“I saw the other candidates and thought… ‘I could do a better job", says Jon Antoniazzi, whose entry into public affairs began behind a student union bar — and with a decision to run for president of the student union. It was a decision which set the tone for a career in advocacy, policy and public affairs. “I started out as a ‘bag carrier’,” he says, moving through agency work before what he describes as his “big break into health policy” — setting up the policy unit for a cancer charity in Wales. For Antoniazzi, that connection is deeply personal. “My Dad died because of a failure in the NHS in Wales and my Mum was diagnosed late with cancer,” he says. It is a stark account, but one that explains his motivation. “I work right at the intersection of trying to make improvements that will improve health and care… at least that’s what I keep telling myself.” That lived experience shapes his view of the biggest challenges facing the system. “Unpaid caregivers need to be properly supporte...