Our purpose

Grace joined Heart of the City in August 2018 and is responsible for all communications and marketing activities.

Grace previously worked at the Funding Network (TFN), an everyday philanthropy network providing small grants to non profits through live crowdfunding events. She was responsible for delivering communications at TFN as well as managing individual and corporate memberships. Prior to this role, Grace previously worked at the Start Up Loans Company, where she manged client relations and complaints.

Grace studied at the University of Nottingham and has a degree in French, Politics and History. She is a founding trustee of Hackney Wicked Women, a Women’s Institute group in Hackney Wick.

Kate joined the membership team in August 2019 from working with Heart of the City as a foundation programme member. As one of our Membership Managers, Kate works to deliver the foundation programme and support member companies from an account management perspective.

Over the last 15 years, Kate has championed responsible business programmes within payroll and project managerial roles in the Software and Insurance sectors. Kate is really pleased that she’s now able to take this experience of building and supporting programmes to enable our members in their own journeys.

Kate studied English and History at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where she was a founding member of the student group for Diversity and Inclusion and worked in both the Theatre and Admissions offices.

Kate is Chair of Governors at her local primary school which is part of the Sutton Education Trust.

Laura moved into her current role as Membership Manager in June 2021 and is responsible for our climate action course, climate for SMES: 4 steps to action.

Laura joined Heart of the City in November 2019 as Operations Officer. Prior to that she worked in CSR at a construction firm where she helped develop responsible business plans within tenders and sites CSS plans.

Laura studied at the University of Nottingham and has a degree in Geography. In her spare time you’ll find her knee deep in arts and crafts. Her current new venture is candle making.

Louise joined Heart of the City in 2021 as Stakeholder Manager, looking after the charity’s relationships with ambassadors to champion the charity’s cause.

Louise’s passion is to work with people and organisations to help show the world why what they do, matters. Before joining Heart of the City, Louise was a co-founder and Director of Invisible Grail, a specialist leadership development organisation for higher education. Working in the UK and internationally, Louise helped create a sustainable and purpose-led company which was short-listed for a Start-up award in its second year of business.

A graduate of the University of Exeter where Louise studied Ancient History, her world is shaped by a love of learning and an appetite for food, travel and running. Her current adventure is taking her around the Welsh coastal path, running from Chepstow to Chester.

Maggie leads Heart of the City, an organisation that works with SMEs to help them to develop responsible business programmes which can range from climate action programmes, supporting their local community to reducing their environmental impact or promoting diversity and wellbeing in the workplace. Heart of the City is an independent charity which is housed by and supported by the City of London Corporation and since its inception twenty years ago, it has been at the forefront of helping small businesses to develop responsible business programmes.

Maggie was previously Executive Director for Europe for WEConnect International, a global organisation championing supplier diversity in procurement and helping majority owned women businesses to connect into the corporate supply chain. For over eight years, Maggie had lead responsibility for the organisation in Europe and her role involved developing corporate and public sector support as well as growing and supporting a network of c1,800 women-owned businesses across Europe.

Prior to this, Maggie ran an online job board, recruitment and networking forum for women working in the technology profession in the UK. Maggie remains informally involved with championing women in the technology profession and is a Freeman at the Information Technologists’ Company in the City of London.

In June 2019, Maggie was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in recognition of her services to women in business and technology.

Natalie joined Heart of the City in March 2017 from RSA Group where she managed their community and charitable activities.

Natalie has 20 years of experience of working in the charity sector and responsible business roles.  Natalie spent four years at RSA leading their charitable and community activities, including an award winning partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs. During her time at Lloyd’s of London, as secretary to Lloyd’s Charities Trust and managing Lloyd’s Community Programme activities, Natalie focused on developing strong charitable partnerships that supported their local communities and had strong charitable and business benefits.  In both roles, Natalie was also able to develop her experience of working on environmental, social mobility, D&I and wellbeing programmes.

