Meet the team ready to change your world

Adirupa Sengupta

Group Chief Executive, Common Purpose Charitable Trust

Alison Coburn

Chief Executive of Common Purpose International

Andy Coxall

Managing Director, EvolveCareers

Claire Piela

Managing Director, Global Markets

Claire Piela is Managing Director, Global Markets. She helps people develop as leaders and grows partnerships which equip more people – from students to senior leaders - for future success. Claire is deeply committed to connecting and empowering others, and she loves working with so many diverse leaders all over the world.

Claire has over a decade of experience in building global partnerships that align with our social purpose, leading business development teams in Common Purpose and working on new market growth. In 2020, Claire led the development and launch of January, Common Purpose’s flagship Global Leaders Programme, developed with Google Digital Academy and continued to lead and establish the programme over two years. Before this, she played a pivotal role in the development and leadership of the CSCLeaders programme, a Commonwealth-wide senior leaders programme in partnership with HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s Commonwealth Study Conferences in this role, over several years, Claire supported the early growth of Common Purpose in Australia, Canada, parts of Asia Pacific and across Africa.

Currently, Claire leads our successful Global Students work, overseeing partnerships with 100 universities globally. In this role, she is also working on the growth of our staff development work in the Higher Education sector.

Prior to Common Purpose, Claire worked in Marketing, Public Relations and Events Management. She holds an MSc in International Public Relations and a BSc in Drama and Theatre Arts.

When she is not leading partnerships and growth at Common Purpose, Claire enjoys running, baking (and eating) cakes and spending time in the outdoors with her husband and their two young children.

David O'Connor

Director, Learning and Innovation

David is Director, People, Innovation & Learning at Common Purpose, responsible for overseeing talent, culture, brand, marketing, communications and impact across the organization. David firmly believes in the potential of people to move the dial in positive ways towards greater engagement in both work and social spaces. He is focused on driving Common Purpose’s vision for a world where people are having the real, purpose-driven conversations, the types of conversations we need to be having to bring about real change.

David has experience in multi-disciplinary work at both local and international levels, across areas such as marketing and communications strategy, brand awareness building, public relations, organizational design and innovation, product / programme development as well as creating work environments and cultures where people can feel and be at their best.

David is an experienced leadership development facilitator, delivering high impact experiential learning experiences for organizations such as American Express, Barclays plc., Greater London Authority, Google, and TED.

David holds a BBS (Hons) in Business & Marketing from the University of Limerick, Ireland.

When David is not working on all things people, culture, marketing and learning he is often found engaging in his passions for football and rugby. He is also an avid reader, theatre goer and movie buff.

Ed Herman

Group Operations Director

Ed is the Group Operations Director at Common Purpose, leading a team responsible for supporting our colleagues working on customer experience and business development across the world. Currently, he is working on several exciting operational developments that he hopes could revolutionize how Common Purposes manages both projects and resources.

Ed has acquired in-depth knowledge of Common Purpose across several disciplines, having held a variety of different senior roles - with responsibilities including local and international projects and programmes, operations, governance, sales, people development strategy, marketing strategy and implementation, internal and external communications, PR, alumni strategy and reputation management. Ed has led teams based in the US, UK, India, Singapore and Australia.

Even after more than 20 years, Ed is still excited to experience the unique atmosphere of a Common Purpose programme – wherever it’s taking place.

Ed has held various voluntary roles, including being part of the London 2012 Olympics, charity fundraising and acting as a Trustee for Liberal Judaism.

When Ed is not involved in all things Delivery at Common Purpose, or spending time with his family, he can often be found running through the streets of London, enjoying a game of cricket or "enjoying" watching Arsenal Football Club.

Marie Mohan

Managing Director, UK

Swati Mathur

Managing Director, Common Purpose Asia Pacific

David Grace

Independent Business Adviser And Non Executive Director

David is an independent business adviser and non-executive director, with a focus on social enterprise. He currently carries out a number of advisory roles, mainly providing strategic and consulting advice, as well as mentoring to professionals.

Until his retirement, David was a senior partner at PwC, where he held a variety of UK and global leadership roles within Financial Services. In his final role, he was the Global Head of Financial Crime and a member of PwC’s Global Financial Services Leadership team. He also held a number of positions focused on people development, marketing and communications. He has always been an advocate for developing people’s leadership skills, both for their own benefit, and to help create environments in which others can thrive.

David has been a Trustee of Common Purpose Charitable Trust (CPCT) since 2017 and was Chair of the CPCT Audit & Risk Committee. He has had a long involvement with Common Purpose, dating back to its original formation, with what was then Coopers & Lybrand. Over the years, he has provided ongoing PwC help and assistance. 

David is a past Trustee of Clarity & Co., a social enterprise which supported people who are visually impaired and disabled. Other non-executive roles include acting as a Special Advisor to the Audit Committee at Charity Bank, an ethical bank, and being an Audit Committee member at the Arab British Chamber of Commerce.

David has a law degree from Southampton University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

Professor Christine Ennew OBE

Provost, University Of Warwick

Christine Ennew OBE is Provost at the University of Warwick, where she supports the Vice Chancellor in the academic leadership of the University. A key aspect of her role is leading the development and delivery of the University’s academic strategy, ensuring that Warwick remains competitive and relevant within HE and beyond. She is responsible for the efficient and effective use of academic resources (including departmental resources, capital planning and space management, and information resources).

Christine graduated from Cambridge University and completed her PhD at Nottingham. Until recently she was one of Nottingham’s Pro Vice Chancellors, as well as serving as Provost and CEO of the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. She joined the University of Warwick in August 2016

She is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education, a member of the Board of Directors for Common Purpose Student Experiences, a member of the Board of Examiners for the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers and represents the University of Warwick on the Boards of a range of associated companies.

Jan Sanders

Senior Consultant, Ashurst

Jan Sanders is a senior consultant at law firm Ashurst LLP, having previously been a partner for 24 years in their projects team working on greenfield infrastructure projects and infrastructure mergers and acquisitions. During her time there she led numerous exciting transactions including The Barts and the Royal London Hospital Project involving new cancer care and heart specialist units for the capital. She also had a role in the successful bid to bring the Olympic Games to London in 2012.

Although based in London, throughout her career Jan has travelled and worked in various locations in Europe, Asia and the USA. She was also responsible for human resources matters in her department involving recruitment and promotions, appraisals and the promotion of equality and diversity. Jan has a reputation for her collaborative and inclusive style of operating, determination to see things through in a commercial and pragmatic way as well as a tremendous capacity for hard work. These attributes have enabled her to apply for and be accepted as a Magistrate sitting in her local area.

Jonathan Donner

Leadership Development Consultant

Jonathan Donner is an independent Leadership Development Consultant, based in Seattle, Washington. He is a recognized expert in the fields of Leadership Development, Talent and Learning, and he has led some of the world’s most pioneering global leadership development programs and largest learning transformations.

Jonathan’s executive experience includes global senior leadership roles at organizations including: Unilever, the United Nations World Food Programme, and, most recently, Amazon. His expertise has been recognized in the Harvard Business Review, The Economist, many important leadership books, and as part of the Executive Education curriculum of Harvard Business School and the IMD Business School in Switzerland.

Aaron Wong

Chairman of the Board, Common Purpose Asia Pacific; CEO, PayPal Singapore

As CEO of PayPal Singapore, Aaron is responsible for the governance and regulatory agenda for PayPal’s international legal entity structure. He partners with the business to drive growth initiatives and accountability for the APAC region.

Aaron has over two decades of experience in finance, business development and general management across the industrial and financial services sector. He spent 12 years with General Electric corporate and GE Capital and has lived in more than 10 cities as an international executive.

Aaron earned an MBA from IMD Switzerland, a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance from University of South Australia and a FCPA from Australia.

Lynna Chandra

Founder And Trustee, Rachel House

Lynna Chandra founded Rachel House in 2006 to pioneer the first paediatric palliative care service in Indonesia, which helped to champion the establishment of a palliative care ecosystem to benefit patients living with life-limiting conditions. Driven by the conviction that no child should ever have to live or die in pain, compassion was the underlying foundation of the organization and equitable access its reason for being. The outcome has been the flowering of this fountain of compassion, not just in the care that it provides, but its extension into the communities. 

Lynna has since embarked on a new journey in search of an equitable humane healthcare model to ensure compassionate and excellent care is available and accessible for all, in an economically sustainable way. 

Lynna is an accountant by training and spent the first decade of her career in the investment banking industry. She is an Ashoka and Atlantic Fellow, and serves on the boards of Assisi Hospice (Singapore) and Bamboo Capital Management, a private equity firm focusing on impact investment.

