28 April 2026

• 9.00AM - 9.20AM
  Registration, coffee & networking
• 9.20AM - 9.30AM
  Chair's welcome - Penny Wilson, charity sector consultant and trustee, London Plus
• 9.30AM - 9.55AM
  Opening keynote Dr Krishna Kandiah, co-founder, the Sanctuary Foundation
• 9.55AM - 10.55AM
  Plenary panel discussion

  Reality check: Facing into the headwinds of change

  Times are tough. Many charities are struggling to navigate the perfect storm of rising costs, stiff competition for funding, and growing demand for their services – not to mention the additional challenges wrought by the divisive political climate and heightened global tensions. In the last couple of years, news outlets have been awash with stories of charities shrinking, merging or closing entirely, and the pressures driving these changes don’t seem likely to abate any time soon. In this timely and important discussion, our expert panel will explore what responsible leadership looks like in this era of profound uncertainty, with its potential for organisational contractions, transitions, and even endings.

  Reality check: Facing into the headwinds of change

  Times are tough. Many charities are struggling to navigate the perfect storm of rising costs, stiff competition for funding, and growing demand for their services – not to mention the additional challenges wrought by the divisive political climate and heightened global tensions. In the last couple of years, news outlets have been awash with stories of charities shrinking, merging or closing entirely, and the pressures driving these changes don’t seem likely to abate any time soon. In this timely and important discussion, our expert panel will explore what responsible leadership looks like in this era of profound uncertainty, with its potential for organisational contractions, transitions, and even endings.

  Rebecca Graham, former deputy CEO, Revitalise Respite Holidays; Rohan Hewavisenti, chief financial officer, Amnesty International; Iona Lawrence, co-founder, The Decelerator (panel chair); Victoria Pearce, crisis and resilience lead, Community Enterprise;  Neil Tester, chair, Healthwatch Hertfordshire

• 10.55AM - 11.25AM
  Morning networking break
• 11.25AM - 12.10PM
  1A. Red flags and distress signals – and being open to all possible options

  In the current climate, the board’s role in exercising prudent financial supervision is more crucial than ever. But how can you tell if your charity is still in good financial health? What are the key indicators of strength and resilience, and what red flags in the management accounts might indicate that the organisation is in distress? In this session, accountants Steve and Richard will outline what constitutes effective board oversight of the accounts, highlight the early warning signs that could signal a charity is in trouble, and offer expert advice on how to weigh up potential future pathways – while ensuring beneficiaries remain at the heart of all decisions.

  
  Richard Weaver and Steve Harper, partners, HaysMac

• 11.25AM - 12.10PM
  1B. Governing well in difficult times

  Trustees today are expected to volunteer to govern in especially challenging times. So how can boards lead well in a demanding political, cultural, financial and fast-changing digital environment? And, more specifically, what can boards get right when things go (very) wrong? Join The Centre for Charity Effectiveness (CCE) to reflect on lessons from wide-ranging practice of working with charity boards and think about how your board might overcome even the most challenging of contexts and events.

  
  Nick Wilkie, visiting lecturer and Steph Harland, consultant, The Centre for Charity Effectiveness, Bayes Business School

• 11.25AM - 12.10PM
  1C. Trans rights: an update on the legal position for charities

  Many charities might have hoped that the Supreme Court’s ruling in the For Women Scotland case would bring legal clarity and finality to a hotly contested and controversial issue: the rights of trans people in the workplace and as users of charities’ services. But differing interpretations of the decision among lawyers and others continue to cause consternation and uncertainty for trustee boards. In this timely and topical session, Shivaji and Charlotte will provide an update on the latest developments in case law and outline the implications for trustee boards who want to stay on the right side of the law without abandoning their values of diversity and inclusivity.

  
  Shivaji Shiva, partner and Charlotte Nutt, associate, VWV

• 12.15PM - 1.00PM
  2A. Investment policy best practice

  Over the past decade, the investment landscape has evolved significantly. The range of available investments has broadened, and there have been notable developments in both sustainable and values-aligned investing. In addition, the Charity Commission has updated its guidance (CC14), and the Charity Investment Governance Principles were published in early 2025. In response to these changes, Cazenove Charities will be publishing updated, peer-reviewed best practice guidance for investment policies.
   
  A robust Investment Policy Statement safeguards a charity’s financial future, aligns investments with its mission, and strengthens confidence among all stakeholders. It is not simply a regulatory requirement, but a strategic asset.

  
  Speakers from Cazenove Capital

• 12.15PM - 1.00PM
  2B. Two heads are better than one: The co-chairing revolution

  More and more charities are choosing to appoint two chairs rather than one.  But how does this work in practice?  How are responsibilities divvied up; how are meetings chaired; how are lines of communication with trustees and the execuitve team set out; what happens if the co-chairs disagree – or, worse, fall out?  Join this session to hear how one charity handles the arrangement and what all the parties really think of it.

  
  Dalton Leong and Lena Bheeroo, co-chairs, Board Racial Diversity UK

• 12.15PM - 1.00PM
  2C. Session details to be confirmed.
• 2.00PM - 2.20PM
  Charity Commission update
  Dame Julia Unwin, chair or David Holdsworth, chief executive, Charity Commission
• 2.25PM - 3.10PM
  3A. Session details to be confirmed
• 2.25PM - 3.10PM
  3B. Diversifying funding – tips, tools, and the vital role of the board

  In today's competitive fundraising climate, a diversity of income streams is crucial to give your charity its best chance at sustainability. In this session, our panel will introduce some fundraising tools and techniques that your charity might not have considered, as well as outlining how the board can encourage and nurture innovation in fundraising in order to achieve success.

