Celebrating International Women’s Day – Sally Edgington

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, RAD Magazine asked just a few of the women who are having an impact in the medical imaging industry to give an insight into their working lives and what led them to a career in the imaging sector.

I am very proud to be the chief executive officer of AXREM, the trade association representing the interests of suppliers of diagnostic medical imaging, radiotherapy, healthcare IT, patient monitoring and care equipment in the UK. I lead the association, managing all aspects of the day-to-day operation as well as the strategic work and engagement with members.

Having missed a lot of school due to several operations and attending regular hospital appointments during my teenage years, I left school disappointed having not passed any of my GSCEs. I did go to college and completed a course in hotel, catering and institutional operations, which is where my career began. My first role out of college was as a trainee manager for Whitbread Group and I managed a pub, restaurant and hotel with a staff team of more than 70 people. This is the role that set up the rest of my career; having been given a lot of responsibility at a young age, I learnt so much and this was the start of the diverse journey my career went on.

Having a varied career in both the commercial and third sector, I previously held many managerial positions in business development, marketing and national sales, covering a whole host of products and services.

I enjoyed my role for Spire Homes (now Longhurst Group) where I was a case worker, assessing elderly and disabled people for disabled facilities grants, enabling them to have life-changing adaptations to their properties so they could live independently at home. I worked alongside the Occupational Therapy Team in assessing client needs and eligibility for the grants available. I developed this job, building relationships with many local services and completing security checks, fire checks at properties and working with the police and fire brigade to ensure clients were safe in their homes. I also worked to set up a local Country Safe
Referral Scheme and trained hundreds of professionals such as trading standards officers, police officers, fire officers and many more throughout Northamptonshire.

The lightbulb moment in my career came when I was appointed as membership engagement manager for the British Healthcare Trade Association. As soon as I joined the BHTA, I just got it. I understood the role of a trade association and how I could increase member engagement, membership benefits and become a voice for the industry. While happy in this role, I was then head-hunted for what I think is the best job in the world – and that is where I am today: AXREM.

During the 10 years I have worked in membership I have always focused on ensuring I create interesting agendas, horizon-scan future policy changes so that members engage, raising standards within the healthcare industry by setting best practice, producing new guidance documents and by ensuring I am able to voice concerns and raise key issues and industry positions highlighted by members. I have also led on substantial parliamentary work attending meetings with parliamentarians, roundtable discussions, all party parliamentary groups and other parliamentary events.

During my time at AXREM I have grown membership by over 300 per cent and now represent more than 70 companies. I have professionalised the association and put governance structures in place. AXREM is a very different organisation to the one I walked into almost six years ago and I am very proud of the open and transparent organisation that we have become.

I am also pleased to be a member of the management group for the National Association of Medical Device Educators and Trainers (NAMDET) and fly the AXREM flag in this forum.

In my personal life I have been a voluntary fund-raiser, having started this at the age of 13 for the Maxillofacial Fund at Bedford Hospital South Wing, following an accident when I was younger and having had 17 maxillofacial operations. I have raised thousands of pounds for various charities over the years including Childline, Guide Dogs for the Blind and, for the last 14 years the RNLI, which included running the London Marathon in 2011. To date, I have raised over £16,000 for the RNLI and in excess of £30,000 in total.

In summary, having had a difficult time during secondary school, never would I have thought that I would be where I am today. I am so proud to lead the work of AXREM and offer a good example that hard work and determination really can get you where you want to be.

Sally Edgington, chief executive officer, AXREM.

Read this report on page 14 of the February 2025 issue of RAD Magazine.

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