Avril's exceptional
achievements include founding Cancer Central, the 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.
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.
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.
The following Greatest Hits video is a heartfelt tribute to everyone who supported Cancer Central.
Entrepreneur of the year,
Women in IT Awards 2019.
Healthtech innovation
of the year, Digital Leaders Awards 2019. Article in the Evening Standard.
Best public sector project,
Computing Digital, Technology Leaders Awards 2021.
A partnership that empowered NHS Scotland to swiftly expand its capacity, efficiently handling the surge in enquiries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Best Cloud-Native Project,
International Cloud Awards 2022.
A partnership that empowered NHS Scotland to swiftly expand its capacity, efficiently handling the surge in enquiries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recognised as one of Computer Weekly’s top 50 most influential women in UK tech 2024, Avril is currently the CTO at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, previously holding the same role at the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Avril is revolutionising the way medicine information is created and retrieved. This includes converting human-consumed content into machine-readable data, enhancing Pharmaceutical Press renowned publications such as the British National Formulary (BNF), Stockley and Martindale to advance the safe & effective use of medicines.
In addition, Avril is supporting the future of the pharmacy profession by creating a seamless, personalised digital experience tailored for the education and membership of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists.
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.
A celebration of a book full of technology tales and golden nuggets of advice. Over 80 remarkable leaders supported Cancer Central by sharing their insight across 10 episodes. Jul - Sep 2023.
Welcome to the 3 Digital Amigos Podcast, where Craig Ambler, Avril Chester and Chris Lord talk in a non techie and fun way about all things digital. Nov 2019 - Oct 2022.
Author of 'Be with me, It’s c' and senior technology leader Avril Chester is going it alone. Embarking on her new social enterprise and tech start-up called Cancer Central, she is writing her next book, ‘Taking that leap of faith’ along the way. This is her first year. What could possibly happen?
© Avril Chester 2024