CSR Assessment Panel

Alex is the founder of Auxilium Business Consulting and works with clients as a Business Consultant and Development  Manager implementing projects.

Alex has 15 years of experience in the  financial sector followed by 17 years as an office and operations manager for a bespoke furniture manufacturers, and recently 4 years running her own business combined with her  interest in sustainability,  has driven her to ensure that small business owners understand and run their business sustainably now and in the future.

One of Auxilium’s new services will ensure that her Clients’ understand the impact that they and their business make, by sowing the seeds of sustainability and ultimately helping them obtain their CSR accreditation for their business.

Auxilium Business Consulting  was recently awarded Silver CSR accreditation.

Gina is a development, marketing and client relationship management (CRM) specialist with expertise in business development strategy, key client programmes, client engagement, marketing, business process, change management and technology utilisation.

Our lawyers are dedicated to delivering the best legal advice. Simply put, we solve problems, manage risk and seek to add value. Our enduring relationships with clients lead to an outstanding service.

B P Collins LLP is all about achieving the best possible outcome for our clients, whether they are private individuals or organisations. We have a solid track record of winning cases, solving clients’ problems, safeguarding clients’ interests and giving clients peace of mind.

Our effectiveness is down to the considerable expertise of our people and the way we work with clients. Whether we are securing a complicated international acquisition or supporting their individual legal needs, our deep understanding of the law and our personal commitment make the difference.

McAndrew Leadership supports organisations to strengthen their abilities on areas such as organisational development, fundraising, corporate social responsibility and their alignment with the sustainable development goals. As General Manager at McAndrew Leadership, Barney is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of McAndrew; providing support to team leaders and staff; supporting the development of new partnerships and seeking new ways to drive forward new initiatives and services.

Having received CSR-A’s training course, Barney has worked to upskill staff within McAndrew with regard to CSR and is looking to expand the delivery of the course to organisations in Bangladesh. Barney has a strong interest in how all people and organisations throughout society can contribute to improving their communities and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We are a business-led, business-focused community for new, established and growing businesses across Buckinghamshire.

We provide our members with knowledge, support and opportunities for growth. By getting involved, you join thousands of other members benefiting from our knowledge, connections, facilities, products and services.

From our inception in 2011, when 10 local entrepreneurs and business leaders got together to discuss how to encourage business growth in Buckinghamshire, our ‘doing-it-for-ourselves’ mentality has generated a thriving business community of over 10,000 members – and growing.

Caroline’s involvement over the past 15 years working in and with responsible businesses has had a significant impact on those she has supported, not just in business but also from a development and inclusion perspective. Today, Caroline has the pleasure of watching the businesses she works with flourish in their industries and communities because of their commitment to being responsible.

Her aim, as part of the Be Ethical Training offer, is to guide inspirational leaders to drive change through their organisation and to be at the forefront of responsible business as a differentiator in their industry and communities.

We are a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, governed by a board of trustees. The charity’s objects are are specifically restricted to promoting any charitable purpose for the benefit of the community in the county of Buckinghamshire and its adjacent areas and in particular the
advancement of education, the protection of health and the relief of poverty, distress and sickness.

Diane leads our enthusiastic team of staff and volunteers. She oversees (and delivers!) our support for charities, communities and volunteers across Buckinghamshire. She is a conference speaker and training facilitator. She also provides consultancy to charities, social enterprises and the public sector.

DEBRA is the national charity supporting those directly affected by, and working with, Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) – a potentially fatal skin condition that causes constant pain due to unstoppable internal and external blistering.

At its worst, EB kills. Even in the mildest forms, EB causes lifelong disability and pain.  EB affects over 5,000 people in the UK and half a million worldwide – many remain misdiagnosed or unidentified.

We fund pioneering research for symptom alleviation and, ultimately, a cure(s).  We also provide care and support to the EB Community.

We have a vision of a world where no one suffers from EB. Until then, we strive to improve the quality of life for people suffering from EB here and now.

Your support makes our vision possible. Thank you – you #FightEB.

“If I couldn’t walk and I couldn’t type then I wouldn’t have the quality of life that I do now – and that is thanks to DEBRA.” – DEBRA Member Matt Lightfoot.

