🙋Talk to our experts about:

🗓When: 22 January, between 1-2PM

💻Where: Online on CharityConnect, right here on this post

🤝Meet the panel: 

Alison has worked with Voluntary Organisations for nearly 30 years. Right now she works as the Chief Executive of Touchstone a Mental Health Charity in Leeds and wider West Yorkshire. Touchstone have received multiple awards for their work in inclusion and diversity, including the number 1 spot in the 2016, 2017 and 2018 UK Top 50 Most Inclusive Employers Award and the 2018 National Diversity Award for Most Diverse Company.  Before Alison started working with Touchstone, she was a senior manager with Foundation Housing. Over the years, Alison has been a well-known campaigner on equal rights and chaired the Leeds Domestic Violence Forum that raises awareness of domestic violence against women and children by known men for over 25 years.  

Dom is a member of the Senior Management Team and Operations Manager at Zest Health for Life. He has over 20 years of experience in delivering community development projects in both the UK and overseas. Dom has a wealth of experience in managing teams, volunteer management, writing successful grant applications to large grant-giving bodies. He is currently responsible for managing the Communities Team at Zest, and is helping to lead on implementing Zests new fundraising strategy. Zest has recently established a new Social Enterprise, the Leeds Cookery School, the cookery school with a conscience. 

Jane is a former aid worker and CEO, with a 20-year track-record of scaling social impact in challenging, uncertain (sometimes straight-up crazy...) environments. Having developed expertise in strategic leadership coaching and consulting, she now supports thoughtful, ambitious leaders to grow resilient, impactful, thriving organisations.  She was Director of Programmes and CEO of an organisation specialising in partnership working and now provide guidance and tools to others experiencing the highs and not-so-highs of collaborative working.  Jane is a Chair of 52 Lives and as a Strategy Advisor with the Foundation for Social Improvement. 

A nurse by training, Heather has spent much of her career in senior positions in the NHS before moving into the voluntary sector where she worked for British Heart Foundation. In 2018, Heather became an independent consultant specialising in health & care systems across NHS, VCSE and local government sectors including enhancing partnership working and community connections between primary care and the local VCSE.  She is an experienced Board member having been a trustee in a number of charities.   

Christine is Regional Head at St Mungo's where she manages a number of commissioned services in Substance Misuse,  Offending, Complex Needs,  Mental Health  & Housing First for over 260 clients in supported accommodation in Haringey and Barnet. Previously Christine held a position of Head of Vocational Training in the same charity. Earlier in her life, Christine took an opportunity to volunteer as an Educational Consultant in the Maldives working with teachers at a Secondary School to improve teaching and learning.  She has also worked with an Eco Youth Community Committee to improve the physical health and wellbeing of the islanders and improve their eco-footprint in relation to plastic waste pass. She then held the position of Deputy Education Manager at HMP Brixton embedding vocational training and qualifications for the offenders before joining St Mungo's. 

Wayne has been working with charities for 20 years, half charity side, half agency. His specialisms are fundraising and communication strategies, brand positioning, product development, and innovation. He’s worked in senior leadership roles for Amnesty International, Refugee Action and Prisoners Abroad. Agency side roles have seen him work with over 100 charities, connecting people to causes they believe in, and mobilising them to drive positive change. He’s also a trustee and a leadership mentor. 

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