Dr Ian WalkerSector leader

Biography

Dr Ian Walker is Executive Director of Policy and Information at Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the UK's leading cancer charity, headquartered at 2 Redman Place, London. He joined Cancer Research UK approximately 15 years before his 2021 appointment to the executive board, having previously served as Director of Research, where he oversaw a research funding budget of around £350 million, and led the charity's Early Detection of Cancer programme and national clinical network. In his current role he is responsible for the charity's government policy influencing work, public cancer information, and communications, with a particular focus on prevention and early diagnosis. He gave oral evidence to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Committee in January 2025, arguing the case for the legislation that became the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026. He is a prominent public voice on tobacco control, cancer health inequalities, NHS data access for research, and the conditions needed for UK cancer research and clinical trials to thrive.

References

1. 1.Cancer Research UK appoints new executive director of Policy, Information and Communications — Confirms appointment as Executive Director of Policy, Information and Communications in 2021; background including 15 years at CRUK, prior role as Director of Research overseeing £350m budget, and leadership of early detection and clinical networks.
2. 2.A key milestone passed: The Tobacco and Vapes Bill completes Report Stage and Third Reading Stage in the House of Commons — Confirms Dr Ian Walker gave oral evidence to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Committee; also provides his verified X/Twitter handle @IanWalker_CRUK.
3. 3.High-profile cancer diagnoses lead to greater awareness, charity says – Guernsey Press — Confirms Dr Ian Walker's title as 'executive director of policy' at CRUK and his press commentary on cancer awareness and projected UK cancer incidence.
4. 4.Prime Minister turbocharges medical research – Wired-Gov (DHSC press release)

Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking
• Cancer

Stated areas of expertise

• Tobacco control and smokefree policy
• Cancer prevention and early diagnosis
• Cancer health inequalities
• NHS data access for research
• Cancer research funding and clinical trials
• UK cancer policy

Notable achievements

• Gave oral evidence to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Committee in January 2025, emphasising the potential for the Bill to make the UK a world-leader in tobacco control; the Bill subsequently became the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026. Source ↗
• Appointed to Cancer Research UK's executive board in March 2021 as Executive Director of Policy, Information and Communications, succeeding Sarah Woolnough after 15 years at the charity. Source ↗
• Quoted by PA news agency in March 2024 on the public health significance of high-profile royal cancer diagnoses, and noted CRUK expects around half a million cancer cases per year in the UK by 2040. Source ↗
• Quoted in April 2025 government press release welcoming investment in NHS data access for cancer research, calling on government to 'unleash the power of NHS data' while protecting patient anonymity. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “Screening decisions must be guided by the current evidence, with programmes only introduced when the benefits are shown to outweigh the harms, including unnecessary and invasive overtreatment.”

  Executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Most UK men should not be offered prostate cancer screening, experts say ↗

• “the decision would be "disappointing for some" but was in line with evidence as there was some debate over the reliability of the PSA test”

  director of policy at Cancer Research UK · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Thousands more UK black men to be invited for prostate cancer screening ↗

• “It can miss dangerous cancers and detect ones that don't need treatment.”

  executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK · Cancer · 27 Aug 2026 · Expert panel advises against prostate cancer screening for most men in UK ↗

• “the figures could be affected by overdiagnosis of the disease, 'where PSA tests in asymptomatic men could be spotting cancers that wouldn't cause any harm'”

  executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK · Cancer · 27 Aug 2026 · Prostate cancer is most commonly diagnosed cancer across UK, study finds ↗

Source references

1. Most UK men should not be offered prostate cancer screening, experts saytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. Thousands more UK black men to be invited for prostate cancer screeningtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
3. Expert panel advises against prostate cancer screening for most men in UKtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
4. Prostate cancer is most commonly diagnosed cancer across UK, study findstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
5. Prostate cancer screening can save lives but ‘absolute benefit is small’, study saystheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Xhttps://x.com/IanWalker_CRUK
• LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-walker-director/
• Staff pagehttps://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/how-we-are-run/chief-executive-and-executive-board
• Press office emailhttps://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/press-office
• Staff pagehttps://news.cancerresearchuk.org/author/ian-walker/
• Press office emailpress.office@cancer.org.ukpublished here ↗