Anthony Cummings

Chief Executive Officer

My role as CEO is to drive Pancreatic Cancer Action along a pathway of achieving important milestones on the way to reaching our destination. That destination is where early diagnosis and treatment for pancreatic cancer are provided to everyone who needs it.

I am responsible for supporting, empowering, and enabling all Pancreatic Cancer Action team members to develop the capacities and capabilities required to achieve our mission of saving lives. I lead a cohesive team of PCA’s senior leaders to develop partnerships with the medical community, government, funders, volunteers, and the public to collaboratively address pancreatic cancer.

My key aim is to raise extensive awareness across all sectors of the UK regarding the pressing need for immediate action. With 26 people losing their lives to pancreatic cancer daily in the UK, it is imperative to substantially elevate the level of awareness and commitment towards implementing improvements. We must develop and execute programmes and interventions that save lives without any delay. It is essential that our urgent call to action resonates nationwide.

Describe yourself in 5 words:
Driven, innovative, caring, principled, focused.

Why did you pick to work at PCA?
The role of CEO at PCA attracted me for three reasons.

I have always been attracted to roles within organisations that possess significant, yet unrealised, potential for growth. I believe PCA has massive potential to grow and develop. The prospect of helping to realise PCA’s potential excites me tremendously.

As the previous Executive Director of a colorectal cancer hospital charity, I saw first-hand how work to increase early diagnosis, innovative research, education & training and clinical development saved lives. Working to save lives from pancreatic cancer is a goal for which I am deeply motivated.

What are your hobbies and interests?
Being CEO can be all-consuming! I achieve a healthy work/life balance by enjoying time with my family, friends, and community outside of work.

I love visiting new places and seeing the great cities of the world.

I enjoy boxing training and the odd workout in the gym, as well as spending time reading.

Fiona Brown

Head of Finance and Scottish Development

As Head of Scottish Development, I focus on developing our profile and activities as Pancreatic Cancer Action Scotland. I maintain and further develop collaborative relationships with various stakeholders, networks and communities to advance support, healthcare, awareness, research and education of pancreatic cancer in Scotland. I love exploring development opportunities and innovative ways to deliver and develop our objectives. I work closely with our amazing PCA team, inspiring supporters and collaborative networks and believe together we can make a big difference.

Describe yourself in 5 words:
Positive, Passionate, Brave, Caring, Collaborative.

Why did you pick to work at PCA?
After losing my mum to pancreatic cancer in 2003 I channelled my energy into fundraising and volunteering for Marie Curie. In 2014 I became involved in raising awareness of pancreatic cancer which led me onto a pathway of volunteering and working for Pancreatic Cancer Scotland (PCS). Following the merger of PCS and PCA in 2020 I am honoured to share hope, knowledge and action to make the 2020’s the Decade of Change for pancreatic cancer.

What are your hobbies and interests?
I love spending time with friends and family, as well as exploring the beauty of Scotland. At the weekends I love getting outdoors for a digital detox with big walks in the fresh air, exploring fabulous gift shops and not forgetting some yummy cakes, coffee and the odd cocktail too!

Contact Fiona on Fiona@panact.org or call 0303 040 1770

Veronica McBain

Head of Income Generation

I'm passionate about leading a collaborative team of fundraisers to raise vital income from our incredible community of supporters as well as our wider charity team. We work nationally with amazing corporate partners, community groups, grant giving trusts, and individuals to fund life-saving research and campaigning to improve pancreatic cancer survival rates.

Storytelling is at the heart of my work—I believe in connecting donors to our mission by showing the real, life-changing impact they make. I’m hands-on and driven, whether I’m delivering a speech, negotiating a corporate partnership, planning events, or trekking for a cause. We’re always looking for new opportunities to grow our impact and we’d love you to get involved!

Describe yourself in 5 words
Passionate, courageous, caring, collaborative, creative

Why did you pick to work at PCA?
Having spent the last 16 years in the third sector, I’m deeply passionate about the vital role charities play in supporting and strengthening our communities. I’ve also seen firsthand the devastating impact cancer can have on loved ones, which fuels my determination to ensure no one facing a diagnosis is left to cope alone. When I learned about the shockingly low survival rates for pancreatic cancer, I knew I had to be part of the change.

Joining PCA has given me the opportunity to use my experience to grow and strengthen income generation in support of this life-saving mission.

What are your hobbies and interests?
I love spending time with family and friends and have a real passion for travel—especially to the US, where I have family. I originally studied photography at university over 20 years ago and hope to return to it soon as a creative outlet. One day, I’d love to set up my own darkroom at home—I'm a purist at heart, and there’s nothing quite like watching a photo you’ve taken come to life in front of you.
I'm also an animal lover—actually, more of a self-confessed crazy cat woman—which I’ve proudly passed on to my young daughter!

Contact Veronica at veronica@panact.org or 07354 489436.

Heather Archbold

Health Information and Research Manager

I am responsible for making sure that Pancreatic Cancer Action works with current, accurate and evidence-based information. I am also responsible for turning this information and statistics into accessible health information resources for the general public, working closely with the team with the goal of promoting the importance of Pancreatic Cancer prevention. I am also responsible for any research that Pancreatic Cancer Action funds and is involved in, and then will communicate this to the wider team and general public.

Describe yourself in 5 words:
Ambitious, friendly, helpful, compassionate, and reliable.

Why did you pick to work at PCA?
Previous work, research, and study of mine has focussed on post-diagnosis or post-trauma so I was excited to work towards diagnosis prevention and make a change from the symptom onset. I was also attracted to a new challenge of working in the field of Pancreatic Cancer.

What are your hobbies and interests?
When I am not working or doing research, I enjoy spending time with my family, friends, and fiancé. I love walking dogs and have been grateful for dog-walking throughout the pandemic. I love nights in with a good tv series and a takeaway. I also enjoy travelling to new places!

Contact Heather on email at: heather@panact.org or call 0303 040 1770

Louise Lowman

Head of Marketing and Communications

I am responsible for the development and implementation of Pancreatic Cancer Action's marketing and campaign strategies, ensuring that they support the charity’s overall vision, engage more audiences and donors, and communicate the charity’s strategic objectives.

Raising the profile of the charity across media, external organisations and with influencers is a key part of my role.

I am brand manager, and work across the full spectrum of marketing and communications disciplines including media and public relations, internal comms, brand marketing, advertising, marketing, digital and social media, and the production of all marketing materials.

I also manage the talented marketing and communications team who deliver a first-class marketing service.

Describe yourself in 5 words:
Dedicated, passionate, caring, loyal and creative.

Why did you pick to work at PCA?
Having worked at one of the UK’s largest hospices for 9 years, and having lost my own dad to cancer, I have always been passionate about cause-related marketing. I have two friends whose dads have died from Pancreatic cancer in the last 10 years, so a job that enables me to help people survive this disease was an opportunity I simply could not miss.

As I learnt more about the charity, I was shocked at the statistics and this fueled my desire to work here even more.

I am incredibly proud to be part of the PCA family, of being able to make a real difference to people’s lives and to ultimately help shape the future of positive Pancreatic cancer outcomes.

What are your hobbies and interests
I love spending time with friends and family. I’m very much a cultural tourist and love travelling the world and discovering new places with my husband Tom. I enjoy photography, theatre, design, home interiors and shopping. I also love weekends away – even better if they come with a sea view and lots of seafood!

Contact Louise at louise@panact.org or call on 0303 040 1770.