Jonathan Ledermann, Clinical Director of the UCL Cancer Institute, has demonstrated outstanding research leadership in gynaecological cancer clinical trials. His achievements in developing PARP inhibitor drugs to treat ovarian cancer has fundamentally changed global clinical practice for patients with this disease. Professor Ledermann is the first Director of the Clinical Trials Unit at UCL and through his outstanding leadership, his unit has grown from a small group to one of the largest in the country with an international reputation for research excellence and governance. His commitment to this work has changed the standard of care in ovarian cancer and enabled others to do the same.