Founder
Dr Neil Graham
Dr Neil Graham 1950 - 2021
Neil Graham was diagnosed with CLL at the age of fifty. In the ensuing years, as both a patient and a physician, Neil saw the need for better information and stronger advocacy for New Zealanders living with CLL. With support from others in the CLL sector, in 2019 he established CLL Advocates NZ, gaining membership of the global resource-sharing network CLL Advocates Network and formally launching the New Zealand group at a patient seminar in 2020.
Trustees
Dr Amy Holmes, Medical Director
Amy graduated with a Bachelor of Advanced Science at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) with a major in physiology and pharmacology prior to studying medicine at the Australian National University (ANU).
She graduated in 2007 and completed the majority of her training through the Canberra Hospital prior to travelling to Christchurch for her final year of specialist training in clinal haematology and hematopathology (FRACP, FRCPA).
Amy has been a staff specialist at the Christchurch hospital ever since and also greatly enjoys being able to support haematology patients on the West Coast and through the St Georges Cancer Care Centre.
She is a member of various medical organisations including the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group (ALLG) for which she sits on the New Zealand Medicines Access committee. She is a principal investigator for a range of clinical trials and provides a consultative service to the Christchurch branch of New Zealand Clinical Research (NZCR).
She has strong interests in malignant haematology, including CLL, and is committed to improving patient outcomes.
Catherine Isaac - Chair
Catherine Isaac is a Wellington-based communications and public affairs consultant with many years’ experience in senior corporate, public sector and not-for-profit roles. She was a member of the government’s Welfare Working Group, Chair of the government-appointed Partnership Schools/Kura Hourua Authorisation Board, general manager, public affairs, for the National Provident Fund, and a consultant to the Treasury. Her community roles include three terms on state school boards of trustees, President of Act New Zealand for 5 years, Chair of the Karori Sanctuary Trust and a trustee of the Wellington Community Trust. Catherine has had close family experience of living with CLL.
Dr Ruth Spearing
Dr Ruth Spearing CNZM, MBChB, FRACP, FRCPA has been involved with haematology since 1980 and has been a leader nationally in haematology trials. She was the NZ Principal Investigator for many of the UK Medical Research Council/National Cancer Research Institute trials which New Zealand took part in from the late 1980s until two years ago. These included the first ever trial to show that treatment of CLL could lead to prolongation of life and not just control of the disease.
Ruth’s many leadership roles included being the Canterbury Clinical Lead for the Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Service, a Board Member of the New Zealand Medical Association, and an elected member of the Canterbury DHB Clinical Board. She retired from direct patient care for family reasons but remains active in the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group of which she is a Life Member and has recently joined its CLL Working Party.
A patient with CLL set up a Trust in Ruth’s name: https://www.ruthspearingtrust.com/about_us for research in the South Island which helped fund the setting up of the Haematology Trials Unit in Dunedin and some specific CLL research done by the Christchurch Haematology Research Group, amongst other projects.
Rebecca Graham
Rebecca Graham is one of the original trustees of the Trust and is the daughter of Neil Graham, Founder. She is a solicitor and partner at Cooney Lees Morgan in Tauranga where her legal practice focuses on private client and trust matters. Rebecca has held other charitable trust positions, and values supporting the cause of CLL patients and other activities of CLLANZ.
Rob Crozier
Rob Crozier. Rob is a former union general secretary who has also had board roles at PSIS and Consumer NZ. A significant feature of his union role involved political lobbying on behalf of university staff and universities in general. He is also a Cancer Connect volunteer for the Cancer Society. He has been living with CLL since 2001 and is currently on an extended clinical trial of Venetoclax monotherapy.
Lisa Ryan
Lisa Ryan is the Chief People & Culture Officer at Tāmaki Health in Auckland. She has extensive international experience, having held senior HR roles in the United States and Australia across healthcare and investment management sectors.
She holds a Master of Commerce with First Class Honours and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland.
Diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in 2019, she began treatment in 2022 and is now under active monitoring. She is passionate about using her personal experience and professional skills to support and advocate for others living with CLL and is committed to contributing to the work of CLL Advocates NZ as a trustee.
Marc Pearce
Marc lives in Nelson and has worked for over 30 years as a consultant in data and analytics.
He strongly believes that governments should increase funding for pharmaceuticals to keep New Zealand in a comparable position to countries like Australia, the UK and Canada when it comes to access to new treatments. Marc was involved in the drive to get Herceptin funded in 2006 and the judicial review of Pharmac at that time, so has some first-hand experience of the friction in funding drugs in New Zealand.
When not working or involved with CLLANZ, Marc loves to travel, both at home and overseas.
He also is a keen windsurfer, enjoys tramping in the mountains and photographing wildlife and landscapes.