I love the challenge of forging new relationships that can improve access to healthcare and make a difference to people’s lives. At the South West Academic Health Science Network, I have the privilege of working with partners across health and care networks to improve health equity in the region. I have spent over a decade building relationships and generating income for Higher Education, first at Oxford (Wolfson College, St Anne’s College and the Bodleian Libraries), and then at the University of Exeter, working with donors and stakeholders, raising income to fund vital projects such as cancer diagnostic innovations and dementia research at Exeter’s Medical School.