Before her CSR roles, Natalie worked in the fundraising teams of Addaction and Médecins Sans Frontières.

Andrew Bailey served as Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) from 1 July 2016 until taking up the role of Governor. As CEO of the FCA, Andrew Bailey was also a member of the Prudential Regulation Committee, the Financial Policy Committee, and the Board of the Financial Conduct Authority.

Andrew previously held the role of Deputy Governor, Prudential Regulation and CEO of the PRA from 1 April 2013. While retaining his role as Executive Director of the Bank, Andrew joined the Financial Services Authority in April 2011 as Deputy Head of the Prudential Business Unit and Director of UK Banks and Building Societies. In July 2012, Andrew became Managing Director of the Prudential Business Unit, with responsibility for the prudential supervision of banks, investment banks and insurance companies. Andrew was appointed as a voting member of the interim Financial Policy Committee at its June 2012 meeting.

Previously, Andrew worked at the Bank in a number of areas, most recently as Executive Director for Banking Services and Chief Cashier, as well as Head of the Bank’s Special Resolution Unit (SRU). Previous roles include Governor’s Private Secretary, and Head of the International Economic Analysis Division in Monetary Analysis.

Bea is Group Treasurer having been appointed in December 2020. She is also the UK Chief Executive for UBS AG London Branch.

Bea served as Global Chief Operating Officer for UBS Investment Bank from 2015-2020, UK Chief Operating Officer for UBS AG London Branch from 2014-2019 having joined UBS in 2012 as Chief of Staff to the CEO of the Investment Bank.

Before joining UBS, Bea held senior positions at Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank. She has a Masters in Business Administration and is fluent in English, Spanish and German. She currently sits on the Supervisory Board UBS Europe SE and as well as the industry renowned UK Finance Board.

Catherine is Chair of the Policy and Resources Committee of the City of London Corporation.

She is Chair of the City’s Courts Sub Committee, the body responsible for the management of the Old Bailey and the City of London Magistrates’ Court.

She has led the City’s work on education, chairing its Education Board and the City of London Academies Trust. She is a director of “London Works”, a recruitment agency launched by the East London Business Alliance, and a commissioner on the IPPR Commission on Economic Justice.

Charles is the Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority and Chair of the Payments Systems Regulator.

He is a Non-Executive Director and Chair of Audit and Risk Committee, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; and a Visiting Fellow in financial services regulation at Queen Mary University of London.

Previously Charles

Bishop Sarah is a late ordinand who before ordination was Chief Nursing Officer in the Department of Health. She has continued her interest in the health service as a non-executive director at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust then at Salisbury NHS Foundation Hospital. She is a member of Council at King’s College London University. She was was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2005 for her contribution to nursing and midwifery.

The Rt Rev and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE was installed as the 133rd Bishop of London at St Paul’s Cathedral on 12 May 2018.

Edward is Senior partner at Freshfields, his recent work includes Advising Formula One Group, together with its shareholders including CVC Capital Partners on the $8bn sale of F1 to Liberty Media Corporation and advising Softbank Group on its $24bn acquisition of ARM Holdings.

Edward has many years’ experience to domestic and cross-border public and private M&A, including private equity and infrastructure transactions.

Dr Giles Shilson is an independent councillor for the Square Mile and the current Chair of Bridge House Estates, one of the largest charities in the UK. Established in the eleventh century, it owns and maintains five of London’s bridges at no cost to the taxpayer and, over the past 25 years, its grantmaking arm (the City Bridge Trust) has given over £460,000,000 in grants to help tackle the causes of London’s poverty, inequality, need and disadvantage.

His background is in law, governance and senior administration. He was educated at St Paul’s School and Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied Modern Languages, Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. After a Doctorate of Philosophy and two years of further study at City University and the Inns of Court School of Law, he was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple and practised as a barrister until 2005, when he left the law to develop his business and charity interests. Between 2006 and 2011, he managed a design consultancy in London and was subsequently appointed Court Secretary of the Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest regiment in the British Army. He now maintains a portfolio of Chief Executive and other senior appointments within the not-for-profit sector. Recent posts have included Chairman of the Board of the Barbican Centre, the largest multi-arts centre in Europe, and Vice-Chair of Council of Gresham College, London’s oldest higher education institution.

