Sir Harpal Singh Kumar is chief executive officer of Cancer Research UK In 1992 he was appointed chief executive of the disability charity the Papworth Trust. In 1997 he founded Nexan Group, a venture capital-backed medical devices company. He joined Cancer Research Technology Limited as chief executive in 2002 and became chief operating officer of Cancer Research UK in 2004. He became chief executive officer in April 2007 Indian-origin cancer research expert Harpal Singh Kumar, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cancer Research UK, has been honoured with a Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for his influential work on prevention and treatment of the disease. Singh’s name has appeared in the 2015 New Year’s Honours list. The list also includes several other Indian-origin professionals.