Our Team
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Neil Johnson
Executive Director
About Neil
Neil Johnson is a founder and Executive Director of Global Heart Hub (globalhearthub.org), the first international alliance of heart patient organisations. Neil has over 32 years of experience in cardiovascular health – working across prevention, education, patient engagement, service innovation & implementation, and patient advocacy.
Neil was Chief Executive of the Irish Heart & Stroke organisation, Croí (croi.ie) from 1992–2023 and the Irish National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health (nipc.ie) from 2014–2023.
He holds a Master’s degree in psychology; is an Honorary Clinical Fellow of the School of Medicine, University of Galway, Ireland; and in 2023, University of Galway awarded Neil an Honorary Doctorate in Laws (LLD) in recognition of his work in cardiovascular health and patient advocacy.
You can contact Neil at neil@globalhearthub.org
OPERATIONS
David Kelly
Operations Manager
About David
David Kelly is Global Heart Hub’s Operations Manager. He is responsible for a number of specific and standalone projects which represent the voice of patients living with a range of Cardiovascular diseases and for managing operational matters for the team. David has a background in general management having studied with Technological University of Dublin, Cornell University & the Club Managers Assoc. of Europe. David underwent a double heart valve transplant via the “Ross Procedure” in April 2021 – his second open heart surgery. It was during this time he became passionate about advocating for the heart patients voice. David joined the team at Global Heart Hub in November 2022 and is based in Galway, Ireland.
David is a EUPATI Patient Expert Fellow and a PPI Panel member of both the Curam Research Centre for Medical Devices & the Centre in Ireland for Clinical Guideline Support & Evidence Reviews.
You can contact David @ david@globalhearthub.org
OPERATIONS
Mary Heskin
Finance Manager
About Mary
Mary holds ACMA (Chartered institute of Management Accountants) qualification, as well as a B.Comm (Hons) from University of Galway. Mary is delighted to use her knowledge to help with the growth of Global Heart Hub.
You can contact Mary at mary@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Manjusha Chatterjee
Head of Programs & Development
About Manjusha
Manjusha Chatterjee is Head of Programs and Development at Global Heart Hub. Her role includes oversight of the organisation’s cross-cutting programmatic initiatives supporting patient-led advocacy, research and policy interventions to improve cardiovascular health and synergies with broader global health and development agendas.
Manjusha has nearly 15 years of health advocacy, policy, communications, coalition building and capacity development experience across multiple sectors. Manjusha has worked at AstraZeneca leading the company’s global patient advocacy and policy activities across several cancer types and focusing on equitable access to medicines, meaningful cross-sector partnerships and improvements in patient-health worker relationships. She previously worked at the NCD Alliance where she oversaw the global, flagship Our Views, Our Voices initiative focused on meaningful involvement of people living with non-communicable diseases and was global grant manager for several capacity development and community engagement activities across multiple geographies. Manjusha also served as Co-Chair of the World Health Organisation’s NCD Lab on Meaningful Involvement of People Living with NCDs and represented NCD Alliance at the Patients and Communities Working Group of the WHO Academy.
Currently based in the UK, Manjusha is originally from India, where she has led health advocacy and communications initiatives while working at the Public Health Foundation of India and in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Health and WHO Country Office. She has a multidisciplinary background including degrees in Journalism, Conflict Transformation & Peacebuilding and a Masters in Global Politics from the London School of Economics.
You can contact Manjusha at manjusha@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Karen Padilla
Networks Manager
About Karen
Karen Padilla is Global Heart Hub’s Networks Manager engaging with patient affiliates across all networks to unite and strengthen the voice of those living with, or affected by, heart disease. While currently based in Dublin, Ireland, Karen is originally from Guatemala. She holds an International Executive Master in Patient Advocacy Management from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy. Her background is mainly in marketing in the pharmaceutical industry, and she is now delighted to put her knowledge and experience at the service of the cardiovascular patient community.
