What characterises me:

• Exploring the familiar in an unfamiliar way to create the conditions for insight.
• Working with flexibility, humour, expertise.
• Passion for supporting people to reach their full potential.

Professional Experience: 

• Since 2004 working as a consultant/applied dramatist/associate for a range of learning and development consultancies for clients including Rolls Royce, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, UBS, Cancer Research UK, Exeter University, BMW, NHS, Warwick University, Zurich Insurance, Nationwide, Roche, Stagecoach, Graham Pelton
• Experiential workshops run at all levels up to Board/CEO.
• Previously Director of 3rd sector advice and information service with a national profile including national TV interviews.

Matt Ferguson joined Warwick in 2018 and is building a culture of philanthropy that will enable the university to triple its philanthropic income in support of the Vice Chancellor’s 2030 strategy. Principal gifts, and the data analytics and donor relations on which they rely, is a central pillar of this strategy. In 2019, Warwick Business School created The Gillmore Centre for Financial Technology thanks to a £3.5 million gift.

Matt was previously at King's College London for 10 years, latterly as Chief Development Officer. He has significant principal gifts experience in Asia: during his time at KCL, he secured the £20 million gift from Hong Kong-based philanthropist Dickson Poon to create the eponymous School of Law at King's; £7 million to create the Yeoh Tiong Lay Centre for Politics, Philosophy, and Law; and £6 million to create the Lau China Institute. He led the development of the University's Principal Gift Strategy and provided strategic advice to the World questions King's answers campaign board, chaired by the Rt. Hon Sir John Major. He is a Fellow of King’s College London, a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, an Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), and a past trustee of the Birmingham Women and Children’s Hospital Charity (2016-19). He began his career in Development at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta.

Juan García is the assistant vice president for advancement strategy and campaign director for the University of Texas at Austin. Previously, he served as chief strategy, analytics and campaigns officer with Texas Athletics, as associate vice president and campaign director at Wake Forest University, as vice president of operations and CIO at Arizona State University Foundation, and as assistant vice president for development services and analytics at the University of Texas at Austin. 

His experience includes campaign planning and goal setting, case statement development, fundraising project planning and management, and analytics modeling. He has also led the development of multiple business intelligence capabilities that include data sources from CRM systems, ticketing systems, donation systems, donor capacity ratings, demographic profiles, behavioral indicators and additional third-party data sources. In addition, he has implemented reporting, data mining and statistical modeling capabilities to assist with prospect identification, revenue projections, and process optimization.

Prior to joining development community, García spent 11 years as a management consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Arthur Andersen and BearingPoint. His project assignments focused on data-driven business analysis, and development of business plans for strategy and operations projects. His experience includes strategy formulation, merger integration, revenue growth enhancement, and operational improvement consulting projects.

García received a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Purdue University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jayne is an experienced and successful charity leader in the UK and has held senior positions at Save the Children and The Children’s Society. She was also Director of Fundraising and Communications at Guide Dogs and is now Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Media for the RNLI.

She is an active and passionate volunteer and supports causes close to her heart. She is the Chair of Trustees for The Murray Parish Trust, a successful, small charity that has just closed a £2m appeal to build a new paediatric intensive care unit at Southampton Hospital, a Trustee for Make-A-Wish, a charity which was formed to grant life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses in the UK as well as a Trustee for Weldmar Hospice Care, a charity which provides end of life care.

Tom Jirat heads the Operations team within the University of Manchester's Development Services function. His portfolio consists of data and information management; systems, including the alumni and supporter database, website and portal; reporting, visualisation and analytics; training and user support; compliance; and gift processing. Tom's career began in alumni relations and regular giving at the University of Salford before a move into Salford's newly created Advancement Services team, which he progressed to lead across all of its functions.

As Chief of Staff Jhumar’s focus at the University is two-fold, acting as aide, adviser and problem-solver to the Vice-Chancellor to assist with achieving his objectives and responsibilities towards the success of the University; and ensuring our alumni, donors and partners are at the heart of the OU family along with our staff and students.

Jhumar was responsible for delivering the University’s first ever fundraising campaign, raising £60m and running a year-long integrated campaign to celebrate The Open University’s 50th anniversary in 2019 across the four UK nations and internationally. She has a background in major gifts consulting and practice in the not-for-profit sector, working with house-hold names, large and small and advising individuals and families on shaping their philanthropy.

She is an Executive coach, mentor and trainer focussing on major gifts fundraising, career planning, leadership development, confidence and gravitas, influencing and negotiating. She is an alumna of Said Business School, the University of Westminster, the Open University and the University of Mumbai.

She is passionate about building talent, diversity and confidence in our sector and loves public-speaking.

Amanda leads the development services team at the University of Glasgow and has over 20 years’ experience in the development sector. In her role she is responsible for data management and systems, gift management and finance, research, analytics and insight, compliance, planning, policy, and project management.  Prior to this role, Amanda led the fundraising team at Glasgow and has experience across major gift, project and campaign fundraising, legacy giving, trust giving, events, and marketing communications.

Tess is a fundraising professional with more than 15 years’ experience as a senior leader and frontline major gift fundraiser. Currently serving as the Head of Philanthropy - People and High Performance at Cancer Research UK, Tess has significant experience of development offices both in Higher Education (Head of Major Gifts at Exeter University) and in the charity and schools sector. Tess brings extensive experience working with a diverse range of organisations across the UK. Tess’s specialisms lie in campaign planning and delivery, driving up performance from fundraising teams, team management, metrics and coaching, major and principal gift solicitation.

Elizabeth is a trustee of the 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust, which has been a major supporter of the University of Warwick since the foundation was created almost 70 years ago.  Alongside a career spanning private and public sectors, she has been involved in charities since 1989 when, newly returned from INSEAD business school in France, she joined the board of a small homelessness charity.  Since then she has held trusteeships in a range of social justice and arts organisations, as well as several grant-making trusts.  Current board roles include The Prison Reform Trust and Awards for Young Musicians.  Until 2004 she built her non-profit career in parallel with her paid employment, but she then moved out of commerce almost entirely.  For nine years she was director of the J Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust, until it closed its doors in 2016 after “spending out”.  She regularly lectures in charity governance and fundraising.  She is a non-executive director of an NHS mental health trust and her day job is as a member of the Parole Board.

Alison has led the Development Services team within the Development & Alumni Relations Office at Ulster University since 2011 and is responsible for oversight of operational support for the Fundraising, Alumni Relations, Corporate Engagement and Arts & Culture teams. Before joining the University, most of her career was spent in the Middle East where she was, at various times, Head (Chair) of Business Programmes, Acting Head of IT programmes, Head of Foundation Programmes and a Business teacher in one of the campuses of the Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE. She also worked in the early part of her career as an English teacher so has experience of both providing operational support and of working directly with students.