Meet the team at Orchid! We’re a small, hard working team, committed to supporting men with male cancer. We are passionate about spreading awareness of the signs and symptoms of male cancer so that men are diagnosed early and receive the best outcomes.
Chief Executive & Programme Director – Active Participation in Male Cancer Awareness in Prisons
Ali Orhan is a senior public health executive with over 30 years of leadership experience across cancer prevention, HIV, and the voluntary sector, recognised for developing high-impact national and regional health programmes that improve awareness, access, and outcomes for diverse and underserved communities.
He holds a BSc (Hons) in Sociology & Applied Social Studies, the CQSW (Certificate of Qualification in Social Work), professional qualifications in Training & Development, and is trained to BSL Stage I & II (British Sign Language) — reflecting his long-standing commitment to inclusive communication and service design.
Before joining Orchid, Ali held senior roles at The British Heart Foundation, The Prostate Cancer Charity, and NAZ Project London, where he led the delivery of complex public health strategies, cross-sector partnerships, and nationally commissioned programmes.
Ali is widely respected for his innovative use of creative media in public health engagement, integrating film and theatre production with evidence-based health messaging to reach communities that traditional services often fail to engage. He is the creator and producer of the acclaimed short films “A Letter to My Unpresented Self”, supporting improved prostate cancer diagnosis among Black African and Black Caribbean communities, and “Uncle Mike”, which explores intergenerational awareness and the personal impact of prostate cancer.
With a strong track record in fundraising, procurement, and governance, Ali has secured significant full-cost recovery funding for major cancer awareness and engagement programmes, ensuring both sustainability and accountability.
A committed advocate for accessible and inclusive healthcare, Ali’s leadership is driven by the belief that recognising and addressing the intersectional realities of marginalised communities is essential to reducing health inequalities and achieving equitable health outcomes for all.
Male Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
Rob has been with Orchid for over 10 years. In his different roles he has met literally thousands of men affected by male cancer and gained a valuable insight into the information that they need. He is a firm advocate of both written and verbal information, having learnt from experience that both make a huge difference to patients and their families. Rob is well respected by peers within the male cancer field and our monitoring shows how callers to our Helpline value his expertise, understanding and support. He has also been the chair of a large prostate cancer support group based in Essex, PHASE, as well as supporting other peer support groups for testicular and penile cancer. Rob’s expertise led to Orchid working closely with eUROGEN a European organisation dedicated to improving the outcomes for rare urological conditions by enabling equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, and care for patients across Europe. Along with two independent patient advocates Rob is an advocate for penile and testicular cancer for eUROGEN. He also represents penile and testicular cancer advocacy on behalf of Orchid within the European Association of Urology, (EAU) Patient Advocacy Group. Both these roles have led to him giving talks at International Conferences including the EAU Congress in Amsterdam and Milan, the largest urological conference in Europe. This passion for improving support and outcomes for those affected by penile led to the creation of Penile Cancer International Awareness Day which now follows on from Orchid’s Male Cancer Awareness Week.
Rob qualified as a Registered General Nurse (RGN) in 1991 at Barking Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust (BHR) where he had undertaken his training.
He began work as a staff nurse on the urology ward and continued to work within urology at BHR for the next 12 years, becoming Charge Nurse in 1997. He left the ward in 2003 and took up the position of a Clinical Trials Nurse with St Bartholomew’s Hospital, a post partially funded by Orchid.
In 2004 Rob became Uro-oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist at BHR and remained in this post until 2013. He was the designated key worker for anyone diagnosed with urological malignancy.
He also leads the Orchid Patient Advocacy Group (OPAG).
In his spare time, Rob enjoys 40s and 50s music, reading esoteric non-fiction and strumming his Gretsch guitar.
Project Manager
The Project Manager for our ‘Active Participation in Male Cancer Awareness in Prisons Programme’. She has a wealth of experience with marginalised and BAME communities around sexual health, sexual orientation, gender identity and male specific cancers.
Julia specialises in counselling and developing educational programmes around self-esteem and body image for LGBTQIA+ communities. She has organised and delivered educational workshops, seminars and awareness events. These have been designed to help individuals to overcome misconceptions about various sexual health topics and prostate cancer.
Trusts and Statutory Manager
Margaid joined the charity in 2014 and is one of the longest serving members of the Orchid team. She is responsible for securing income from Charitable Trusts and Foundations and the National Lottery Community Fund. She is also exploring statutory funding opportunities. She is happy to provide tailored information about Orchid’s work for which funding is needed, to meet funders, and to answer questions in support of applications. One of her favourite parts of the role is reporting to funders on the difference their grants have made.
Margaid has many years’ experience of both specific and broad fundraising areas. This has been gained in charities such as Help the Aged (now Aged UK), Imperial Cancer Research Fund (now CRUK), UNICEF, NSPCC, and Maggie’s.
She has always had a real passion for equality of opportunity and access for all to services, and this has increased both through her fundraising roles and her volunteering experience. Volunteering has included spending many hours listening to children read in her children’s schools and helping young people access sporting development. As a committee member of Haringey Aquatics, she helped secure funding to benefit young people across the borough. She also served as a Trustee and Chair of Home-Start Haringey and a Trustee and Company Secretary of the Haringey Migrant Support Centre.
Family and friendships are important to Margaid and play a huge part in what she does when she is not working. She enjoys walking, Pilates, reading and exploring new areas.
Matthew Stephens is responsible for identifying suitable venues and organising Roadshows in collaboration with the Community Engagement Team. With a focus on outreach and engagement, Matthew ensures successful delivery of these events, fostering connections and raising awareness within communities. His role is integral to creating meaningful interactions and driving impactful initiatives.
Male Cancer Information Manager
Suresh has over 30 years of experience in cancer nursing, and extensive experience in cancer information.
He has worked for the NHS, Cancer Backup, Cancerlink, Prostate Cancer UK, Macmillan and Orchid. Throughout his career, he has worked tirelessly helping hospitals and other health facilities improve their service provision, making them appropriate and sensitive to the needs of patient religions, customs and culture.
Suresh’s area of specialisation is prostate cancer and he was the first person from a Black or Ethnic Minority in the UK to be appointed a Cancer Information Specialist (CIS). In 2013 he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contribution within the NHS and voluntary/charitable sector.
He has played a vital role at our Male Cancer Roadshows across the UK.
