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.
Alexandra joined WIG in October 2020 as Chief Operating Officer, where she is responsible for overseeing WIG's internal functions as well as contributing to WIG's wider work. She has a background in academia, where she completed a doctorate in applied mathematics at St Andrews University, and in the civil service. Over twelve years, she worked in a range of government departments from HM Treasury to the Department for Education and Defra, as well as running the Independent Commission for Aid Impact.
Alexandra is an alumna of WIG’s Women’s Leadership Programme, a trustee of Target Ovarian Cancer and a governor of Queen's Gate School. In her spare time, she loves music and takes every opportunity to go away hillwalking - she has climbed nearly all of Scotland's Munros!
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.
Andrew works with the Head of Membership and the Relationship Managers, supporting WIG membership growth, engagement strategy and the member experience.
Prior to joining WIG, Andrew spent several years working in membership development and retention roles for professional membership bodies in the not-for-profit sector (The Law Society, The Institute of Directors and BritishAmerican Business).
Andrew is a graduate of Cardiff University with a BSc(Econ) in European Studies. Outside of WIG, Andrew enjoys travelling abroad and spending time with friends and family. He loves to follow anything to do with Aviation, Politics and Football.
Cat leads WIG’s Marketing and Data team which supports the organisation to improve member engagement and maximise opportunities for growth. The team is focused on developing a customer-centric approach to communications, that’s underpinned by data and the wants and needs of our members.
Cat started her career in science and healthcare communications after graduating with a first class BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Birmingham. She worked agency-side, supporting clients with their international communications and lead-gen strategies. Prior to joining WIG in January 2021, Cat spent a number of years leading high-profile, public-facing health engagement programmes, particularly focused on the UK diabetes crisis, and led Marketing, Content, Brand and PR functions in medical research charities.
Outside of work, you’ll find Cat outdoors. She’s a lover of the British coastal path and photography; things which can only be trumped by tea, chocolate and crumpets.
As Event & Content Manager, Leo is responsible for producing and managing a wide range of WIG events. Prior to joining WIG, Leo was Head of Events at the PRCA, the professional association for the PR and communications industry.
In his spare time Leo enjoys gardening and spending time in the allotment with his greyhound, Del. He also plays drums in an indie-blues band.
Lydia is Head of Membership. She builds and maintains relationships across WIG's member organisations to maximise engagement and the benefit they get from their corporate membership. She is also responsible for ensuring the membership itself is balanced and reflective of the UK economy comprising representation from all key sectors.
Prior to this, Lydia was in WIG’s Talent team where she was the Director of the Charity Next programme, facilitating secondments for future leaders of the public sector into the not-for-profit sector. She also organised placements for senior leaders and brokered cross-sector mentoring partnerships.
Before WIG, Lydia was Project Manager at a think tank also with a mission to improve collaboration between the sectors, where she focused on tackling UK financial reform and climate change. Lydia achieved a 1st-Class degree in Arabic and French and uses her language skills outside of WIG to support a range of organisations in the UK and abroad, working to improve the lives of refugees. She is also a Fellow of the Charityworks Not-For-Profit Leadership Development Programme, through which she currently mentors trainees.
As a Leadership Programme Executive, Federica supports the organisation and delivery of some of our development seminars.
Federica graduated from the University of Bologna with a BA in Political, Social and International Sciences. She has a keen interest in conflict transformation and sustainable development which drove her to study peace and conflict for her Master of Arts at the University of Leiden. Prior to joining WIG she worked as an intern for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.
Outside WIG Federica loves art, archaeology, discovering new music, and food.
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.
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.
Kristiina has ownership for data across WIG. She champions CRM best practices in data interpreting and processing, and ensures efficient audit and control procedures are in place.
Prior to joining WIG, Kristiina worked as part of the global team at MediaCom, UK’s largest media agency to manage their CRM platform.
Outside of WIG, she enjoys the arts, reading and interior design.
As Leadership Programmes Manager, Hannah is responsible for the management and continued development of WIG’s leadership programmes.
Prior to joining WIG, Hannah designed and delivered programmes for executive leaders in the education sector, and has also produced learning and development programmes for the wider public sector.
Hannah holds a BA (Hons) degree in History and Political Science from the University of Birmingham. Outside of WIG she enjoys baking and is a volunteer for Homeless Action in Barnet.
Stephanie is our Senior Digital Marketing Executive, managing WIG’s digital presence including the website, email marketing and social media channels. She ensures WIG’s branding and purpose is consistent across all marketing material for clear communication to both members and non-members.
Prior to joining WIG, Stephanie spent 4 years living in both Malta and Singapore, developing her experience of working with international clients. Her PR and digital marketing experience is drawn from agency work, in-house roles and public sector organisations.
Stephanie holds a Degree in Media with Media Practice from Nottingham Trent University. New to London, she enjoys exploring the city, travelling and theatre arts.
Edwin works on the Talent team, including helping to 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.
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 Director of Strategic Engagement, Tom is responsible for overseeing the WIG Events & Content team and the Membership team. The main focus is to ensure WIG continues to be the leading platform for constructive collaboration between government, industry and the not-for-profit sector. Tom originally joined as Head of Content and Events in 2017.
Before joining WIG, Tom 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, and walking his dog.
As Events and Content assistant, Chirag supports with the logistical and administrative side of running our events and managing digital content. Chirag is currently on placement from the University of Bath where he studies Bsc Politics with Economics.
Outside of WIG, Chirag enjoys playing football and loves to sing.
As the Events and Content Executive, Lucy coordinates a range of WIG events including our Permanent Secretary briefing series, along with the Economic Growth & Prosperity and Infrastructure themed events.
Prior to WIG, she gained an MA (Hons) from the University of Glasgow in Politics.
Outside of work, Lucy loves to travel and spent a semester of university studying in Tokyo.
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 Leadership overseeing all of WIG’s L&D offers to our members and beyond. This includes our flagship cross-sector leadership development programmes, organisational raids and Learning Exchange Groups between the public, private and not for profit sectors, our personal development masterclasses and many bespoke L&D programmes for our members.
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).
As a Senior 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.
