Senior leadership team

Ed Holloway

Chief executive

Ed joined the Macular Society as CEO in July 2024. He is an established leader in the voluntary sector, having previously worked as CEO of a benevolent charity and as Director of services for a leading health charity. Ed is passionate about the role that charities can play in driving forward research, providing vital information and support, and campaigning for change. He is inspired by the Macular Society’s mission to Beat Macular Disease.

Ed is also a trustee of Action Against Age-related Macular Degeneration, a collaboration of three sight loss charities established to find new therapies to stop early age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and of the Association of Charitable Organisations, an umbrella membership body for benevolent charities.

Outside of work, Ed enjoys spending time with his young family and is chair of governors of a local primary school.

Emma Malcolm

Director of fundraising and marketing and interim director of services

Emma is responsible for leading both the services and fundraising and marketing teams to achieve our ambition to Beat Macular Disease, and joined the Society in 2018. Emma has been a fundraiser for over 25 years, and is also a mental health first aider and a mentor for the Tony Elischer Foundation.

In her spare time she is a parkrun addict, both volunteering and running, and has run three of the world marathon majors, albeit very slowly but raising money along the way!

Peter Bloomfield

Director of research

Peter is focused on expanding our research programmes across academia and industry. He is a neuroscientist by background and his PhD from Imperial College London focused on human brain imaging to investigate biomarkers for the onset of psychosis.

Over the last 15 years he has conducted research across a range of medical and life sciences topics, from novel treatments for multiple sclerosis to mechanisms of memory. Peter has worked in academia, industry, and government, conducting research and developing technology solutions; as well as helping others to do so through acceleration programmes. He is a trustee of the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) which promotes health quality improvement through audit. Peter has also built human computer interface technology for clinical research and gaming applications.

Li Zhang

Head of finance

Li has been a Fellow of the Association of Certified and Chartered Accountants since 2008 and holds a master’s degree in Information Management from the University of Sheffield.

With over 25 years of experience in Finance and Accounting across various sectors in the UK and overseas, she has worked as a finance leader for notable companies such as the AA and Balfour Beatty.

Li oversees the organisation’s financial management, statutory compliance, and stakeholder relations. In her spare time, she plays the Chinese zither and studies criminology and forensic psychology part-time.

Anthony Thorn

Head of people and culture

Anthony joined the Macular Society in June 2024. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and holds a Master’s Degree in HR Management from Coventry University.

With over 38 years of HR experience across private, public, and charitable sectors, Anthony has worked with notable brands such as Carnival UK, Leicester Tigers, and Domino’s Pizza. He is also a qualified counsellor specializing in trauma support.

Anthony’s role is to ensure that the people strategy helps team members achieve the Society’s goal to Beat Macular Disease. In his spare time, he enjoys tennis, classic cars, and spending time with his family.

James Price

Head of data and insights

Since joining the Macular Society in 2016, James has dedicated himself to maintaining the integrity and security of the Society’s data. Starting as a Database Administrator, he ensured data accuracy, security, and efficiency. His expertise led to his promotion to Database and IT manager in 2019 and later to Head of data and insights in 2023.

In his current role, James leads a team that leverages data to drive strategic decisions and insights for growth. Throughout his time at the Society, he has upheld high standards of data integrity, safeguarded information from threats, and adapted systems to support the charity's growth. James's journey reflects his passion for data management and commitment to the Society's mission through technological excellence.

Karen Searle

Associate director of fundraising and marketing

Karen joined the Macular Society as Head of Individual Giving in 2018, following on from over 20 years' experience of working across the private and charity sector in fundraising, direct marketing, PR and innovation.

Her role within the organisation is to support the delivery of a large proportion of the charity's fundraising and marketing – including individual giving, engagement, digital, community fundraising, challenge events, legacy and in memory fundraising, public relations and content.