Simon Ancona enjoyed a full career in the Royal Navy including service in the Fleet Air Arm and appointments abroad in both Hong Kong and Bahrain. He commanded 4 warships, the UK’s Carrier Strike Group and UK maritime forces in the Middle East but also spent about 10 years in Whitehall including time in Ministerial outer office. His final appointment was as the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff in charge of world-wide defence diplomacy and engagement. On leaving the military he worked as the Chief Operating Officer responsible for Network Rail’s North East London and Anglia region, which provided experience of commercial delivery and the challenges of operating at the seam of both the public and private sector. Married to Lisa he lives in South London and has two university aged children. Interests include cycling, walking, theatre, cooking, books and playing the blues Harmonica (normally when the house is empty).
Simon writes a CEO Blog for WIG on topics that he identifies as relevant to and impacting on our members.
Fiona is Deputy Chief Executive of WIG, so gets involved in all sorts of things to do with helping to run WIG. She also specifically leads on new business development ensuring that WIG has a well-balanced membership comprising top FTSE companies, government bodies and, more recently, charities including universities.
Her private sector background was marketing and management in the FMCG and leisure industries (bacon products and toys to be precise!). A career change sparked off by working in Romania, took her into the world of international relief and development, first with VSO and then as Executive Director of the UK charitable affiliate of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Fiona stays connected with both those worlds through a couple of board roles - one in manufacturing (Brandauer) and one in international humanitarian relief (Medair UK).
An ever expanding family of step-grandchildren and great nieces and nephews, plus a love of mountains, movies and meals with friends keep her smiling!
Barney joined WIG in November 2013 as Company Secretary and Financial Controller. He is responsible for ensuring compliance with all regulatory matters, overseeing the finance department and producing financial accounts for the Board. He also keeps the Trustees up to date with changes in regulations and guidance from the Charity Commission.
In addition to his role with WIG one day a week, Barney also holds a number of board positions with other companies, in the roles of CEO, Finance Director and Chairman. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a Chartered Director, Fellow of the Institute of Directors and a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute.
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and spending a number of years in practice, Barney moved into commerce, and was Group Finance Director for Telehouse International Corporation of Europe Limited for 17 years, assisting in the growth of their international data centre business.
Outside work, Barney is treasurer for a number of small charitable organisations and enjoys sailing and golf.
Hannah is a Leadership Programmes Manager and also manages the Alumni and Graduate network of events. She works with FTSE 350 companies, national charities and key public sector organisations such as BAE Systems, Cabinet Office and Crisis, to identify and design cross sector development and interchange opportunities for graduates through to senior leaders.
Before joining us, Hannah worked at OneVoice, a two state solution grassroot movement, and the Israeli embassy in London.
Outside of WIG, she volunteers with the Irish Pensioners Project visiting Betty once a week.
Richard is part of the events team, offering assistance across the organisation in the delivery of events and processing general membership inquiries.
He recently graduated from Kings College London with an MA in Politics and Contemporary History having received his Bachelors in Politics with International Relations from the University of Bath. Richard also gained non-profit experience with Spinwatch as a Research Assistant during his placement year at university.
Away from WIG, Richard is a keen musician, and is self-taught in guitar and piano. When not playing, he can be found planted in front of a good series or film.
As Event & Content Manager, Jamie is responsible for producing and managing a wide range of WIG events across a number of networks. Prior to joining WIG, Jamie worked in International Trade & Development, creating high-level investment conferences for the governments of emerging economies. Originally from New Zealand, she spent several years working as a Relationship Manager in the healthcare sector before making the move to London in 2014.
Jamie holds a Bachelor of Communication Studies in Public Relations and Management Communication from the University of Waikato. When she’s not in the office, Jamie can be found training or competing for Sleven CrossFit.
Lydia is the Director of Charity Next, a programme facilitating secondments for future leaders of the public sector into the voluntary sector. She also contributes more broadly to the work of WIG’s Talent Team, organising secondments for senior individuals in the public, private and charitable spheres.
Prior to joining WIG, Lydia was Project Manager at a think tank also with a mission to improve collaboration between the sectors, where she focused primarily on tackling UK financial reform and climate change. Lydia achieved a 1st- Class degree in Arabic and French and continues to use her language skills outside of WIG to support a range of organisations both in the UK and abroad, working to improve the lives of refugees.
