7th May 2026
As the former CEO of The Staff College: Leadership in Healthcare and Point of Care Foundation, Charlie brings extensive experience of leading and growing small charities, influencing healthcare organisations and developing better leaders. She is passionate about the urgent need for meaningful action on climate change and looks forward to strengthening the Alliance’s influence and impact.
Charlie said: “It’s a huge privilege to take up the role of Director of the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change at such a critical moment. As the impacts of climate change accelerate alongside growing geopolitical instability, it has never been more important for coalitions of the willing to come together and act. I look forward to leading the Alliance and working closely with our members to use our collective influence to bring about meaningful change.”
Elaine Mulcahy has led the Alliance since September 2021 and oversaw the process of establishing UKHACC as an independent charity in 2023. Under her leadership, the organisation has grown from 20 to 50 organisational members, surpassing the organisational reach of more than one million health professionals in January 2024. She was Project Chair of the multi-stakeholder Green Surgery Project; led production of health-focused policy reports covering biodiversity, energy, food, resilience and the UK policy priorities for the Lancet Countdown since 2021; initiated a member-focused set of actions (Our Commitments) to drive organisational change; and has established UKHACC as a respected voice on policies and actions needed to both protect people from the impacts of climate change and nature loss and maximise the co-benefits of implementing positive change.
Elaine leaves UKHACC to move to a new role as Director of Communications with the global health charity, EMMS International. Commenting on her departure from UKHACC, Elaine said: “I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to lead the work of the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change for the last four years. It has enabled me to work and interact with passionate, thoughtful and caring people and to learn a huge amount about health, our environment, the Westminster system (still learning) and the things that we can all do, at every level, to make life better for ourselves and future generations. It has been an inspirational, motivating, and nicely challenging experience that I will not forget. Thanks to everyone who has been part of it along the way.”
UKHACC Co-Chairs Professor Hugh Montgomery OBE and Dr Sandy Mathers PhD said: “We are immensely grateful for Elaine’s leadership of the UKHACC over the past 4 and a half years. Elaine has successfully grown the membership to 55 organisations and generated sustained impact – most notably though policy intervention. We wish her every success in her new role at EMMS International. Elaine has been a superb director, and finding anyone as capable was always going to be a tough ask. We look forward to welcoming Charlie as our new Director. As an experienced CEO she brings strategy, tactics, wisdom, experience and commitment. UKHACC remains in reliable, impassioned hands.”