Our team

We have four members of staff and are led by an elected board of volunteer trustees, who are endorsed by our member organisations.

Neurological Alliance staff

Georgina Carr, Chief Executive

Georgina joined the Alliance in January 2020. Prior to her role at The Neurological Alliance, Georgina was with the MS Society for over six years, overseeing their work to improve MS treatment, care and support. Georgina was also a member of the European MS Platform Executive Committee and MS International Federation Access to Medicines working group, working closely with neurological organisations across the world to improve care. Georgina has a close connection to MS, and is passionate about raising the bar of neurological treatment, care and support across the country. Prior to working at the UK MS Society, Georgina worked on EU health policy for the consultancy Burson Marsteller.

Sam Mountney, Policy and External Affairs Manager

Sam joined the Neurological Alliance in June 2021. He has a background in neurology related health policy having previously spent three and a half years at Epilepsy Action leading their health policy and campaigning efforts. He also spent a year as co-chair of the Neurological Alliance Policy Group. Prior to working in neurology Sam worked for a Member of Parliament managing a busy Westminster office and completed a Master’s degree at the University of Leeds.

Miranda Lloyd, Communications and External Affairs Officer

Miranda joined The Neurological Alliance in March 2021. Prior to her role at The Neurological Alliance, Miranda was with the charity DEBRA for seven years, primarily working with people with Epidermolysis Bullosa to raise awareness of this genetic skin blistering condition and generate coverage online and in print, and through social media, radio and television. Miranda has a neurological condition and is passionate about making the world a more equal and inclusive place.

Caroline Davies, Administration and Membership Officer

Caroline Joined the Alliance in October 2019 after a career in higher education. She works closely with Georgina on membership, finance and governance, as the administrator for the Alliance. She is passionate about the Alliance’s campaigns for better care and treatment for people with neurological conditions. Aside from work Caroline is poet, with three books published and a fourth in preparation.

The Neurological Alliance Board of Trustees

Cath Stanley, Chief Executive, Huntington’s Disease Association (Chair)

Cath is Chief Executive of the Huntington’s Disease Association, a small but dynamic charity supporting families and professionals affected by Huntington’s disease. Cath has a particular interest in driving up the standards of care and support that people with neurological conditions receive. As a trustee of The Neurological Alliance she continues to highlight the difficulties that people with neurological conditions face when trying to access mental health services. Cath stood for Chair of the Alliance as she believes it is a pivotal time: the fact that the Alliance now has over 100 members means that, by working together the Alliance has a very loud voice to advocate for those with neurological conditions.

Marc Smith, Chief Executive, Brain and Spine Foundation (Vice Chair)

Marc joined the Neurological Alliance Trustee Board in November 2019 with a particular interest in helping the Alliance drive a collaborative data and improved information agenda that serves all those in the UK affected by a neurological condition. Marc brings over 30 years of commercial experience working in global advertising, marketing and communications agencies. He has been CEO of The Brain & Spine Foundation, the UK’s only pan-neurology information charity, since January 2019. He lives in Buckinghamshire with his wife, a teacher, and have their now-all-grown-up family nearby.

Kripen Dhrona head and shoulders photograph

Kripen Dhrona, British Polio Fellowship (Treasurer)

Kripen Dhrona joined the British Polio Fellowship (BPF) in 2014 after many years working in marketing in the events and hospitality industry. Starting in a communications role, he quickly worked his way through the ranks and is Chief Executive Officer at the charity. He also sits on the Expert Panel as the office and team representative and on the Indoor Games Organising Committee (The headline event for BPF Members). Through his work he often sees the challenges the Neuro community face in getting the help they desperately need and is dedicated to see this improve. He is a regular attendee at NNAG meetings, and he sits on the Board of Help Cards (a not for profit with 32 charity shareholders) and a Trustee for his son’s local scouts group. Kripen also used to sit on the board of the Association of Conference and Events.  He hopes his work in all these areas will be beneficial to his work with the Neurological Alliance. He is a firm believer in communities working together to achieve better results for all and the work of the Neurological Alliance is an excellent example of collaboration.

Ralph Gregory, Consultant Neurologist, Association of British Neurologists

Ralph became a Consultant Neurologist in 1992 and works for the Dorset Neurology Service. The Neurology Centre is based at Poole Hospital and also covers Dorchester and Bournemouth Hospitals. Prior to moving to Dorset in 2009 he was based in Reading and was also the Neurologist for the Functional Neurosurgery Programme in the Regional Neuroscience Centre in Oxford. He therefore has experience of service delivery in the DGH, neurology centre and regional unit. He is a general neurologist with a sub-specialty interest in Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. He is also the Clinical Director for Specialty Medicine at Poole. His first links with the Neurological Alliance were with the West Berkshire Branch in the 1990’s. This was when he first realised the important role that the Alliance could play in increasing public and Government awareness of all neurological diseases. In 2011 he was elected Honorary Secretary to the Association of British Neurologists and in 2015 became Chair of the ABN Services and Standards Committee. During this time the working relationship between the ABN and the Alliance has become stronger, which further benefit for people with neurological disorders. When his term of office came to an end in 2018, he offered his services to the Alliance and was co-opted to the Board of Trustees. He is married to a Dermatologist and has four sons who are no longer on his payroll.

Lucy Taylor smiling.

Lucy Taylor, Director of Fundraising and Marketing, The MS Trust

Lucy joined the MS Trust in January 2021, and has overall responsibility for the charity’s fundraising, communications, volunteering, and digital teams. She has had a long career in the charity sector with extensive experience of income generation, governance and strategic development in a wide range of organisations, including RNIB, Mencap, Alzheimer’s Society and Action Medical Research. During her time at the MS Trust, she has developed a clearer understanding of the needs of people with neurological conditions and the ‘postcode lottery’ that many face in terms of accessing the treatment and support they need. With an increasingly challenging health and social care landscape, she hopes to support the Neurological Alliance at a critical time for communications and fundraising. Lucy joined the Board with the aim of bringing some of her expertise to facilitate income and volunteering development for the charity, to build future sustainability for the Alliance and ultimately make more of a difference to people living with neurological conditions.

