Trustees

Atul Manek became Chair of ECF in November 2025. Atul is an experienced Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, with a 30-year career in financial services, mainly in investment management. He has strong governance, management and risk management skills and is a chartered accountant. He also helped to navigate his business through a period of huge regulatory and technology changes and fast business growth.

Nick Alston, former Chair of Essex Community Foundation, took on the role in November 2018 and stepped down in November 2025, handing the baton to Atul Manek. In 2012, Nick was elected as the first Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, and later served as High Sheriff of Essex in 2022/23, roles which gave him an insight into the profound importance of the voluntary sector. He is Vice-Chair of Governors at Anglia Ruskin University, and also chairs the Essex based drug and alcohol recovery charity Open Road.

Charles joined the ECF Board of Trustees in 2018 and has a strong background in finance operations, the money and gilt-edged markets, property, HR, governance and administration. He was a founding partner at Fair-lead Partners, a corporate finance boutique and held a number of senior positions at Cazenove, including Partner, Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer.

Gemma has worked for over 15 years in the voluntary sector, both internationally and more recently within smaller, local organisations. She is a member of the institute of fundraising and holds a Masters in International Development. Gemma’s experience is grounded in working with small and medium voluntary sector organisations to maximise their full potential. She is highly active within the sector she is highly active in the voluntary sector in south Essex especially Southend and through her work supporting trusts and foundations.

Graham specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration (domestic and international), with a particular focus on commercial fraud, investment disputes, offshore work, insurance disputes and professional liability claims in a commercial context. He is recognised as a Leading Silk in the directories for Commercial Litigation, Offshore, Civil Fraud and Professional Negligence.

Gail is a consultant working with foundations and charities on investment practice and governance, and impact investing. Gail was previously Head of Investment Learning at the Association of Charitable Foundations, and has worked for youth and arts charities, and for the foundation of a global financial services company, leading activity within the UK, Europe and Canada.

Maggie is an advisor with ghSMART (a leadership strategy advisory firm) and former strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company. She works closely with CEOs, boards, and management teams on a range of strategy, leadership, and organisational topics and co-leads her firm's Public & Social Sector Practice, bringing a wealth of knowledge from the non-profit sector across the UK and USA.

Tim is a Partner at Knights Plc and Team Leader of the Business Team providing corporate and commercial legal advice to a wide range of clients. Tim’s specialism is working with not-for-profit organisations and charities which he hopes will be a great fit for his time as a trustee of ECF.

David has over 30 years of experience in the financial services sector across Europe, the United States and Asia with roles in Finance, Operations, and Compliance. Since retiring, David has committed his skills and experience to public service and community work. He currently serves as an advisor at Maldon Citizens Advice, is an elected public Governor at the East Suffolk & North Essex Foundation Trust and is Chair of the Daws Hall Trust. He is also actively involved with his local Parochial Church Council.

Dorine is currently VP & Head of Corporate Communications at Franklin Templeton, a £1.5 trillion global asset manager. With over two decades in communications and in Financial Services, Dorine has led on several topics including Sustainability, DEI and geopolitical events. She is actively engaged with and has championed numerous initiatives to support Inclusion within the Financial Services industry.

Soumya (Mya) is involved in the Young Trustee Movement and is interested in bringing a younger voice to our Board. She is a recent graduate of Mathematics at Warwick University and has secured a position as a quantitative trader. Mya is passionate about Essex and her local community and started a not-for-profit group during the COVID-19 pandemic where volunteers could write and send letters to NHS staff.

Ben is a Portfolio Manager at Cazenove Capital, specialising in running multi-asset investment portfolios for charities, having worked on the team since graduating from university in 2009. He is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Skinners and has served therein as a committee member of the Lawrence Atwell’s Charity. Ben currently mentors students via the Social Mobility Foundation and has an active interest in environmental sustainability and conservation within farming.

Stewart is CEO of Irwin Mitchell Asset Management Ltd. He is an experienced Wealth Manager, and was previously Managing Director of Seven Investment Management. Stewart first became involved with ECF in his role with Coutts & Co in 2010. He is an experienced leader and adviser within the UK Wealth Management sector, and is a chartered fellow of the Chartered Investment and Securities Institute.

Naz Biggs (she/they) is a portfolio manager at Impact on Urban Health (as part of the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation) and leads a strategy area that aims to reduce the inequalities in health experienced by working-age, Black and minoritised residents in Lambeth and Southwark, which are produced by structural financial inequities. Naz has worked across different sectors including, small business, higher education, civil service, and international development. Naz is a trustee of London Funders, the only cross-sector network for funders and investors in London’s civil society. From regular events to facilitating learning and collaboration, they enable funders from all sectors to be effective.

Gillian Hayter runs her own training and consultancy business and has lived in Essex for nearly 25 years. She has a long record of community involvement and is a former Trustee and Vice Chair of the Rural Community Council of Essex (RCCE), she has also served as a Justice of the Peace for North Essex for over a decade and continues as a Supplemental JP. Now based in Great Yeldham, she is continuing to build strong connections through local organisations and community networks. Gillian first became familiar with Essex Community Foundation through work with the RCCE and said that she has long admired our ability to support both local charities and donors, enabling funds of all sizes to make meaningful and lasting impact. She expressed a strong interest in our fund development activities and how we can scale this up. With experience in governance, performance measurement and quality review within a large charitable organisation, she brings strong analytical skills, an interest in and understanding of data and metrics to drive performance, and a practical grasp of trustee responsibilities. An educator by profession, she is confident in public speaking, stakeholder engagement and representing the values of the organisations she serves.