Keynote Speakers

Andy is an accomplished presenter, multi-million pound charity fundraiser, campaign specialist and founder of The Inspiration Bureau, which helps people inform and inspire others.

He has led teams and motivated individuals at the Royal British Legion, Alzheimer’s Society, MS Society, Dementia Care, Royal Marines Charity and Royal National Lifeboat Institution, to engage and deliver extraordinary results, including the 100th Poppy Appeal, £2 million to £1 billion appeals and campaigns.

Andy spent his early years in the Royal Navy and has worked in the United States, prior to becoming a fundraiser and presentation consultant.

Today he works with many different charities and companies both in the UK and internationally to help improve their message, public presence, presentations, conferences and campaigns.

Andy has a passion to inspire others to bring about change.

Professor Bola Owolabi (MRCGP, MFPH Hon, FRSPH) is Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England.

She works as a General Practitioner in the Midlands.

Bola has particular interest in reducing healthcare inequalities through integrated care models, service transformation, and using data insights for quality improvement. She has spearheaded NHSE’s Core20PLUS5 approach to narrowing healthcare inequalities.

Internationally, Bola was a member of the Danish Ambassador’s Tour De Health – a ten nation healthcare policy leaders’ summit. Additionally, she was the UK representative on the Commonwealth Fund / Academy Health Tour 2023, exploring equity in national health policy across the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

She was previously National Speciality Advisor for Older People and Integrated Person-Centred Care at NHSE, where she led the Anticipatory Care workstream of the National Ageing Well Programme. She collaborated with teams across NHSE and the Department of Health and Social Care as part of the Covid-19 pandemic response.

Bola is an alumna of Ashridge Executive Education / Hult International Business School and holds a Masters degree with distinction in Leadership (Quality Improvement). She also received an NHS Leadership Academy Award in Executive Healthcare Leadership for Clinicians.

Bola is an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham. She is also a Vice President of the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH).

Prof. Tony Young is a practising frontline NHS consultant urological surgeon, Associate Medical Director at Mid and South Essex Hospitals Group, Director of Medical Innovation at Anglia Ruskin University, and the founder of four Med-Tech start-ups.

In September 2014 he became the first National Clinical Lead for Innovation for the NHS. As Clinical Lead, Tony provides clinical leadership and support in delivering improved health outcomes in England. He drives the uptake of proven innovations across the NHS, promotes economic growth through innovation, and helps make the NHS the go-to place on the planet for medical innovation.

In 2015, Tony founded the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme. This has become the world’s largest entrepreneurial workforce development programme for clinicians and under the NHS Long Term Plan is set for a major expansion to include intrapreneurs. In the 2019 New Year's Honours list Tony was awarded the OBE for services to clinical leadership.

Tony’s portfolio covers the whole landscape of health and social care, public health, technology, digital and life sciences. This has included leadership and oversight of several programmes including: The National Innovation Accelerator, the Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP), SBRI Healthcare, and the Innovation and Technology Payment (ITP).

Alan Clayton is an uncompromising force for rapid and dramatic change and growth, fuelled by inspiration and creativity but always based on the facts.

After a career in national charities, Alan spent ten years running a full-service agency. For the last 15 years, he has been working as a speaker and consultant to help purpose-driven organisations across the globe achieve and accelerate growth.

He is a serial entrepreneur and has worked in more than thirty countries. Clients range from global giants such as UN agencies right through to small, local startups, and from business leaders to freelancers and even amateur racing drivers.

A fundraiser since 2006, Kerry has worked with Revolutionise for the past seven years to help nonprofits around the world increase their long-term ambition and position themselves for huge income growth to deliver their mission.

Building on her time at WSPA (The World Society for the Protection of Animals – since renamed as World Animal Protection), one of the original ‘Great Fundraising’ organisations, she now focuses on creating communications and cultures that better meet the emotional needs of its donors – and staff.

Central to this is her belief in fundraising – and the powerhouse that is fundraisers – to provide focus and energy to drive change in the world.

Dr Phil Hammond is an NHS doctor, journalist, broadcaster, speaker, campaigner and comedian. Phil qualified as a doctor in 1987 and has worked in the NHS for 34 years. As a doctor, he worked part time in general practice for over twenty years, and has also worked in sexual health. Phil was also a lecturer at the universities of Birmingham and Bristol, training medical students and doctors to communicate better with patients. He was voted Teacher of the Year by his students in Birmingham. His journalism, campaigning, broadcasting and books have tried to help patients and carers cope better with life, illness and the NHS, and seek out the right care. He has twice been selected for the Health Service Journal Top 100 Clinical Leaders.

