For this month’s edition of OPEN Chat, under current circumstances, we’re still not able to have a face-to-face meet up. Thankfully, this month’s speaker Natalie Kelly has kindly agreed to take part in an interview, speaking about her experience as a female CEO of the charity CoppaFeel!
Natalie Kelly – CEO – Coppafeel!
What made you make the move from media to a charity?
I followed Kris’ story (CoppaFeel!’s founder) and CoppaFeel! for some time and not only is CoppaFeel!’s message life saving, but the approach was the most creative and progressive that I had seen. It is amazing how limited budgets can spark innovation! Not only was joining CoppaFeel! an opportunity to support and educate young people on chest checking, but also to learn and develop myself working with some very creative and passionate people.
What is your favourite thing about working for CoppaFeel?
It’s hard to pick one, and aside from working with an incredible group of people it has to be the opportunity to wake up and contribute to something to something that I believe in so passionately – and which has the power to save lives.
Any advice on COVID 19 crisis and dealing with anxiety around work/the job?
It has been a really tough time, for us managing the huge drop in fundraising was really challenging alongside having to suspend face to face services when we know that our beneficiaries have needed us. As much as possible we have tried to be positive and proactive, leverage opportunities and try new things where we can. And when that fails a cup of tea.
How has the pandemic affected CoppaFeel?
The most worrying thing for us was the huge drop in breast cancer referrals as people were staying at home. It’s worrying that so many people are at risk of being diagnosed late due to to fear the pandemic during that time. 20% of our audience still worry about seeing their GP now, due to fears of getting Covid-19 or over burdening the NHS, so a lot of our work during this time has focussed on encouraging people to take action if they do notice a change, and using as many platforms as possible to remind people that cancer doesn’t stop for Covid.
What does it mean to you to be a female CEO in the charity sector?
I am proud to be a female CEO and to represent CoppaFeel! and our beneficiaries at a table where the majority of seats are taken by men. Diversity and bringing a range of voices and experiences into the sector, and positions of power is so important if we are going to create meaningful change.
It’s just been International Women’s Day – can you tell us a bit about the message behind Coppafeel and why it’s so important for women to be aware of symptoms and signs of breast cancer?
At CoppaFeel! our message is one of empowerment and proactivity – getting to know your body and becoming your own health advocate. Its crazy that we quite often hand authority on our health over to others, ultimately nobody knows your body better than you do and we encourage all people to get to know what is normal for them, check their chest regularly and speak to their GP if they find anything that isn’t normal. Breast cancer will affect 1 in 7 women in their lifetime and if diagnosed early breast cancer survival rates are much higher. You can find lots of information on how to check and the signs and symptoms to be aware of at coppafeel.org.