Mark Linder

Partner, N2

Mark is a partner with Helsinki-based N2, a Nordic design and communications group. Until 2016 Mark was a partner in the geopolitical arm of Bell Pottinger, when he moved full time to Finland. Mark previously worked for WPP as a global client leader, one of the first to put together cross-company teams that focused on global clients across the group. He was the first ever Chief Marketing Officer for KPMG.

Mark has directly developed international branding strategies and solution implementation for corporates like AT&T, Ford Motor Company, BP, Nokia, Vodafone, Andersen, KPMG, Ernst & Young, McKinsey & Company and others. He has worked in sectors characterized by perpetual controversy like GMOs (Oxitec), unconventional natural gas (Cuadrilla), and tidal range energy (Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay). His interests include energy, the built environment and conflict transformation. In Finland he has created recognized export programmes in the areas of power technology and construction safety, and created global positioning for a number of Finnish entities. He is an investor in Finnish startups with globally relevant propositions.

Peter Kulloi

Chair, Bátor Tábor Foundation

Peter Kulloi sits on the board of Serious Fun Children's Network founded by Paul Newman. He is also is co-chair of Tate’s REEAC. Before becoming a philanthropist, Peter was a successful investment banker.

Sanjeev Gupta

Executive Director, Financial Services, AFC

Sanjeev Gupta is Africa Finance Corporation’s ('AFC') Executive Director for Financial Services and a Member of the Board of Directors. His overall responsibility in AFC includes Treasury, Trade Finance, Debt Syndication, Country Relations and Financial Advisory.

Mr Gupta has 30 years of experience in Investment and Fund Management, Private Equity and Corporate Finance. His forte has been to blend together global and indigenous corporates, financial investors and governments to develop commercially viable business and development models that leave a sustainable impact on emerging market economies.

Prior to joining AFC, Mr Gupta was the Managing Partner of Emerging Markets Mergers and Acquisitions Center of Excellence at Ernst and Young. He has also been the Chief Executive Officer of Sanlam Investment Management Emerging Markets operations and was a Founder & Managing Partner of Emerging Opportunity Consulting, a boutique advisory firm specializing in SME financing.

Mr Gupta holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Calcutta, India and is an Alumnus of the Said Business School, University of Oxford, England and also an alumnus of the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, India (FCA).

Shuvo Saha

Founder, Google Digital Academy

In 2014, Shuvo set up Google’s Digital Academy, which runs a range of education programmes including "Squared" which helps develop the marketing industry’s top young talent. In 2015 he launched a new initiative, "The Talent Revolution" which provides free digital skills benchmarking for marketing departments.

Shuvo previously led Google’s Sales Team working with the FMCG industry, and also played host and curator for Google’s 'Think Marketing' events. He started his career in Brand Management at Procter and Gamble, and was an early pioneer, driving much of P&G’s first digital work in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Outside of work, Shuvo sits on the boards of three educational charities supporting development from early teens to young adults. He’s married with two sons, and lives in South West London.

Ayşegül Gurerk

Director, Common Purpose Turkey

Ayşegül is the Founding Director of Common Purpose Turkey.

Ayşegül attended the Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara. In 1998, she completed her Master's degree in Educational Supervision at Pace University, New York and lectured on Communication Skills at Bilgi University from 1998 to 2000.

Between 2000 and 2007 she worked at the British Council, first as Istanbul Education Services Manager and then Turkey Exams Services Manager. She has presented her works on English education and cultural studies at international conferences. She is also a certified Cambridge University IELTS examiner.

During her time at Common Purpose Turkey, Ayşegül has delivered Meridian for senior leaders and Frontrunner for the new recruits of a leading telecommunications company based in Turkey. She has also delivered bespoke programmes, including those covering Diversity and Inclusion. A one-day customised leadership programme; "Add Value to Their Lives and Your Life" - focusing on "Leading Beyond Authority" and "Social Responsibility" was delivered for the senior leaders of one of the biggest holdings in Turkey.

Ayşegül spends her leisure time with people she has met through Common Purpose, having become good friends with many of the graduates. She also enjoys travelling to different countries with her family.

Katharina Anna Rahne and Lena Meyer

Managing Directors, Common Purpose Germany

Katharina Anna Rahne, in short: "Käthe" spent eleven years with the non-profit Teach First Deutschland GmbH in various functions. She started out as a fundraiser in 2011, and after three years she became head of the Partners & Sponsors department, and in 2020 she moved to the business development department of the management board.

From 2009 to 2011 she completed a master’s program in fundraising and grantmaking at New York University. She gained practical experience during her studies at Amnesty International USA (2010), at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (2009), at NDR Kultur (2006-2008), among others at the Hamburg State Opera (2005/06), the Hamburg Civic Foundation and as a city ambassador from Osnabrück in Angers (F) from 2000 to the start of her studies in 2001. In her hometown at the University of Osnabrück she did her Bachelor of Arts in European studies (2004), in Hamburg she received a diploma in culture and media management in 2006 at the Hochschule für Music and Theatre and works at the KMM institute there as a lecturer for fundraising in the cultural and media management distance learning course. Katharina Rahne is associated with the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation, the German National Academic Foundation, the KMM Network eV, the Kulturpolitical Society eV, the German Fundraising Association eV and #WILMANetzwerk. She lives in Berlin. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharina-anna-rahne-09b9251b0/

Lena Meyer has worked as a special education teacher in Hamburg for the past 14 years. She took her first state exam in 2006 at the University of Hanover and completed her legal clerkship in 2008 at the Hamburg State Institute with the second state exam in the teaching profession special education.

In 2008, in addition to her work in the pilot project Integrative Support Centres of the City of Hamburg, she started at the non-profit Teach First Deutschland GmbH as a manager for the primary school curriculum. Three years later, in 2011, she took over full-time management of the regional office in Hamburg until her parental leave in 2013. After maternity leave, she started working as a special education teacher for the city of Hamburg in 2014, where she completed her training as an inclusive school development consultant, among other things. Lena Meyer took part in the Common Purpose Navigator program in Hamburg in 2010. She lives in Hamburg.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lena-meyer-bb0840243/

Ada Sim

Director of Products, Emerson Collective

Ada Sim is Director of Products at Emerson Collective. She works directly with product managers, engineers, and data scientists to co-design and develop innovative technology solutions to strengthen the social sector efforts. As a community builder and an advocate of using technology and data for positive impact, Ada has led global teams to successfully leverage data for good and re-engineer systems with technology.  

She has over a decade of experience in the financial sector at Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Merrill Lynch where she held diverse roles in development, corporate finance, investor relations, strategy, and the chief operating office. In addition, she has worked and advised a number of early stage international civil society organizations collaborating with them to identify the data that matters to further their missions in serving their respective communities. 

In 2019, Ada was part of Common Purpose's Streetwise MBA program, and she currently resides in New York City.

Ali Söğüt

Sahibi & Avukat, Adar Akaryakit

Ali Söğüt 1978 yılında Konya ‘da doğdu. İlk ve orta öğrenimini Konya‘da; lise eğitimini ise İzmir’ de tamamladı. Daha sonra İstanbul Üniversitesi Hukuk Fakültesi’nden mezun oldu. İş hayatına ortaokul ve lise yıllarının yaz tatillerinde garsonluk, tezgahtarlık, çaycılık, şehirler arası otobüs firmasında muavinlik ve taksi şoförlüğü yaparak başladı.

Üniversite yıllarında bayi sorumlusu (Kompen A.Ş.), Tıbbi Satış Mümessili (Sina Sağlık A.Ş.) Satış sorumlusu (NTS Elektronik Ltd. Şti.) olarak çalıştı. Kendi işine üniversite son sınıfta Bilgisayar ve Teknoloji Ürünleri satışı firmasını kurarak başladı. 2000’li yıllarda bilgisayar ve teknoloji ürünleri satışı amacıyla web sitesi kurarak, yaklaşık 3600 adetlik ürün portföyü ile ilk elektronik ticaret yapanlar arasında yer aldı. ERP (Kurumsal Kaynak Planlama) konusunda danışmanlık yaptı. Ardından İnşaat ve Kuyumculuk sektörlerinde faaliyet gösteren şirketlerde ortak yönetici olarak görev yaptı.

Ülkemizde yaşanan 2008 krizinin ardından, fiili olarak Serbest Avukatlık yapmaya başladı. Tekstil sektöründe faaliyet gösteren bir firmada İcra Kurulu üyeliği yaptı.

Ticaret yapma arzusunun ağır basmasına istinaden, 2015 yılında Ali Babanın Çiftliği A.Ş. firmasını memleketi Konya’da kurarak, %100 yerli sermayeli Opet markası altında Akaryakıt sektöründe faaliyet göstermeye başladı. Sektördeki başarısının ardından 2017 yılında İstanbul merkezli olan ve yine Opet markası altında faaliyet gösteren Adar Akaryakıt firmasının tüm hisselerini satın alarak sektördeki büyümesine devam etti. Üçüncü istasyonunu, yine %100 yerli sermayeli Aytemiz markası altında açmak üzere yatırım çalışmalarına devam etmektedir.

