After 23 years of being at Chai Cancer Care, chief executive Lisa Steele has announced that she will be retiring.

Steele, who started at Chai in 2001 as a volunteer counsellor, took on a series of other roles before being appointed CEO in 2012. She will be stepping down in early 2025.

During her time at the helm, she worked closely with chairman Louise Hager in overseeing the charity’s growth from its flagship Hendon hub to 11 centres nationally, supporting over 4,300 cancer patients.

Steele also navigated the organisation through the Covid pandemic as demands for Chai’s remote services rocketed.

Most significantly, she has been instrumental in increasing Chai’s service provision from 43 services in 2012 to the 68 available today.

Steele, 62, said: “It was always clear to me that each and every person affected by a cancer diagnosis, whether that is the patient or their family member, is an individual with their own specific needs.

“With the age span of our clients ranging from three to 98, it was vital that we extended our range of services and provided personalised support and care at each stage of their cancer journey.”

Explaining her decision to retire, Steele said: “It has been an immense privilege to serve our community through Chai. I step down confident that the organisation is in a strong position, with a highly skilled and devoted team.”

While Steele said it was a “difficult “decision to leave, she said that “the time has come to spend more time with my family and, in particular, my grandchildren”.

Chairman Louise Hager, said: “Lisa has been an exceptional partner in the development of Chai. We regularly talk about the Chai Family and Lisa will always be a big part of it. On behalf of myself, the trustees, staff, volunteers and the tens of thousands of people whose lives have been supported and improved by Lisa’s dedication and commitment, we express our deepest gratitude and heartfelt thanks.”

Chair of Chai’s medical advisory panel, Dr Adrian Tookman, said: “Lisa’s experience and expertise has helped Chai become not only an outstanding service provider for the UK Jewish community but, importantly, is also recognised as a blueprint for supportive cancer care, both nationally and internationally.”

Although Steele will be retiring from her full-time role, she is expected to continue her connection with Chai in some capacity.

She said: “My heart is and will always be with Chai. It has been a major part of my life for over two decades. Chai is a family, and I know that whenever I walk into any of our centres anywhere in the country, I am arriving at a place I call home.”

The charity is beginning a recruitment process, with the trustees working towards ensuring a smooth transition, said a spokesperson.