Dr Husna Ahmad OBE is the CEO of Global One 2015, a faith based International NGO focused on empowering women. She has a PhD in International Environmental Law from SOAS.

She is a Board member of Faith In Water, Faith for the Climate and Palmers Green Mosque. She is a Co – Chair of the UN Inter-agency Task Force on Religion and Development’s Multi- Faith Advisory Council; and the Coordinator for the Alliance of NGOs and CSOs for South-South Cooperation [ANSSC], which works in collaboration with the UNOSSC. She is also a member of the newly formed Women’s Faith Forum and a founding member of the Ummah for Earth initiative, which promotes climate action among the global Muslim youth.

Dr Ahmad sits on the Steering Committee of The World Bank’s Moral Imperative Initiative.

She is an honorary fellow of the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public understanding of Religion, Birmingham University.

Dr Ahmad believes the answer to global inequality lies from all sections of society. She is passionate in advocating for initiatives that contribute to women’s empowerment, diversity, inclusivity and measures to address climate change.

SDGs, CSR and Charity Expert

Dr. Hana Albanna is a Senior Social Researcher at Faith Regen Foundation, the International Initiatives Manager at Global One and an Adjunct lecturer at Hamad Bin
Khalifa University.

Hana holds a PhD in Marketing, Social Media and Public Relations from Cardiff Metropolitan University, a Public Relations professional diploma from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and a Master degree in Marketing.

Hana is part of a United Nations funded program called “the Alliance of NGOs and CSOs for South South Cooperation” which aims to capacity build and empower organisations within the Global South through the sharing and exchange of knowledge, resources, skills, expertise and innovative ideas to quicken the speed of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Hana worked closely with international development and non-profit organisations and have more than 15 years of experience in the field of international development. Hana delivered many training programmes worldwide covering strategic management, corporate communications, corporate social responsibilities and the sustainable development goals. Over the past decade, her career as a young professional has spanned different fields from marketing and public relations in the non profit sector to international development; and from cross cultural communication to women leadership and community transformation.

Ecobrand specialises in brand reputation and generating positive design and brand communication both online and in print.

We create engagement for your brand by looking at how an organisation communicates with both its internal and external audiences. We achieve this by ensuring your branding works for you and creates improved visibility, brand reputation and engagement through your website, brochures and marketing campaigns.

As an experienced brand strategist and creative Richard has pursued his passion for helping companies in both the public and private sector promote their ethical behaviour to create differentiation and improved audience engagement. Starting out as an in-house graphic designer at BP, Richard went on to work for several design and marketing agencies. Subsequently he co-founded Milestone Design Ltd in 1995 building a highly creative agency with a strong strategic edge. During this time he also became a director with the Green Organisation who run the Green Apple Awards, which recognise, reward and promote environmental best practice around the world. In 2011 Richard moved on to set up Ecobrand a full service creative agency specialising in brand communication and brand language. Ecobrand helps organisations promote their CSR and sustainability efforts as an integral part of their brand personality. To compliment this Ecobrand also run the International CSR awards.

As a marketing professional, Owen has long been passionate about helping businesses improve their profile and reputation through the use of CSR.

Having trained and qualified immediately after university, Owen followed his work with both corporate organisations and marketing agencies by establishing EWO to deliver outsourced marketing management.

The award winning consultancy has worked with many businesses, including Brother, EMAP, Saracens RFC, Argos as well as charities and not for profit organisations, developing and implementing CSR strategies that have benefited both business and charity. Owen now continues to deliver advice to businesses and charities alike, working to maximise the benefit they achieve from CSR strategies.

I work with small-business owners and sole-traders to create and implement a sustainability strategy and clearly defined goals to achieve this. This ensures that a socially responsible mindset and its practices are at the core of the business.

I am passionate about the environment and reducing the negative impact that we, as businesses, have upon it. We all want to leave a better world for future generations and I firmly believe that each of us can reduce our impact by following a few simple steps.

I am immensely proud that in 2021, Your Business Needs Me was awarded a Gold CSR Accreditation, becoming the first sole-trader to have done so.

Your Business Needs Me will enable you to understand your environmental and social impact, to take action and to reap the benefits of integrating social responsibility into your business.

Heart of Bucks is the county’s community charity, connecting people who care with local causes that matter.