Ian is Chief Executive Officer of Sapphire Systems, having headed a management buyout in 1993.

Sapphire provide ERP and accounting software solutions to SME organisations. They are based in the UK, USA, Australia and Mumbai and implement products worldwide. Sapphire is a former member of Heart of the City’s SME Programme

Jo is the founder of sustainability consultancy Green & Good Consulting.  She has been a sustainability leader for 15 years and works with businesses to implement strategy and catalyse climate action.  Her clients have included large global organisations such as BAE Systems and Allianz, as well as smaller fast growth businesses such as Moonpig Group and Clear Insurance.  Her background is within financial services leading sustainability functions at Aviva and Old Mutual.

She has a deep knowledge of human rights and climate change and has sat on the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission Working Group for Business and Human Rights and the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative Working Group.

As well as a Council member for Heart of the City, Jo is a judge for the Better Society Awards, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a trustee for Street Trees for Living.

Laura is a member of PwC’s UK executive board and Chief People Officer, responsible for setting and delivering the People Strategy across the UK Firm. She is also a Partner within PwC’s People and Organisation Practice.

Prior to joining PwC in 2005, Laura was a Partner at BDO LLP where she set up and led the HR Consulting Practice. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a Certificate in General Management from Harvard Business School.

Lord Clement-Jones (CBE, FRSA) is a Liberal Democrat Peer and their spokesman for the Creative Industries in the House of Lords. He was admitted as a solicitor 1974, worked as a corporate lawyer and was head of legal services LWT 1980-1983.

He is now Chairman of the Council at Queen Mary University of London. Previously he was London Managing Partner at DLA Piper LLP.

Melissa is a Partner at international law firm Clifford Chance. She is Joint Head of Clifford Chance’s Corporate practice in London and a member of the firm’s London leadership group. Melissa is a passionate supporter of the Mindful Business Charter, which works towards removing unnecessary workplace stress and promoting better mental health and wellbeing in the legal community. She’s also an advocate for greater diversity and inclusion at Clifford Chance, and is a member of their gender pay gap working group.

Paul holds the role of CEO of Macquarie Group for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), along with head of Commodities and Global Markets (EMEA).

Paul has been head of Commodities and Global Markets (EMEA) since 2007 where he manages a team of more than 450 professionals in six offices across EMEA providing clients with an integrated, end-to-end offering across global markets including commodities, equities, fixed income, and foreign exchange.
In December 2018, Macquarie announced Paul’s appointment as regional CEO for Macquarie Group in EMEA, effective 1 April 2019.
Prior to these roles, Paul set up and managed the Macquarie Financial Products Joint Venture with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB), based in the Middle East.

Peter Harrison joined Schroders in March 2013 and is Group Chief Executive, based in London. He was appointed to the Board of Schroders plc in May 2014. Prior to his current role he was Global Head of Investment.

Before joining Schroders, Peter was Chairman and CEO of RWC Partners. From 2004 to 2006, he was Global Chief Investment Officer of Deutsche Bank’s various asset management businesses. Peter began his career at Schroders, and later spent time at JP Morgan/Flemings, as a Portfolio Manager.

Peter served as Chairman of the Investment Association Board and Advisory Council as well as the Takeover Panel from 2017 to 2020, and now sits on the Advisory Board of the Investment Association, CityUK and the International Business and Diplomatic Exchange.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of FCLT and the Prime Minister’s Financial and Professional Services’ Business Council.  He is widely engaged in improving diversity and inclusion across financial institutions.

Susan has been the Managing Partner of Hogan Lovells in the UK and Africa since 2013. Before that, she led the firm’s competition practice for seven years, helping it become recognised as one of the top three practices globally. Susan has been recognised as one of The Lawyer ‘Hot 100’ and one of The Legal Business ’50 most influential women in law’.