You can contact Karen at karen@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Callum Ferguson
Network Lead
About Callum
Callum Ferguson is Global Heart Hub’s Development Executive/Council Lead – Heart Failure, responsible for empowering patient advocates and strengthening the collective voice of those living with heart failure worldwide.
A communications and policy professional with over six years of experience driving impactful campaigns in the health sector, Callum previously served as Head of Policy and Communications at Heart Valve Voice UK, where he led award-winning national advocacy and awareness initiatives.
With a background in marketing and a Master’s in Postcolonial Literature from The University of Manchester, he brings a strong foundation in storytelling, strategy and stakeholder engagement to his work. Based in the United Kingdom, Callum is committed to collaboration and advancing meaningful, patient-led change across the global cardiovascular community.
You can contact Callum at callum@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Patricia Tiramani
Network Lead
About Patricia
Patricia Tiramani, Global Heart Hub’s Development Executive/Council Lead – Cardiomyopathy leads the Cardiomyopathy Council engaging affiliates globally to unite and strengthen the voice of people affected by cardiomyopathy. For over 15 years, Patricia’s focus has been dedicated to creating cross-functional programs in collaboration with a various stakeholder that drive behavioral change and highlight patient perspectives. She has significant experience in developing stakeholder strategies and has designed and executed community-focused programs. She has led communications, marketing, patient engagement and advocacy programs nationally and globally from both agency and pharma industry perspectives.
Based in Montreal, Canada, Patricia is fully bilingual in French and English.
You can contact Patricia @ patricia@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Ludovica Rizzo
Networks Associate
About Ludovica
Ludovica Rizzo is Global Heart Hub’s Networks Associate, supporting the delivery of projects across all networks.
She holds a BSc in Global Health Sciences and MSc in Innovation in Healthcare. Based in Belgium, Ludovica has two years of experience in public health policy and health system management. She is passionate about transforming healthcare through innovation, translating solutions into effective public health strategies, and advancing social change and equity worldwide.
You can contact Ludovica at ludi@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Joanna Ten-Kate
Community Engagement Manager
About Joanna
Joanna Ten-Kate is Global Heart Hub’s Community Engagement Manager, leading the community engagement team and overseeing the development, support and engagement of GHH’s global patient community. Her work focuses on strengthening relationships with affiliates, advocates and partners, and ensuring the community is equipped, connected and supported to drive meaningful patient-led impact.
While currently based in Galway, Ireland, Joanna is originally from the U.S. She has a background in policy research and development, having worked for federal and state agencies in the U.S., and in organising for non-profit advocacy. She holds an MSc in Public Policy and Administration from the London School of Economics.
You can contact Joanna at joannaT@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Aisling Hennessy
Executive Assistant / Community Engagement Associate
About Aisling
Having had the opportunity to live in a number of different countries, Aisling has developed a unique and nuanced understanding of various health systems, gaining both clinical and prevention-based healthcare experience in the United States and Ireland. She is a qualified emergency medical technician and healthcare assistant, passionate about advocacy and the patient voice. Aisling has witnessed the impact of cardiovascular disease on patients, motivating her to refine her passion for helping others into a career in prevention and advocacy.
You can contact Aisling at aisling@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Rebecca Loughlin
Community Engagement Associate
About Rebecca
Rebecca holds a BSc (Hons) in Public Health Sciences from University College Cork, Ireland. She is based in Kildare, where she is originally from. With her background in public health, Rebecca has a strong interest in health promotion and patient advocacy. She is passionate about building meaningful connections between patients, caregivers and organisations to drive collaboration and change in cardiovascular care.
You can contact Rebecca at rebecca@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Marta Bragagnolo
EU Advocacy Manager
About Marta
Based in Italy, Marta has been with Global Heart Hub since 2024. She holds a BA in Translation and Interpreting and an MA (Hons) in European and Global Studies. Her diverse background, combined with hands-on project management experience, gives her the tools to navigate EU advocacy, coordinate stakeholders, and drive strategic engagement.
As a EUPATI Fellow Patient Expert, Marta is passionate about empowering patients and making sure their voices are heard in healthcare. Through her work at Global Heart Hub, she’s dedicated to strengthening the organisation’s role as the leading voice for cardiovascular disease patients in Europe and beyond.