We are part of a network of 46 Community Foundations across the UK, all striving to help people and organisations invest in their local communities.

We have a unique understanding of the needs of Buckinghamshire and provide the easiest way for local people to give right to the heart of their communities. Our expertise and experience in assessing local groups and projects ensures that funding reaches those who need it most and can use it effectively.

Having worked in responsible business for over ten years, Heather focuses on stakeholder engagement, responsible partnerships and ESG reporting.

Managing a portfolio of brands, Heather has engaged thousands of employees and customers across several global businesses, helping them to donate millions to charitable causes and give back through volunteering and environmental projects. She aims to empower organisations to explore the benefits of developing a responsible business strategy that champions transparency, accountability and continuous improvement.

Iskren's FinTech career starts with online payments integrations and business development at Paysafe Group through the mPOS space with one of the hottest FinTech start-ups – iZettle. With this experience and an MBA from one of the top 5 UK business schools, he is now one of the founders of KindLink – a technology with purpose company.

KindLink provides a completely free fundraising, CRM/Database and project management tool for charities. Businesses can manage their corporate social responsibility (CSR) while connecting with the charities they support, bringing full transparency in the process.

KindLink is technology with purpose where people, companies and charities connect through their charitable giving, making everybody’s impact visible. KindLink helps companies manage and showcase their social impact programmes and provides free tools that allow charities to raise more funds online and communicate their impact.

Jennifer is a seasoned sustainability leader, qualified coach and consultant with a pragmatic and empathetic approach to all sustainability and people challenges.

With 28 years experience, she was Director of Sustainability for Skanska UK leading them to being a leader in their field and winning Sunday Times Best Green Company. More latterly she was Senior Executive Vice President for Skanska construction at the global level and a non-executive on the board for Skanska USA Civil Engineering, driving sustainability strategy and combining it effectively with business goals.

Jennifer combines these two aspects to support and encourage people and companies to become more sustainable as she believes the urgency for change is becoming ever more apparent.

Founder and CEO of business consultancy exec4. Growth, change and turnaround specialists. Scoping, shaping and providing bespoke mentoring programmes for entrepreneurs and business leaders. Frequently work with senior executives, directors, entrepreneurs and start-ups to break through to the next level. Corporate career experience with acclaimed market leading global brands, growing SMEs, and family business ventures. Academically and professionally qualified: Masters in Company Direction (Leeds Business School); a pioneer Chartered Director (1999), and has served for more than 15 years on professional development IoD committees. Chair and facilitator of IoD Mastermind group(s) and chair or judge for a number of acknowledged leading business awards. Advisor to start-up, tech and digital special interest groups, NED for non-profits and trading standards. Innovator of business learning content for regional and national events. Expert panellist and MC for conferences. John is a long-term advocate of policies and good practice for CSR, diversity, inclusivity and ‘women in business’ initiatives

Julian founded Almond Tree Strategic Consulting in 2007 to help small/medium sized charities and social enterprises make a bigger impact for their communities. Julian has since supported almost 200 clients to improve governance, increase fundraising, develop effective strategies and foster positive collaborations. Almond Tree holds a Silver Level CSR Accreditation and won Gold Level CSR Excellence Award in 2019.

Michael is the global CEO of GGI Global Alliance, a leading organisation of independent law firms, accounting firms and consulting firms worldwide. He is also director of a Swiss based Family Office and Consulting Firm, having over eighteen years’ experience in advisory services. Michael holds two Masters degrees in Law, namely in Corporate and Commercial Law as well as one in EU Law from King’s College London. He is accredited as observer to the European Parliament and served in the Advisory Committee of EGIAN (European Group of International Accounting Networks and Associations, http://www.egian.eu) and is the Chairman of AILFN (Association of International Law Firms Network, http://www.ailfn.com). Michael is a member of the International Advisory Board of LSM, Louvain School of Management. He was a member of the Editorial Board of the International Accounting Bulletin and publishes articles on a regular basis in accounting and law publications.

His current activities include also several selected board memberships of national and international companies including holding companies, real estate companies, financial services providers and luxury good corporations. Michael is a board member and chairman of the strategic committee of GCG www.gcg.com,a leading Corporate Finance organisation worldwide. He has executed many cross-border M&A transactions and participated in transnational tax and estate planning for individuals of high net worth. Michael was Executive Director of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Switzerland. Prior to that, he worked as a diplomat in Rome, New York and Buenos Aires, finishing his diplomatic career in the rank of First Counsellor.

