Professor Chris Dayson appointed Director of the Centre for Charity Effectiveness

Professor Chris Dayson has been appointed as new Director of the Centre for Charity Effectiveness (CCE) at Bayes Business School.

Professor Dayson joins from Sheffield Hallam University, having held roles in research and policy for the Civil Service before embarking on a career in academia.

The Centre for Charity Effectiveness draws on influential research and experiences of academics, consultants and clients to advise not-for-profit leaders hoping to drive governance, strategic, and leadership change. Centre experts aim to deliver sustainable change through research, training, events and consultancy work to support both domestic and international non-profit sectors.

Professor Dayson said he was looking forward to taking on the role of leading the Centre, having worked in public and voluntary sectors throughout his career.

“Charities and the voluntary sector have been a part of my life ever since childhood, and long before they became a focus of my work,” he said.

“The opportunity to lead and hopefully develop a Centre around my core interests is an exciting one. CCE has a strong reputation as one of the world’s main academic centres for studying and researching charities and the voluntary sector, and I see real possibilities to maximise and further grow our networks.

“When students, alumni, consultants, academics and sector partners come together, it is amazing how much power we have to co-create real-world impacts for policy and practice through meaningful applied research.”

Professor Dayson joins Bayes at a time of global uncertainty, but believes academia can play a key role in overcoming prevailing challenges facing the sector.

“Charities across the world are experiencing incredible financial and economic pressures, alongside challenges posed by climate change and the rapid adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence,” he continued.

“In my own academic research, I see how charities often struggle to articulate their value to external stakeholders, including the public sector and potential donors. I am exploring how we might rethink value in the context of the social and economic changes we are all experiencing.

“Research centres and academia more generally have a vital role to play in supporting the sector.

“We occupy a unique position between policy, practice and evidence. I like to think we can also play a crucial role in ensuring knowledge mobilisation to ensure key functions like management, governance and policymaking are able to utilise the latest knowledge to best effect.”

Professor Barbara Casu, Deputy Dean for Research at Bayes, said:

“We are delighted to welcome somebody of Chris’s expertise to lead the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at such an important time for the sector.

“At Bayes, our research centres form vital links between theory and practice that are closely related to current research interests of our faculty. They provide knowledge exchange with external stakeholders and end-users of our research, as well as opportunities for sector growth and collaboration with practitioners. As one of our Centres of Excellence, CCE aims to drive policy and best practice in the voluntary sector – helping the leaders of today and developing the leaders of the future.”

Find out more about the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Bayes Business School.

Browse and apply for one of our charity and philanthropy master’s degree programmes at Bayes.