Susan is passionate about creating a diverse and inclusive culture and has introduced agile working, work allocation, sponsoring and mentoring programmes within Hogan Lovells in the UK. She’s on the advisory board of the industry-wide Transforming Women’s Leadership in the Law programme and a core group member of the Law Society’s Women in Leadership in Law programme, and she’s part of the management committee of the City Mental Health Alliance.

Sushil is Chair of the Heart of the City. He is also a Governor of Greenwich University and a trustee of the British Council, where he chairs the Commercial Board.

He is a senior business leader and advisor, focused on international business, technology-led transformation and education. With over 30 years’ prior experience at Accenture, Sushil has led business units in EMEA (based in London) and Asia Pacific (based in Hong Kong) and launched fintech accelerators in Hong Kong and Dubai.

Sushil graduated in engineering from Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was previously a trustee of the Princes’ Teaching Institute (PTI) and on the board of TheCityUK.

Alderman Vincent Keaveny was elected as the next Lord Mayor of the City of London on 29 September 2021. He took office as the 693rd Lord Mayor on 12 November 2021. He previously served as Sheriff of the City of London in 2018-19 and in that capacity supported the then Lord Mayor, undertaking numerous engagements and activities at home and abroad.

Vincent is a partner in the international business law firm, DLA Piper. He advises on debt capital markets, structured finance and securitisation transactions in the UK and banks, financial institutions and corporate clients in the UK and internationally on banking, finance and capital markets transactions. He is listed as a leading practitioner in his area of practice by all of the principal legal directories and is included in the legal ‘500’ Hall of Fame for securitisation practitioners. Until May 2019 he was International Co-Chair of the Financial Services Sector at DLA Piper. In 2014/15 he served as President of the City of London Law Society. He is an Honorary Bencher of Gray’s Inn.

Since his election to the City of London in 2013 as Alderman for the Ward of Farringdon Within, Alderman Keaveny has served on a number of City Corporation Committees. He is currently a member of the Policy & Resources Committee and the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Sub-committee. He also a Governor of the City of London School. Vincent is also Co-Chair of the HM Treasury & BEIS Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce.

A Liveryman of the City of London Solicitors’, the Woolmen’s, Distillers’, Spectacle Makers’, Stationers’, Framework Knitters’, Upholders’ and Security Professionals’ Companies, Vincent served as Master Solicitor in 2014/15. He is also a member of the City Livery Club, the City Pickwick Club and the Royal Society of St. George (City Branch) and the Court of The Honourable The Irish Society. Vincent is the Senior Patron of the Farringdon Ward Club.

Vincent graduated from University College Dublin with a BCL and subsequently obtained an MLitt from Trinity College, Dublin. He was recognised in 2018 by UCD as their Law Alumnus of the Year. Since his admission as solicitor in England & Wales in 1992 he has worked in private practice in the City. Vincent’s interests include theatre and the arts. He is a trustee of the Sir John Soane’s Museum, where he is the Independent Director on the Board. He chairs the board of the vocal ensemble, Exaudi, and is a director of Actors Touring Company.

Vincent is married to Amanda, an Intensive Care Nurse and in what spare time he has, he enjoys tennis and walking their Labrador.

Tiina has had a 28-year career in financial services and was recently appointed to the UKI CEO role. She’s a strong supporter of responsible business within Deutsche Bank, which is a long-standing active contributor to Heart of the City. Tiina also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Charities Aid Foundation.

Tom is the managing partner for DLA Piper, a worldwide group with more than 2,700 lawyers, where he has worked for over 14 years. Tom also leads the firm’s Tech City initiative.

Zahir Bokhari is (City of) London Senior Partner and Vice Chairman of Deloitte.  He has spent most of his 30 year career leading the Firm’s relationships with Global Systemically Important Financial Institutions.  He is passionate about the City of London role to support innovation; sustainable finance; inclusion and diversity; job creation and long-term economic growth.