Michael is an honorary Professor of International Law and has received the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award by the Hon. President Barack Obama in 2016. He has been awarded several additional awards and distinctions and serves as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Estonia in the German and Italian speaking part of Switzerland.

Naz advises both corporates and voluntary sector organisations across different industries – including professional services, construction, and INGOs – on corporate social responsibility (CSR), philanthropy and strategic matters. He is an accountant and project manager with considerable commercial experience.

In the early part of his career, Naz held commercial facing roles within a FMCG company and with his passion for the community, he also led the CSR for this bluechip – delivering fresh new ideas around sustainability and community engagement. He later moved into the voluntary sector and worked with a number of organisations in senior capacities. Naz played a significant role in establishing a charitable foundation supporting disadvantaged communities here in Britain, and has worked with renowned UK trusts and foundations. He led on the foundation’s governance, operations, grants & programmes management, learning and impact assessment, and its endowment portfolio.

Naz’s interest lies in community development and therefore volunteers for a number of community initiatives and organisations – focussed around social mobility and young people.

Consciam’s founder, Phil Clarke, has more than twenty years experience of delivering complex projects and change management programmes for global clients across a range of industries. After graduating with an honours degree in Environmental Studies, Phil embarked on a career in industry, working for specialist consulting and research companies in the water industry and IT sectors. As Head of Environmental Sustainability for Capgemini UK, Phil was responsible for setting environmental strategy including Net Positive ambition, delivering performance improvement and ensuring environmental compliance.

Alice is the co-founder and CEO of Prosperah, a multi-award winning impact startup empowering companies to unleash the potential of the Sustainable Development Goals and make a difference for people, the planet and their business.

Before co-founding Prosperah, Alice worked in the consulting sector helping both businesses and non-profit organisations to align their strategy to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, build impactful partnerships and achieve their impact goals.

She holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where she focused on the role that different organisation can play in sustainable development.

Alice is a purpose driven entrepreneur, striving for a world where social impact and sustainability are no longer up for debate.

After a long board career in financial services management and consulting, Rob has since been working in the Not-for-Profit sector, focusing particularly on its relationship with business, working with the boards of charities and not for profits in a variety of sectors as well as coaching and mentoring senior management. Latterly as Global Head of Sustainability of Man Group plc, which, under Rob's management, was the first FTSE 100 company to become 100% carbon neutral throughout its global operations. An expert in strategy and business development, Rob has worked with many institutions, large and small including Barclays plc, Halifax plc. Lloyds plc., Kleinwort Benson, Absa Bank South Africa, the Bank of Mauritius, First National Bank of South Africa, Citibank. Not for profits include Cancer Research UK. Shelter. Kuoni Travel, the Old Vic Theatre, The Family Planning Association, The Princes Trust, Cheltenham Festivals, Birkbeck University, Movember, Phoenix Group plc, The Zoological Society of London and many others. Rob chairs two charities, Trekstock which cares for the needs of young adults with cancer and Success Club which works with vulnerable children in some of the poorest areas of London. Rob also sits on the Development Board of The Vision Foundation which, for the past 100 years has addressed the challenges faced by blind and partially sighted people in London. Rob currently coaches and mentors over 30 senior executives from various business sectors.

Saffery Champness LLP is a top 20 firm of chartered accountants whose concept of service is to solve problems, take advantage of opportunities and turn advice into action.

The firm has more than 70 partners and directors, and over 600 members of staff across nine offices in the UK, Geneva,Guernsey & Zurich. Saffery Champness is also a member of Nexia International, a worldwide network of accounting and consulting firms in over 120 countries.

Sheryl Davis, Partner, Saffery Champness LLP
Sheryl is one of the partners at Saffery Champness based in High Wycombe. Sheryl specialises in advising owner managed businesses and entrepreneurs on a variety matters including profit improvement, corporate structure and tax efficiency. Sheryl shares her clients’ passion and energy for business and derives real pleasure from helping them grow and succeed.

