Directors

Wojtek is a CIMA qualified management accountant with over 15 years’ experience of working at senior finance roles within the UK charity sector. 

Before joining Muscular Dystrophy UK, Wojtek worked as a Consultant at Counterculture LLP, Executive Director (Finance) at the Prince’s Foundation (Now The King’s Foundation), CFO at The Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) , Finance and Operations Director for the Prince’s Foundation for Binding Community (PFBC) and Head of Finance for the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS). 

Wojtek holds a MRes in Cultural Studies at the London University and MA in Slavonic Languages and Culture from Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM). He was also a Trustee of two theatre companies based in London – Blind Summit and Paines Plough. 

Kate joined us in June 2018 from her role as Head of Neuroscience and Mental Health with the Medical Research Council. She’s also worked in a senior role with the Wellcome Trust. Kate has a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge, after gaining her first degree at Imperial College London. She then worked as a post-doctoral assistant at the University of Basel and in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging at the University Children’s Hospital in Zurich before joining the Wellcome Trust in 2005. 

She is currently a Trustee of the Association of Medical Research Charities and an Executive Committee member of the European Neuromuscular Centre in The Netherlands. 

Rob joined us in 2018, and has spent 18 years in the charity sector, with a strong focus on health and disability. Before joining us, he had senior roles at Alzheimer’s Society and RNID. He started his career at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, where he completed the NCVO’s Certificate in Campaigning. Between 2015 and 2019, he served as a trustee of Charityworks, the UK non-profit sector’s graduate programme, and is a Clore Social Leadership Fellow. Rob leads our support services, policy work, as well as our involvement as co-chair of the Changing Places toilets consortium. 

Emma has worked in the fundraising team at Muscular Dystrophy UK for several years, joining originally as Head of Events. She has always worked in fundraising roles in the charity sector and before joining Muscular Dystrophy UK, Emma was Events Manager at Action on Addiction. She became Director of Development in 2020. 

Leanne joined us in June 2023 and has spent over 16 years in marketing and communication roles in the charity sector. Before joining Muscular Dystrophy UK, Leanne was Head of Marketing and Communications at Bowel Cancer UK and previously held roles at St Elizabeth Hospice, Beat and Save the Children. 

Leanne has been a trustee of the mental health charity Suffolk Mind since April 2019 and is also a research grant lay reviewer and expert panel member for Sarcoma UK having been diagnosed with the disease in March 2021.