For this special Q&A, we’re inviting you to ask our expert panel your questions on how charities should be preparing for Brexit. We’ll be joined by panellists specialised in EU funding, EU and charity law, directing charities, community cohesion and European politics.

 

When: Friday, 14th December, 1-2pm

Where: Online on CharityConnect, right here on this post

 

 

Simon Usherwood is Deputy Director at the "UK in a Changing Europe" programme and Reader of politics at the University of Surrey. He has been researching Euroscepticism since the late 1990s and now works on various aspects of Brexit, including analysis of negotiations, the positions of EU member states and the framing of public debate.

 

Rita Chadha has worked at a range of international, national, regional and local charities. She was CEO of RAMFEL, the organisation responsible for taking the government to court over the Go Home Vans. Rita is also currently Chair of Barking & Dagenham Council for Voluntary Services. Rita has run various projects in the borough related to community cohesion and equality, and is currently Chair of the Hate Crime, Extremism and Intolerance steering group.

 

Stephen J. Barnett is a European leader in the third sector and has a track record of designing and delivering EU-funded strategies to create social impact. He is now a consultant in social impact, fundraising and strategy. He sits on a social investment committee and is a trustee of his local CVS. Until summer 2018, Stephen was CEO of Euclid Network - Europe's network for social entrepreneurship and social finance. In the wake of the 2016 referendum, he prepared the organisation for a relocation from London to The Hague. He firmly believes that Brexit does not spell the end of opportunities for European cooperation, learning and funding for the UK's third sector - he wants to help organisations face the change that's coming.

 

Jane Thomas has been coordinating the Brexit Civil Society Alliance since July 2017. The Alliance is made up of over 80 civil society organisations from across all parts of the UK and been advocating maintenance of same standards rights and scrutiny with Brexit legislation. Jane was former Head of England Team at Friends of the Earth leading on the anti-fracking work amongst other things. Jane was founder member of Campaign for the English Regions, Director of Campaign for Yorkshire and still does some work on devolution.  

 

Chris Willis Pickup is a charity lawyer with an unusual background in EU law. He trained and worked at an international law firm on complex cross-border regulation, before joining the Charity Commission to improve governance of charities in England and Wales, as part of its leadership team.  After nearly 5 years at the Commission, Chris now leads the Charities and Social Ventures team at the law firm Taylor Vinters, where he is building a new model of legal services for innovative charities and social ventures.

 

Ben Westerman is Senior External Relations Officer at NCVO, land leads NCVO’s work on Brexit, advising charities and the voluntary sector on the impacts of Brexit. He has worked in policy and political management roles for the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) in Berlin and the General Secretary of the Labour Party in London. He has also worked for a major UK think tank, and on the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign in 2016.

 

 

** To participate, you need a CharityConnect account. If you haven’t already got one, head here to sign up. **

** The conversation will show the newest questions first. **