Influential Technologist + Purpose = Impact. Avril Chester is an accomplished Chief Technology Officer, award-winning Entrepreneur and a Patron. Recognised as the 18th most influential woman in UK tech by Computer Weekly in 2024, she loves good food, big dreams and a giggle.
Avril's exceptional achievements include founding Cancer Central, an award-winning technology charity and platform now transferred to the Cancer Awareness Trust. Created with thanks to over 300 individuals and 60 organisations donating more than 70,000 hours, Cancer Central supported over 10,000 people to find the support and information they needed. As Founding Partner of the Cancer Awareness Trust, Cancer Central continues to drive innovation in cancer care with practical, technical, and intellectual insights informing the development of Cancer Platform founded by Sir Chris Evans.
During Covid-19, Cancer Central’s Ask Ave chatbot solution assisted NHS Scotland by handling over 1 million Covid-related enquiries. This partnership empowered NHS Scotland to swiftly expand its capacity, efficiently handling the surge in enquiries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Avril is the Chief Technology Officer at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, pioneering innovative solutions to revolutionise the healthcare sector's access to medicines information. By transforming human-readable content into machine-readable data, she is driving advancements in Pharmaceutical Press’s esteemed publications - such as the British National Formulary (BNF), Stockley, and Martindale - advancing the safe and effective use of medicines. In addition, Avril is shaping the future of the pharmacy profession by developing seamless, personalised digital experiences designed to support the education and membership of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists.
Beyond her role as CTO, Avril is Patron of Your SimPal, the only UK charity providing six months free SIM cards and phones to people affected by ill health and cancer, tackling digital poverty. Additionally, she attends the Steering Committee of the Enhanced Supportive Care (ESC) working group which is part of the UK Association for Supportive Cancer Care (UKASCC), in the role of patient / public representation.
Influential Technologist + Purpose = Impact. Avril Chester is an accomplished Chief Technology Officer, award-winning Entrepreneur and a Patron. Recognised as the 18th most influential woman in UK tech by Computer Weekly in 2024, she loves good food, big dreams and a giggle.
Avril's exceptional achievements include founding Cancer Central, an award-winning technology charity and platform now transferred to the Cancer Awareness Trust. Created with thanks to over 300 individuals and 60 organisations donating more than 70,000 hours, Cancer Central supported over 10,000 people to find the support and information they needed. As Founding Partner of the Cancer Awareness Trust, Cancer Central continues to drive innovation in cancer care with practical, technical, and intellectual insights informing the development of Cancer Platform founded by Sir Chris Evans.
During Covid-19, Cancer Central’s Ask Ave chatbot solution assisted NHS Scotland by handling over 1 million Covid-related enquiries. This partnership empowered NHS Scotland to swiftly expand its capacity, efficiently handling the surge in enquiries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Avril is the Chief Technology Officer at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, pioneering innovative solutions to revolutionise the healthcare sector's access to medicines information. By transforming human-readable content into machine-readable data, she is driving advancements in Pharmaceutical Press’s esteemed publications - such as the British National Formulary (BNF), Stockley, and Martindale - advancing the safe and effective use of medicines. In addition, Avril is shaping the future of the pharmacy profession by developing seamless, personalised digital experiences designed to support the education and membership of pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists.
Beyond her role as CTO, Avril is Patron of Your SimPal, the only UK charity providing six months free SIM cards and phones to people affected by ill health and cancer, tackling digital poverty. Additionally, she attends the Steering Committee of the Enhanced Supportive Care (ESC) working group which is part of the UK Association for Supportive Cancer Care (UKASCC), in the role of patient / public representation.
Articles by Avril Chester
What do start-ups and established organisations have in common?
Is AI a fad or not a fad? That is the question. Focusing through the lens of technology, given its integral role in how we work, engage with customers, and my background, how do we understand and decide what is worth adopting?