Events

Register your interest in our Charity Talks and webinars

Coaching and mentoring for charity CEOs: From myths and hearsay to evidence and impact

Tuesday 25 March 2025
12:15 arrival, 12:30 start 
Location: Online, via Zoom

The volatile and often hostile conditions facing charities in recent years have resulted in extraordinary leadership challenges for their CEOs. Research evidence from the private sector suggests that coaching and mentoring can deliver significant benefits to CEOs in terms of their leadership performance and personal wellbeing. However, these practices appear to be under-utilised methods of personal support for charity CEOs, despite the intensity of their needs.

There is a widespread lack of clarity about the distinctions between coaching and mentoring in the charity sector. The purpose-driven nature of charities can also make it difficult for a CEO to justify spending money, and sometimes even just time, on their own personal development. To help address these issues, a doctoral research study has recently been undertaken by Andy Bird. Its goal was to generate empirical evidence about the roles coaching and mentoring play for charity CEOs in the UK.

This webinar will share the findings of this study, featuring insights into:

  • The challenges involved in leading charities from the perspective of charity CEOs
  • The stakeholder networks which charity CEOs can use to support them in their roles
  • The different types of behaviours that help distinguish between different forms of coaching and mentoring practice
  • The different forms of coaching and mentoring relationships experienced by charity CEOs
  • The impact of coaching and mentoring in helping to address the leadership challenges of charity CEOs

The webinar is free to attend and open to everyone.  It will be of particular interest to charity CEOs, Chairs and Directors of People and to coaches working in the charity sector.

Book your place on this webinar now.

Speaker Profiles

Dr. Andy Bird

Image of Andy BirdAndy Bird is an executive coach and mentor who provides support, challenge and guidance for people looking to flourish and succeed as leaders. He holds a doctorate in coaching and mentoring and works with a diverse range of leaders in charities, start-ups and larger corporates.

Andy’s career began with Unilever where he worked for 15 years. His last role was leading their Marketing Academy, the group responsible for building marketing capabilities across Unilever’s global organisation. In 2000, he left to become Co-Founder of Brand Learning, a specialist capability consultancy. When Brand Learning was acquired by Accenture in 2017, Andy moved on to focus independently on his coaching activities and research.

Dr. Helen Timbrell

Image of Helen TimbrellHelen is an associate and visiting lecturer with the Centre for Charity Effectiveness (CCE) where she also coordinates the CCE coaching programme and facilitates CCE Action Learning Sets for leaders.  Helen is a former Director of People and Organisational Development at Samaritans and at Versus Arthritis and prior to this was Director of Volunteering and Participation at the National Trust.

Helen’s PhD explored geographical variations in volunteering.  She has an MBA, is a chartered member of the CIPD and holds an MSc in Coaching and Behavioural Change.  Her own coaching work is almost exclusively within the charity sector where she works with CEOs, Directors and Heads, often supporting them through career transition and change.

Helen is currently a Trustee for Dogs for Good and Abortion Talk, and volunteers for The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and in her local National Trust shop.

Recent events

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Location: Online, via Zoom

In this free online webinar CCE action learning set facilitators, Lisa Barry and Dr Helen Timbrell, shared what is involved in an Action Learning Set (ALS), together with evidence of the value they can bring for organisations and individuals.

Lisa and Helen were joined by previous CCE Action Learning participants who shared some of their experiences of being involved in a set.

Watch a recording of this event.

Please note that the Q&A portion of this event was not recorded.

Perspectives on Leadership for an Inclusive Sector

Perspectives on Leadership for an Inclusive Sector

Wednesday 5 February 2025

Location: Bayes Business School

This panel session of leaders looked at what it means to have an inclusive and diverse work culture.

The event was introduced by Bayes Honorary Visiting Professor Paul Streets (former CEO, Lloyds Bank Foundation), followed by opening comments from the panel. This was followed by a panel discussion on why inclusion and diversity needs to remain at the top our agendas and what practical steps you can take as a leader to get there. The event was then opened to questions from the audience.

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Louise Harris (COO, Crisis)


Kamran Mallick (CEO, Disability Rights UK)


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Watch a recording of this event.


Please note that the Q&A portion of this event was not recorded.

This event was the third in our Perspectives on Leadership series. The first event in the series was, Reflections Forward: Perspectives on leadership in a changing context. A write up and recording from the first event can be found here. The second event in the series was, Perspectives on Leadership, Sector and State: How do we work with, and challenge a new Government? A write up and recording from the second event can be found here.

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Location: Bayes Business School

This panel session of leaders looked at the world through a post-election lens. It reflected on how we adapt to this huge political change and considered the pros, cons and challenges of working with the new Government, including contracting and advocacy.

The event was introduced by Bayes Honorary Visiting Professor Paul Streets (former CEO, Lloyds Bank Foundation), followed by opening comments from the panel. This was followed by a panel discussion on the opportunities and risks a new Government brings and how the sector should respond. The event was then opened to questions from the audience.

Speakers included:

Watch a recording of this event.

Please note that the Q&A portion of this event was not recorded.

This event was the second in our Perspectives on Leadership series. A write up and recording from the first event in the series, Reflections Forward: Perspectives on leadership in a changing context, can be found here.

VSVR conference (10-12 September 2024)

Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Research Conference 2024

Voice of the people? Democracy, representation, and involvement in and through the voluntary sector and volunteering

Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 September (all day)
Location: Bayes Business School, 106 Bunhill Row, London EC1 8TZ

The Centre for Charity Effectiveness was delighted to be the 2024 hosts for the Voluntary Sector Studies Network's annual research conference, which saw over 100 researchers and nonprofit practitioners join us to hear the latest sector research.

About CCE Charity Talks

Hear charity leaders share their expertise on the challenges facing the sector. This evening lecture series has welcomed over 10,000 attendees since it was founded.

Format of Charity Talks

Our Charity Talks are split into the following three sections:

  • Presentation – by a leading figure in the sector of a current key issue facing people in nonprofit organisations
  • Response – from a top academic or consultant broadening out the topic to develop the issues and offering guidance for action
  • Discussion – an opportunity for the audience to question, debate and share their ideas.

Charity Talk Archive

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Contact Details

Centre for Charity Effectiveness
 CCE@city.ac.uk