Staff

Kathryn Pretzel-Shiels was appointed as CEO at Bowel Research UK in March 2026, following a period as Interim CEO since October 2025.

Kathryn is a highly respected international business and marketing leader, known for developing customer-centric strategies and building commercially impactful B2B and B2C relationships.

She spent 28 years at American Express, working across three continents and delivering consistent growth in sales, marketing, and business development across multiple business units. Her leadership was marked by a strong focus on customer engagement, increasing loyalty, and the development of high-performing, multicultural teams.

In 2016, Kathryn became Marketing Director at PAUL Ltd, where she led on brand, digital transformation and oversaw customer engagement, new product development, PR, competitor insights, and online and partnership sales.

Kathryn has held board positions with the International Women’s Forum UK – where she chaired the Programme Committee, Bowel & Cancer Research, Bowel Research UK, United Way UK,  Springboard UK, and the International Hotel & Restaurant Association, reflecting her commitment to leadership and social impact.

Nicole is the Operations Manager at Bowel Research UK, where she plays a central role in keeping the charity running smoothly. Overseeing finance, HR, and day-to-day operations, she ensures the organisation can focus on advancing vital research.

With more than 30 years’ experience in the healthcare sector, Nicole brings a wealth of knowledge from previous roles at the Royal College of Physicians London and the Patient Information Forum.

Linda has nearly 30 years’ experience in UK and international fundraising and is a highly respected fundraising leader known for building meaningful donor relationships and delivering transformational philanthropic results. She has led major campaigns across the charity, health and research sectors, securing six‑ and seven‑figure gifts for organisations including the Royal Veterinary College, Leicester Children’s Hospital, Veterans Aid, and the University of St Andrews. Her expertise spans capital campaigns, major donor engagement, and trust and foundation fundraising, always grounded in empathy, collaboration and a commitment to long‑term impact.

For over a decade she has worked as a senior fundraising consultant, shaping the philanthropic culture of numerous organisations by developing high‑performing volunteer boards and guiding CEOs, trustees and senior stakeholders through ambitious fundraising programmes. Her consultancy work includes successful campaigns with NHS partners, hospices, education institutions and medical research charities.  She holds an MSc in Charity Resource Management, with research focused on public trust in the charity sector, and brings warmth, strategic clarity and tenacity to every organisation she supports.

Min is Trusts Fundraising Manager at Bowel Research UK. She is responsible for raising income from trusts and foundations.

Min has previous experience in charitable fundraising, building long-standing partnerships with a number of grant-making organisations to fund community and campaigning projects at local branches of Mind: the Mental Health Charity.

Dr Eleanor Kennedy has a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Glasgow and a PhD in molecular neuropharmacology from the University of Leicester. Following three years as a postdoc at the University of California, San Diego working on thrombin-mediated gene expression in the brain, Eleanor became a group leader at the University of Geneva in Switzerland studying the intracellular signalling pathways that stimulate insulin secretion. She subsequently undertook a full-time MBA at Cranfield School of Management.

Since 2005, she has run her own healthcare consultancy companies working with a wide range of clients including the National Institute of Health and Care Research, the Department of Health, the British Medical Journal and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges as well as a number of diverse medical charities funding research into the treatment and management of diabetes, cancer and scarring.

Beth is Challenge Events and Community Fundraising Manager at Bowel Research UK. She is responsible for all income raised from supporters taking part in iconic challenge events including the London Marathon, Royal Parks Half Marathon and London to Paris Cycle, as well as activities such as cake sales.

Beth has over 10 years experience across challenge events and community fundraising, having developed and managed fundraising activities and supported fundraisers at a diverse range of charities including Bowel Cancer UK, her local hospice and the National Autistic Society.

Henry is the Supporter Services Manager at Bowel Research UK. He oversees the processing of donation income in line with charity regulations, whilst delivering a high-end supporter experience for our donors. Alongside these primary duties, he also manages database administration and assists with direct marketing.

Henry has over ten years of experience in the charity fundraising sector, having previously worked with the British Red Cross in their Supporter Services Team.

Sam Alexandra Rose is the Digital Communications & Patient Involvement Manager for Bowel Research UK.

Sam is a four-time cancer survivor with constitutional mismatch repair deficiency (CMMRD), a rare genetic condition related to Lynch syndrome that increases cancer risk. She is currently undertaking her PhD, exploring her cancer experiences through creative writing. She therefore brings her patient perspective, academic practice, and over ten years of digital marketing experience to her role. Read more about her bowel cancer experience in her Getting To Know interview.

Rachel is a healthcare communications consultant with more than 20 years’ experience delivering press and PR for medical research charities and healthcare companies.

She runs the Press Office with Helen Pope and supports the charity on all aspects of communications, providing strategic insight, guidance and hands-on support for Bowel Research UK.

Her experience includes media relations, running disease awareness and policy campaigns, healthcare professional engagement and corporate communications.