Meet the trustees

Lucy Colenso

Interim Chair

A marketing specialist with a background in chocolate manufacturing and retail. Her involvement concentrates on our strategic direction, helping to shape and guide the marketing plan and vision for our short and long term together with our team in Sheffield.

James Corcoran

Trustee

James stepped down from a successful corporate career in 2019 and now enjoys plural activities, including sitting on three Boards around the world, advising private equity companies, and managing his family charitable foundation.

He is married and has three children and two grandchildren. Downtime is spent travelling with family and friends and trying to lower his very high golf handicap. James has been a tinnitus sufferer since 2015.

Veronica Kennedy

Trustee

Dr Veronica Kennedy is a Consultant Audiovestibular Physician. While she worked for many years with adults with tinnitus, she is now the clinical lead for the Paediatric Audiology Service at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.

She has been a long time supporter of Tinnitus UK and was first a member of the PAC in 2007 going on to become Chair. She has since continued to work with Tinnitus UK on its ongoing Information Standard accreditation through the development and quality assurance of its leaflets.

Veronica was part of the working group which developed the British Society of Audiology’s national Practice Guidance on the Management of Children with Tinnitus and worked with Tinnitus UK on the development of a series of leaflets and workbooks to support children with tinnitus as well as their parents and teachers. She is also one of the facilitators of Tinnitus UK course on the practical management of children with tinnitus.

Nicola Heron

Trustee

Dr Nicola Heron is Chief Strategic Impact Officer at Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC). She brings over 24 years of experience in life science including holding senior positions in organisations including AstraZeneca and the NHS.

Dr Heron has experience of pharmaceuticals, medical devices and diagnostics, and gained a PhD in Chemistry in Boston, USA and an MBA from the University of Sheffield. Nicola joined AstraZeneca in 1998 as a medicinal chemist. She moved to Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in 2009, where she was Programme Director of the NIHR Healthcare Technology Cooperative, D4D. She is an accomplished scientist with over 45 publications and board-level experience in multiple life sciences organisations.

As well as being one of our Trustees, she is a non-executive director at Cheshire and Warrington LEP Science and Growth Corridor sub-board and Chair of the Industry Board for the Manchester Clinical Research Facility.

Nicola joined MDC in 2018 as Head of Collaborative R&D, joining the Executive team in January 2021. In her role as Chief Strategic Impact Officer, Nicola builds and maintains MDC’s strategic national relationships.