Üç kız çocuğu olan Ali Söğüt yaklaşık 1 yıl Amerika’da yaşamış ve İngilizce eğitimini Intrax USA’da almıştır. Seyahat etmeyi seven Ali Söğüt, Türkiye ‘de 72 il ‘e ve Dünya ‘da 52 Ülkeye ve 85 Şehir ‘e gitmiştir. Yurtdışı gezilerinin bir kısmını motorsiklet ile gerçekleştirmiştir. 50 yaşına kadar 100 ülkeyi görmeyi istemektedir. Kitap okumanın yanında, Sky Diving, Scuba Diving, Kayak, Rafting ve Motocross sporları ile ilgilenmektedir.

Alvin Ng

Regional VP & General Manager, Johnson Control

Alvin Ng is the regional VP & General Manager of Johnson Control, responsible for JCI’s Digital Solution across Asia Pacific & Japan. JCI Digital creates self-conscious, self-healing and occupant-driven building that unlocks new possibilities of how enterprises discover new insights, find efficiencies, and create other sources of value and sustainability.

Prior to JCI, Alvin was the General Manager of GE Digital chartered to lead GE Digital’s industrial software solutions and services that bring together brilliant machines, data, insights, and people to drive real-time connectivity and data intelligence through a digital thread in Asia.

He has over 20 years experience in sales management, business and market development, and has held a series of global leadership roles. Three of those years were spent in Europe.

With his extensive experience and passion for Digital Transformation and Advance Technologies (IOT and AI), he serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at NTU Nanyang Business School and as a founding member of World Economic Forum’s Digital ASEAN Skills Task Force. He is also a Senior Career Fellow and plays the role of an executive coach Global Executive MBA and Full-Time MBA programme at Nanyang Business School.

Before joining Johnson Control and GE Digital, Alvin Ng was the Regional Vice President, Banking Products & Solutions, for Wincor Nixdorf.  He leads the Software Business Unit for Asia Pacific & Japan and have the overall P&L responsibility for sales, consulting and professional services.  

Alvin began his leadership journey in Cisco Systems as the Managing Director of Cisco Systems Global Enterprise Sales with responsibility over Cisco Systems’ largest Global Enterprise customers. 

Amee Parikh

Director, Amansa Capital Pte. Ltd

Amee Parikh is a corporate law and finance consultant with over twenty years’ experience across both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors. Presently she is an executive director at Amansa Capital, Amansa Fund LP, Amansa Holdings, Amansa Investments and AAP Advisors.

She is also an independent corporate law consultant enabling start-ups with legal and finance advice.

Amee is a non-executive director of Amansa Social Foundation which engages with social entrepreneurs and undertakes philanthropic activities in India.

In addition, she serves on the board of Magic Bus.

Amee was an assistant lecturer for Economics and Public Policy at LEE KUAN YEW School of Public Policy, Singapore between 2009 and 2011.

Prior to that, she had set up a proprietary firm, Amee Parikh & Co. which provided business law consultation to corporates since 1990 to 2007.

Amee was educated at Bombay University and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
She has also done her ICSA (Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators), UK.

Amy Stillman

Senior Director of Strategic Communications, Grads of Life

Amy Stillman is the Senior Director of Strategic Communications at Grads of Life, a non-profit organization working with  U.S. employers to implement skills-based talent practices that drive diversity and equity outcomes. She was the Chief Communications Officer of the Global Impact Investing Network, an international non-profit working with financial institutions to increase the amount of investment capital going to social and environmental businesses around the world. Prior to that, she was Director of Communications and Policy at the UK's leading venture philanthropy organization, the Impetus Trust.

She was previously the Head of Communications and Public Engagement at Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). From 1999 - 2007, she was Marketing Director at global leadership development organization Common Purpose. Her background also includes senior marketing and communications roles at commercial organizations, including Merrill Lynch and WATG, as well as marketing consulting firm The Commonwealth Group.

Amy spent 26 years in London before returning to the United States in 2014, and currently lives in Boston.

Ebony D. Thomas

Managing Partner, Strategic Growth and Operations, Grads of Life

Ebony is a seasoned executive and organizational transformation SME. She serves as the Managing Partner of Strategic Growth and Operations at Grads of Life (GOL), a national initiative that advises leading employers on talent acquisition, workforce equity, and skills-first employment practices. Specifically, Ebony focuses on building processes and infrastructures that will anchor and enhance Grads of Life’s operational excellence and advisory practice. She leverages her finance and management consulting background to help GOL think strategically about its next phase of growth, ways in which to optimize its business processes, and how to ultimately close the Opportunity Divide across our nation.

Ebony began her career on Wall Street at Goldman Sachs and went on to work for Fannie Mae. Prior to joining GOL, Ebony spent over 13 years as a leader at Booz Allen Hamilton specializing in strategic organizational transformation, change management, and business development. There, she served as a thought leader in the development of actionable solutions for an array of clients including the Department of Defense (DoD), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Beyond delivering high-quality client service, Ebony has long been committed to leading successful firm-wide diversity efforts and has been instrumental in shaping programming for Business Resource Groups (BRGs) and ensuring that diverse corporate populations have the advocacy, access, and sponsorship to succeed. Ebony has an extensive history of providing pro-bono support to enhance operations and further the mission of several non-profits including Collegiate Directions Inc., the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF), Thrive DC, Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA), the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the Hidden Heroes Campaign with Senator Elizabeth Dole, and the Association of Defense Communities (ADC). She proudly sits on the Boards of Per Scholas, The Washington Performing Arts Society (WPA), The Campaign School at Yale (TCSY), and Seneca Village Capital.

Ebony holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Spelman College where she was a Bonner Scholar and an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was both a Dean’s Fellow and a Bank of America Fellow. She is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute (PMI), a Change Management Advanced Practitioner (CMAP) through Georgetown University, and a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt through Dartmouth College. Ebony has received numerous awards including her most recent recognition as the winner of Consulting Magazine’s 2023 Global Leader Award for Excellence in DEI Programming and previous recognition such as the Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) Science Spectrum Trailblazer Award, the Women of Color in STEM Rising Star Award, and The Network Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award. Ebony enjoys cooking, golfing, art collection, and interior design.

Barbara Kokonya

Managing Director, Very Chic Limited, Kenya

Barbara Kokonya is Founder & Managing Director of Very Chic Limited, a promotional merchandise company, and at KoKo by Khakasa™, a lifestyle brand. 

Prior to going into entrepreneurship, Barbara worked in the sports industry for over ten years. She was the first female to hold the position of General Manager at both Cricket Kenya and Kenya Rugby Union. She consulted for the International Cricket Council in the dual position of Host Liaison and Event Coordinator for Kenya and Zimbabwe during the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

She has a joint Executive MBA degree from Maastricht School of Management and Eastern and Southern African Management Institute.

Outside work, Barbara is passionate about education, mentorship and empowerment of young men and women across Africa. She currently mentors high school girls under a UK registered Trust called Precious Sisters and also runs the KOKO Accelerator Program, which focuses on empowering artisans grow their handicraft micro-enterprises.

James Campbell

Chief Executive Officer and President of Rockwell Diamonds Inc

James Campbell is currently Chief Executive Officer and President of Rockwell Diamonds Inc. Prior to this he was Vice President - New Business for Lucara Diamond Corp, following Lucara's acquisition of African Diamonds plc, where he was Managing Director for four years.

Preceding this, James was with De Beers for over twenty years, culminating in being General Manager responsible for advanced exploration and resource delivery in the Global Mining and Exploration group. During his career with De Beers, he also led a number of diamond exploration and evaluation programmes and small-scale mine development as well as being involved in corporate and strategic management and being Nicky Oppenheimer's Personal Assistant.

James holds a degree in Mining & Exploration Geology from the Royal School of Mines (Imperial College, London University) and an MBA with distinction from Durham University. James is a Fellow of the Institute of Mining, Metallurgy & Materials, Chartered Engineer (UK), Chartered Scientist (UK), a Professional Natural Scientist (RSA) and a member of the Institute of Directors of South Africa.  He is also a director of Bugeco sa, Swala Resources Inc and Stellar Diamonds plc.

As part of James' social commitment to South Africa, he serves as vice chairman of the South African Ballet Theatre ('SABT'), chairman of the South African Ballet Theatre Trust ('SABTT') as well as chairman of Common Purpose South Africa. He is also a licensed Lay Minister in the Anglican Church of South Africa and an accomplished Ballroom and Latin American dancer. James lives in Irene with his wife, who is a ballet and ballroom dancing teacher, and two university going daughters.