Roy manages our Future Leaders Programme, designed to boost early leadership potential and, looks after our early career offer. He also runs WIG’s one day ‘Organisational Raids’ programme, providing him with invaluable expertise in structuring programmes and teams to make the most of cross-sector learning opportunities.
Before joining us Roy worked for IBM as a technical specialist, managed Industrial Trainees and recruited for IBM’s graduate development programme.
He volunteers for Cyber Champions and supports its mission to help school children stay safe online.
Catherine (Spudd) looks after the day-to-day running of the WIG office and its resources including accounts, payroll and the HR administration.
Prior to joining WIG she worked for a major construction company and spent several years before that working with several film related organisations.
Originally from New Zealand, she has travelled extensively.
Nikol is WIG’s Leadership Programmes Executive. She runs our Development Seminars (one day courses) programme, does the day-to-day work for Commissioning Academy and also works on Organisational Raids. Nikol is currently studying Politics and International Relations and undertaking a placement year at WIG.
She enjoys exploring new places, watching documentaries, learning new languages, as well as food and music.
Harry works within both the Leadership and Membership departments. He is responsible for co-ordinating and the delivery of all of WIG's leadership programmes. On the membership side Harry deals with the renewal process, responds to member enquiries and provides support to relationship managers.
Prior to joining WIG Harry worked for Spire Healthcare within the NHS department assisting with all NHS outsourcing and previously spent 7 months travelling South East Asia and Australia. Harry graduated from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA degree in International Relations and History. Outside of WIG he enjoys playing football, golf and skiing.
Lorraine manages our leadership and executive development portfolio, which includes our WIG leadership programmes, development seminars, in-house programmes, organisational raids and coaching. She is passionate about leadership development and creating challenging and innovative development interventions which stimulate, stretch and nurture participants in unlocking their leadership potential. She is a champion of cross sector learning, and believes to be truly effective, leaders at all levels benefit hugely from seeking out different perspectives and building relationships beyond ones primary industry.
Lorraine has worked in the public, private and third sectors, predominantly within health and social care in senior management and leadership development roles. She currently holds a part time senior lecturer position with the University of Birmingham facilitating the NHS Leadership Academy Elizabeth Garrett Anderson leadership programme.
A CRM subject matter expert, Rajeev has ownership for Data across WIG, and provides guidance on this both for WIG customers and staff. He also ensures that sufficient audit and control procedures for the CRM and Data are in place.
Rajeev has a wealth of expertise from across the sectors, including Consultancy, Pharmaceuticals, Government and the Charity sector. Outside of work Rajeev follows cricket and likes travelling.
Tugce is overseeing WIG's digital channels including the website, emails and social media, as well as the production of videos and articles. She also supports and trains staff on the use of digital channels and ensures that our branding and purpose is clear across everything we do.
Prior to joining WIG, Tugce spent 3 years living and working in Canada. She built her well-rounded expertise in digital marketing, branding & event management in her previous roles with a commercial winery & brewery supplier, as well as the Hilton Group in Germany.
Tugce holds a Degree in International Management and a Professional Diploma in Marketing with the Certified Institute of Marketing. Outside of WIG, she is pursuing a Diploma in Photography and enjoys travel and yoga.
Edwin works on the Talent team, including helping co-ordinate Charity Next, a programme facilitating secondments for future leaders of the public sector into the voluntary sector.
Edwin graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA in History and Politics.
As Event & Content Manager, Stephanie is responsible for producing and managing a wide range of WIG events across a number of networks. Before joining WIG, Stephanie worked in the events industry producing conferences on different aspects of the global sustainability agenda such as circular economy, waste management, and decarbonisation of the shipping industry.
Stephanie holds a doctorate from the School of Politics & International Relations at Queen Mary College, and taught on undergraduate courses including ‘The International Political Economy of Development’ prior to embarking on her events career. When she’s not in the office, Stephanie can be found exploring London’s museums and art galleries with her daughter.
Priya is an Events Executive, working with the team in the planning and delivery of events.
