Susan Fletcher Watts

What is your motivation to becoming a trustee of the MND Association?

I was diagnosed with bulbar-onset MND in July 2021, with symptoms starting about four months earlier. I can bring my direct experience of living with MND to assist the Board of Trustees, particularly with respect to making life as positive as possible.

I want to do my bit to further the excellent work of the MND Association. It is such a good foundation from which to campaign, and I would like to add my ‘voice’ to that. Having taken early retirement at the end of July 2022, I would like to use my time purposefully and I can think of no better way than assisting the MND Association.

Since my diagnosis, I have become a passionate fundraiser for the MND Association, raising over £67,000 since October 2021. I created ‘Walking the Positive Path: Susan’s Pennine Way Challenge’, in which I and over 180 friends together walked the 260 mile trail despite my MND and raised awareness of the disease as we went.

What experience and skills will you bring to your role as a trustee?

I have experience of being a trustee, albeit for a much smaller organisation, namely the Oxford Bridge Club, where I was Chair of the Education Committee.

I have a degree in chemistry and have spent my career as a Chartered UK and European Patent Attorney, working for a number of multi-national companies. For the last 20 years, I have been in management and leadership roles as Head of Intellectual Property. I have an eye for detail and believe I can bring these skills and experience to help with non-financial corporate governance and organisational development.

Although the MND saps my energy from time to time, I have a lot of drive and like to make things happen. I have banked my voice, so can ‘speak’ at meetings by typing into my synthetic voice device.