Ahmad was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of UK charities Al-Khair Foundation, Muslim Aid and Islamic Help and a number of other UK based not-for-profit organisations.  Ahmad has worked over 35 years spanning from local and central government, as well as in the private and voluntary sectors. He has sat on numerous boards and committees including the Policy Action Team of the Social Exclusion Unit of the Cabinet Office; the National Young People's Learning Committee of the Learning and Skills Council; and the Regeneration Practitioners' Group of the Home Office.

In 2001 he founded the Faith Regen Foundation. In 2006, he was appointed CEO of Muslim Aid where he led a programme of organisational development, which doubled the charity's income and established the organisation as a key global player in the development sector. In 2009, he founded MADE in Europe, a Muslim-led movement of young people campaigning for good causes, such as ethical farming and climate control. In 2010, with his wife Dr. Husna Ahmad, OBE, he co-founded Global One 2015, an international aid and development organisation with a focus on women's and children's livelihoods, WASH, maternal health and sustainable agriculture.

He now operates his own consultancy firm, McAndrew Leadership and Executive Coaching, to further the management practices he learnt from his mentor Brian McAndrew, a leading management guru in Britain. McAndrew Leadership supports organisations to strengthen their capacity on areas such as organisational development, corporate social responsibility and aligning their work with the sustainable development goals.

Cande Consulting specialises in events, travel, sustainability & corporate social responsibility.

Our aim is to offer solutions that support businesses to not only become more sustainable but to help you communicate this.

We offer insights, reporting, training, project development, policy advice, PR, marketing & content and research for you and your customers.

Sam Cande CEO of Cande Consulting has over 20 years’ experience in managing large international B2B conferences and exhibitions where she was previously director of The Business Travel Show, Travel Technology Europe, Homes Exhibition, Kitchens, Bedrooms and Bathrooms and Sustain Magazine.

Sam is the founder of Level, a not-for-profit organisation that drives parity in the travel industry. She has a true passion for sustainability and CSR that has followed her throughout her career since her position as Director of Sustain Magazine in 2008 and enjoyed a position as Chair of The Business Travel Association Sustainable Committee.

Sarah is the Marketing Projects and CSR Manager at Embark Group, one of the largest retirement solutions providers in the UK and part of Lloyds Banking Group.  She has more than 25+ years’ experience in marketing communications roles both agency and client side across charity, education, IT and financial services; is an advocate of Corporate Social Responsibility and champions gender equality in financial services.

Her work with a social enterprise employing young NEET people (not in education, employment or training) and the development of a STEM initiative with secondary schools led her to a career within Corporate Social Responsibility. She believes businesses hold the key to the balance between profit and social responsibility, resulting in a positive shift in communities’ economic resilience.

Established in 1994, we are an international, independent, non-profit, non-political environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.

Key to these aims are our International Green Apple Environment Awards, presented every year in the Houses of Parliament, London to companies, councils and communities who are doing their best for the environment.

The Green Apple Environment Awards were launched in 1994 by The Green Organisation and have become well established as one of the most popular environmental campaigns in the world.

They have now extended into the Green World Awards – the biggest environmental awards campaign on Earth, with entries from Governments, Ministries and Regional Authorities as well as companies, organisations, communities, etc. across the entire private and public sectors.

The Green World Awards are fundamental to The Green Organisation’s philosophy of helping others to help the environment, because the prestigious awards ceremony is held in a different country every year – raising awareness and involvement around the globe. It began in London, followed by winners from around the world attending events in New Zealand, South Korea, Dubai… The journey continues, and every carbon footprint caused by winners and their guests is offset by the planting of trees in co-operation with Green Earth Appeal and the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign.

Connect Charity was established as a brand to develop a business approach that delivers responsible and purpose led professional solutions to charities and small businesses.

Bringing together these two types of organisations means that they both benefit through sustainable support, improved business outcomes and impact that can be measured.

With over 15 years in the charity sector, delivering business strategy planning, fundraising and marketing solutions, Vickie has a range of experience that enables her to understand what an organization wants to achieve and recognize how to make it a reality.

Vickie is passionate about bringing people together that have the same values and ethics who want to develop a culture that is engaging, motivational and achieving impact with results.

The CSR Accreditation programme is the perfect conduit that brings together all of the Connect Charity values and beliefs.