Leadership team

Michelle Dyson CB, Chief Executive Officer

Michelle Dyson CB was appointed in 2025 as the new Chief Executive Officer of Alzheimer’s Society. From 2020 to 2025 Michelle was the Director General of Adult Social Care at the Department of Health and Social Care. As the top civil servant leading on adult social care, she was responsible for advising ministers on policy and for operational oversight and reform of the adult social care system. 

Prior to this, Michelle worked as a senior civil servant in different roles in the Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Education, always with a focus on social policy and delivery, particularly as regards disadvantaged groups. Michelle is a qualified solicitor and spent the first part of her Civil Service career as a government lawyer.

Michelle was awarded a CB (Companion of the Order of the Bath) for services to health and social care in the New Year's Honours List 2025.

Three of Michelle’s grandparents had dementia, so she has personal experience of the devastation that the disease can cause.

Corrine Mills, Chief Operating Officer

Corinne Mills has been leading the work to support, develop, enable and engage Alzheimer’s Society employees and volunteers for four years as the Chief People Officer and more recently as Interim Chief Executive Officer.

With a career spanning more than 30 years, working with organisations such as Marks & Spencer, Ofsted and RNIB, she has delivered outstanding results in organisational development, employee relations, employee engagement and large-scale transformation. Her achievements have been recognised through industry awards including Best HR Strategy in Line with Business and Excellence in Recruitment Innovation. She is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD).

Under her leadership, Alzheimer’s Society has introduced a leadership coaching programme, a comprehensive apprenticeship scheme, and a new pay and grading framework. She is currently spearheading an ambitious culture development programme designed to help employees and volunteers thrive and deliver their best in support of people affected by dementia.

Her impact has extended beyond internal transformation. She led the organisation to significant cultural improvements, resulting in national recognition.

Driven by personal experience, her grandad lived with dementia, she brings deep empathy and unwavering commitment to her work.

Outside of her professional life, she continues to challenge herself and give back, having completed the London Marathon in both 2023 and 2024, raising funds for Alzheimer’s Society.

Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy and Research Officer

Fiona Carragher joined Alzheimer’s Society as Chief Policy and Research Officer in 2019, where she plays a pivotal role in the organisation’s mission to end the devastation caused by dementia. Her career has been defined by leadership at the intersection of healthcare, research, and policy, driving improvements at both system and individual levels. She recently became a Visiting Professor at the University of Ulster to support meaningful change in healthcare and the economy across Northern Ireland.

Prior to joining Alzheimer’s Society, Fiona was Deputy Chief Scientific Officer for NHS England, providing leadership for 50,000 healthcare science professionals and advising the health system on science, innovation, and diagnostics. She led major policy initiatives including the UK Antimicrobial Resistance Diagnostics programme, the system-wide Action Plan on Hearing Loss, and the CSO Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme. A passionate advocate for women in science, she established the first Women in Science and Engineering fellowship programme in the NHS.

Fiona has significant Board experience, including as a Trustee of the UK Dementia Research Institute and Non-Executive Director at Kent and Medway Health and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust. She is a Member of the National Physical Laboratory Science and Technology Advisory Council and Chair of the Government Chemical and Biological Metrology Programme Expert Group, with an ongoing commitment to turn robust scientific evidence into real-world impact.

Alex Hyde-Smith, Chief Marketing Officer

Alex joined Alzheimer's Society in June 2019. The focus of his role is to ensure both fundraising and our supporters are at the heart of the organisation.  

Alex started his working life in market research for one of the UK’s largest research agencies, moving then into direct response marketing. Here, he worked with corporate and charity clients, including The Prince's Trust, Save the Children and FilmFour.  

The interest and respect Alex developed for the art and science of direct response prompted a move into the charity sector (they were far nicer clients!), where he later joined Marie Curie.

Alex worked here for 9 years - latterly as the Director of Fundraising. Here, he learned the true power of collaboration and influencing across diverse stakeholder groups within large complex organisations.

Now, he leads a dedicated, unified team across a strong portfolio of fundraising activities, with a clear ‘one team, one target’ strategy.

Marcus Campbell, Chief Technology Officer

Marcus leads our Technology directorate, supporting the organisation to be at forefront of technological advancement and ensuring that we have the digital data and AI technology to drive further impact where it matters most. Marcus joined Alzheimer’s Society in March 2024. 

Prior to joining Marcus was Chief Technology Officer at Hermes Logistics Technologies, where he led their air cargo technology, strategy and delivery leading technology in the UK, Portugal, Spain, Israel and India. 

Over a 20-year career, Marcus brings a wealth of experience and a stellar record of driving transformational change and innovation across a range of sectors, including retail, entertainment, insurance, and charity, where he was Senior Head of Technology for the Prince’s Trust, now the King’s Trust.

Emma Hillyard, Chief Finance Officer

Emma Hillyard joined Alzheimer's Society in June 2024, bringing extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector, particularly in global development including key roles at Oxfam and International Alert. Most recently, she served as Financial Director and Chief Financial Officer for Blackwell’s and Waterstones, where she developed deep expertise in managing large-scale, customer-focused, multi-site operations.

Emma is a qualified Chartered Institute of Management accountant and was admitted as a Fellow of the Institute in 2021.  

Emma is an inspiring and compassionate leader who champions both high performance and strong support to empower her teams to excel. Her vision for her directorate focuses on cultivating a team of trusted advisors and credible experts, while also creating an environment that attracts and nurtures talent. Guided by her ‘one team’ philosophy, she fosters collaboration and alignment, enabling a unified approach that drives Alzheimer's Society’s mission to end the devastation caused by dementia.

Dara de Burca, Executive Director of Dementia Support and Partnerships

Dara joined Alzheimer’s Society in April 2022 - bringing over 30 years of executive leadership experience across the statutory and charity sectors and lived experience of caring for her mother who has dementia. She is deeply committed to transforming the support and advice available to people affected by dementia - driven by a philosophy of developing services for maximum impact.

Dara is responsible for dementia support services delivered locally in partnership with health and social care systems across England, Wales and Northen Ireland. This includes new services around early diagnosis and brain health. She also oversees our universal services including the Dementia Support Line, Dementia Online Forum and she leads on safeguarding and health and safety across the charity.

Dara has proven success in delivering high-impact and award-winning service programmes and securing significant growth and income in the charities she has worked. This has included digital service transformation, targeted programmes such as the groundbreaking Disrupting Child Exploitation Programme and a children’s cancer nurse keyworker scheme across the UK. She sits on the Adult Social Care Workforce Oversight Executive Group and has been a member of a number of national steering groups. She is committed to delivering lasting, systemic change.    

Raised and educated in Ireland, Dara is a qualified and registered social worker with postgraduate qualifications in Health and Social Care Leadership. In addition to her work at Alzheimer’s Society, Dara is a Trustee for the New Horizon Youth Centre, an organisation devoted to providing young Londoners experiencing homelessness with personalised support. She lives with her civil partner in London and has two grown up children.