After a rigorous and careful selection process, involving a panel of Trustees and the staff at the National Office in Romford, Caroline Olshewsky will start her new position on Monday 18^th March 2024. Caroline will take the reins from Paul Howard who has been CEO since March 2020 and has been with the charity for a total of 13 years.

Caroline has over 16 years’ experience in the charity sector, with an amazing CV starting as International Trust Fundraiser for the Red de Acción Política in Argentina, along with five years as Director of Fundraising at The Refugee Council. She was then Director of the Follicular Lymphoma Foundation UK/US 2019-2022, followed by being the Founding Trustee of FAR (Foundation for ARID1B Research) US/UK from 2022 and most recently worked as a Project Development Consultant at Rosetrees UK.

As a Founding Trustee of FAR, Caroline performed the role of Chief Operating Officer (in a voluntary capacity) with the world’s first foundation dedicated to accelerating the development of life‑changing treatments for ARID1B‑related disorder (ARID1B‑RD). Her key achievements included developing the charity’s operational strategy with the Chair, leading on the development and delivery of the patient engagement and fundraising strategy, and managing the charity contracting; securing pro-bono expert legal, pharma and registry advisors.

Elaine Holland, Chair of Trustees says: “Paul Howard will be leaving very big shoes to fill, and I want to thank him again for all his years of service with the charity, however I am extremely pleased to announce Caroline Olshewsky as the new CEO of LUPUS UK.  She brings a wealth of experience, not just in the charity sector, but with chronic and rare diseases, with her values aligning with those of LUPUS UK.  The rest of the Board and I look forward to working with Caroline as we take our charity forward.”

Caroline Olskewsky says: “I am excited and honoured to be taking on the role of LUPUS UK’s new CEO. From my professional and personal experience, I am passionate about working with people and their families living with chronic and rare diseases. I would like to thank the Trustees for entrusting me with the role and Paul for the fantastic work he has done. I join with you all to wish him the very best for the future. I am very much looking forward to working with the Trustees, the staff team and the lupus community, partners, and stakeholders to build on the success of this wonderful charity over the coming years.”

Outgoing CEO, Paul Howard says: “I am thrilled that Caroline has been appointed as the next Chief Executive of LUPUS UK and she will have the privilege of joining the most incredible team of staff and volunteers. It has been such an honour to be part of LUPUS UK for 13 years and have the trust to lead as Chief Executive for the last four. Caroline’s appointment represents a fantastic opportunity for the charity to continue its development and growth.”

We are all excited to support Caroline on the next journey of our much-loved charity!

LUPUS UK would like to extend their thanks to Graham Atkinson and his team at Atkinson HR Consulting for their fantastic guidance and support throughout the whole journey. They led a robust and thorough recruitment process, embedding the ethos of our charity throughout.  https://www.atkinsonhrconsulting.co.uk/