CHARITY, SOCIAL ENTERPRISE AND GOVERNANCE

Vanessa is passionate about contributing to society, not just in the UK but globally. To date Vanessa has raised in excess of £100,000 for various charities. She has also sat on a number of boards, contributing both at a strategic and tactical level.

Below are just a few of her examples of her activities:

2018
Joined the Centenary Action Group, headed by Dr Helen Pankhurst
2017
Appointed a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute (CCMI)
2017
Joined the advisory board of Women of the World Festival, Southbank Centre
2016
Joined the Government Digital Advisory Board
2015
Led a team of volunteers on a field trip to India to support charities and schools
2014
Became an Ambassador for Future First, Inspiring the Future and Girls Out Loud
2013
Joined the Cancer Research, Women of Influence Campaign which raised approx £1 million for the charity
2012
Represented London at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics as Pearly Queen City of London
2012
Created 100 Miles for 100 Smiles, a charity initiative that involved running 100 miles in a 12 month period. Included the London Marathon and 54 mile walk across the Scottish highlands.
2011
Appointed as Trustee for National Youth Music Theatre
2011
Appointed as Trustee for Prostate UK
2011
Led a team of mentees on a field trip to Tanzania, Africa to support Forever Angels Orphanage

Vanessa continues to support a number of charities, government initiatives and social entreprises by providing free advice, expertise and support.

  • Big THANK YOU for today! We’ve already receiving a lot of positive feedback from various countries and offices around Europe – everybody loved your speech (and you)

    Karolina
    Business Development, Manager, Mastercard
  • I just wanted to pass on my thanks again for a fantastic event, I have had non-stop feedback from around the business about what a great panel discussion it was. Vanessa, you were absolutely awesome. Your stories and advice were not only incredibly inspiring and uplifting, but very relatable and funny too!

    Jacqueline Gold CBE
    CEO, Anne Summers
  • Vanessa was our guest speaker at this year’s Founder’s Day. She pitched her talk so brilliantly that she grabbed the attention of all the pupils, who ranged in age from 11 to 18. She was honest and direct, and her talk was both practical and reflective. She made her address so lively and interesting that the girls kept her here for an extra hour, firing questions at her! She was really inspirational.

    Mrs Jo Heywood
    Headmistress, Heathfield School
  • On behalf of the Connect Women team , I would like to thank you for being our guest speaker yesterday. The feedback I received from the delegates that attended was very positive and I owe that to your engaging and entertaining discussion. I look forward to seeing you again at future networking events.

    Abi Banjoko
    Arup
  • I have been lucky enough to attend a couple of Vanessa’s workshops and she continues to inspire. Her approach provokes you to assess who you are and how you perceive yourself, helping you to find confidence both personally and professionally. She is extremely personable and an asset to any event she attends by creating a safe environment for everyone to share their thoughts and opinions

    Claire
    Head of Middle Office, HSBC
  • Thank you for speaking at our Women in Technology Recruiting Event last Thursday. Your keynote speech was completely on point and complemented our event perfectly. Many attendees commented on how authentic it was having you endorse MS and helped them in in the right mind set for the evening with your tips and guidance

    Katherine Loe
    Vice President, Morgan Stanley
  • A huge thank you on behalf of the London Women’s Network for your session yesterday – we were delighted with the turn-out and the early feedback has been unanimously positive

    Anna
    Vice President, Commerzbank
  • Thank you from BEIS and the women who came to hear you speak on Tuesday. You were amazing and I am so pleased you devoted so much time to us – the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive

    Helen
    Head of Professional & Business Services Future Policy, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
  • The feedback has been amazing, and I genuinely have received so much praise for how you delivered a topic that so many people in the room find “awkward” and “unnatural”. The energy was great and what was particularly heartening to see was how it all came to fruition during the drinks reception at the end of the day 😊-

    Oliver
    Human Capital and Diversity, Accenture
  • I just wanted to personally thank you following your visit to the Bradford site last week. The feedback received was fantastic from attendees, colleagues left the session feeling inspired , valued and highly motivated. From a personal perspective I could relate to so much, you certainly gave me a fresh perspective and the inspiration to take responsibility for my next steps

    Yvonne
    Head of Customer Experience, Santander
  • The Power of Mentoring session was great – the perfect balance between being interactive and informative. Vanessa was a really engaging facilitator, very passionate and knowledgeable on the topic of Mentoring. The workbook we used in the session was a really useful tool and helped provide focus for the skills I want to develop and identify a suitable mentor. Coupled with role play to practice approaching said mentor, I feel equipped to reach out with confidence

    Helen
    Royal Bank of Scotland