David Garmon-Jones, Chairman, Decideum

David Garmon-Jones spent 35 years in pharmaceuticals; mostly with Merck KGaA (1983–2015) and more latterly with Medday (2017–2018). For 10 years – as Country Manager – David worked with three different products for MS, operating for half that time in the UK & Ireland and the rest in Australia & New Zealand. Additionally, David spent two years as NED at Bucks NHS Trust and was a trustee at Bowel Cancer UK. Currently, David is doing a part-time interim assignment for Sobi in Cambridge as well as working as a part-time consultant for Decideum and the Neurology Academy. David is married with two grown-up children and lives in Marlow, South Bucks.

Victoria Wareham, Director of Operations & Development, Dystonia UK

Victoria joined Dystonia UK in 2019, following a career in retail operations management. Victoria has been influential in the recent growth of Dystonia UK including the advancement of their policy work to improve services and the development of effective community support and information services for people living with dystonia across the UK. Through her involvement with people living with dystonia, Victoria has developed a broad understanding of the needs of neurological communities and sees this as being invaluable in her role on the board. Victoria joined the board of The Neurological Alliance in 2022 with a strong commitment to help build on the Alliance’s work strengthening involvement with people living with neurological conditions.

Alison Fuller, Director for Health Improvement and Influence, Epilepsy Action

Alison joined the Neurological Alliance Board of Trustees in November 2022. She has worked for Epilepsy Action since February 2022, as Director for Health Improvement and Influence. Prior to joining EA, as a registered nurse she has worked in a number of senior positions in the NHS and most recently was Associate Chief Nurse at West Herts NHS Teaching Hospital with responsibilities including change management, quality improvement, patient safety, governance, and commissioning . As well as these activities she is a Panel member on the East Kent Maternity Review led by BIll Kirkup. She is committed to the delivery of high quality, integrated health, and social care to improve outcomes and to provide the best experience for patients and service users.

Rob Music, Chief Executive, Migraine Trust

Rob joined the Neurological Alliance board in November 2022. He has been Chief Executive of The Migraine Trust since February 2021 and is determined to see improvements in migraine care, treatments and access for the 10 million people living with migraine. Rob has over 30 years experience working for healthcare charities, starting out as a fundraiser, and before his current position he held similar roles at Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Endometriosis UK. He brings a range of skills from public affairs, service development, health and policy influence, fundraising, and communications.

Chris James, Director of External Affairs, MND Association

Chris’ role at the MND Association covers all aspects of the Association’s policy and campaigning work. This includes overseeing the Association’s campaigning work in health care, social care and the benefits system. In addition, he takes the lead on policy work in end of life and palliative care sitting on the End of Life Coalition. He is a member of the Association’s Clinical Advisory Board. Prior to joining the MND Association he worked extensively in the voluntary sector in areas such as haemophilia, mental health and diabetes. He believes very strongly in the role of the voluntary sector to add value to statutory services and in working closely with providers and commissioners to provide high quality services. He have recently been elected as a patient representative on NNAG.

Sarah Rawlings, Executive Director of Research and External affairs MS Society

Sarah is Executive Director of Research & External Affairs at the MS Society. Prior to joining the MS Society, she was Director of Policy Impact at the Policy Institute at King’s College London where she worked across a broad range of public policy areas, helping to ensure that evidence and expertise informs policy and practice. As well as overseeing the communications and engagement activities of the Institute, she led the health and mental health research theme and helped establish the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership. For many years Sarah worked in the cancer charity sector, most recently for the UK’s largest breast cancer charity, where she led large multidisciplinary teams responsible for developing evidence-based policies, public affairs and campaigning, producing award winning information, public health initiatives and service improvements.

Aneeta Prem, CEO of the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association (TNA-UK)

Aneeta Prem MBE is a dedicated advocate for those with neurological conditions, serving as the CEO of the Trigeminal Neuralgia Association (TNA-UK) and founder of Freedom Charity. Her personal battle with bilateral trigeminal neuralgia deepens her commitment to TNA-UK, where she strives to offer support and raise awareness.

Aneeta’s work in human rights, particularly through Freedom Charity, demonstrates her unwavering dedication to addressing dishonour abuse and promoting dignity. This commitment has garnered significant recognition, including an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Winchester, the 148th Point of Light by former Prime Minister David Cameron, and inclusion in the 2023 MBE New Year’s Honour list.

As an author, Aneeta addresses critical issues like forced marriage and FGM, contributing to legal changes in the UK. Her efforts extend beyond writing, encompassing roles in property management and law, including serving as a London magistrate. Throughout her varied career, Aneeta’s underlying motivation remains constant: a deep-seated desire to make a lasting

Amanda Swain, Vice Chair and Policy & Commissioning Liaison, UKABIF

Amanda has worked in many sectors as a clinical specialist in ABI and Neurology for over 25 years; she has led development of neurological rehabilitation services in four counties of England and in five countries. She has worked as a national lead or contributor to standards and audit of rehabilitation provision for the top authorities in England and New Zealand. Amanda holds a Masters in Health Laws and has been advising on health and social care legislative interpretation and implementation for over 15 years. Amanda also acts as independent advocate for people needing support to obtain the treatment, rehabilitation or social care that they need and are entitled to. Amanda is Vice Chair and Policy & Commissioning Liaison for UKABIF, she re-joins the board of the Neurological Alliance after a year away.