He currently serves Deloitte’s global clients and has worked extensively in overseas markets, including Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, Dubai, Karachi, Zurich, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels and Oslo.  He strongly believes in providing a better future and opportunity to children through his role on the Development Board of Place2Be – a charity which enhances the wellbeing and prospects of children and their families.

Zahir is married to Sarah and has two children.  He likes spending time in Cornwall and Lahore.

Anthony Impey is the Chief Executive of Be the Business, an independent, not-for-profit organisation that is working with business leaders to boost the UK’s productivity.

As a serial entrepreneur and experienced business leader, Anthony has a track-record in starting, building, and operating businesses and not-for-profit organisations in the tech and education sectors.

He started his first business at school and went on to build several businesses including Touchbase Network and Technology House.  As founder and chief executive of Optimity, he built one of the UK’s leading providers of wireless internet services and a multi award-winning apprenticeship programme.

He also founded TechCity Stars and Tech Up Nation; not-for-profit organisations that helped disadvantaged young Londoners kickstart their careers in the tech sector.

He also chairs the City & Guilds Industry Skills Board.

He was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s 2018 New Year’s Honours for Services to Apprenticeships and Small Business.

Arjan is currently the Head of Business Banking for the London Region at HSBC. He joined HSBC in 1996 and has held a number of high-profile positions within the organisation in London, Hong Kong, Paris and the Middle East.

He has extensive cross-border banking experience in trade finance, transaction and corporate banking. He served as Chief Executive Officer for HSBC’s operations in the Czech Republic.

Carmen brings over 20 years of digital communications, marketing and brand management experience to our board. Carmen has designed and delivered award-winning corporate websites, communications campaigns, digital marketing and social media strategies for Save the Children UK, Arup, RSA Insurance Group and Marks and Spencer. She continues to maintain influential working relationships with a wide array of industry experts.

Prior to joining David Miller Architects in 2006, Fiona spent nearly twenty years in the fashion industry as a buyer for international retailers and as a director in the clothing manufacturing sector. She now applies her business skills to develop the practice with a focus on responsible business growth. She participates in a variety of organisations to support the communities where the practice works, to inspire young people to join the construction sector and to create new opportunities for DMA and for the team to contribute and grow. As a graduate of the Heart of the City’s Foundation Programme, and now as an Associate Member, Fiona brings her personal experience and perspective as an SME to the Board of Trustees. Other collaborations include Westminster Business Council where she sits on the board, the Fitzrovia Partnership, the Employers Alliance at the Sir Simon Milton Westminster University Technical College and MIPIM Ladies, a network of women in property and construction, of which Fiona is a founder member.

As External Affairs Director at the City of London Corporation, an organisation that promotes UK based financial services, Giles provides strategic advice to senior politicians and officials. He leads on developing strategic relationships with politicians, regulators, diplomats and business leaders on a wide range of public policy issues in the UK, Europe and internationally. In addition, he engages with priority markets around the world to promote trade and investment flows with the UK financial and professional services sector. He is an Associate Adviser to the British Foreign Policy Group.

Martin is Head of Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives for Siemens Financial Services. He works with businesses, states and cities to support them in achieving environmental, social and economic goals. He has been involved in building strategies and developing pathways for organizations to achieve ESG improvement as well as roles in energy purchasing and Green Funds.

Prior to this, he was the Deputy Mayor of London for Energy & Environment to the former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, responsible for policy in water, waste, air quality, energy, climate change mitigation and adaptation and biodiversity. He was also the Executive Director for the design and delivery of the City’s environmental programmes.

As Managing Director of Cambridge Management & Research he worked for the Energy Saving Trust and the Institute for Sustainability and was also Special Advisor to the C40 Cities Group chaired by Michael R Bloomberg during his time as Mayor of New York.

An Engineer, he built his career working with organizations as a consultant to structure their projects and programs.

