Marcelle Speller founded the charitable, fundraising platform Local Giving in 2008 and is currently the executive chairman of the organisation.

Prior to this she co-founded a holiday rentals website. After selling the company she was inspired to start Local Giving through a workshop at the Institute of Philanthropy. She is a trustee of the UK Community Foundations and founder of the Ardbrack Foundation.

Speller obtained an MBA from Insead (formerly Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires or European Institute of Business Administration in 1982 and worked in director and board-level marketing positions with companies across the globe, including American Express and Avis. She also spent more than 10 years leading advertising agencies in London and Amsterdam.

The Beacon Fellowship and the JP Morgan Private Bank named Speller as a Beacon Fellow in 2013 and she came fourth in Fundraising Magazine’s 50 Most Influential poll in the same year. She has also appeared on Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire programme and was awarded an OBE for services to charity in 2011.