This is a past event that took place on 26 November 2025. 

ACF conference 2025

Speakers

Keynote address

Professor Sir Geoff Mulgan (he/him)

Leading authority on social innovation, public policy, and collective intelligence.

Currently Professor at University College London's Science, Technology, Engineering and Policy team, he previously served as chief executive of Nesta, the UK's innovation foundation (2011-2019), and CEO of the Young Foundation (2004-2011).

Geoff’s extensive government experience includes directing the UK Government's Strategy Unit and serving as head of policy in the Prime Minister's office (1997-2004). He helped found numerous influential organisations including Demos, the Social Innovation Exchange, and Action for Happiness.

He has authored multiple books, including 'Big Mind: How Collective Intelligence Can Change Our World', 'Social Innovation: How Societies Find the Power to Change' and 'When Science Meets Power', which have been translated into over twenty languages.

Geoff has advised governments, businesses, and foundations worldwide, recently chairing a European Commission programme on government innovation. He is a World Economic Forum Schwab Fellow and founding joint editor-in-chief of the journal Collective Intelligence. He has championed many concepts, from creative economy strategies to evidence-based government, which are now mainstream policy approaches. In 2020, Sir Geoff was knighted for services to social innovation and continues to shape how societies address complex challenges through collaborative intelligence and systemic innovation.

Keynote chair: Karen Everett

Panel session followed by Q&A

Alice Casey, director of programmes, Maudsley Charity

Maudsley Charity is a grant-making charity that advances and accelerates positive change in mental health care in south London and beyond. Alice is responsible for developing impact and innovation through inclusive grant-making and bringing people together with varied expertise and experiences. She is also active in the open data community as a founding director of 360Giving and chair of Democracy Club.

Rowena Estwick, co-CEO, Ten Years’ Time

Ten Years' Time is a philanthropy consultancy that provides a holistic programme of support and development for trusts, foundations and High Net Worth individuals.

Prior to her role at Ten Years' Time, Rowena spent eight years at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation, initially leading on national and international partnerships. She went on to become director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), providing strategic leadership across the foundation on the implementation and embedding of DEI practices and ambitions across their funding, investments and internal culture. Her 25 years in the third sector spans the fields of debt, youth, education, health and environment.

Baljeet Sandhu, founder, Lived Experience Leaders (LEx) Movement

Baljeet is also the CEO of the Centre for Knowledge Equity, an ecosystem infrastructure that brings together LEx movements and practitioners to create life-affirming alternatives to harmful systems. As a global thought leader on the value of lived experience and the architect of the 'knowledge equity' framework, she has challenged philanthropy and the investment sector to radically rethink power, knowledge, and 'leadership' to address the social, economic, and environmental challenges of our time. Over the past decade, she has driven significant shifts in funding culture, supporting the co-design of equitable models that redistribute power and embed accountability to communities.

Crispin Truman, director, The Rayne Foundation

The Rayne Foundation is a UK grant-making trust supporting charities in social care, resilient communities and migration.

Crispin has over 25 years’ experience of charity leadership, working across sectors and with all levels of government.  He was previously CEO of CPRE, the countryside charity, CEO of the Churches Conservation Trust for 14 years and of Revolving Doors Agency before that.  Crispin has chaired and been trustee of several organisations including UK and European heritage networks, Rethink Mental Illness, the London Cycling Campaign and was chair of governors at Stoke Newington School in London.  He was awarded the OBE for services to charity and heritage in 2017.

Chair: Hannan Ali DL

The panel will share perspectives on our sub-theme of 'Future-proofing the foundation model of giving: multiple perspectives on building lasting impact'.

Closing plenary, including ACF CEO address

David Holdsworth, chief executive, Charity Commission

David has been CEO of the Charity Commission since June 2024. Prior to that, he served as CEO of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), the UK’s biosecurity agency. Before that, he was the deputy CEO of the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO), an executive agency of UK Government responsible for intellectual property rights in the UK. Immediately prior to his role at the IPO, David was deputy CEO and registrar of Charities for England and Wales at the Charity Commission. Before this, David spent over a decade at the Home Office in various roles including senior operational roles in the Immigration Service where he led several large UK wide transformation projects. He also held different policy roles in the Home Office and was deputy chief caseworker. David also spent five years in the private sector in senior executive positions of managing director and partnership director at two different FTSE 100 companies. He is a fellow of the Institute of Directors and a past chair of the Liverpool city region branch.

Carol Mack OBE, chief executive, ACF (she/her)

Carol was appointed chief executive of ACF in 2016, having previously served as its deputy chief executive. Prior to ACF, Carol worked advising charities on governance and charity law, as well as national policy formulation at the Charity Commission for England & Wales. She also has experience in grassroots charities and the commercial sector. She was previously a founding trustee of the National Emergencies Trust and vice-chair of Tree Aid. Currently, she is chair of the Wales Funders Forum, a trustee of St George’s House and a board member of Philea, the European Philanthropy Association. In her spare time, she likes learning Welsh and walking by the sea.

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