He has two published books – “Better Cities, Better Life” and “Smart Cities – Cities in the Digital Age” and his forthcoming book “The Climate City” from Wiley publishing which involves contributions from 30 experts in the sustainable city sector.

Strategist, advisor and futures thinker, Nick Turner is the founder and Managing Partner of Stratforma, an advisory boutique that offers counsel to senior decision makers at multi-national organisations. Nick is the product of Silicon Valley and Wall Street, having served as a Managing Director and head of Strategy at Morgan Stanley, after a number of years spent in the high-technology industry in California. As a strategy consultant, Nick was the Co-President of scenario planning and experiential learning pioneers Global Business Network (GBN) and a Senior Partner of Michael Porter’s Monitor Group. Nick is a visiting lecturer in strategy, scenario planning and innovation at leading business schools, including London (LBS), Imperial College and INSEAD. Nick is also a trustee of the educational charity, Ambition Institute. He previously served as a Board Member of the Mayor of London’s Enterprise Panel (LEP), The London Skills and Employment Board (LSEB) and chaired the London Employer Coalition (LEC).

Rachel heads the Macquarie Group Foundation, EMEA, the philanthropic arm of Macquarie Group – a financial services institution with more than 13,500 employees globally.

With over 16 years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector, Rachel has previously held positions with the John Grooms charity, AOL UK and the East London Business Alliance (ELBA). Rachel is also a Trustee of Streetwise Opera and a board member of Islington Giving, which has raised over £4 million for local causes in the past five years.

Rachel is Deputy Chair of Heart of the City.

Rob is the Bank of England’s Agent for Greater London, since May 2018. He joined the bank in 1998, and for twelve years supported the Monetary Policy Committee as an economist and then senior manager.  Between 2010 and 2012 he represented the UK on the board of the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC. When he returned he worked in our press office, and most recently, supported our Financial Policy Committee by running a team monitoring developments in the UK banking sector.

Between 1990 and 1998 Rob worked as an economist and forecaster at HM Treasury, British Telecom and Manchester University. He also taught English in Japan for a year.

Rob is Director of Pro Bono & CSR at Weil, Gotshall and Manges. He manages the full breadth of activities within the London office’s award- winning Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, from involvement advising at local law clinics and fielding requests for pro bono advice from a range of leading charities, NGOs and social enterprises, to community endeavours such as Weil’s participation in PRIME, an alliance of law firms and legal departments across the UK who have made a commitment to broaden access to the legal profession.

Rob is also on the board of Special Olympics GB and Richard Hale Secondary School in addition to his role at Heart of the City.

Chris took office as Sheriff of the City of London on 27th September 2019. The ancient office of Sheriff dates back to the 7th century with two Sheriffs elected annually, they share responsibility for the smooth running of the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey and for the provision of facilities for HM Judges to administer justice there. His principal duties are to support the Lord Mayor directly on visits and official functions, which the Lord Mayor undertakes throughout their year of office. Chris also represents the Lord Mayor at City, Livery, Military and charitable events. Chris and Michael were granted an extraordinary second year of office, the first time since 1228, in order to provide continuity during the covid-19 pandemic.

Chris’s business experience extends to Executive and Non-Executive Director roles in the property, infrastructure, planning and strategic communications sectors, providing a strong connection to the issues and concerns of City business. He has served on the boards of a number of companies over the past 30 years. He is currently a non-executive Director at JBP Associates and Hayward Properties and a Consultant to the global firm of WSP. International business experience extends to a role on the Advisory Board of the Sichuan Business Association including recent visits to China. Chris also served for eight years on the Council of the Institute of Administrative Management culminating in two years carrying out international graduation ceremonies as its Chairman. In 1995 he was National President of The British Junior Chambers of Commerce.

He has also been active in his local communities, at home and in the City, having also served in senior roles on two major County Councils, those of Dorset and Hertfordshire being Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member. He has also served as Leader of the Opposition on a Hertfordshire District Council.