You can contact Marta at marta@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Valérie Balvert
EU Projects Associate
About Valérie
With a strong passion for health equity and access to care, Valérie’s academic background is in European Public Health (BSc.) and Global Health (MSc.). Based in Brussels, she has over two years of experience in European and Belgian Public Affairs, supporting and representing various healthcare players in policy decision-making.
Valérie joined Global Heart Hub in January 2026, and she is excited to empower patients and foster collaboration with European stakeholders.
You can contact Valérie at valerie@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Teresa Glynn
Senior Executive,
Strategy & Partnerships
About Teresa
Teresa Glynn is Global Heart Hub’s Senior Executive Strategy & Partnerships. In this role she drives strategy development and execution for the Global Heart Hub as the organisation continues to grow and collaborates with key stakeholders globally in addressing the challenges of cardiovascular disease.
Teresa’s background is primarily in the medical technology industry and throughout her 20 year career, she held numerous roles building extensive experience in communications, customer engagement and philanthropy. More recently she has followed a path aligned with her special interest in patient advocacy. She holds an MSc in Leadership and lives in Galway on the west coast of Ireland.
You can contact Teresa at teresa@globalhearthub.org
PROGRAMS
Olive Fenton
Senior Executive – Special Projects
About Olive
Olive Fenton is a Senior Executive with Global Heart Hub, leading the exploration and implementation of new strategic initiatives, in collaboration with international partners, aimed at enhancing Global Heart Hub’s impact in improving outcomes for those living with heart disease. Initiatives designed and implemented by Olive to date include the GHH Academy, the Unite Summit, the Cardio-diabetes Working Group and Think Tank, GHH’s engagement in EU Horizon Projects, the GHH Clinical and Specialist Advisory Panel, GHH’s patient engagement accreditation, and the Manifesto on Achieving Early Detection and Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Disease.
After an extensive career as a leader in the BioPharmaceutical industry and as a business consultant, Olive is delighted to now focus her skills, experience and professional interest in CVD, on supporting advocacy for and by those living with heart disease. She is based near Geneva in Switzerland.
You can contact Olive at olive@globalhearthub.org
COMMUNICATIONS
Edel Kenneally
Communications
Manager
About Edel
Edel Kenneally is Global Heart Hub’s Communications Manager, responsible for leading the internal and external communications programme. Projects include award-winning public awareness campaigns, publications, website and digital development, social media outreach and media relations.
Based in Ireland, Edel has worked with the Global Heart Hub since 2018. Edel completed a BA in New Media and English in the University of Limerick, Ireland, and earned a Master’s Degree in Literature and Publishing from the National University of Ireland, Galway.
You can contact Edel at edel@globalhearthub.org
COMMUNICATIONS
Joanna Perkowska
Digital Designer (UX/UI)
About Joanna
Joanna is Global Heart Hub’s Digital Designer (UX/UI), a member of our communications team. Joanna holds a Higher Diploma in Interaction Design from Dublin City University and has completed prior studies in graphic and web design at Technological University Dublin and Dublin Institute of Design. Joanna crafts intuitive, accessible, user-centred digital experiences for our website, awareness campaigns, educational resources and various other projects. Her contributions help strengthen our campaigns, projects and online presence. With a personal family connection to cardiovascular disease, Joanna is deeply passionate about uniting the global cardiovascular community and amplifying patient voices.
You can contact Joanna at joanna@globalhearthub.org
COMMUNICATIONS
Michael Warnock
Digital Communications Associate
About Michael
With a strong background in video production, content creation, and social media strategy, Michael has worked in both the media industry and not-for-profit sector bringing a creative and strategic approach to digital communications. Michael is passionate about producing visually compelling content that informs, engages, and inspires. Originally from the UK, but currently living in Dublin, Ireland.
You can contact Michael at michael@globalhearthub.org
We are not currently looking to fill any positions; however, we appreciate your interest and encourage you to follow us for updates.
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