Breast Cancer Now has appointed Polly McGivern as director of finance and corporate services to oversee the final integration of activity between the two recently merged breast cancer charities.

She will be responsible for providing executive leadership across the finance, IT, people and organisational development departments at Breast Cancer Now, which launched in June following the merger of Breast Cancer Campaign and Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Justin Parfitt, who became Breast Cancer Now's director of finance and IT when the charity launched, has left the charity to pursue his own business opportunities. 

McGivern is a former director of finance at UCL Partners, a healthcare partnership, and has previously worked for Marie Curie and Raleigh International. She also spent six years working for the Royal Household (HRH Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall) as deputy treasurer, where she acted as finance director to the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation.

Currently she is a director at the English Lacrosse Association and a trustee of Raleigh International.

She said: “It’s an incredibly exciting time to join Breast Cancer Now. Having merged two leading research charities to create the UK’s largest breast cancer charity, effective business planning and operational management will continue to be vital to our progress.

“Developing a progressive and collaborative culture will also be crucial and I’m looking forward to working with the very strong team here to help Breast Cancer Now to achieve its ambitious plans.”

Baroness Delyth Morgan, chief executive at Breast Cancer Now, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Polly as our new director of finance and corporate services. She brings with her a wealth of experience and an impressive track record in strategic financial leadership at prominent national organisations.

“She will be a tremendous asset to the charity as we strive to achieve our ambitious research goals and I very much look forward to working with her.”