Bettina Jorzik

Programmleitung Lehre, Akademischer Nachwuchs, Stifterverband

Bettina Jorzik ist seit 2003 beim Stifterverband und verantwortet dort als Programmleiterin Lehre, Akademischer Nachwuchs alle Aktivitäten und Förderprogramme, die der Verbesserung und Weiterentwicklung der Qualität von Studium und Lehre dienen. Zuvor war sie zwölf Jahre im Wissenschaftsministerium des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen beschäftigt.

Common Purpose hat sie als Teilnehmerin des Ruhr Meridians 2009/10 kennengelernt. Für sie bedeutet Common Purpose, gemeinsame Sache zu machen und Verantwortung zu übernehmen für die Gestaltung des Gemeinwesens. Denn die Zivilgesellschaft sind nicht die anderen, sondern wir alle. Deshalb engagiert sie sich seit Juni 2018 im Vorstand von Common Purpose sowie im Kuratorium für den Standort Ruhr.

Fotorechte: David Außerhofer/Stifterverband

Carol Abade

Group CEO of Exp. A Pan African Experiential Marketing and Sponsorship Agency

Kenyan-born Carol Abade is the Group CEO of EXP. A Pan African Experiential marketing and sponsorship agency. After co-founding a company called Direct Marketing Communications, Abade joined forces with Group Africa Marketing to form EXP, which now has operations in more than 19 African countries.

Since first becoming interested in experiential marketing, Abade has been actively involved in the launch of Exp in 15 countries over the last 20 years, and considers this one of her greatest personal achievements to date. Her focus is on driving the multidimensional aspects of experiential marketing and effectively applying these techniques both from a commercial and social perspective in order to improve the living conditions of the poor in Africa, through Behaviour Change Communication modeling.

Her current passion is in developing Social and Cause Marketing techniques to drive measurable change in behavior for the greater good of the communities in which we work. She believes that communication is key to delivering real change and improving living conditions by empowering communities.

Güler Polat

Ortak İdealler Derneği, Yönetim Kurulu Başkan Yardımcısı, Avukat, Güler Polat Hukuk Bürosu

1961 yılında Denver’de (ABD) doğdu. İlk, orta ve lise öğrenimini Adana’da tamamladı. İstanbul Üniversitesi Hukuk Fakültesi’nden 1984 yılında mezun oldu.

2002-2003 yıllarında TRT 2 Radyosunda canlı yayında “Hukuk Hepimize Lazım” konulu Temel Hukuk Kavramları ve Yasal Düzenlemelere ilişkin kadınlara yönelik bilgilendirici programı hazırlayıp sundu. 2004–2011 yılları arasında İstanbul Barosu Engelli Hakları Komisyon Başkanı olarak çalıştı, çeşitli emsal davalar açarak, çeşitli TV programlarına danışmanlık yaptı, konuk olarak katıldı. Engelli haklarının hayata geçirilmesi ve eğitimlerle, hakların yaygın kullanımı için farkındalık yaratmaya çalıştı. Avrupa İnsan Hakları ve Birleşmiş Milletler Engelli Hakları Sözleşmeleri konusunda iki yıl süre ile Eğiticinin Eğitimini aldıktan sonra çeşitli Sivil Toplum Kuruluşları ile Engelli Hakları konusunda çalışmalara ağırlık verdi.

2010 yılından itibaren uzun bir süre Toplumsal Haklar ve Araştırmalar Derneği’nin hukuk danışmanı olarak gönüllü hizmet Verdi, aynı yıl Cenevre’de Birleşmiş Milletler Ekonomik ve Sosyal Haklar Komitesi’ne Türkiye’de Engelli Haklarının Uygulanmasına yönelik sorunların sunumunu yapan grupta yer aldı. 2011 yılından 2017 yılına kadar Mimar Sinan Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesinde kendi önerisi ile müfredata alınan Engellilik ve Mimarlığa Hukuki Bakış dersinin okutmanlığı görevini sürdürdü. 2017 yılında Aile ve Sosyal Politikalar Bakanlığı bünyesindeki bakım ve huzurevleri çalışanları ile birlikte yürütülen projede danışman ve eğitmenlik yaparak Vesayet Hukukunun Huzurevlerinde uygulanması konusunda rehber hazırladı, Yaşlı Hakları ve Vesayet Hukuku konusunu da çalışma alanına dahil etti. Mütevelli heyetinde olduğu Türk Toplum Hizmetleri Vakfı, Kurucuları arasında yer aldığı Doğum İçin El Ele Derneğine ek olarak Yeni Doğan Hakları ve Yaşlı Hakları konusunda çalışmalar yapan kurum ve kuruluşlarla çalışmalar yapmaya devam ediyor.

Carol Conway

Owner, Freelance Catalyst

A graduate of both Psychology and Economics, Carol is a lifelong Behavioural Scientist with a passionate interest in human dynamics and a fundamental belief in people. Her work revolves around assisting individuals and organizations to achieve more of their potential. On any given day that can include training, facilitation, leadership development or coaching.

Carol’s mission in life is to share information so that those she works with can achieve more; personally, professionally and organizationally. She has worked with CEOs, management teams and Boards of numerous organizations.

Carol also designed and co-ordinated the Young Community Leaders project for the Northside Partnership (2011–2015), producing 125 young leaders in five years who are all working to make their community a better place. Since she works predominantly within the Voluntary and Community sector, Carol sees the value of her work as being better outcomes for Irish society.

In addition to her Freelance work, Carol is currently a Board member of Common Purpose Ireland and sits on the Governance Sub Group of The Wheel.

Dr Atiya Mosam

Public Health Medicine Specialist and Senior Researcher: PRICELESS SA - Samrc/Centre For Health Economics And Decision Science

Dr Atiya Mosam is a proudly South African Public Health Medicine Specialist who also holds a Masters of Public Health (Policy and Management) and a Masters of Medicine (Community Health). Atiya holds an interest in healthcare financing and economics as well as health promotion and prevention for non-communicable disease and is currently working at PRICELESS SA as a senior researcher.

Atiya’s passion for social upliftment extends beyond her career. She has been involved in numerous projects to increase awareness of and funding to various causes such a homelessness and HIV affected youth. She served on the Board of the Public Health Association of South Africa and is a current director of Common Purpose SA. Atiya has recently been chosen as a one of 20 Young Physician Leaders to participate at the 2019 World Health Summit.

Dr Kenneth Ashigbey

Chief Executive Officer, Chamber of Telecommunications, Ghana

Dr Ing. Kenneth Ashigbey is the CEO of the Ghana Telecommunications Chamber. He has been a member of Common Purpose South Africa’s Africa Venture Selection Panel since 2019 till the 2022, when the role was changed to Africa Advisory Panel. He is the Board Chairman of Lumen Christi Catholic Media Ltd and is a non-executive board member of the Old Mutual Pensions Trust Ghana.

Prior to his appointment at the Chamber, he was Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group Ltd. Before then, Ken was the Chief Operating Officer for Multi TV, General Manager of JoyFm as well as the Chief Technology Officer of the Multimedia Communication Group at different times. In between his time at Multimedia, he was also Managing Director of Optimum Media Prime, a media independent and marketing company. He left Fanel Ltd, a building services engineering company as a Senior Projects Engineer.

He holds a Doctorate degree in Business Administration from SMC University. He also has an MBA in Finance from Leicester University (UK) and a BSc in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He is a 2018 CSC Leadership alumnus and a fellow of the Ghana Institution of Engineering, Institute of Directors Ghana, Institute of Certified Economist. He is also an Accredited Member Institute of Public Relations and is a Project Management Professional.

Apart from the LCCML, Kenneth also serves on other boards, councils and committees. He is the Chairman of the National Engineering Coordinating Committee and was recently appointed to the National Employment Coordinating Committee. For his alma maters he is the convener of his year group, APSU88 (St. Augustine’s College) and for his university, he is the chairman of the KNUST Media Management Board. Ken is an avid media rights advocate and a firm believer in the potential of the African, especially the youth.

Elfriede Eckl

Regional Lead-Partner Frankfurt/Rhein-Main-Gebiet Und Niederlassungsleiterin Eschborn/Frankfurt A.M., Ey

Elfriede Eckl ist seit Juni 2018 Mitglied des Vorstands des Common Purpose Deutschland e.V. 

