Fantastic Line Up For Philanthropy Panel At Family Business Conference

As part of the programme for The Great British Family Business Conference taking place in London on March 19, Family Business United is delighted to confirm the details of the participants in the philanthropy workshop being hosted by Kedge Martin.

As Paul Andrews, Founder and CEO of Family Business United explains, "Family businesses are a force for good in communities the length and breadth of the country and continue to make an impact each and every day."

"We wanted to showcase their endeavours by way of a workshop showcasing the many different ways that family firms make an impact, from donations to volunteering, grant making and setting up their own foundation and the speakers lined up are all fantastic in their own right and will share their experiences in a rich and inspirational session."

Find out more about the conference which is taking place at the Royal Geographical Society in London on March 19 here

In the meantime, meet our panel members:

Michelle Taft

Michelle serves as an independent non-executive director at sixth generation family business, John Good Group. She also chairs its People and Planet Committee. For the past five years, she has led the Matthew Good Foundation, a charity established by the Group that has donated over £1.5 million to various causes since its inception in 2011. In 2022, the Foundation became a shareholder in the John Good Group, further aligning the Group's performance with social impact.

With more than 25 years of experience in sales, strategic communications, and employee engagement within family businesses and the charity sector, Michelle is passionate about businesses creating a positive societal impact that engages employees. This commitment is evident in the Group's strong ESG strategy and philanthropic initiatives. In 2024, she received the Judges' Award at the Women in Business Achievement Awards for her efforts in driving social impact and significantly increasing funding for small charities through the Foundation.

Caroline Coates

Mother of four, Caroline founded and now runs Harry’s Hydrocephalus Awareness Trust (Harry’s HAT) after her own son was diagnosed with the condition.  The charity has grown significantly since its launch in 2018 and is now working with the government to change policy which will improve early detection for babies with the condition.  The charity is the only one in the UK to focus solely on paediatric hydrocephalus, a life-threatening condition which affects 1 in every 770 babies born each year. 

Caroline serves on the advisory panel for BBC Children In Need and has worked in fundraising for over 20 years, being named Fundraiser of the Year in the process.  She has a BA in PR and Community studies from the University of Exeter and holds the Diploma in Fundraising from the Institute of Fundraising.  She is currently learning BSL so she can communicate more effectively with friends and colleagues in the Deaf community.

Alex Day

Alex joined Big Give as Managing Director in 2015. Big Give is the UK's biggest digital match funding platform which has raised £350m for not-for-profit organisations since 2008. He also works on a part-time basis for Reed as their Director of Social Impact and is heavily focused on their ESG agenda. Prior to Big Give and Reed, he worked for a number of international development and humanitarian NGO's including Tearfund and Medair.

Alex holds a BA Hons in Business & Geography from Exeter University and an MA in Charity Management from St Mary's University. He is Vice-Chair of Sand Dams Worldwide, an international development charity specialising in water conservation. He is listed as a Spears 500 Top Philanthropy Adviser and lives in Surrey with his family.

Kedge Martin

Kedge has more than 30 years’ strategic and operational leadership experience across global business, politics, family offices, and philanthropy. Beginning her career in the late 1980s as a researcher to a Member of the European Parliament and political lobbyist, she then moved to newly liberated Poland in 1991 to establish her first business which she sold five years later.

Returning to the UK in the late 1990s she transitioned into the not-for-profit sector, founding WellChild, now the UK’s leading charity for children with complex health needs. In 2009, she was appointed CEO of Sentebale, Prince Harry’s Foundation for children in Africa and working out of St James’s Palace, served as a principal advisor TRH’s Charities Forum, working across a wide spectrum of critical issues including homelessness, conservation, early childhood development, and healthcare.  

She now advises family businesses and family offices on succession, next gen education and philanthropy.