Priya has recently graduated from King’s College London having read Law. During university, Priya gained experience in the charity sector by working in the Inquiry Unit of the House of Lords’ All-Party Parliamentary Group on Disability in conjunction with Disability Rights UK.
Outside of WIG, she enjoys cricket and photography.
Patrick heads our Talent team, a Careers and Talent Management service that we offer to all our member organisations, the purpose of which is to allow individuals to have experience of working in a different sector.
Prior to joining WIG, Patrick worked for an international headhunting company, where he led on senior appointments on behalf of Central Government, Educational Institutions, Housing Associations and Charities, in addition to a range of organisations in the Private Sector.
Patrick graduated from Oxford University with a BA Hons in History and Politics. Outside of WIG, Patrick is a founder and Club Secretary of a Sunday League Football team and is a keen fan of Arsenal FC. He also volunteers as a Mock Interviewer on behalf of a charitable employment initiative.
Katie is the Personal Assistant for both, our Chief Executive Simon and our Deputy Chief Executive Fiona. She provides support to the wider team by managing diaries, communicating with members, preparing presentations and coordinating Board papers.
Prior to joining WIG Katie lived in Devon where she worked in Commissioning for the NHS as a Business Manager/Personal Assistant.
In her free time, Katie enjoys baking and decorating cakes.
As Head of Events, Tom is responsible for overseeing the entire WIG events portfolio, ensuring they remain a forum for constructive collaboration between government, industry and the not-for-profit sector. The focus is on researching new ideas, building on the existing events and working with the wider WIG team to build a robust and relevant event schedule.
Before joining WIG, Tom has worked across both government and industry. He ran the energy division for a commercial conference company, worked within the Department for International Trade, and developed new business for an independent TV production company that worked exclusively with not for profits.
Tom graduated from UCL with a BA Hons in History and subsequently picked up a Masters in International Security and Global Governance from Birkbeck. Outside of WIG, Tom is a keen Tottenham Hotspur fan and spends time exercising, having completed the London Marathon in 2018.
Walter is Head of Management Services, overseeing maintenance of the infrastructure that supports WIG’s services, and having responsibility for its management accounting and reporting.
A career banker with RBS for over 34 years, including senior roles in corporate and international banking as well as in marketing and regulatory roles, Walter has been with WIG since 2003.
A former non-executive director in the housing association sector, Walter spends much of his spare time playing competitive tennis and travelling.
Catherine is Head of Member Value developing new offers to meet our members' needs such as our regional programme, various series in partnership with like minded organisations and a 'Meet the Author' series. Catherine also manages and chairs our HR Directors Network, L & D Network, Diversity & Inclusion Network and leads our delivery team for the Commissioning Academy.
Before she joined WIG, Catherine spent a decade as a Civil Servant in the government's marketing agency following an international career in the private sector including Global Marketing Director for Durex and European Marketing Director for Yahoo!
Outside of WIG, she is an advocate for children with special needs and enjoys cooking (and of course the eating).
Tina Vifor leads our marketing team, overseeing WIG's brand, digital presence, and representing the voice of the customer.
Tina is an alumna of WIG's Women's Leadership Programme, a fantastic cross-sector development programme for senior women leaders. She is a graduate of Warwick University (MA in International Design and Communication Management) and also holds an MA in Creative Writing and a BA in Journalism & English.
Before WIG, she worked in the business education sector for global not-for-profit AMBA, as well as agency-side with clients from a variety of sectors. She brings with her a wealth of international marketing, branding, content management and digital experience. She is passionate about good and functional design and volunteers her marketing expertise in supporting a community choir (which she also performs with).
As a Leadership Programmes Executive, Danielle runs some of our commissioned seminars and programmes.
Danielle graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2018 with a BA Degree in Criminology and Sociology. Outside of WIG she enjoys skiing and cooking.
As the Senior Event and Content Executive, Laith is responsible for producing and coordinating a portion of the annual events programme. Prior to joining WIG, Laith worked as Campaigns Coordinator at New Internationalist, the UK’s longest running non-profit media organisation.
Having graduated from Goldsmiths College, University of London with a BA (Hons) Degree in Politics, Philosophy & Economics Laith has a particular interest in housing policy and urban studies and has written about the sociological impact of architectural design and urban policy.
In his free time, Laith plays guitar and sings as part of a band.