Seit 2001 ist sie Partner bei EY und seit 2016 Leiterin der Niederlassung Frankfurt von EY, der Central Region mit ca. 2.600 Mitarbeitern. Sie ist verantwortlich für die Präsenz EYs im lokalen Markt und der Koordination der EY Service Lines, Standortleitung/Office Management unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Nachhaltigkeit und unternehmerischen Sozialverantwortung sowohl in finanzieller als auch in inhaltlicher Hinsicht. Sie betreibt weiterhin aktive Mandatsbetreuung und leitet das Leasingkompetenzzentrum in GSA. (Germany Switzerland Austria)

Sie ist ein Genussmensch der nicht nur gutes Essen liebt, sondern auch gerne und regelmäßig für Familie und Freunde kocht.

Common Purpose hat sie als Teilnehmerin des Matrix Programms kennengelernt. Sie unterstützt das Kuratorium in Frankfurt und seit 2018 ist sie auch im Vorstand von Common Purpose aktiv.

Emre Hantaloğlu

Ortak İdealler Derneği, Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı, Genel Müdür, Lenovo Türkiye

Bilişim sektöründe 20 yıldan fazla deneyime sahip olan Hantaloğlu, Kasım 2017’den bu yana dünyanın en büyük teknoloji firmalarından biri olan Lenovo’nun Türkiye organizasyonunun başında yer alıyor. Hantaloğlu, Lenovo Türkiye Genel Müdürlüğü görevinden önce yine Lenovo’da Kanal Satış Müdürü olarak kariyerini sürdürüyordu.

Emre Hantaloğlu, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Elektrik Mühendisliği Bölümü mezunu. Lisans eğitiminin ardından ABD’ye giden ve burada Maine Üniversitesi’nde İşletme yüksek lisansı yapan Hantaloğlu, iş hayatına Empa Elektronik ve Bilgi Teknolojileri A.Ş.’de Ürün Müdürü olarak başladı. Sektörde aralarında Compaq, HP, Türk Telekom ve Samsung’un da olduğu önemli teknoloji firmalarında yöneticilik görevleri üstlendi.  Lenovo Türkiye’nin Türkiye Eğitim Gönüllüleri Vakfı (TEGV), İTÜ ARI Teknokent başta olmak üzere hepsi alanlarında öncü olan kuruluşlarla bir araya gelerek kurduğu “Teknoloji ile Üretelim” platformunu hayata geçirilmesinde aktif rol aldı. TEGV ile Diyarbakır Ergani’de ve İzmir Gümüşpala’da “Tasarım ve Beceri Atölyesi” adı verilen teknoloji sınıflarının açılışlarını gerçekleştirdi.

Emre Hantaloğlu, 2020 yılında TEGV ile Lenovo Türkiye’nin ortaklaşa başlattığı 2020 - 2021 yılı boyunca toplam 50.000 çocuğun digital düşünce ve kodlama giriş eğitimleri alması projesine  ve 2022 yılında başlatılan ve devam etmekte olan Türkiye’deki 1 milyon görme engellinin bilgisayar kullanım engellerini ortadan kadırmayı amaçlayan, Blindlook platformunun Lenovo bilgisayarlarına entegre edilmesi projelerine öncülük etmektedir.

Emre Hantaloğlu, VİZYON 100 Platformu Danışma Kurulu Üyesi, COMMON PURPOSE Türkiye Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı ve TÜBİSAD Yönetim Kurulu üyesidir.

Eugene Ho

Global CSR Director, Future Skills, SAP

Eugene is an accomplished corporate affairs leader with close to two decades of experience in the Information Technology sector, he is also a respected speaker, having spoken at international conferences and schools about leadership, skills development, sustainability, technology, and volunteerism. He contributes to advisory and advocacy committees including Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs East and Southeast Asia and the EU-ASEAN Business Council. Eugene was involved in consultations and programmes with international development organizations including ASEAN, UNICEF, UNDP, UNV, GIZ, Commonwealth Secretariat, and the World Economic Forum on ASEAN.

As Global CSR Director at SAP, Eugene is responsible for leading and developing the company’s global CSR flagship skilling programs targeted at youths in need to reduce inequality in education and employment. He works closely with partners across the public-private-plural sectors to ensure that youths have access to the skill development and jobs opportunities needed to succeed in the Digital and Green Economy.

Prior to this, Eugene oversaw SAP’s CSR efforts across 18 markets in the East Asia & Pacific region as the Regional Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. He is responsible for grant management and employee volunteerism to support SAP CSR’s focus areas to accelerate social business, build future skills, and collaborate for sustainability. He was instrumental to SAP receiving many recognitions including the ASEAN Business Award (2021 & 2018) for socio-economic contributions to the region. The company was also recognized as a “Champion of Good” by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (2022 & 2020).

In addition, Eugene had led Corporate Affairs for more than 5 years in SAP South East Asia as a member of the Senior Executive Team, during which he had founded the ASEAN Data Science Explorers programme in 2017, impacting more than 40,000 youths over 6 years.

Eugene holds an MBA from the University of Strathclyde, a Bachelor of Psychology from James Cook University, a Graduate Diploma in Communication Management & Innovation and an Executive Certificate in Leadership from the Singapore Management University.

Fiona Keane

Head of Human Resources Europe, Standard Life International

I have 25+ years in Business Management and Human Resources. In my career to date I have held a number of senior leadership roles in the manufacturing, technology and financial services sectors in the UK and Ireland.

I have been with Standard Life International, an investments and long term savings company providing solutions to financial advisers in the Irish, German and Austrian and UK Offshore channels, since 2010 and currently hold the position of Head of Human Resources Europe. I have successfully led strategic organisational change projects, including most recently as European HR Lead for the Brexit Programme and the acquisition of Standard Life International by the Phoenix Group.

I am energised and driven by improving business outcomes and individual performance through connecting people to new thinking, ideas and practice, and I coach and mentor leaders and high potential talent inside and outside my organisation. I hold a Business degree and an MSc in Organisational Behaviour from Trinity College.

H. Işık Deniş

Ortak İdealler Derneği, Yönetim Kurulu Genel Sekreteri, Genel Müdür Yardımcısı, Başkent Doğalgaz Dağıtım GYO A.Ş.

Jack Kavanagh

Pharmacist, Speaker & Non Exec Director

I am a performance and resilience coach, speaker and a qualified healthcare professional.

In 2012 I suffered a life changing spinal cord injury leaving me with 15% muscle function.

This ignited a passion for life and motivated me to help others live more aligned, courageous, fulfilling lives, fuelled by purpose and centred in their values. In 2019 I was awarded as one of "Ten Outstanding Young People of the Year" as a dynamic individual who is doing inspirational work. I am passionate about creating environments where everyone can explore their potential and so am excited to join the board of directors of Common Purpose Ireland along with the National Disability Authority and Center for Excellence in Universal Design.

In my work as a coach and speaker I am passionate about accompanying people on their journey of wellbeing, mental fitness, personal development and leadership. I work with individuals and groups as they transform towards the person or team they want to and can be. I strive to facilitate and empower people and teams that are engaged, resilient, willing to create space for curiosity, vulnerability and insight, to build awareness and perspective, to understand and appreciate their potential then to grow into it, helping to reframe adversities for possibilities. I help people and groups to live and lead more intentionally, to move with purpose, clarity and deliberate action towards goals with an understanding of their why. I ultimately intend to assist people lead open, courageous, authentic, inspired, impactful, adventurous and compassionate teams, organisations and lives. How? Through 1:1 coaching, workshops and keynote speeches. I strive to create environments where people feel more connected, less disillusioned and have permission to lower their masks so the world gets to see more of their magic.

As a Pharmacist and Health Professional I strive to understand health in all its guises, what makes and keeps us well. I was inspired by The World Health Organization (WHO) who in 1948 defined human health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Thus far, my experience has shown me that western medicine, including pharma and interventional medicine, has an important place allowing many a quality of life they may otherwise not have available. However it has also highlighted for me the absolute necessity for a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, something I am very passionate about in my private life and in the environments I work in.

Jane Trenaman

Founder, The HX Consultancy

Jane passionately believes in driving social impact, the power we have to shape the human experience - and the need to get out of our tribes to do so.  With over two decades of experience in the commercial and non-profit sectors, she has held various public engagement and fundraising leadership roles over the past 13 years.   She currently chairs Fundraising Director Networks in the UK and Ireland and has served on boards and advisory committees for Christian Aid Ireland, Samaritans Ireland, and the National Opera House.  As a Non-Executive Director with Common Purpose Ireland, she continues to be a strong advocate for the empowerment of income generation to drive social impact. 

She holds a degree in Business & Economics from TCD, a Masters in International Marketing from UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School and Professional Diplomas in Digital Marketing and Customer Experience.  She is the Founder of The HX Consultancy where she wholeheartedly applies these skills across a range of organizational types and sectors. She is also an alumnus of the Common Purpose Senior Leadership programme which above all solidified her belief in the power of cross-sectoral collaboration for social impact.

