic vasculitis with over 250 reviews/editorials/papers; other research interests: epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis (Norfolk Arthritis Register), clinical, health, economic and psychosocial aspects and their relevance to the introduction of biologic therapy

University of Glasgow

Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford

King’s College London/King’s College Hospital

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust/ Manchester University

Institute of Clinical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/ Institute of Medical and Biomedical Education, St George’s, University of London

University Hospital Wales

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

CREATE Centre, Section of Rheumatology, Cardiff University School of Medicine

University of Southampton & Solent NHS Trust

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool / University of Liverpool

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust

King’s College Hospital/ King’s College London

Haywood Hospital, Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust and Keele University

NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton

Honiton Surgery & Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital

Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Metropolitan University

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

University of Manchester / Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Children’s Hospital for Wales, Cardiff

Haywood Hospital, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust