Trustees, Patrons and Senior Advisors

Ken has spent 40 years leading in the fields of business and social impact. Ken founded two tech banks, and was the first British born Black FTSE100 Director at Reuters. He is acting President of homelessness charity Thames Reach, and Chair of The Shaw Trust, a charity helping create accessible employment. Social inclusion is at the heart of his varied career. He was appointed HM Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London in 2015, and awarded an OBE in 2018.

Sir Tom (Deputy Lieutenant) spent 25 years in investment banking before joining the charity sector. He was CEO of Marie Curie Cancer Care from 2000 to 2012, and in 2013 was knighted by the Queen for his services. He’s called for more bankers to get involved in charitable giving throughout his career, earning him a Beacon Fellowship for Philanthropy advocacy. Tom is now Chair of the Marshall Institute at LSE, and a trustee of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

Mike has lead household name businesses for over 30 years. He’s also spent ten years as Vice-Chair and Chair of Fundraising for Prostate Cancer UK. Mike was previously CEO of Spirit PLC, Costa Coffee, Premier Inn, and David Lloyd Leisure Clubs. He’s currently Chair of The Big Table Group – one of the UK’s leading restaurant companies. He specialises in mentoring CEOs across the private and not-for-profit sectors. He is particularly skilled at helping organisations with growth, culture and strategy.

Alon brings over 30 years’ experience in the private sector across Technology, Strategy Consulting and Financial Services. He spent six years with Bain & Company before joining BainCapital Credit leading the European business for c. 20 years. Alon has strong and varied experience in the third sector with various Board member and coaching roles for the likes of Literacy Pirates, JCoSS and Big Issue Invest. He is an Adjunct Professor of Finance at London Business School focusing on Credit Investments.

Mary is a financial lawyer, capital markets and investment expert. For the past fourteen years she’s been Founder and CEO of Oriol Associates – a company advising on responsible investments in sub–Saharan Africa. She trained as a legal professional in both London and New York, before spending twenty years at Dentons – the world’s largest global law firm. She was Head of the Africa Financial Markets Group, before becoming Partner. She is internationally renowned as a leader in her field.

Cambridge and Harvard Business School educated, Heidi is a private equity professional and Angel investor. Most recently, she founded, ran and successfully exited The Rock Limited, a leading UK leisure business. No stranger to The Fore, she supported the initial pilot launch a decade ago.

In addition to his 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry, Ian is a seasoned Trustee for four charities, has held a variety of non-executive roles, provided pro bono consultancy, and has previously supported The Fore as a Strategic Applicant Consultant.

Dido is a Member of the House of Lords and has over twenty years of experience leading large companies. She’s chaired, led or held senior leadership roles at organisations including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, TalkTalk and the Bank of England. She was chairwoman of NHS Improvement and Head of NHS Test and Trace during Covid. Dido is a Chair of My Agro, a West Africa based social enterprise and a director of the Jockey Club.

James is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Tribe Impact Capital, the award-winning, B Corps impact wealth manager. His background in enterprise and investment began at UBS in 1999. He then founded the insights business Ledbury Research, before selling it to Insight Partners in 2014. Prior to The Fore, James was a Board Trustee at UnLtd, the UK’s largest supporter of social entrepreneurs.

Steve is CEO at WeSeeHope and has nearly two decades of experience across communications, advocacy, partnerships and programmes in the international development sector. With previous roles as CEO at Primary Care International and diverse leadership roles at Amref Health Africa, he has a deep understanding of the complex challenges surrounding charity operations and social enterprise development.

Jane is a social entrepreneur with over 30 years’ experience leading and raising funds for small charities, arts organisations and social enterprises. Amongst others these include the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Cambridge Film Festival and a charity within the University of Cambridge.  Jane was founder and CEO of Cambridge Community Arts, a small charity delivering a pioneering creative arts education programme for improved mental health. She is a full member of the Chartered Institute for Fundraising since 2002 and graduated from London School for Social Enterprise in 2018.

Amy Rodwell is a 12th generation partner at C. Hoare & Co, a private bank based in London. After graduating from the University of Leeds in 2013 with a BA (Hons) in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies, Amy worked in the charity sector, specialising in Public Relations and fundraising.  Within C. Hoare & Co. she has held a wide range of positions across many departments in the bank, including Risk, banking and Digital & Technology.  Amy leads on the bank’s carbon-reduction strategy, and champions wellbeing within the bank.

A strong strategic partner with invaluable expertise in organisational leadership, culture, and transformation, holding a range of C-suite, NED and Board advisor roles across both the private and nonprofit sectors.

Rupert was the founding Chair of The Fore from 2017 to 2022. He is an economist and portfolio manager at BlackRock – the world’s largest asset management company. He’s previously served as Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the UK Treasury. From 2006-2010 he was Chief Economic Advisor to the then Leader of the Opposition David Cameron. Following this, he was Chief of Staff to UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne. Rupert has also been a Senior Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and has a PhD in Economics.

Sally brings experience from the private sector across financial services, strategy consulting and start-ups. She spent most of her career in investment banking, holding roles in corporate finance, COO and compliance teams in UBS and Goldman Sachs. As an investment banker, she led coverage of the renewable energy technology sector and is currently completing an MSc in Global Climate & Energy Policy at SOAS, University of London.

Shani is a leading diversity and inclusion campaigner who has spent her career looking at re-addressing the balance of diversity leadership and board appointments. She is also Founder and Managing Partner of Cadence Partners. The recruitment firm is focused on building workplaces that are diverse, inclusive, and genuinely committed to driving positive social change. She has over 20 years’ experience in executive recruitment and talent management in the UK and the US, and sits on the Race Advisory Group for ACEVO.

As a seasoned journalist and editor specialising in technology and science, Alison brings a wealth of experience and a passion for uncovering hidden stories to her role as a senior advisor to The Fore. Her dedication to exploring the human mind, psychology, neuroscience, and mental health drives her investigative work, earning accolades in investigative journalism. At The Fore, Alison aims to bridge the gap between our mission and the media, ensuring our stories reach the right audiences. Her role is primarily as a linchpin between the charities’ needs and the journalistic community’s quest for compelling narratives.

Simon is a Managing Director within the Investment Banking business at Stephens, the family-owned financial services group. His role encompasses financial sponsor and family office coverage, managing the firm’s relationships with investors across Europe and working closely with colleagues in the US with a similar remit. Simon’s professional experience includes prior roles with Inflexion Private Equity, DC Advisory, Close Brothers and NatWest Markets. Simon has held trustee roles at Hertfordshire Community Foundation and Asthma UK and is currently also a member of the Development Board at Essex & Hertfordshire Air Ambulance Trust.