Jo Maharaj

Head of Loan Capital Market Solutions, Rand Merchant Bank

Jo has 13 years’ experience in investment banking spanning derivative structuring, institutional sales, loan syndications. She joined RMB in 2011 and was appointed to lead the Syndications and Distribution team for South Africa and African Regions 2017. In 2021 she was appointed as the Head of the Loan Capital Market Solutions (“LCMS”) team, which consists of the Loan Syndication, Insurance, Export Credit Agency Finance and Offshore Structured Sales business. She is a member of the RMB Investment Banking Executive Committee.

During her tenure at RMB, she has acted as Chair to RMB Aperture - RMB’s Diversity, Inclusion and Equity workplace forum; is a member of RMB Athena Exco – RMB’s Gender Equality initiative; and a founding member of RMB Origin Lamba – RMB’s LGBTQIA+ affiliation group.

Prior to joining RMB, she worked at Absa Capital in Infrastructure & Public Sector coverage. She holds a Master’s degree in International Finance and Development Economics from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, Boston and a BA in Law and Economics from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

Joseph Ruane

Health Manager, Health Service Executive

Joseph is originally from Galway but now lives in Dublin.

For over 20 years, he has worked in the Health Services in Northern Ireland, England and Ireland holding a number of senior positions and his current role is Head of Primary Care for the Midlands, Louth and Meath.

His studies include B Sc. (Hons) Human Nutrition from the University of Ulster, Diploma in Professional Development (Community Organisations) and M.Sc. in Health Service Management from the University of Wales College of Medicine, Barrister-at-Law Degree from the Honourable Society of the Kings Inns and a Diploma in Leadership & Quality from the Royal College of Physicians.

His interests include sports, politics, podcasts and attending as many sporting and cultural events as possible.

Julia Middleton

Founder, Common Purpose & Women Emerging From Isolation

Julia is passionate about helping people from all backgrounds to develop as leaders and make an active and tangible contribution to their communities and to wider society.

Julia is the author of two bestselling books: Beyond Authority and Cultural Intelligence.

In the autumn of 1989, Julia founded Common Purpose, which has grown to be one of the biggest leadership development organizations in the world. Julia stepped down from the position of Chief Executive in 2019.

Julia continues to support Common Purpose as a volunteer.

In April 2020 she launched Women Emerging from Isolation which she now leads. Julia is also a member of the Advisory Group of Common Purpose in Pakistan and is a Patron for Common Purpose of the Europe101 initiative.

She is on the board and chairs the investment committee of Alfanar (delivering Venture Philanthropy in the Arab World), is on the International Advisory Council for Fundação Dom Cabral (a business school in Brasil), is a Senior Fellow of Babson College, is a trustee of The Wren Project (supporting people with autoimmune conditions) and is a Goodwill Ambassador of the Aurora Forum (a global humanitarian initiative run out of Armenia).

Julia was born in London and educated at French Lycées around the world. She worked for the Industrial Society after receiving an economics degree from the London School of Economics. She is married, and has five children, one daughter in law, one son in law and one granddaughter.

Leyla Alaton

Yönetim Kurulu Üyesi, Alarko Holding & Yönetim Kurulu Başkani, Alvimedica

Leyla Alaton İstanbul'da doğdu, Şişli Terakki, Lycée Sainte-Pulcherie ve Notre Dame de Sion okullarına devam etti. ABD'deki Fairleigh Dickinson Üniversitesi'nden İşletme Yönetimi, ayrıca New York Üniversitesi'nde Sosyal Bilimler alanında yüksek lisans mezunudur. Alaton, Alvimedica Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı ve Alarko Holding Yönetim Kurulu Üyesidir.

Kariyerine 1986 yılında babası İshak Alaton ve ortağı Dr. Üzeyir Garih tarafından kurulan Alarko Holding'de başlayan Alkent - Etiler Uyduşehir ve Alsit Villakent projelerinin tanıtım ve pazarlamasını yönetti. 1992 yılında Milli Prodüktivite Merkezi tarafından “Yılın İş Kadını” seçildi. 1993 Davos Dünya Ekonomik Forumu'nda “Geleceğin Liderleri” arasına girdi. Aynı yıl Megatrend Halkla İlişkiler danışmanlık şirketini  kurdu ve Aérospatiale ve Alcatel gibi dünya devlerine danışmanlık hizmeti verdi. 2014 yılında Türkiye-Fransa ilişkilerine olumlu katkılarından dolayı Fransa'nın en yüksek nişanı olan Légion d'Honneur ödülüne layık görüldü.

Sivil Toplum Kuruluşlari

• TÜSİAD (Türk Sanayici ve İş İnsanları Derneği)
• GYİAD (Genç Yönetici ve İş Adamları Derneği)
• KAGİDER (Türkiye Kadın Girişimciler Derneği)
• Darüşşafaka Cemiyeti
• Contemporary Art İstanbul
• Cartier / Women’s Forum
• New Museum, NY
• Make A Wish (Bir Dilek Tut)
• YPO (Young Presidents' Organization)
• Ortak İdealler Derneği (Common Purpose)

Linda Yanta

Auditor and Independent Consultant in Corporate Governance

Linda is currently an independent consultant providing services mainly in the area of Corporate Governance. He is also a Board member of Prudential Investment Managers and also chairs the organization’s Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee. Up to December 2014 Linda was part of SizweNtsalubaGobodo. He had joined the firm in May 2012 as a Director in Corporate Governance Services. He was responsible for the provision of governance, risk management and internal audit services to his clients. In addition, he was the lead partner for the provision of sustainability assurance services to key clients of the firm.

Linda’s experience is varied and includes 12 years of financial management and 11 years of heading a significant internal audit function. He served his articles with Deloitte. Linda’s financial management experience spans organizations such as Unilever, National Sorghum Breweries, Transnet and Eskom. During these 12 years he was involved in project accounting, factory management accounting, financial analysis, general financial management, commercial and procurement management and leadership of a finance function.

Linda is also a past President of the Institute of Internal Auditors (“IIA”) in South Africa and has served as a director on the Global Institute’s Board. He has just concluded his term as a director on the SA Board of the IIA and as Chairman of the Human Resources Committee. He has also served as a member of the Global Institute’s Committee for Research and Education. Linda was also a member of the internal audit subcommittee in King III. He is also the past Chairman of the Audit Committee at the Department of Trade and Industry. He has also been a member and in the last year Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Internal Audit Programme at the University of Pretoria. 

Over the years Linda has been regularly invited to present on various internal auditing, risk management and governance related topics at key conferences.Linda who is married and has two children has a keen interest in travelling, reading and youth development.

Liz Bromley

Chief Executive Officer, NCG

Before joining NCG in the summer of 2019, Liz worked in Higher Education for more than 20 years, holding senior roles at the Open University, Salford, Goldsmiths and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) where she was Deputy Vice Chancellor. Liz was also CEO of University Alliance during 2018, on a secondment from UCLan.

First in her family to go to University, Liz studied English Language and Literature at Worcester College, Oxford. She has been a passionate advocate for social equality and for widening access to all forms of education, in practical as well as in policy terms, throughout her career and is well known across the sector for leadership development, positive change management, entrepreneurial leadership, improving the student experience, and for making things happen. She has non-executive experience of multi academy trusts in London and Cheshire, and is currently a board member of English Heritage, and has recently joined the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Liz was previously a member of the board of Common Purpose (UK). 

Matt Epstein

Director, Goulston & Storrs PC

Mr. Epstein practices commercial real estate law at Goulston & Storrs where he serves as co-chair of the firm’s retail, restaurant and consumer group. He is a Trustee of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and chaired its Community Benefits Committee, and serves on the President's Council of Berklee College of Music.

Mr. Epstein is a graduate of Harvard College and holds a law degree from Harvard Law School as well as a master's degree in social and political science from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, England, where he served as the Harvard Scholar.

He lives in Newton with his wife, Deborah Hiatt.

Moawia Bin-Sufyan

Investment Director, Wales Regional Coordinator, Care After Combat and Governor, Coleg Gwent

Moawia brings a wealth of senior board experience in education, investments, housing, social care, and criminal justice over the last two decades. Currently, he is an Investment Director, Wales Regional Coordinator for a Military Charity (Care After Combat), Magistrate, and Governor at one largest FE Colleges (Coleg Gwent) in the UK.

He holds several other Non-Executive Director and Public Appointment roles including with the Ministry of Justice, Hafod Housing, Welsh Government, and is an Executive Board Member of the (UN) United Nations Association.

Moawia is the founder of a charity that provides health and educational services in South Asia. He is quinti-lingual and regularly lectures and speaks across the world on a range of issues, including education, criminal justice, and community cohesion.

Moawia is passionate about supporting and mentoring future leaders, having personally mentored over 500 mentees over the last 22 years. He is also a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Educators and the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers. He received the Freedom of the City of London in 2021.

