Peter Rosengard is one of Britain’s leading Life Insurance salesmen. In 1990 he earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records for selling the largest ever Life Insurance policy. Peter has been involved in a number of hobbies throughout his career: In 1979 he founded The Comedy Store in London, thus helping launch the careers of Alexei Sayle, Ben Elton, French and Saunders and many others. He enjoys reading, writing, drawing people in restaurants, painting, and riding around London on his red Vespa scooter.
Colin has worked in education leadership roles for over 40 years. He was a headteacher in London, Inclusion Adviser in the North East of England and Director of Education/Children’s Services in North Somerset and Birmingham with over 450 state schools. He led the education adviser team at the Department for Education and became Deputy Education Commissioner in Birmingham for the Secretary of State to lead the recovery following the Trojan Horse episode.
In 2018 he took up post as Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Birmingham with the mission to create an Education Leadership Academy that blended the best research with excellent practice on the ground.
He was awarded a CBE for services to education in 2016.
He is a lifelong supporter of Liverpool Football Club and used to play keyboards in probably the best blues band in the South West before Birmingham took over his life.
Lucy French founded the charity, Never Such Innocence (NSI) in March 2014, and is currently CEO. NSI is an educational charity that gives young people across the UK and internationally the opportunity to reflect on conflict and how conflict impacts their lives and the world around them through poetry, art, speechwriting and song. It nurtures the next generation of thinkers, leaders and peace keepers through the arts, cultural exchange, dialogue and debate. NSI currently works with 9-18 year olds in 105 countries and fosters international dialogue, through workshops, roadshows and special events to bring children from different communities and indeed, countries together. Prior to Never Such Innocence, she opened the St. James Theatre, the first new theatre complex built in London for three decades. Over the years she has campaigned and fundraised for theatre, the arts and the voices of children.
Lucy sits on the Advisory Board for ‘Getting on with it: the micro-dynamics of post-accord intergroup social relations’ at Bristol University, is a Governor of Fairley House School, a committee member for the 2022 Lord Mayors Big Curry Lunch, an advisor to the Royal School of Church Music.
She was awarded an OBE in the 2019 New Year’s Honours List for Services to Young People and the Arts.
Matthew is a legal consultant specialising in debt capital markets transactions with over 25 years’ experience working at Allen & Overy LLP, one of the leading legal practices in this area. He currently works as an Adviser at the Bank of England. Over his career, he has been involved in a wide range of different types of debt securities offerings across various jurisdictions, including emerging markets. Matthew also has experience of tax driven structures, capital issues for banks and UK building societies, sovereign debt restructurings and corporate reorganisations. Whilst a partner at Allen & Overy LLP, Matthew was trusted by clients to advise on complex strategic financings and restructurings, notably advising the bondholder committee in the Greek restructuring in 2011/12 (the largest ever sovereign bond exchange offer), advising Co-op Group on the recapitalisation of the Co-op Bank in 2013 and advising GE on its corporate reorganisation in 2015 (the largest ever corporate bond exchange offer).
Matthew is a liveryman in the City of London Solicitors’ Company and is chair of the Governance Advisory Group of the Ruth Strauss Foundation.
Ishtiaq Hussain OBE is a senior UK Government leader with over 15 years’ experience across national strategy, governance and resilience. He has held leadership roles in the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department for Education, and currently serves as an Assistant Director at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, where he leads national work on social cohesion and societal resilience.
His career spans counter-extremism, safeguarding in education, addressing race and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system, and tackling serious youth violence and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). He has served on Ofsted’s National Advisory Board on Safeguarding.
Alongside his government role, Ishtiaq contributes to academia, public policy and leadership discourse through research, speaking and advisory work. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of Northampton, a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at King’s College London, a Senior Fellow at Durham University, and serves on the Governing Board of Collingwood College, Durham University. He has delivered lectures and professional training across the UK, the United States and the Middle East, and was a TEDx speaker in 2026.
He was awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours 2023 for services to national policy and societal resilience.
Simon is a specialist in strategic communications, international relations, and reputation management with over 25 years of experience as a lead consultant within the Chime Group. He has developed and executed complex communications strategies for globally recognized brands and advises NGOs across China, India, and Europe. Simon is also a trusted mentor and coach to prominent leaders across a wide range of sectors, including business, sport, music and politics.
Widely respected as a global authority on reputation management, Simon co-authored the award-winning book Lie-Ability and is a sought-after speaker on crisis and reputation management at international conferences.
Sir Harvey McGrath is Chair of the Advisory Council and a Director of the Impact Investing Institute, and Chair-elect of London Treasury Ltd. He is the former CEO and Chair of Man Group plc, and former Chair of Prudential plc, the London Development Agency, the Governors of Birkbeck, University of London, and of Big Society Capital.
An active philanthropist and social investor, Harvey is Chair of West London Zone, which supports at-risk children and young people, and a trustee of New Philanthropy Capital, a research-based charity which gives advice and guidance to donors and charities.
Sir Simon Schama, CBE, FRSL, FBA, is University Professor of Art History and History at Columbia University and a Contributing Editor of the Financial Times. He is the author of nineteen books and the writer-presenter of fifty documentaries on art, history and literature for BBC2.