Read his full bio on his website.

Ellie Orton has been Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together since July 2018. She was instrumental in leading the charity’s award-winning Covid Urgent Appeal during 2020 and has since overseen a transformation within the charity in terms of its governance and strategy. Previously she was CEO at a Coventry based charity working with vulnerable and sexually exploited women, and interim CEO at the Jon Egging Trust, supporting young people with barriers in their lives to reach their full potential. Ellie is passionate about social change and the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which literally translates as ‘humanity’. She loves beaches, running, and her family, including the dog. She was proud to be awarded an OBE in June 2021 for services to the NHS.

​Matt is a Managing Director at THINK with specialist skills in digital fundraising, new product development and facilitation. He is proficient in setting up innovation functions, strategy development and managing large, cross-organisational change projects.  

Over the last decade, he has designed and facilitated innovation sprints for dozens of projects – his bespoke methodology can be applied to both process improvement and new product development. Alongside this, Matt is also proficient at integrating and embedding new fundraising innovations, particularly where the digital meets physical. Recent examples include working with our clients to embed social media-driven fundraising, streaming and cryptocurrency driven philanthropy. 

A passionate advocate of digital fundraising and the power of technology to revolutionise fundraising, Matt champions innovation based on robust data and audience insight over chasing the latest industry trends. 

Michelle has worked in the not-for-profit sector with a range of charity and heritage organisations for 30 years. Following a number of senior leadership roles, she became a consultant and joined THINK, where she is currently Managing Director. 

Michelle combines strategic thinking skills with operational delivery, applying practical implementation to the creative idea. She is passionate about identifying trends which are influencing and impacting the delivery of fundraising and helping organisations to use these to enhance their fundraising practice. She is also a strong advocate of the importance of creating long lasting relationships between charities and their supporters, and keeping the donor at the heart of fundraising thinking and practice.

Jordan joined NHS Charities Together at the end of 2022 as Legacy and In Memory Manager, having worked across a range of fundraising income streams over 10 years. He is working with members on how to support their legacy activity. 

Jordan has worked across a range of fundraising income streams for several different causal areas. His passion lies in legacy and in memory fundraising and was therefore delighted to join NHS Charities Together at the end of 2022 to set up and develop our Legacy and In Memory programmes. Part of his role is working with members on how we can support their legacy activity, as well as running an annual national awareness and acquisition campaign. Jordan is also the Treasurer on the CIOF’s Legacy and In Memory Special Interest Group, working to support legacy and in memory fundraisers across the UK. 

Andy is the Head of Impact and Evaluation for CW+, the charity for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. In this role he oversees the charity’s strategy for evaluating the impact of its work, working closely with the trust and key partners to measure and articulate the effect of its programmes within the hospital community. Andy originally joined CW+ in 2016 as a Musician in Residence, building on his background in both music and research to lead projects investigating the effects of arts participation on patients and staff. His work has led to publications and conference presentations across the country, including at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare and the Manchester Science Festival. Andy is also a regularly performing musician, composer and bandleader, whose original music has been performed around Europe and featured on BBC Radio 3. 

Jodie Hearnshaw has worked at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust for nearly 20 years in various roles and now leads the small but perfectly formed charity team. Jodie is proud to have led the development and growth of the Charity over the past 4 years, turning a back-office function into a well-known and trusted brand.

Jodie is extremely passionate about the Airedale community and empowering Airedale NHS Foundation Trust to be an anchor organisation. She is eager to put people at the heart of everything the charity does. As well as fundraising you will often find Jodie and the team championing one of their key projects such as their ‘Airedale AOK’ (Acts of Kindness) campaign out in the community.  

Roger has worked with NHS Charities Together for almost 10 years, providing legal updates at members’ meetings and leading the legal sessions as part of Webinar Wednesdays over the past two years.  Roger also advises individual NHS charities on governance, fundraising and legal issues dealt with by NHS charities. Roger is ranked as a Rising Star in Legal 500 and an Associate to Watch in Chambers.   

With a background in marketing starting in 2011, Callum is currently Content Director at Fresh Egg, where he’s been working since 2017. 

During his time at Fresh Egg, Callum has focused on developing content services to keep the agency’s ways of working at the forefront of the discipline, encompassing strategy, design, and audience research. He is particularly interested in the role of content in user experience and human-centred practices, drawing on his background in language and linguistics.  

He has worked with a wide range of organisations in the charity and not-for-profit sector, including WWF, The Health Foundation, Shelterbox, Diabetes UK, Plan International, AbilityNet, and the West Ham United Foundation.