  
  Carly Fields, chair, DEBRA (panel chair); Anaish Yilma-Parmar, chair, Remember a Charity and head of legacies, British Red Cross; Jamila Daley-Jeffers, consultant, Get That Money; Joasia Lesniak, head of fundraising at St Luke's - Sheffield's Hospice

• 2.25PM - 3.10PM
  3C. Charities and AI - Latest developments at individual charities and across the wider sector

  Two years on since the last packed-out Trustee Exchange session on charities and AI, we have assembled a fresh panel of AI experts to help us navigate the challenges and opportunities inherent in this formidable technology. In this session you will discover how two charities are using AI in their operations, hear what the sector-wide AI Task Force is doing to get charities' concerns heard by government, and learn what questions trustees should be asking to ensure that their charity can access the benefits of AI while keeping safe from its worst tendencies.

  
  Zoe Amar, co-chair, the Charity AI Task Force; Tania Mason (panel chair), editor, Governance & Leadership; Ian McLintock, founder, Charity Excellence;  Emma Gervasio, chief operating officer, Royal Voluntary Service; Dan Brown, digital marketing manager, the Myton Hospices

• 3.35PM - 4.20PM
  4A. Aligning investments with organisational mission – a case study from UnLtd

  As trustee for the £185m endowment of the Millennium Awards Trust, last year UnLtd revised its investment policy to make a commitment to sustainable investing and to introduce impact investing into the portfolio over time. The new strategy weaves together seeking to achieve good financial returns with increasing positive impact for society across a spectrum of social and environmental issues. The organisation wants to learn and be wholly transparent about its approach and what happens as a result. Join this session to gain insights into UnLtd's changes to its investment policy, strategy, asset allocation and fund management – and how it's all going.

  
  Jamie Broderick, chair, investment committee, and Mark Norbury, CEO, UnLtd
   

• 3.35PM - 4.20PM
  4B. Session details to be confirmed
• 3.35PM - 4.20PM
  4C. Ethics and reputation management - What would Connie do?

  How many charities have ethics policies that sit on a shelf gathering dust, discarded and ignored by their intended audience? Wellcome was determined to find a way to make ethics training engaging, memorable and fun for its workforce, and the result was Connie, an award-winning pink puppet that embodies ethical behaviours and empowers employees to make sound decisions. Join this session to learn about the inspiration for Connie’s creation, how this inclusive character has redefined Wellcome’s compliance training, and why creativity and innovation trumps rigid rules and box-ticking every time.

  
  Fraser Simpson, Wellcome

• 4.25PM - 4.50PM
  Closing keynote: The art of constructive challenge

  In an age where society appears hopelessly polarised, our political leaders seem intent on stoking division, and social media algorithms only reinforce our own (obviously correct) worldview, how are we to maintain a sense of respect and civility in our charity boardrooms?  If the role of trustees is to challenge and scrutinise, and definitely to avoid groupthink, how can we practise healthy debate without it crossing into toxic squabble or, worse, disintegrating into open warfare? Thankfully, we have sector oracle Debra Allcock Tyler to help us strike the right balance. Debra grew up in a family that relished a lively dinnertime discourse, and learned from a young age the vital skill of disagreeing agreeably. And after a long career supporting charity boards, she even wrote a book about it.  So do join us for this essential closing address which promises to be entertaining, engaging and important in equal measure. 

  Debra Allcock Tyler, chief executive, Directory of Social Change; trustee, In Kind Direct; author of It's a Battle on the Board and Board Papers

• 4.50PM - 4.55PM
  Chair's closing remarks
• 4.55PM - 5.55PM
  Networking drinks reception

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Nearest tube/train:

• Euston (5 min walk)
• St Pancras International (10 min walk)

Further directions to BMA House

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For media partnerships and marketing queries contact Bethany Dawson

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2. Programming
   1. Please note that speakers and topics were confirmed at the time of publishing, however, circumstances beyond the control of the organisers may necessitate substitutions, alterations or cancellations of the speakers and/or topics. As such Civil Society Media Ltd reserves the right to alter or modify the advertised speakers and/or topics if necessary. Any substitutions or alterations will be updated on our web page as soon as possible.
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4. Cancellation or reimbursement
   1. On receipt of your booking form, your place is confirmed. Delegate substitutions are allowed. Refunds on cancellations will only be issued (less a 15% administration charge) up to and including 30 days prior to the event. Refunds will not be issued after this date. Confirmation of cancellations MUST be in writing and sent to [email protected]
   2. Individual registrants who registered as part of a discounted group registration are not eligible for refunds, unless the entire group cancels. Registrations may be transferred to another person from the same organisation at any time.
   3. Corporate tickets - Please note we only have a very limited amount of corporate delegates places available. If you would like to take up one of these places, please email [email protected]. Please do not book online at the charity rate. Any corporate bookings made online will be refunded, minus a 15% administration charge. 
5. Postponement or Cancellation of the Event by the Organiser
   1. Should we have to cancel or postpone due to COVID-19 we will endeavour to give you as much notice as is reasonably possible.
   2. In the event that we have to postpone the Charity Finance Summit due to COVID-19, we will transfer your ticket to the next alternative date.