Trustees

David has over 30 years experience of working in civil society, starting as a front-line support worker working with the homeless through to running a multi-million pound national charity.

A network weaver, David has extensive experience of bringing together and creating alliances of usual and unusual suspects to create change and make action happen. Through investing heavily in network and relationship building, the resulting alliances have profound impact and outcomes.

David is a Trustee of Coast & Vale Community Action (CAVCA – the local infrastructure organisation in North East Yorkshire), Trustee & Chair of the Finance Committee at Toynbee Hall in East London, Trustee of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough and Chair of Engines Orchestra.

Nicola has had a long career in grant making and charitable and voluntary sector, most recently with independent funder John Ellerman Foundation where she developed the strategic direction of the Foundation and advised on governance and grant making.

She has a background in providing, developing and supporting advice services and policies at national, regional and local level, before joining the newly formed National Lottery Charities Board, when she was based in the North East of England.

Nicola has previously worked for Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, is Chair of the Centre for Innovation in Voluntary Action, Director of the The Oversight Trust and a trustee of London Football Journeys and SASC Trust.

Chris has been chief executive of Capacity since the organisation was founded, taking it from a start-up in 2016 to a 25 strong team in 2021. Working with Public and Third Sector clients across the North West, the organisation has a very simple aim to ‘Make Public Services People Services’.

Before joining Capacity Chris gained significant experience and success in organisational development, with a particular focus on funding and development in community businesses and non-profit organisations. Most recently his role as Managing Director at The Reader, a Liverpool based social enterprise that promotes literacy and personal wellbeing, resulted in a £5million capital investment project and a 200% increase in revenue.

Matt is Corporate Affairs Director for Grosvenor, a global property company that has been making and managing places for more than 300 years. His job involves helping the business engage with communities and lead long-term campaigns that champion social impact and environmental leadership. He has previously held senior leadership roles with global NGOs, public bodies and a FTSE 100 business. For ten years, he was Chairman of Hope and Homes for Children, an international children’s charity. He is a trustee of Leap, the youth conflict charity, chair of the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, founder of the Young London Print Prize and a co-founder of Collective Community Action.

Caroline Macfarland is the founder and director of Common Vision, an independent think tank specialising in deliberative dialogue and public engagement around thorny social issues. She has a background in strategic policy design and communications and has worked with a number of national charities and foundations on building resilience in the civil society sector, community-building and place-based funding models.

Previously in her career Caroline was a founding team member of the foundation Power to Change, a special advisor to the Big Lottery Fund, and managing director of the ‘big society’ think tank ResPublica.

Rich is a Director of Osca and has been in post since 2012. He is currently working as an adviser to the WHO and until 2015 he was a UN Adviser working in the Middle East.

In 2004 Rich was appointed as the first director of the charity Involve, which became a leading centre for public participation research, innovation and policy-making. He is a people power specialist and has written many publications on the subject.

Rich regularly blogs for the Guardian and is a Clore Social Fellow. His latest publication ‘Good and Bad Help’ has initiated a major programme of work on public service reform and social action.

Patrick is committed to leading a significant change programme within the City Council to make Sunderland a great place for residents to live, business to thrive and for visitors to enjoy. Patrick is also co-chair of the North East Regional Coordination Group, leading on ambitious plans to contribute to the Government’s levelling-up agenda, creating skills and employment opportunities for residents.

Stephen Aldridge has been Chief Analyst/ Chief Economist and Director of Analysis and Data Directorate since 2011. He continues in this role at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

A government economist by background, Stephen was previously Chief Economist and then Director of the Strategy Unit in the Cabinet Office.

He has also worked in the Department of Trade and Industry; various predecessors to MHCLG; the Cabinet Secretariats; and Her Majesty’s Treasury. He has been chair of the cross-Whitehall analysts’ group on public sector efficiency, set up by the Government Economic Service, since the beginning of 2014.

Native of Yorkshire, currently Interim CEO of Children’s Heart Surgery Fund., Kate is former CEO of Leeds Community Foundation GiveBradford where she developed the charity over the course of 8 years to become a relational funder with a strong reputation amongst communities for delivery and for pioneering work around impact, inclusion and resilience. During that time she raised funds for communities from local philanthropists.

Previous senior roles at Opera North, Theatre Royal Wakefield, consultancy in Europe, Axis Visual Arts and marketing consultancy.

Kate regularly chairs Bank of England community engagement sessions, she continues to lead work for Mayor Brabin on the Fair work charter for West Yorkshire, and is a trustee with The Young Foundation.