Hear from our Chair

Maureen Burnside has been a Trustee since 2017, and became Chair in early 2021. Here she shares her thoughts about the charity and joining the Board of Trustees.

I was delighted to be appointed as a Board Member for Coeliac UK in 2017. Although my mother was diagnosed with coeliac disease over twenty years ago, through which I became keenly aware of the challenges faced, I myself remained undiagnosed until 2014. It has been great to be able to give something back to the charity that has helped provide so much support and information.

Professionally, I worked for over thirty years as a solicitor specialising in corporate and commercial law, first as a partner in a major Scottish law firm and then as an 'in house' solicitor for a company focused on the food sector. Now retired, I spend my time walking in the Scottish countryside, trying out new gluten free recipes and helping support Coeliac UK. I believe that my knowledge and experience of living with coeliac disease, together with my background in law and governance help me in being an effective Chair and in supporting the trustees and the management team in driving the charity forward to help as many people as possible, and to ensure that there is no life limited by gluten.

I have been incredibly impressed by the enthusiasm and hard work of all within the charity, particularly through the recent pandemic, and this has enabled it to go from strength to strength. The charity does a lot of fantastic work  behind the scenes such as working with Government departments to ensure our voice is heard, funding research regarding all aspects of coeliac disease, speaking to CCGs regarding keeping prescriptions, and ensuring the press doesn’t print ill-informed articles. I’m excited to be in this role and hope to meet many of you during my tenure.