Heading teams at Cancer Research UK, my strategic direction in media relations has elevated health, life sciences and policy initiatives to new heights, garnering significant attention from the public and policymakers. Cancer Research UK’s national press office is one of the – if not the – busiest in the third sector. My team of expert press officers handle hundreds of calls every month and proactively brief journalists on key issues to ensure our messages are carried and inaccurate reporting is challenged. CRUK’s press teams are continually rated by the UK media as the best press office in the third sector nfp Research Journalists’ Attitudes and Awareness Monitor survey. I run a 24/7 media relations operation with a reactive newsdesk responding to breaking news stories and requests from journalists. This covers a wide range of topics, including reacting to the latest breakthroughs in early detection such as the Galleri multi-cancer test, providing policy opinion on stories such as cervical screening changes in England and Wales, and expert commentary on the energy crisis and its effects on the recovery of cancer patients. Two specialist desks generate positive, informed media coverage of our key policies across our health and science portfolios. We provide opinion editorial for the Chief Executive and Executive Directors – in support of policy-influencing campaigns and our wider corporate objectives. I also oversee media relations for CRUK’s research commercialisation and clinical arms, including Cancer Research Horizons, the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres and the Centre for Drug Development. I oversee content creation for Cancer News, our online news service, which we redesigned this year and attracts around 1.2m unique page views per year, the science e-newsletter, which has around 1,800 subscribers, and the Our Research pages, which have over 200,000 unique page views per year. My team also produces That Cancer Conversation podcast, which has so far had 10 K downloads for the first 2 series. Our adept use of digital platforms, including impactful podcasting, has solidified CRUK's standing as a preeminent health and science authority.With expertise in project and third-party management, the team and I have successfully executed communications strategies that bolster both health research and fundraising efforts. This collaborative approach, alongside the cultivation of key media partnerships, enables us to effectively articulate CRUK's research narrative and advance our organizational mission.