The Talent Fund helps philanthropists get it right
The Talent Fund is supported by a network of professional grant-making, monitoring, evaluation and technical specialists. It is governed by a skilled Board of Trustees with significant charity governance experience and professional expertise in finance, risk and law.
Founder & Trustee
Kevin Cahill CBE
Kevin was the founder of Sport Relief and Comic Relief’s CEO for over 20 years where he was responsible with his team for raising and overseeing the charitable distribution of over £1bn.
He’s now Comic Relief’s Honorary Life President along with Sir Lenny Henry. He is a Director of the Manchester United Foundation Trading Board, and a Trustee of the Harlequins Foundation.
He is also the co-creator of FONO (For One Night Only) and a special advisor to the mental health organisation JAAQ.
Trustee
Katerina Capras
Katerina is a solicitor and Managing Associate at Harbottle & Lewis, advising founders, investors, businesses and charities on a broad range of corporate, commercial and governance matters. She has a particular focus on advising clients in the creative industries, as well as charities and philanthropic organisations. She is recognised in The Legal 500 and Chambers UK guides.
Trustee
Caroline Lien
Caroline is a former Strategy Director at Comic Relief and former McKinsey & Co management consultant. She now works as a strategy and organisation development consultant, predominantly specialising in public health. She also serves as Vice Chair of The Listening Place.
Trustee
Meera Naik
Meera has over 16 years’ experience using data to inform fundraising at both Comic Relief and Barnardo’s, and now heads up the data team at Nando’s. She was named as one of the most influential data and analytics practitioners in UK organisations by the Data IQ Top 100 in 2019 and 2020.
Trustee
Clare Pizey
Clare is an experienced Executive Producer who has overseen several campaigns for Sport Relief and Children in Need at the BBC. More recently, she was the Editorial Director for Top Gear, overseeing all aspects of the global format.
She is also an experienced Recovery Coach and is currently studying to become a qualified Psychotherapist and is especially interested in mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Trustee
Peter Salmon
Peter is currently MD of UK scripted company Via Pictures. Before that he was Controller of BBC1 and Director of BBC Sport, Controller of Factual, Channel 4, Director of Programmes at Granada TV and Global Creative Officer for Endemol Shine Group.
Among career highlights, he co-invented Sport Relief; was Executive Producer of Oscar-winning animation Wallace and Gromit; and founded and ran the BBC base at Media City in North-West England.
Trustee
Colin Simon
Colin has extensive experience in the charity and not-for-profit world, including business and finance leadership roles at Comic Relief, Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund and the National Theatre. Colin is also Trustee of High Tide Productions.
Board advisors, ambassadors and associates
Board advisor
Elizabeth Compton
Elizabeth is an Associate at Harbottle & Lewis, advising charities and philanthropic organisations on formation, governance and commercial activities. Elizabeth also advises a variety of clients on a broad range of corporate matters, with a particular focus on the technology, media and entertainment sectors.
Board advisor
Colin Howes
Colin is a consultant and former partner at Harbottle & Lewis who has experience advising both numerous businesses within the creative industries and the hospitality industry and charitable organisations. He is also part-time general counsel at F1 Arcade. He is a former and founding trustee of Comic Relief, is Board Adviser to Virgin Unite, Trustee of Second Stage and has significant experience in advising charities on legal and governance issues.
Board advisor
Robert Webb KC
Rob has been General Counsel at British Airways and Rolls Royce. He also has extensive board experience with BBC Worldwide and The London Stock Exchange and has held previous trustee and honorary roles at Comic Relief and Unicef. He is a former Barrister and Head of Chambers at 5 Bell Yard.
Ambassador
Lucy Watson
Lucy is a Newscaster and Correspondent for ITV News. She has previously been based in Asia for ITN, reporting from inside North Korea and on the Hong Kong Democracy protests. She has also worked as US Correspondent for ITV’s Good Morning Britain on stories such as Hurricane Sandy and the Sandy Hook massacre. Most recently she has been reporting from the war in Ukraine.
Associate
Gilly Green OBE
Gilly is an experienced, strategic grant-maker who received an OBE in recognition of innovative grant-making to tackle domestic violence. She was Head of UK Grants at Comic Relief for over 15 years and is currently an Advisor to The Kings Fund and IVAR, and serves as a trustee of Rosa, The Women’s Fund; and Founder Trustee of Tonic Housing – the housing and support scheme for older LGBT+ people.
Associate
Rebecca Hanshaw
Rebecca is an experienced philanthropy, grant making and fundraising specialist. She’s an Advisory Board Member of Talk to Loop - which democratises feedback and ensures safe reporting for communities experiencing humanitarian crisis. She is a former co-convenor of the UK Funders’ Shift the Power Coalition; former board member for the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy UK; and former UK Executive Director of Global Fund for Women – a feminist funder supporting global gender justice movements.
Associate
Dr Judith McNeill
Judith is the Vice Chair of Nationwide Foundation and Trustee of Coutts Charitable Foundation. She has a doctorate in cancer research and has held numerous leadership positions in several big brand charities including Comic Relief, WaterAid and Macmillan Cancer Support. Most recently she was CEO of KPMG Foundation.
Associate
Jennie Richmond
Jennie is an experienced thought leader and practitioner in evaluation, learning and programming for international development and humanitarian response. She’s held senior positions with all major agencies including the UN, Christian Aid, Oxfam, Department for International Development, and Comic Relief. She also a Trustee of Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre.
Organiser
Ellie Cook
Ellie Cook is an experienced administrator and PA. She’s adept at keeping us organised having worked for various high-profile companies in the entertainment industry including MPL Communications, Universal and Fremantle.