Furthermore, since his election to the Court of Common Council for the Ward of Broad Street in 2013 he has actively represented the City through policy work, delegations and charitable activity, particularly with International investors and in bilateral meetings with European business leaders and policy makers. He has also served the full term as Chairman of the City’s Planning and Transportation Committee.

Chris’s involvement with the Livery dates back to 1997 and he served as Master Pattenmaker in 2014/15. He is also a member of the Livery Committee, a Freeman of the Haberdashers Company, Court of the Guild of Freemen and Council of the City Livery Club. Chris’s wider civic involvement includes the Council of The Royal Society of St George (City Branch), membership of the Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks and the Ward Clubs of Candlewick, Cheap, Coleman Street, Bridge and Broad Street (Past Chairman). He is also Trustee of Barts Hospital Guild and Housing the Homeless Central Fund and of the Friends of St Margaret Pattens Church.

Outside the City he is a former Deacon of the Incorporation of Bonnetmakers and Dyers of Glasgow and maintains links with Northern Ireland on behalf of the City, supporting charities in and around Londonderry. In 2019 Chris was admitted as an Honorary Bencher of The Inner Temple.

Sushil is Chair of the Heart of the City. He is also a Governor of Greenwich University and a trustee of the British Council, where he chairs the Commercial Board.

He is a senior business leader and advisor, focused on international business, technology-led transformation and education. With over 30 years’ prior experience at Accenture, Sushil has led business units in EMEA (based in London) and Asia Pacific (based in Hong Kong) and launched fintech accelerators in Hong Kong and Dubai.

Sushil graduated in engineering from Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was previously a trustee of the Princes’ Teaching Institute (PTI) and on the board of TheCityUK.

Nurole connects tens of thousands of leaders across more than 100 countries to roles that match their interests. Whether a public company chair, a private equity CEO or a chief digital officer, Nurole enables individuals to put themselves forward, and recommend others, for career defining positions with iconic public and private companies, as well as exciting VC-backed start-ups and pro-bono roles in government and not-for-profit organisations.

Anish Shah is Vice President of EMEA Community Affairs at Morgan Stanley. He oversees the Firm’s support for charities across the region, and programmes that encourage and recognise employee giving and volunteering.

Emma Cooke is Head of Pro Bono & Citizenship, EMEA, UK & US at global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. She became involved in the Heart of the City through the newcomers programme in 2006, since then Emma has held various positions within the CSR space. Her work at Herbert Smith Freehills covers legal pro bono, volunteering, community, charitable giving, sustainability, responsible business and human rights. Emma is passionate about leading the journey of responsible business within large multi-national organisations.

Jan Phayre (MA) is the Head of CSR at Sapphire Systems and has been volunteering for years in various organisations. She became involved in CSR in 2010 when Sapphire Systems joined the Newcomers Programme. Since then, under Jan’s CSR leadership Sapphire have run workshops for over 180 children from Southwark, raised over £17,000 for charity and have given over 100 days volunteering. Sapphire was awarded a Lord Mayor’s Dragon award in 2010 for in the Heart of the City category for Best New Community Programme.

Kate has been at Slaughter and May for nine years and has a wide ranging role: from responsible business communications and reporting, to SDG mapping and the firm’s commitment to the UN Global Compact, through to the development of strategic community investment projects and leading charity partnerships. She began working in the world of CSR in 2006 and within a couple of years moved in-house to deliver CSR programmes in law firms. Outside of the day job, Kate is the vice-chair of governors at her son’s school.

Nimi Gabrie is a Senior Architect at Formation Architects and co-leads “Formation Community” the responsible business group at the practice, alongside her day job. Formation Architects enrolled onto the Heart of the City foundations for responsible business programme in 2016 and won the Heat of the City Award at the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards (2019) for businesses that were achieving excellence in social impact. Nimi has first-hand knowledge of responsible business in SME’s with a focus on fundraising efforts, her experience extends to community outreach projects, sustainability in the workplace and employee wellbeing.