Judging Panel 2025

Bushra Ahmed, Founder, West Croydon Voice
James Banks, Chief Executive, London Founders
Cheryl Hooper, CEO, Cecily's Fund; Independent Consultant, Global Changemakers Oxford
Dalton Leong, Independent Chair, Surrey VCSE Alliance
Srabani Sen OBE, Founder and CEO, Full Colour
Amanda Tincknell CBE, Chief Executive, Cranfield Trust
Grant Wilson, CIO, Asset Risk Consultants

Bushra Ahmed, Founder, West Croydon Voice
Bushra Ahmed is an experienced charity sector leader, named by Charity Times as one of the 15 most inspiring leaders in the sector to look out for on #IWD22. She is a Trustee of Lloyds Bank Foundation, HomeStartUK and many other boards, a member of the Survivors Advisory Forum at National Emergencies Trust and also a Civic Futures Leader Fellow at the GLA. Bushra founded West Croydon Voice after her family business was destroyed in the 2011 Riots, to successfully fight for compensation for the victims. She is a business woman, strategic consultant and community activist, with over 20 years of experience in community engagement, as a public speaker, sponsor and mentor, she uses her lived experience to advise and give support through various means on social justice issues around diversity, equity, inclusion and cultural intelligence.

James Banks, Chief Executive, London Founders
James Banks is Chief Executive of London Funders, enabling public, private and philanthropic funders to work collaboratively on the issues that matter to our communities. He helped to bring 67 funders together to distribute £58m through the London Community Response collaboration during the pandemic, enabled funders and social justice organisations to deliver the £100m ten-year Propel systems change collaboration, and encouraged progressive funder practice towards more open and trusting grantmaking by getting over 400 funders to sign the We Stand With The Sector pledges. Alongside his role at London Funders, James also chairs Collaboration Circle, a national organisation that provides a space for funders and partners to pool their people, power and pounds to achieve positive and lasting change. He was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2022 for his services to charitable funding in London.

Cheryl Hooper, CEO, Cecily's Fund; Independent Consultant, Global Changemakers Oxford
Cheryl Hooper is the CEO of international charity Cecily's Fund, as well as an independent consultant for Global Changemakers Oxford.

Dalton Leong, Independent Chair, Surrey VCSE Alliance
Dalton has worked in the private sector and not-for-profit sector. Firstly, in banking and financial services; working with retail, corporate and high net worth clients. After becoming a founding trustee of Shooting Star Children’s Hospice in 1995, he later joined them as Chief Executive. He was also Chief Executive of The Children’s Trust and Managing Director of Global (Radio) Charities, leading the appeals, corporate social responsibility programme and grant-giving at Capital, Heart and Classic FM, amongst others. He is now a Non-Executive Director, with a focus on improving health and care outcomes for Surrey’s residents. He is a Trustee of the National Emergencies Trust and Co-Chair elect of Board Racial Diversity UK (currently known as Action for Trustee Racial Diversity).

Srabani Sen OBE, Founder and CEO, Full Colour
Srabani has had an extensive leadership career in the not-for-profit sector. She has been the CEO of Alcohol Concern, Contact a Family and the British Association for Adoption and Fostering. She has more than 25 years' board experience, including chairing two not-for-profits: ActionAid and children and young people's charity The Winch. In 2014, she set up a consultancy specialising in supporting not-for-profit organisation on leadership, strategy and organisational development and she most recently founded Full Colour, which aims to develop emerging BAME leaders, and to support existing leaders develop practical ways to lead inclusively.

Amanda Tincknell CBE, Chief Executive, Cranfield Trust
CEO Amanda Tincknell joined Cranfield Trust as a volunteer in the 1990s, after completing her MBA at Cranfield School of Management. With a background in market research and recruitment, she was an early project manager for the Trust and spent some time as a trustee before becoming Chief Executive in 2000. She holds overall responsibility for the direction and management of the Trust, reporting to the trustee board. Amanda has increased the Trust’s capacity and influence enormously over more than two decades and was awarded a CBE for her contribution to charity services in the Queen's New Year Honours list 2015. With others, she is a founding member of the Pro Bono Association. Amanda is highly motivated by the organisations and leaders that the Trust is privileged to work with. 

Grant Wilson, CIO, Asset Risk Consultants
Grant joined ARC in 2015 as Chief Investment Officer. He has worked in International Finance for more than thirty five years, initially as an investment manager and executive director of a number of fund management companies, including Martin Currie Investment Management Limited and Gartmore Investment Trust Management Limited. For the last ten years Grant has worked as an Investment Consultant based in Guernsey. Grant has served as a Trustee or Director on a number boards of charities, private and public companies. Grant is an Associate of The CFA Society of the UK (ASIP), a Member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment (MCSI) and an Associate of the Chartered Governance Institute (ACG). He has a degree in Business Administration from Strathclyde University.