Who we are

Simon is a chartered engineer who has spent the majority of his career working in engineering consultancy in the rail and highway sectors. His experience includes business leadership with responsibility for service delivery, commercial management and business performance. He is keen to apply the experience gained during his career for the benefit of NRAS, and to maximise the help it can bring to people with RA. 

Simon became aware of the enormously valuable work of NRAS through his wife Sarah, a long-term RA sufferer and NRAS member. Through her involvement with NRAS he has been able to appreciate the extensive range of services which the organisation provides, and the positive impact it makes on the lives of those living with RA. 

As Chair of the Board of Trustees Simon works closely with Clare, her Management Team and the Board to provide strategic direction to NRAS, ensuring sound finances and securing a sustainable future for the charity. Our aim is to continue to broaden the reach and appeal of NRAS amongst all those who suffer from RA and JIA and provide them with the best available support and understanding.  

Simon has three step children and lives in Gloucestershire with Sarah and their two dogs. 

Peter C. Taylor was appointed to the Norman Collisson chair of Musculoskeletal Sciences at the University of Oxford in 2011 and is a Fellow of St. Peter’s College Oxford. He was born in London and studied pre-clinical medical sciences at Gonville and Caius College at the University of Cambridge. He subsequently studied clinical medicine at the University of Oxford and was awarded a PhD degree in 1996 from the University of London. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in 2000 and a distinguished member of the British Society for Rheumatology in 2016. In the summer of 2015, Peter was appointed Chief Medical Advisor to the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society and has always had the highest admiration for the outstanding contribution that the charity makes to helping people living with rheumatoid arthritis lead a full and active life. Peter has worked closely with Ailsa, founder of NRAS, and with Clare and her team in negotiations with NICE regarding access to advanced treatments.

Peter has specialist clinical interests in rheumatoid arthritis and over thirty years’ experience in clinical trial design and leadership in studies of biologic and small molecular therapies including the earliest seminal trials of anti-TNF and anti-IL-6 receptor therapy as well as JAK inhibitors. He also has research interests in wellbeing measures and approaches to holistic care beyond pharmacological intervention alone.

Peter and his wife live in Oxfordshire. They have two adult children and a passion for the countryside and classical music.

Anna Woolf is the Director of London Arts and Health, as well as being a PhD candidate at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. As the Director of London Arts and Health, she supports artists, creative practitioners and health professionals across the whole of the Capital and beyond, promoting excellence and engagement in the field of arts and wellbeing. The organisation aims to extend the reach of the arts to communities and individuals who would otherwise be excluded as the leading sector support organisation, advocating for arts and health in London. Anna’s PhD research examines socially engaged and participatory art, health and applied theatre in relation to teenagers living with the complex autoimmune disease Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. Prior to beginning her PhD studies, Anna has worked for a range of companies and engaged in a number of research and teaching projects both at Central and Goldsmith’s University of London. Her specialisms include working with young people from primary school through to University age, coupled with digital practices in particular. Her work spans the interdisciplinary nature of applied theatre and digital practices such as social media, online communities, filmmaking and digital facilitation. Anna has a connection to Rheumatoid Arthritis as the daughter of Ailsa Bosworth, the founder of NRAS. She brings marketing, research and a background and interest in arts and health expertise to the board. Anna has two daughters and lives in London with her husband.

Richard has worked for Anglian Water Group for most of his career and is currently Strategic Development Director within Anglian Venture Holdings and a Director of the main operational subsidiary businesses. Richard has a wide range of experience, from day to day operations through to developing and delivering commercial and strategic projects. His current role involves commercial support to a range of businesses and the strategic development of growth and market opportunities in the UK and Ireland.

Having been diagnosed with RA in 2015, the NRAS website was one of the first sites Richard visited to understand more about RA. Recognising the benefit NRAS gives to those newly diagnosed with RA he is keen to support and contribute to our work. Richard has been very active in charity work, chairing Anglian Water’s WaterAid fundraising committee since 2011 and as a Board member of the Beacon Project (a programme to improve water, sanitation and hygiene in the town of Lahan – working with the Nepalese Government, Nepal Water Supply Corporation, WaterAid Nepal, the Lahan Municipality and Anglian Water) – experience he hopes will also benefit NRAS.

Richard is married with four children, and is keen to remain as active as possible – enjoying most sports, especially cycling, swimming and rock climbing.

Rayman has 14 years of experience in strategy, corporate communications, business development and leadership for global corporations.

At MTC, he held the positions of Group Director of Social Value and Executive Director of Business Development and Corporate Communications. He played a crucial role in establishing the company’s brand and expanding its reach into domestic and international markets.

Rayman earned an executive master’s degree in business administration from Warwick Business School and, served as the Deputy Leader for the Slough Conservatives as a Councillor for five years.

Ray became aware of NRAS through his Bibi (gran), who was a long-term RA sufferer but was diagnosed much later in life due to a lack of knowledge about RA from his family.  

Ray joined as a Trustee in 2023 and aims to use his knowledge and experience in strategy, corporate communications, partnerships, and policy to help the NRAS team support its members and raise awareness of RA and JIA. 

Rich works for ScoutsCymru as Head of Strategy supporting the Organisations Groups across Wales. He has a wide range of experience within the Voluntary Sector including Charity Governance, Volunteer support, Communications and External Affairs. 

 Having been diagnosed with RA in 2014, NRAS was the organisation Rich turned to for support and advice in understanding the condition. Living in Wales and at the time NRAS was creating its Campaigns Networks, Rich wanted to put some of experiences forward and took on a role within the NRAS Welsh Ambassadors, supporting the Organisations work in lobbying Welsh Government and engaging with stakeholders to move Rheumatology services forward in Wales, including supporting the work of JIA at NRAS in the campaign for a Paediatric Rheumatology Service for Wales. 

 Rich is married with four children, and enjoys visiting Historical sites and baking.

Jim is a qualified Chartered Accountant, who has worked across practice and industry for almost 25 years. Following his most recent role as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the Institute of Directors, Jim has switched his focus to working as a portfolio CFO, helping entrepreneurial businesses deliver their strategy.

Jim became aware of the support provided by NRAS through his wife Sophie, when she was diagnosed with RA in 2010 at the age of 30. From seeing the support and advice that was on offer to his wife in understanding the condition, Jim has been really able to appreciate the positive impact it makes on the lives of those who live with RA. In recent times, NRAS has also been the go to place for her in seeking information around COVID-19 vaccines and their potential impact on people with RA.

Jim joined as a Trustee in 2021 and aims to put his knowledge of finance and business to good use in helping Clare and the NRAS team to support its member and to continue to raise awareness of RA and JIA. 

Jim lives in London with his wife and son, along with their dog and two cats. He enjoys most sports and is a keen runner and cyclist. 

Claire was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2020. The journey to finding medication that worked was exhausting and Claire found the mental adjustment to her new health condition particularly hard. In many ways it felt like she was grieving her old self.

Claire has no family history of RA and was diagnosed at a relatively young age. This, coupled with the pandemic, made the first few years following her diagnosis feel very lonely. Discovering the information and community of NRAS allowed Claire to connect to others with similar lived experiences and adjust to her condition. Now Claire feels able to advocate for herself to her medical team, is confident in managing her symptoms and knows that support is always available.

Professionally, Claire has over ten years of experience in the financial services sector, specialising in operational risk and resilience. Her experience spans the public and private sector, including writing policy at the regulator. By becoming a trustee at NRAS, Claire hopes to use her experience to continue NRAS’ great work and make sure others living with rheumatoid arthritis continue to be at the very centre of the charity.

Claire lives in South West London with her partner and their very friendly cat.