Bridging the gap between five generations at work

Experienced Chair with extensive experience of working with boards on commercial and Social sectors in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. Currently Chair of board consultancy Boardelta, the charities the Royal Voluntary Service and ESSA- Education Sub Saharan Africa and a Visiting Professor at Cranfield University.

Executive experience with Air Products and FTSE 100 3i Group plc where he was a member of its Operating committee.

A leading authority on Boards and governance, member of the Higgs Review, author of the award winning “Boards” and co-author of “Five generations at work – How We Win Together for Good

Awarded an OBE in the King’s 2023 Birthday Honours list for services to charity and philanthropy in Africa and the UK.  

A recognised expert in brand leadership and now CEO and Founder of a consultancy at the intersection of brand, culture and leadership. She has over 20 years’ experience across the world, spanning commercial, education and social purpose.

Known for architecting and leading centres of excellence in professional development, Rebecca also leads and teaches on programmes at leading business schools and universities, including Cambridge and Oxford. A prolific writer and speaker, she is the author of three books, including the best-selling Meta-luxury: Brands and the Culture of Excellence (Macmillan), and co-author of Five Generations at Work: How we win together for good (Wiley). Education is at the heart of Rebecca’s non-profit and wider commitments, including on the advisories of The Chartered Management Institute, a leading AI for good company, and serving as Board Trustee of The EY Foundation. Rebecca holds two degrees from Cambridge University. 

David is Emeritus Professor of Corporate Responsibility at Cranfield School of Management. From 2007-2017, he was director of the Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility and Professor of Corporate Responsibility.

David became Chair of the Trustees Board on 01 April 2019.

He joined Cranfield in April 2007, after a thirty year career as a social entrepreneur and campaigner for responsible business, diversity, and small business development. This included founding Project North East which has now worked in nearly 60 countries around the world; being the founding CEO of the Prince's Youth Business Trust and serving as a managing-director of Business in the Community.

David has an Honorary Doctorate of Law from London South Bank University and was a visiting Senior Fellow at the CSR Initiative of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard (2005-10).

He has served on various charity and public sector boards over the past 30 years. These have included the boards of the National Co-operative Development Agency, The Prince of Wales' Innovation Trust and the Strategic Rail Authority. He chaired the National Disability Council and the Business Link Accreditation Board; in each case appointed by the Major Government and re-appointed by the Blair administration.

He is currently chairman of the national charity Carers UK championing the role of 6.5million Britons caring for a loved one. He is a former chairman of one of the UK's larger social enterprises and largest eldercare providers, Housing & Care 21 during which the organisation made corporate history by becoming the first-ever not-for-profit successfully to acquire a publicly quoted group of companies. David received an OBE for services to industry in 1994 and a CBE for services to disability in 1999.

David has written a number of books on responsible business and corporate sustainability including most recently: ‘All in - The Future of Business Leadership’ with Chris Coulter and Mark Lee. He is part of the faculty of the Forward Institute and of the Circle of Advisers for Business Fights Poverty

The Guardian has named David as one of ten top global tweeters on sustainable leadership alongside Al Gore, Tim Cook - CEO of Apple, and Facebook's COO Sheryl Sandberg.