Fundraisers Make Great CEOs with Rachel Kirby-Rider, CEO of Young Lives vs Cancer

<p><strong>Rachel Kirby-Rider, CEO of Young Lives vs Cancer</strong></p><p>In this powerful conversation, Rachel Kirby-Rider shares her journey from working-class roots in Essex to CEO of <a href="https://www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>Young Lives vs Cancer</strong></a>, and the resilience, self-doubt, courage and conviction that shaped her leadership along the way .</p><p>Rachel talks openly about being the first in her family to go to university, underperforming academically but overdelivering in impact, and starting her career in corporate sales before discovering fundraising, by writing directly to a charity leader and asking how to do his job .</p><p>She reflects on:</p><ul><li><p>Becoming CEO just two weeks before the UK went into COVID lockdown</p></li><li><p>Leading with energy and recognising burnout before it’s too late</p></li><li><p>Why fundraisers make brilliant CEOs</p></li><li><p>The importance of peer networks, mentors and coaches</p></li><li><p>Challenging class bias and belonging in the charity sector</p></li></ul><p>Rachel also explains the vital role Young Lives vs Cancer plays in supporting children and young people from diagnosis through their treatment, and providing social workers, accommodation and financial support at the most traumatic time in a family’s life .</p><p>And after a decade of campaigning, she shares a landmark win: a new government-backed travel fund for young cancer patients, helping families who were previously forced to choose between paying for treatment journeys and everyday essentials .</p><p>This is an episode about resilience. About collaboration over ego. About empathy as a leadership superpower. And about backing yourself.</p><p>Key themes: </p><ul><li><p>Charity leadership and CEO journeys</p></li><li><p>Fundraising to CEO pathway</p></li><li><p>Leading through crisis</p></li><li><p>Social work in healthcare</p></li><li><p>Collaboration and system change</p></li><li><p>Women in leadership</p></li><li><p>Belonging and class in the charity sector</p></li></ul><p><br></p><p>Our favourite quote:</p><p>“Empathy is an absolutely vital component for a leader — because it’s how you notice what other people miss.”</p><p><strong>Find out more about the charity:</strong></p><p><strong></strong><a href="https://www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/" target="_blank">younglivesvscancer.org.uk</a></p><p>LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/younglivesvscancer/" tar