Carrie joined Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity in June 2022 and was brought on board to manage the Community Partnerships that was funded by the NHS Charities Together Stage 2 Grant. She works with all stakeholders from across the county to manage the monitoring, evaluation and learning of these activities. She is also co-chair of the Special Interest Group for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for the NHS Charities Together. She has spent the last 12 years project managing bespoke software projects in the events industry, travelling all over the world to train and deliver these projects. Carrie made the move to the NHS so that she could contribute to making a difference in the local community where she grew up and now lives with her family.

Gary has 13 years’ experience within the charity sector. He began his career at Age UK Lincoln as Volunteer Manager and then moved on to work for a number of national charities, including various community and corporate roles for the Alzheimer's Society, Marie Curie and The British Heart Foundation. He has been in his current role for the past two years and loves the difference you can make within a local NHS charity. 

Gary is very passionate about the sector and has a great deal of experience in volunteer management and community fundraising. A big focus of his work in the last five years has been corporate fundraising, which he thoroughly enjoys.

Recently Gary has taken over as Co-Chair for the NHS Charities Together Corporate Fundraising and Network group and can’t wait to push this group to be even bigger and better for 2024. 

Helen Miles is Head of Corporate Partnership, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital Charity. Following a 10 year period working for the national charity Barnardo’s and managing complex corporate partnerships Helen decided that she wanted to give back to the hospitals that had both delivered her daughters and have continued to care for them since; coupled with the opportunity to make an impact in the area she lived made the Head of Corporate Partnership role was a perfect fit! Helen is a passionate fundraiser who cherishes every relationship she holds with supporters of our hospitals, maximising the opportunities and most importantly the impact they make daily.

As Head of Grants at NHS Charities Together, Jon leads on the organisation’s grant-making activity, ensuring that funds are distributed effectively and impactfully in support of initiatives that transform patient experience, improve workforce wellbeing, and support people to live well.   

This includes the design, delivery and management of specific funding programmes, as well as the development of broader grant-making approaches that align with our strategy and support our members to be truly transformative.  

Jon joined NHS Charities Together from Newcastle Hospitals Charity in 2023 and as such has a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing NHS charities.  

Before joining the NHS Charity sector in 2021, he was a Senior Philanthropy Advisor at the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, acting as a bridge between generous philanthropists and third sector organisations that tackle disadvantage, create healthy communities and make the North East a better place to live.    

Jane has been Director of the charity since 2011, having previously been the Director of Fundraising at King’s College Hospital. She is an experienced and highly motivated executive and board member with more than 20 years’ experience in the charity sector, including setting strategy, national campaigns, capital appeals, grantmaking and governance. 

She is a trustee of NHS Charities Together, an organisation which she has been closely involved with for many years, now the leading voice for the sector. 

Matt is an experienced leader and high-value partnerships fundraiser with over 17 years’ experience of delivering transformational gifts, developing fundraising campaigns, and managing high-performing teams across the health and higher education sectors. 

At the University of Birmingham, Matt led the Transformational Philanthropy team and Principle Gifts (£1m+) strategy to help deliver a number of six, seven and eight figure gifts from a range of national and international philanthropists, charitable funders, and businesses. He was also an instrumental member of the leadership team that helped to deliver the £160m Circles of Influence Capital Campaign

At the BWC Charity, Matt leads the Philanthropy and Partnerships (P&P) team who are responsible for growing high-value partnerships with HNW individuals, Corporates, and Charitable Trusts and Foundations. 

Katy specialises in partnership development and has worked in Corporate Fundraising for the last 10 years for national charities such as the NSPCC, Royal British Legion and Make-A-Wish UK. She joined NHS Charities in October 2021 and has since led on the development of our partnerships with Omaze, Emma Bridgewater and Parking Eye. 

Katy is passionate about the transformational power corporate partnerships can have for charities and is excited to share her insight into new business and partnership development.

Kate has 15 years' experience within the charity sector, from working at Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support to Thames Valley Air Ambulance and Launchpad. Kate has a breadth of experience in community and corporate fundraising, event and volunteer management, business networking and major donor stewardship.

Kate is passionate about sharing best practice within the sector and expands her knowledge by facilitating roles in a voluntary capacity like holding a trustee role within a local charity in West Berkshire, she’s a non–executive director of a community interest company, a moderator of the popular Facebook fundraising chat of over 20,000 members and is a founding member of NHS Charities Together’s Corporate Fundraising networking group.

