Our leadership team

Hilary’s professional background lies in business transformation within complex, multifaceted organisations. Her senior management career started in marketing at Coca-Cola, before moving to Capgemini, a global leader in consulting. She gained considerable knowledge in the food and drink sector before moving the charity sector as CEO of London’s largest food redistribution charity, The Felix Project.

Hilary has direct experience of coeliac disease, as her son has the condition. This provides her with first hand experience of living gluten free and provides additional motivation to achieve real and lasting change for the gluten free community.

After a series of senior Finance roles in the commercial sector, Ashley joined Coeliac UK in January 2024 from Brain Tumour Research, where he spent nine years helping to grow the charity, introduce robust processes and systems, and increase expenditure on charitable objectives more than five-fold.

He enjoys working in the charity sector, being particularly motivated to address inequalities, drive growth and to make a positive impact on the coeliac community.

Heidi began her career in the manufacturing industry and during a career break to raise a family, she also completed a PhD in Nutrition and Food Science, including areas of immunology and microbiology. For seven years she was the Research Manager at Coeliac UK, developing strong governance and ensuring the voice of the coeliac community was heard via the research priority setting partnership.

Now as a member of the senior management team, her role is pivotal in the strategic development of the charity’s knowledge base. Heidi also plays an important representational role among key stakeholders in research and the health and food sectors.

Chris, who’s wife has coeliac disease, joined us as Director of Commercial Services in 2023, bringing over 20 years of experience in food and licensing sales. His career spans a range of roles across both medium and large enterprises, including his most recent position where he led the development and successful launch of Smiley branded foods into retailers across Europe.

At Coeliac UK, Chris works closely with the commercial team to drive growth and support for our members. His focus includes expanding awareness of our GF accreditation scheme and Crossed Grain trademark, helping to increase visibility and trust for gluten free products.

Annette, who joined us in 2008 has worked in the charity sector for over 15 years, including roles with the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and as a trustee of a local Council for Voluntary Service.

As part of her role, Annette is involved with the strategic development, delivery and monitoring of all of our services.  She’s responsible for the membership experience and encouraging new people to join us at Coeliac UK.

Duncan has spent his career helping charities, membership and commercial organisations connect more deeply with the people they serve. Before joining Coeliac UK, he was Chief Commercial Officer at CILIP, leading work to grow membership, strengthen partnerships and modernise digital services.

As Chief Engagement Officer at Coeliac UK, Duncan brings together teams across communications, marketing, membership, volunteering and fundraising to help the charity reach and support more people living with coeliac disease. He’s passionate about building a stronger sense of community and making sure everyone affected by coeliac disease feels informed, supported and included.