Kate Oldridge-TurnerSector leader

Biography

Kate Oldridge-Turner is Head of Policy and Public Affairs at World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRF), where she oversees policy and public affairs work across the WCRF network and works closely with the science department to translate evidence into population-level policy recommendations. She holds responsibility for WCRF's World Health Organization official relations collaboration, international advocacy, and policy research and development, as well as supporting network charities with their policy priorities. She has a degree in combined social science from Durham University and a Masters in human rights law from SOAS University of London. Prior to joining WCRF, she was Policy Manager at Leonard Cheshire and previously lived in Rwanda working as an Advocacy Advisor for a disability organisation, and also worked at Sport England in policy and public affairs. She is known for arguing that cancer prevention must sit at the heart of UK government policy, including calling for prevention to be embedded in the UK's 10-year cancer plan, and for WCRF's submissions to the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee.

References

1. 1.Our people | World Cancer Research Fund — Confirms current role title, responsibilities, educational background (Durham University, SOAS), prior roles at Leonard Cheshire and Sport England, Rwanda advocacy work, and leadership of CO-CREATE project contribution
2. 2.Time to act on UK food policy as general election looms | WCRF International — Confirms role title and her authorship of WCRF's submission to the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee
3. 3.Prevention must be at the heart of new UK cancer plan | WCRF International — Evidences her public advocacy on cancer prevention and the UK 10-year cancer plan
4. 4.Government takes steps to improve diets and tackle alcohol harm | World Cancer Research Fund — Confirms role title and documents her quoted response to the UK Autumn Budget 2025 on obesity and alcohol as cancer risk factors
5. 5.

Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking
• Cancer

Stated areas of expertise

• Cancer prevention policy
• Diet, obesity and food policy
• Alcohol and cancer
• Non-communicable disease (NCD) advocacy
• International health policy (WHO)
• Physical activity policy

Notable achievements

• Led WCRF International's policy team contribution to the EU-funded five-year CO-CREATE research project, which concluded in 2023, including serving as WP2 Leader on the MOVING physical activity policy framework. Source ↗
• Authored WCRF's submission to the UK House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee ahead of the 2024 general election, calling for urgent action on rising obesity rates. Source ↗
• Authored WCRF's public position on the UK government's 10-year cancer plan, arguing prevention must be a core pillar alongside diagnosis and treatment. Source ↗
• Provided WCRF's response to the UK Autumn Budget 2025, welcomed expansion of the sugar-sweetened beverage levy to milk-based drinks and a lower sugar threshold. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “We strongly welcome Maggie's call to embed exercise and prehabilitation into NHS cancer care and urge the UK government to include this recommendation in the upcoming national cancer plan for England.”

  Head of Policy and Public Affairs at World Cancer Research Fund · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Offer cancer patients exercise on NHS, major charity urges ↗

• “There is clear evidence that consuming processed meat increases the risk of colorectal cancer. This is through a complex set of reactions occurring in the body when processed meat is eaten, including the nitrites added during processing forming carcinogenic chemicals.”

  Head of policy and public affairs at World Cancer Research Fund · Cancer · 27 Aug 2026 · Scientists demand cancer warnings on bacon and ham sold in UK ↗

Source references

1. Offer cancer patients exercise on NHS, major charity urgestheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. Scientists demand cancer warnings on bacon and ham sold in UKtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-oldridge-turner-3234151a/
• ORCIDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7790-2430
• Staff pagehttps://www.wcrf.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-people/
• Press office emailpr@wcrf.orgpublished here ↗
• Press office phone020 7343 4248published here ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.