Laura is the Assistant Director of Fundraising at NHS Charities Together, with a special focus on Corporate Partnerships and Philanthropy.  Prior to joining NHS Charities Together, Laura worked with teams at the National Trust, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Helen & Douglas House Children's Hospice, to inspire philanthropic support at every level.  

Stephen is a seasoned storyteller and co-founder of Catsnake, a story agency with a mission to employ strategic storytelling for social good. At Catsnake, Stephen leverages his expertise to craft compelling narratives that support charities in effectively communicating their impact. He works closely with third-sector organisations to develop powerful campaigns that resonate with audiences, fostering engagement and driving positive change.  

Chris joined NHS Charities Together in 2022 having spent the previous ten years working within the NHS working in both national policy roles at NHS England, and more recently leading a strategic transformation team in an integrated health system in Greater Manchester. Prior to joining the NHS, Chris was CEO of a charity in West Yorkshire supporting disabled children, young people and their families.

Chris is passionate about tackling inequality, harnessing the power of people and communities to drive change and the role the voluntary sector can play in health, care and wellbeing.

Outside of work Chris is a Director of award winning charitable leisure trust Active Tameside and a Trustee of the Manny Cussins Foundation.

​Claire has 15 years’ experience in delivering impressive results to the charity sector. She’s worked with over 45 of the UK’s biggest charities, finding solutions to some of their biggest challenges.

Rosie joined NHS Charities Together as Head of Marketing and Brand in September 2021, and brings with her a wealth of experience from her previous roles at Unicef UK and Comic Relief, working on high profile campaigns such as Soccer Aid, Sport Relief and Red Nose Day.

She has a passion for building brands that connect with audiences and is excited about the challenge of raising the profile of the NHS charity sector and supporting members to develop their brand strategies. 

Alex is a researcher at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University. He has extensive experience in designing, delivering, and evaluating public health interventions.

Alex works with partners in the public and private sector to help develop, test and refine products and interventions aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of the general population, as well as people with long term health conditions.

His main research interests are physical activity and behaviour change, and the role strength plays in the health and quality of life of mid-life adults.

Daisy has worked with NHS Charities Together since 2018 and is responsible for overseeing the NHS Charities grants programme, which CCLA facilitates. In her day job, Daisy is responsible for managing relationships with charity clients and has a focus on looking after NHS charities.

She began her career in financial services in 2007 and joined CCLA in 2013. Daisy has a BA (hons) degree in business and management and a post-graduate Certificate in International Business. She holds a diploma in Private Client Investment Advice and Management (PCIAM), the CFA Investment Management Certificate (IMC), the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing, and is a chartered fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI).

Daisy is a trustee of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association and she is also a committee member of the CISI Wealth Management Forum.

Amy is Head of Evaluation, Learning & Insights at NHS Charities Together, having worked in this area across a range of sectors – including national charity and consultancy – for over a decade. Amy has created the ELI team at NHS Charities Together – who now work across strategy and insight; monitoring, insight and reporting; evaluation, research and learning; and capacity and capability building in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). Passionate about the collective potential of our sector, Amy leads the role that evidence & insight plays in this.  

Having worked with sector leaders in systems change, Amy sees the potential of the NHS charity sector in tackling ‘wicked problems’ in health and healthcare. She sees her role as working collaboratively with others to make MEL accessible and meaningful in the sector and enabling others to use evidence and insight to make the best decisions, as well as demonstrating what works, and learning from what doesn’t.

Heather has worked in charity finance and management since qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1992. Her other qualifications include the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI) Diploma, an MBA from Manchester Business School and a diploma in charity accounting from the ICAEW. She joined CCLA in 2008, from the charities team at HSBC Global Asset Management.  Heather looks after several of CCLA’s NHS charity clients. She also has a wealth of pro-bono experience serving charities large and small, and is currently a trustee of the Honorary Treasurers Forum.

Fiona has been the CEO of Alder Hey Children’s Charity since August 2019. She is passionate about the work of the charity with a clear focus on performance, long term sustainability and ensuring funds raised are spent in the best way possible, making the biggest possible difference to children and families now and in the future.  Fiona joined the Chartered Institute of Fundraising North West Committee in 2013, becoming Chair in 2018 and serving a five year term. Fiona has worked in a wide range of fundraising roles, including Director of Fundraising at Henshaws Society for Blind People, Senior Fundraising Manager at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and Head of Community & Corporate Fundraising for The Big Issue Foundation. Fiona has a Masters in Voluntary Sector Management and Diplomas in Charity Accounting and Fundraising Management.

Antonia Cavalier is responsible for managing relationships with charity clients and has a focus on NHS charities.

