Julie Friend

Julie joined Shooting Star Children’s Hospice in February 2025.  As a Volunteer Research Assistant, Julie works with the Research Team, contributing to the research undertaken by the team and supporting them to develop and deliver a broad range of research projects across the organisation.

Prior to joining us, Julie had acquired extensive experience as a commercial and results driven Senior HR Leader within the Corporate environment. She has held multiple global and regional HR roles across different industries, leading projects and partnering with leaders and executives on their strategy, organisational design, change management, talent management, restructuring activities, mergers and acquisitions and company culture.

Julie enjoys applying her corporate HR skills to research, undertaking data collection, literature reviews, and methodology to further the research in paediatric palliative care, to improve the quality and effectiveness of hospice services.

Aside from her corporate career and in addition to volunteering with Shooting Star, Julie’s voluntary work includes supporting adults with their mental wellbeing in Surrey and serving on her local Patient Participation Group. Previous voluntary experience includes acting as a Trustee for a Guildford based charity, completing funding applications, engaging with local businesses and working in a hospital in Belize.