Our trustees

Giulio Codacci-Pisanelli – Chair of Trustees

Giulio Codacci-Pisanelli began his career in the finance and strategic planning departments of Olivetti and FIAT. He then moved to investment banking, working for primary institutions like Chase Manhattan, Merrill Lynch and BNP Paribas on large capital market transactions, hostile take overs and IPOs. He has been an independent board member for a bank and a company producing aircraft components, with both roles involved strategic repositioning and restructuring including acquisitions and disposals of businesses. Giulio has also been Professor of Corporate and Investment Banking at the Università di Bari (Italy), related to the postgraduate degree in Economics of Financial Markets and Intermediaries. He has tutored various students on their final dissertations. Giulio is now Charity Ambassador for The Norfolk Hospice for Palliative Care Tapping House.  

Giulio Codacci-Pisanelli has a personal connection to pancreatic cancer as he lost his wife Sarah to the disease in 2022. 

Mr Neville Menezes – Founding Trustee and Consultant HPB surgeon

Mr Neville Menezes is a Consultant Pancreatico-biliary Surgeon and is one of the founder members and Trustees of Pancreatic Cancer Action. He is one of the medical advisors on the panel of doctors for ‘Pancreatic Cancer Action’. He is appointed as the Consultant HPB Surgeon for the Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire Cancer network, holding Consultant posts at The Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford and Ashford & St. Peter’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Chertsey Surrey.

His specialist surgical training was in the West of Scotland & The South Thames Deanery. He completed his FRCS from The Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh and thereafter pursued research & specialist training followed by an Intercollegiate FRCS (Gen. Surg.) in 2002.

His Pancreatico-biliary experience and research related to minimally invasive techniques for intractable pancreatic pain was acquired at the Lister Department of Surgery at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary working with Professor CW Imrie and his Hepatobiliary experience was acquired at King’s College Hospital in London. His Laparoscopic Training was at the Minimal Access Therapeutic Training Unit (MATTU) in Guildford.

He strongly believes that any improvement in pancreatic cancer survival will be related to and as a direct consequence of early diagnosis which is also the primary aim of our charity ‘Pancreatic Cancer Action’.

He is a great advocate of on-site cytology during ERCP & EUS diagnostic techniques and offers it to all his patients diagnosed with pancreatic and biliary cancers.

Ross Carter – Trustee

Mr. Ross Carter is a retired pancreatic surgeon based in the West of Scotland Pancreatic Unit in Glasgow Royal Infirmary. He is both former Honorary Secretary of the Pancreatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and former Pancreatic Section of the British Society of Gastroenterology.

Aware of the advances in care and outcomes being driven through charities focused on many cancers, but with a clear absence of a UK pancreatic cancer charity, he became involved in the third sector during the formative years of PCRF, PCUK, and PCA; all based in the South East England.

With key differences between the National Health Service in England & Wales and that in Scotland, Mr. Carter recognised the need for a further pancreatic cancer charity; one focusing on the Scottish perspective. This charity could then implement core objective of raising awareness, advancing research, and improving healthcare standards for patients and carers, in the most effective way for Scotland; whilst working with sister charities on UK-wide projects.

To achieve this vision, along with co-founders Pamela Sinclair, Fred Carenduff, Graham Carson, Elspeth Cowan, Anne Ventisei, and Sarah Beveridge, Mr. Carter launched Pancreatic Cancer Scotland as a Registered Scottish Charity (No SC041740) on 12th November 2010.

Lou Nylander – Trustee

Lou has 15 years of experience holding down influential positions, managing global marketing teams and shaping the course of some of the world’s leading digital advertising companies, including PubMatic, MediaCom, AOL/ The Huffington Post and Zenith. Five years ago, Lou founded ‘Wildflowers of London’- Women’s Circle, a social enterprise and events business focused on empowering women in South East London, where she resides. She fosters an inclusive culture across everything she does, champions women, drives change, and leads from the front with a positive and inspiring attitude.

Elspeth Cowan – Trustee

Elspeth has been involved with PCS since the early stages of its development, providing clinical advice and guidance, participating in development activities such as the development of patient information materials and patient/carer support activities.

As a Trustee, Elspeth brings a unique insight to PCAS gained from working as part of the multidisciplinary team at the West of Scotland Pancreatic Unit, having many years of experience supporting patients and carers and providing professional leadership at a local, regional and national level.

Elspeths’ role as CNS/AHP Lead for the Scottish HepatoPancreatoBiliary Network (SHPBN) provides links to all Scottish CNS and allows opportunities for collaboration at a national level for PCA(S) activities.

Naomi Longworth – Trustee

Naomi was appointed as a trustee of Pancreatic Cancer Action in July 2021. She is a senior practice director with over 15 years’ experience working at Brands2Life, an award-winning marketing and communications agency, with purposeful brands such as Vodafone Group, Tetra Pak, and molecular diagnostics leader Hologic. Having lost a close friend to an aggressive form of colon cancer in 2020, Naomi is passionate about telling powerful stories to champion earlier detection and prevention of cancer. She is delighted to be helping Pancreatic Cancer Action achieve its mission of improving survival rates of pancreatic cancer.

Rachel Legg – Trustee

Rachael is the Chief Procurement and Property Officer at Lightsource BP, a global solar energy leader. She is passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of others. In previous roles, Rachel has been accountable for transforming procurement’s strategic contribution and positive impact on the business and wider society, enabling a vision for a world that is cleaner and healthier now and for future generations.

Prior to this, Rachael ran her own procurement and business transformation consultancy company. She is a CIPS Fellow with broad industry experience in establishing and leading Procurement functions for FTSE 100/250/Small Cap and Private Equity organisations and clients including pladis, B&Q, Diageo, Sony, Capita, Serco, and DS Smith. She has also held manufacturing engineering positions with Unilever and ICI Paints.

In 2020, Rachael joined the Trustee Board at Pancreatic Cancer Action, and is passionate about striving to save lives through early diagnosis.

David Slater – Trustee

David Slater grew up in London and studied history at Oxford University. He joined the Department of Employment in 1979 and became a fast-stream civil servant. He held policy and delivery posts across a number of Departments, including developing Investors in People, and leading major IT and building programmes. He moved to North East England in 1995. He worked in senior positions in two local authorities, dealing with regeneration, finance, HR and environmental services. Since taking early retirement, he has served as a Trustee and Chair of Trustees for several charities. David had successful surgery for Pancreatic Cancer in 2022. 

Gabriella Lesca – Trustee

Gabriella Lesca is a Senior Manager working in procurement and contract management, with experience spanning public and private sector. She has robust experience in negotiating and managing complex national and international contracts across different sectors. In 2024, Gabriella has joined the Trustee Board at Pancreatic Cancer Action, and is keen to contribute to further the mission and objectives of the charity.