Antonia has twenty-three years’ experience in financial services and twelve years at CCLA supporting charities and faith groups regarding their investment strategy in the short and long term.

Antonia holds a diploma in Private Client Investment Advice and Management and is a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI).

Sarah is Head of Marketing and Communications at Oxford Hospitals Charity as well as a member of the charity’s senior leadership team. She joined the charity back in 2008 after a career as a documentary maker at the BBC. Sarah’s first contract with the charity was as a supporter when her daughter had open heart surgery – so she is passionate about seeing the charity through the eyes of donors and understanding their motivation and emotional drivers.

Highlights of her time at Oxford Hospitals Charity include leading the successful rebranding of the organisation as well as being involved in the charity’s huge support for its Trust during the pandemic, which was also documented in a book she helped to create.

After 15 years she remains passionate about the role of NHS charities and sharing the incredible impact of their work, and loves the way NHS charities collaborate and share knowledge.

Richard is Associate Director (Funding and Partnerships) at Newcastle Hospitals Charity, responsible for strategic grant-making that improves the health and wellbeing of the patients, staff, and communities of Newcastle Hospitals, providing support for compassionate and innovative healthcare, education, and research. 

One of the charity’s key strategic aims is to develop place-based partnerships that tackle health inequalities and create healthier communities, and they are increasingly working with voluntary sector organisations that work within the city’s hospitals and beyond to make life better for staff, patients, and the wider community. This aspect of Richard’s work links to his experience as CEO of a regional youth work charity (The Key), and the senior positions that he held at The Children’s Society, Barnardo’s, and Safer London.  

Laura has been fundraising for over 15 years in a variety of sectors, spanning education, environment and transport charities.  

Oxford Hospitals Charity welcomed Laura at the start of 2024, who brought her extensive experience of fundraising teams of all sizes, within charities large and small, and a plethora of income streams.

As an individual giving specialist, Laura is passionate about donor centred fundraising using data and insight to create meaningful supporter journeys, which maximize lifetime giving.  In her role with Oxford Hospitals Charity, Laura’s focus is on campaigns and appeals, donor development journeys and implementing tech solutions to streamline processes and build engagement. 

Liam is a Senior Research Fellow at Sheffield Hallam University. His research focuses on the effects of exercise on chronic conditions. Liam has led numerous studies investigating exercise's effects on conditions like cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders. However, Liam’s work extends beyond academia, as he has led numerous public health evaluation projects. These endeavours underscore his dedication to translating research into tangible benefits for individuals with conditions like cancer and neurological disorders. 

At the forefront of his research is an emphasis on real-world impact, ensuring that findings directly benefit those in need. Liam’s role involves every aspect of the research process, from design to delivery to dissemination. Furthermore, Liam is the co-lead for the Living Well with a Health Condition at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, where he fosters interdisciplinary collaboration to advance understanding and support of chronic conditions.

Louise Walsh MCIOF has worked as a professional fundraiser for over 20 years and has been the Fundraising Manager for the South Western Ambulance Charity since 2021. The charity covers 10,000 square miles of the South West of England, from Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Dorset, and everything west of there, through Bristol, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, to the Isles of Scilly.

As the member of a very small team, Louise has a diverse fundraising portfolio including Individual Giving, In Memory, Legacy, Events, Corporate Partnerships, Payroll Giving and Grants.

Prior to working for an NHS charity, she has worked for a wide range of charities in the environmental, community development, cultural, and healthcare sectors, including Groundwork UK, The Box (museum, gallery and archive) and the Diving Diseases Research Centre. She volunteers as a Trustee for the Arts University Plymouth Charitable Trust and enjoys celebrating achievements across the charity sector.

Sarah leads NHS Charities Together’s external communications strategy and has over 20 years’ experience working for the likes of Macmillan, the NHS and local government.

Sarah is an experienced mixed-methods researcher and evaluation specialist with a background as an occupational therapist. Sarah is leading the refresh of the NHS Charities Together Funder Plus Support Offer, and has expertise in health inequalities-focused research, patient and public involvement and engagement, as well as complex evaluation using qualitative, quantitative and systems approach methods. Sarah also has a special interest in peer learning, and research and evaluation capability-building.

Lizzie joined NHS Charities Together in September 2021 with over 20 years’ experience in policy, programme development and partnership working for national health and social justice charities. Previously she spent over ten years at alcohol-education charity Drinkaware becoming Head of Policy & Public Affairs working on national health partnerships and external relations. Roles prior to this include Help the Aged (leading their elder abuse campaign); End Child Poverty and Save the Children.