Our Board

Felix Mooney

Chairman

Felix Mooney is Chief Executive of the Mooney Hotel Group, which owns the Wellington Park Hotel in Belfast and the Armagh City Hotel. He has been a Trustee of the Children’s Cancer Unit Charity since 2008 and took over the role as Chairman of the Trustees in 2014. Mr Mooney is a former President of the Hospitality Association of Ireland and a Director of Extra Care. In 2003 he was awarded an OBE for his services to the tourist and hospitality industries. Having seen at first hand the care and attention given to young cancer patients when his own son spent time in the Unit, Felix has been driven by a desire to give back to the team there.

Dr Anthony McCarthy

Dr Anthony McCarthy is a Consultant Paediatric Oncologist in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. He was appointed in April 2000 and since then has taken the lead in the management of all children diagnosed with solid tumours under the age of 16 years. He has been Lead Clinician of the Children’s Haematology Unit and Trustee of The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity since 2008.

Sheila Ferguson

Sheila Ferguson is one of the founders of The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity. She was driven to help to set up the Unit as a concerned parent who saw the need for a dedicated facility which focused on the specific needs of young children with cancer. Her objective in helping to spearhead the fundraising for the Unit was to ensure that children and young people in Northern Ireland had access to facilities and treatment on a par with those in other UK regions.

Denis Murphy

Denis is the current Chairman of data engineering company, Anaeko which he co-founded in 2004. He holds a portfolio of angel investments, mainly in the enterprise software space, and is intimately involved in the early ecosystem as an investor and mentor. Denis holds a degree in Business Studies from University College Galway, a MBA from the Michael Smurfit Business School at University City Dublin and postgraduate qualifications in computer science and management information systems. Denis also has a Diploma in Executive Coaching from the Irish Management Institute. In 2019, in recognition of his contribution to Entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland, Denis received the Bank of Ireland UK Innovation Founder Award. As the parent of a son who received treatment in the Unit, Denis is passionate about ensuring that all children living with cancer receive world class care. He has a particular interest in encouraging more research in the area of rare children’s cancers.

Sarah Milliken

Sarah is Head of Talent and Culture at Aflac Northern Ireland, having joined in 2019. Sarah is responsible for leading the people strategy within the organisation. She helps set the tone for growth and development at Aflac NI, while continuing to develop the culture and brand locally. As part of a wider ESG strategy, Sarah is responsible for Aflac NI’s philanthropic efforts and partnerships.

Sarah brings over 20 years of talent acquisition and leadership experience, having previously spent 12 years with Citi in Belfast, and prior to this she spent time at Capita, recruiting for the BBC, and a number of small consultancy businesses ranging from recruitment to HR.

Sarah grew up in Melbourne, Australia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from RMIT University.

Stuart Irwin

Stuart is the Managing Director of Interpath Advisory in Belfast. He previously led KPMG’s Restructuring practice in Northern Ireland. Stuart is a licensed insolvency practitioner and has led a wide range of business recovery, rescue and business sale projects in his career, resulting in significant experience and management of enforcement strategies, trading and viability assessments, accelerated disposal strategies and the resultant sell and buy side requirements. He has worked on behalf of banks, private equity and company stakeholders across all sectors, and has been the appointment taker on some of the most high-profile and challenging enforcement appointments in Northern Ireland over the last ten years.

Anne Dougan

Anne has a long-standing career in Human Resources and Consulting. She co- founded Think People Consulting in 2006, a leading Belfast based company specialising in HR and Learning and Development services. Anne retired from her role as Managing Partner in 2023 following the acquisition of Think People by AAB Group.

Her professional background highlights an ongoing commitment to people centric Human Resources. Anne continues to provide governance services to the Finance Audit & Risk committee and Board of Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke.

Anne joined the Board of The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity in 2024, she is excited about the opportunity to bring her passion and experience to make a difference in the future of the Charity .

Gavin McGrattan

Gavin McGrattan is a chartered accountant by profession. He has worked in a wide range of industries including road haulage, entertainment, media, social housing, charitable sector and renewable energy. Currently he works for a children’s education charity and is a director of a wind energy company. Having worked for six years in the charity sector, including four for a children’s cancer charity, he is keen to use his experience of finance and governance to help the work of The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity.

Whether you have a question, need support, or want to learn more about our work, we’re here to assist you. Contact us today, and a member of our team will be in touch with you as soon as possible.