CEO of Prostate Cancer Research nominated for MBE

13/06/25, London, UK, Prostate Cancer Research’s Chief Executive, Oliver Kemp, has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to prostate cancer research in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours.

Since joining Prostate Cancer Research in 2017, Oliver has played a central role in the transformation of the charity into a dynamic, patient-centred organisation known for driving pioneering research and innovation, championing access to testing and treatment, and tackling longstanding health inequities.

Oliver has overseen the growth of the charity’s income to £4.5m in 2024, allowing for a significant expansion and diversification of the charity’s research portfolio. In recent years, PCR has more than quintupled the volume of research it funds, providing crucial support to move promising science from bench to bedside.

Under Oliver’s leadership, Prostate Cancer Research has taken decisive action to address racial disparities in prostate cancer outcomes: investing £2m in closing the gap and launching the UK’s first dedicated research funding calls as part of a multi-year health inequities programme. Today, 8 projects have been funded in the UK and US, investigating why Black men are at higher risk of prostate cancer and whether diagnostics and treatments are equally effective for Black men.

The charity has also become an influential campaigning voice on testing and diagnosis, leading the Proactive for your Prostate campaign to call for the launch of a targeted prostate cancer screening programme for men at highest risk. Through Prostate Progress, a first of its kind data platform, the charity is helping to build the infrastructure needed for innovation in prostate cancer, bringing together patients, researchers, the NHS and industry.

In parallel, Oliver has championed patient empowerment through the launch of the PCR infopool: a digital platform providing clear, trusted and accessible information to the hundreds of thousands affected by prostate cancer across the UK.

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak said: “Oliver has been a determined and eloquent advocate for Prostate Cancer Research. He has put the issue squarely on the national agenda and has highlighted the difference a targeted national screening programme could make. I congratulate Oliver on this thoroughly deserved recognition.”

Oliver Kemp said: “This is a huge personal honour, but it’s also a recognition of the incredible work and dedication of the whole Prostate Cancer Research team, our funded scientists, our valued supporters, and the patients and families we serve.

 “Prostate cancer is a disease that entrenches racial health inequity, has a serious social and economic impact on our country, and places a huge burden on our health service. I’m proud that our charity has been able to challenge the status quo, push boundaries in research, and campaign for urgently needed screening reform.

“My inclusion on the King’s Birthday Honours list is a reminder of how much we’ve achieved together: changing public attitudes, pushing prostate cancer up the agenda of policymakers and healthcare professionals, and championing technological and research advances. But every day, men are still dying from this disease. I will continue to lead PCR in increasing the quality and quantity of our work until hundreds of thousands of men can live without fear of prostate cancer.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

About Prostate Cancer Research

Prostate Cancer Research is a patient-centric research and information provision charity dedicated to improving and saving the lives of people with prostate cancer. As well as working towards greater equity, access to and parity of care, they fund innovative research projects at world-leading institutions that are working towards breakthroughs in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. This includes research into tackling health inequities, improving current treatments and developing novel drug targets.

The charity also supports translational research to ensure any breakthroughs have a greater chance of reaching the patients who need them. Over the past two years, they have more than trebled their research, established the infopool, an educational website to support and empower patients, and launched Prostate Progress, the UK’s first patient-centric data platform powered by NHS data. They also founded Proactive for Your Prostate, a national campaign calling for the launch of targeted screening programme for men at high risk, and investments in better diagnostic tools and AI to enable the development of a universal screening programme.

For more information, please visit: www.pcr.org.uk

Media contact: Jess Farmery, [email protected]