Dear colleagues,   

I am delighted to announce that after a comprehensive and competitive selection process, Rachel Halford has been selected by the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) global board to serve as president-elect beginning January 2023.   

Rachel is the CEO of The Hepatitis C Trust and works at both an operational and strategic level across the UK. She has been the Executive Board Member for the European Region of the World Hepatitis Alliance for over two years and is a founding board member of Liver Patients International.  Passionate about equality and human rights Rachel has also led other non-governmental organisations, including Women in Prison Ltd; a national UK campaign that provides support and advocacy for women affected by the criminal justice system. She has over 24 years’ experience of working with people at high-risk of viral hepatitis, including homeless people, prisoners, substance users and migrants, as well as working across liver disease more generally.  

Diagnosed in 1998, Rachel cleared hepatitis C in 2007 following a year of Interferon treatment. Rachel’s extensive knowledge and experience of WHA and its activities started in 2015 when she attended the first World Hepatitis Summit in Glasgow, Scotland. She had just joined The Hepatitis C Trust as Deputy CEO working alongside the first WHA president Charles Gore.   

Rachel has demonstrated a bold vision for WHA and hepatitis elimination that we believe will propel our mission to “harness the power of people living with viral hepatitis to achieve its elimination.” In all her previous roles she has advocated for marginalised and underserved groups, lobbying governments and bringing about national and global change.  

Over the next year as Rachel serves as president-elect, she and I will work closely together to prepare her for the presidency and to assure a smooth transition. Together with our board and the staff team, we will strengthen WHA’s position on the global stage, use our voice to empower the millions living with viral hepatitis and help make the WHA mission a reality.   

Please join me in congratulating Rachel Halford on her appointment and welcoming her aboard! 

Danjuma Adda , WHA President