Meral Nugent replaces Nick Jacobs as CEO of The Nightingale Cancer Support Centre following his retirement

Meral Nugent, CEO of The Nightingale Cancer Support Centre

Leading Enfield cancer charity The Nightingale Cancer Support Centre has appointed a new chief executive.

Meral Nugent has been named as the new CEO to lead the charity in “an exciting new chapter”. It follows the retirement of former boss Nick Jacobs at the end of last year.

With a career spanning 25 years in the UK healthcare sector, Meral brings “in-depth experience of corporate affairs and PR and communications” plus a “wealth of policy and commercial knowledge”.

Meral previously worked at HCA Healthcare, where she was director of corporate affairs and, before that, she served as head of global communications at Advanz Pharma.

The Nightingale Cancer Support Centre is an independent charity supporting people diagnosed with cancer, as well as their family and friends, with free emotional, physical and practical support.

Having previously volunteered with The Nightingale in 2024, going on to become the office manager at its Baker Street base, Meral is said to have a “strong understanding of the values, operations and future potential of the charity”.

Meral said: “I am incredibly thrilled to be joining The Nightingale as the new CEO, it is truly a privilege and honour. During my time working here previously, I have come to love The Nightingale and the amazing work it does in the community.

“With one in two people experiencing cancer in their lifetime, the work of The Nightingale has never been more important and I am very much looking forward to shaping the next stage of our journey as a charity, while continuing to support as many people as possible through was is an incredibly challenging time.”

Speaking about the appointment, chair of trustees Sam Seth said: “We are delighted to welcome Meral Nugent as our new CEO. Meral’s breadth of experience, combined with her strategic communications expertise, makes her exceptionally well placed to lead the charity into its next chapter.

“The trustees are looking forward to working with Meral as she develops the charity’s strategy to deliver more services to more people across Enfield.”

The trustees also added their thanks to the retiring Nick Jacobs, who led the charity for three years, “helping to grow the services, client base and awareness of the centre”.

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