Naina Desai

Head, Revenue Growth & Advanced Analytics, Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages

Naina Desai is an internationally experienced executive, with broad commercial and financial experience, and a deep understanding and passion for Africa. Born and raised in Kenya, Naina’s professional journey with leading multinational enterprises including Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline and Coca-Cola, has taken her to over 70 countries globally, and she has lived in various countries on three continents, notably Africa, North America and Asia. Currently based in Atlanta, USA, she leads Revenue Growth Management & Advanced Analytics for the US Operations of Arca Continental, one of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in the world.

Naina is a passionate advocate for Africa and a believer in paying forward the invaluable support and mentorship she has received throughout her career from various people. She serves as an active mentor to many and has previously served The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation as Marketing Director on a pro-bono basis. Naina serves as an Advisory Board Member for Mbora, a social impact enterprise in Malawi, which aims to empower rural communities through digital, financial and health inclusion, enabled by technology and driven by sustainable agricultural practices. 

Her leadership perspective framed by her global, multicultural outlook, is anchored in a strong belief that organizational and societal engagement are direct functions of culturally astute leaders who can cross boundaries to create exceptional experiences and opportunities for their teams and their communities. 

Nick Davies

Business Consultant and Board Resource, Holistic Governance

I have been involved with Common Purpose for circa 30 years, having participated in their programmes and being an advocate of its Purpose.

I see myself as a European citizen being a first-generation Welshman whose family originates from Germany and what was Czechoslovakia. I reside in Malahide with my wife Laura and our two young men, Alex and Howard, who has learning difficulties.

I was with Ernst & Young for 33 years, initially in the UK and then Eastern Europe. I then joined Grant Thornton Ireland. Subsequently I worked in a senior position at NAMA, the Irish semi state body created by the Irish Government in late 2009, in response to the Irish financial crisis and the deflation of the Irish property bubble. I am now retired from full time employment and provide Enterprise Risk Management Business Consulting and Non-executive director services.

I have a very clear philosophy and operating style, which is to develop a holistic view of the 'Universe' an organization operates in, the need to work across boundaries and thrive in multiple cultures. This approach I have applied wherever I have worked. I have always considered the Environmental Societal and Governance (ESG) Agenda and the impact on the development and day-to-day operation of an organization's activities. This in turn creates the content of the dialogue with the key stakeholders and what an organization needs to manage.

I have taken an active interest in the Community and the part that business must play. Previously, I have been a non-executive director of a UK National Health Service hospital, a commercial radio station and two family owned businesses. I am currently a non-executive director and Board secretary for the Beaumont Hospital Foundation. 

Orla Cunningham

Chief Operating Officer (COO), Trinity College Dublin

Pauline Sahetapy

Head-AP Government Education & Delivery Excellence

With more than 40 years in the payment business, Pauline's experience covers many areas such as Business Development, Operations, and Education. Her clients included financial institutions as well as numerous government agencies in Asia Pacific (AP), Central Europe Middle East Africa (CEMEA) and Latin-America & Caribbean (LAC) Regions.

She joined Visa International in 1982 and has held several positions throughout her career starting as a Member Services Manager responsible for implementation and operations of clients' issuing and acquiring programs. Subsequently, she was promoted to Country Manager for Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Guam in 1995 where she managed the business development and key strategies for those countries.

She then joined the Member Education Department, where she was instrumental in raising the profile of the department through the creation of what is now, the Visa Business School. As Director of the School she expanded the curriculum by introducing new and enhanced training initiatives aimed at increasing our clients' profitability. 

In 2010, she started to focus on government education programs and to date, she has personally trained closed to 5,000 delegates representing various government organizations in AP, CEMEA and LAC regions. This eventually evolved into the Visa School of Public Policy (VSPP) in March 2015 to provide the required focus to facilitate engagement opportunities for government education and regulatory dialogue. This department was then merged into the Visa University organization in March 2019.

In 2020, Pauline has been tasked with driving Delivery Excellence initiatives which includes the Visa University Faculty Program, one of the key pillars in driving a learning culture within Visa by leveraging our very own "Leaders as Teachers". This has created a pool of 100 faculty members located across the five Visa regions.

Pauline is based in Singapore and is happily married with two daughters.

Philip Niem

Financial Services Professional

Philip Niem's latest position was at Bank of Singapore where he was Investment Counselor for the North Asia Team. Prior to that he worked for Barclays Wealth where he was Head of the Discretionary Portfolio Management department. Before that he was Head of the Asian and Hong Kong/China research departments at AXA Investment Managers, HSBC Securities and Hoare Govett Asia. Philip graduated from the London School of Economics and qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

In addition to serving on the Board of Common Purpose Hong Kong, Philip serves on the Board of Viva Hong Kong a Charity dedicated to releasing children from poverty and abuse worldwide.

Rolf Pfeiffer

Managing Partner, Schwarz & Pfeiffer Executive Advisory Partners GMBH

Rolf Pfeiffer ist seit Juni 2020 Mitglied des Vorstands des Common Purpose Deutschland e.V. und seit 2019 Mitglied des Frankfurter Kuratoriums.
Im Jahr 2018 kam er als Partner zu Bernotat & Cie., heute Schwarz & Pfeiffer Executive Advisory Partners GmbH. Vorher war er 10 Jahre lang als Mit-Gründer und Managing Partner/Senior Partner einer Leadership Development-Firma aktiv und parallel dazu für das Center for Creative Leadership in der globalen Führungskräfteentwicklung unterwegs. Er ist seit einigen Jahren Fellow des Institute of Coaching at Harvard. Zudem unterstützt er seit 2001 die Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft (SDW) als Mitglied der Stipendiaten-Auswahlkommission und ist seit vielen Jahren Mitglied des Fördervereins der SDW.
Er lebt mit seiner Familie am Taunus und freut sich auf die immer wieder spannenden Familien-Tennis-Matches und viel Zeit unterwegs mit dem Familien-Hund.

Rosemary Iphie Ugonabo

Senior Consultant, Nextier Advisory, Nigeria

Iphie is a UK qualified chartered certified accountant (FCCA) and a certified project management professional.

Her 16 years of industry experience, which spans the public and private sectors in the UK and Nigeria, includes public practice, media and advertising, FMCG, education, energy and international development. She currently works as a senior consultant in the development sector, notably in the UK DFID/FCDO-funded UK Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility programme. She has previously worked on other international development programmes - DFID Solar Nigeria Project; USAID-Deloitte Power Africa and Heinrich Boell Foundation, to mention a few. She has also held senior finance roles, including the position of University Treasurer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), where she led a number of initiatives commissioned to improve ways of working in the financial management and operations space.

Iphie sits on the Strategic Advisory Board of Coal City University, where she provides support on how to upskill students, innovate disciplinary curricula to make them student-led, and facilitate effective personal development planning for students.

Iphie holds bachelors’ degrees in Botany (University of Nigeria, Nsukka), Applied Accounting (Oxford-Brookes University, UK) and a Master’s in Management (University College London, UK). She is an alumnus of the Executive Programme for Women Leaders from Stanford Graduate Business School, USA and the Common Purpose Global Leader Experience and Africa Venture programmes.

Sarah Bean

Management Consultant, Sarah Bean Consulting

Sarah has a B.Sc. Mgmt (Marketing) from DIT College of Marketing & Design. From 1988-1996, she joined Johnson Brothers, an Irish distributor to the grocery trade, where she worked in various roles involving both marketing activities and customer management.

In 1996, Sarah set up the Ireland subsidiary for Coty Inc, at the time a private beauty company based in Paris, now publicly quoted on NYSE. There, Sarah's remit as General Manager was to deliver the sales & P&L target for Ireland, liaising with logistics and media partners locally. Sarah completed the Institute of Directors modules on Governance, Finance, Strategy and HR, in 2016, sitting the certificate exam and achieving a distinction in the Diploma in June 2017.

Having completed secondary school education in Newtown, Sarah was appointed to the School Committee which preceded the 'Patron Body' structure. During that time, Sarah convened the marketing sub-committee and was the first female appointed to the finance committee. Sarah has also sat on a School Review Panel for DIT, alongside 5 academics. Sarah currently sits on a media advisory group for Cosc, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (Dept of Justice). Beginning 2017, Cosc have been promised €1m annually to change the culture in Ireland around domestic violence. Sarah's role is to assess the media plans and ensure Cosc are getting value for money.

Steve Edwards

Executive Vice President, External Affairs and Civic Engagement, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Steve Edwards is Executive Vice President for External Affairs and Civic Engagement at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In this capacity, he serves as a member of the Bank's Executive Committee and leads its efforts to engage the public across a range of contexts from media and corporate relations to community development.

Prior to joining the Chicago Fed, Edwards most recently served as Managing Director at Koya Partners/DSG Global, an executive search and leadership advisory firm focused on mission driven organizations. As Managing Director, Edwards served as lead consultant and senior advisor to advised c-suite leaders and boards of directors, identifying, recruiting and advising outstanding purpose driven leaders across a range of senior executive roles.

Previously, he was Chief Content Officer and interim CEO of WBEZ Chicago Public Media, Chicago’s NPR News station and the birthplace of such celebrated programs as This American Life, Serial and Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me. Under his leadership, WBEZ x achieved record audience ratings across platforms, increased its journalistic impact, and launched an array of award-winning programs, podcasts and digital products.

From 2012 to 2017, Edwards helped launch and lead the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, a non-partisan program devoted to cultivating the next generation of public service leaders. As Executive Director, Edwards oversaw all programming and operational duties, including public events, professional fellowships, and career and civic engagement programs. In addition, he co-designed and led the Sargent Shriver Program for Leadership in Public Service and launched the The Axe Files podcast in partnership with former presidential advisor David Axelrod and CNN.

Previously, Edwards spent nearly 20 years as an award-winning journalist, producer and program host. As a journalist, his work has appeared on the BBC, Bloomberg News, PBS and numerous public radio stations around the United States. He also the recipient of numerous journalism honors, including the Grand Award in Radio from the National Headliner Club, the RTNDA’s Edward R. Murrow Award, as well as awards from The Associated Press, the National Association of Black Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists, and UPI, among others.

He is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and serves on the teaching faculty of the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy and the Executive Club of Chicago's LEAD program.

Edwards is a graduate of Amherst College and was a Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan.

Shenouda Bissada

Country Director, Alfanar, Egypt

Since 2012, Shenouda Bissada has been the Egypt Country Director for Alfanar, a UK-Charity investing in social enterprises in the Arab World. His experience extending over 27 years covers a wide range of themes including grants management, capacity building and coaching, monitoring and evaluation, disability and inclusive education.

Prior to his joining Alfanar, he worked for Save the Children UK, the Drosos Foundation, the USAID-funded Education Reform Programme and Caritas Egypt. His working experience covers Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon and Jordan. Holding an MBA in Global Management from ESLSCA (Ecole Supérieure Libre des Sciences Commerciales Appliquées), Mr Bissada serves as trustee for a variety of charities including SOS Villages Egypt and advisory support to local and regional bodies on leadership, entrepreneurship and human development.

In 2019, Mr Bissada participated in the CSCLeadersip Programme run by Common Purpose in several parts of the world and is currently serving on its Africa Advisory Panel. 

Sudhakar Rao

Former Chief Secretary to the Government of Karnataka

Sudhakar Rao is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Officer of the 1973 batch. After initial postings at the field level in the State of Karnataka, he went on deputation to the Union Government as Under Secretary in the Ministry of Power, where he was closely associated with the work of the path breaking Rajyadhakshya Committee on Power. He was Deputy Commissioner & District Magistrate of Shimoga District during 1982 and 1983. He proceeded on deputation to the Government of India once again after completing his district assignments, and was Deputy Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance for two years and Director in the Prime Minister's Office for two years, dealing with policy matters covering social sectors.

Later he was Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Power, entrusted with the development of Hydel power in the country following which he was posted as Minister (Economic) in the Embassy of India in Washington for four years.

On his return to the State Government in 2000, he held various assignments, including Chairman & Managing Director of the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC), Principal Secretary, Finance, Principal Secretary, Home; Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Karnataka,  Development Commissioner and finally Chief Secretary of Karnataka from which post he retired from Government service in 2009. On retirement, he was appointed as a Member of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) from which post he resigned in 2012 to take up other professional engagements.

Sudhakar Rao Has a Masters Degree in Economics from The Delhi School of Economics and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Sudhakar Rao is, inter-alia, also an independent director on the boards of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, CMC Ltd; L&T Infrastructure Development Projects Ltd and Binani Industries Ltd. He is the Group Advisor, Strategy & Development of the Manipal Education And Medical Group.

Sudhakar Rao was conferred the Kannada Rajyotsava Award under the public service category by the Government of Karnataka on November 1, 2010.

Sunny Banerjea

Board Chair, Common Purpose US

Sunny is currently Managing Director at FIS, the #1 FinTech company in the US, with over $13 Billion in annual revenues. Prior to joining FIS, Sunny was the Managing Partner for the Management Consulting Practice at KPMG, where he was also the leader of their Financial Services practice and one of seven members of KPMG's Global Management Consulting Board.

Prior to KPMG, Sunny worked with IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he held various leadership roles within the Financial Services Sector. During this period Sunny worked in the US, UK, Germany, ASEAN countries, China, Russia, and India.  Sunny has to his credit numerous papers and publications and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.

Sunny is a passionate believer in compassionate capitalism, democratizing capital raising, women entrepreneurship, and promoting fairness and equity in the workplace. He has been an active investor as an Angel and through his investment fund with companies which espouse similar values. Sunny has successfully exited several of his investments and is an active mentor, Advisor to CEOs, Board Member and Immediate Past President of TiE (A Silicon Valley based non-profit which mentors, invests and nurtures start-ups). He is also a Past member of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Western Region (Mumbai) – the largest industry association in India and a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Foundation.

Tavengwa Tavengwa

Associate Partner, EY

Tavengwa Tavengwa is an Associate Partner at EY Ireland. He has advised several corporations in understanding, evaluating and managing technology risks for the last 19 years, whilst working with KPMG, PWC and now EY. In his various roles he has experienced the power of coaching, diversity and purpose. He has and continues to hold people leadership roles in EY. He is also a member of the EY Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee and is an ambassador on the power of diversity.

He is originally from Zimbabwe, living in Ireland for more than 14 years and is married to Rumbie with three kids. He grew up in a poor neighbourhood in Zimbabwe and he observed first-hand how families with purpose changed the course of their lives. He is passionate about enabling and stimulating individuals to awaken to the possibility that they can become more. 

Tavengwa is a qualified Business and Life Coach and an alumnus of the Common Purpose Meridian leadership programme. He is also a Certified Information Security Auditor and holds a Bachelor of Commerce with the University of South Africa.

Dr Toluwani Akaehomen

Director of Programmes and Leadership, People Development Consultant at Vantage Dymensions Consulting

Toluwani Akaehomen is the Director of Programmes and Leadership and People Development Consultant at Vantage Dymensions Consulting, a leadership and people development consultancy, with expertise in developing professional and personal development toolkits, and in delivering training, coaching and facilitation services to support leadership and organizational development, and to build competencies for enhanced performance within organizations.

Toluwani has a keen interest in working with organizations to build a dynamic and growth-oriented culture, where the unlimited potentials of their people can be recognized, cultivated, and harnessed. She has worked extensively with individuals, teams, community groups and organizations in Europe and Africa to deliver solutions centred on transformational leadership, effective communication, professional excellence, and developing transversal skills and competencies.

Toluwani is also the founder of HergenuityAfrika (HGA), a social enterprise that promotes and encourages entrepreneurship and enterprise development among females of Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds.

She completed a PhD at Coventry University in the UK, with research interests in Transformational Entrepreneurship, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship Education and Training and is the author of three academic publications on female immigrant entrepreneurship.

A certified coach, speaker, author, and a community builder, she currently serves as Chair of Proudly Made In Africa, Dublin. She is married with three adult children and a soon-to be teenager.

Michael Chan

Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Johnson Stokes & Master

Michael is currently a board member at Common Purpose Hong Kong, as well as the Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) at a law firm headquartered in Hong Kong. With cross-disciplinary knowledge in psychology and public health as well as multi-sector experience in academia, non-profit, and corporate, Michael supports organizations through consulting, research, events, and programmes to facilitate discussions and develop action plans on approaching DE&I and employee well-being as a social and business issue.

Jonathan Hammond

Non Executive Director

Jonathan is a non-executive director at Common Purpose, where he leverages his extensive expertise in financial markets to support the charity's mission. Based out of Hong Kong, Jon is the Asia Regional Head at international law firm Simmons & Simmon.

Jonathan has a wealth of experience in structured products and derivatives, advising both sell and buy side clients on complex asset-backed structures and synthetic transactions. His international experience, includes a secondments into a major financial institutions working with senior leaders. He has spent time working from Frankfurt, London and Hong Kong which enriches his strategic contributions to Common Purpose. His legal acumen as a qualified solicitor in England, Wales, and Hong Kong further strengthens his ability to navigate the intricate corporate landscape, providing invaluable insights to the organization.

Outside of his professional commitments, Jonathan enjoys participating in community events and mentoring the next generation of talent. His passion for fostering connections and driving positive change aligns seamlessly with the values of Common Purpose, making him an asset to the charity's leadership team.