THE national network of community foundations, UK Community Foundations (UKCF) has announced the appointment of Lord Dr Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE as President, with immediate effect. Lord Hastings is the second President in the non-profit’s history, the role having previously been fulfilled by Baroness Usha Prashar until 2019.
Throughout his career, Lord Hastings has held deeply purposeful roles across the public/private and non-profit sectors, working within education, philanthropy, justice, and commercial business to support and develop communities around the world.
He is currently serving as Professor of Leadership at the Stephen R. Covey Leadership Centre at Huntsman Business School, USA and on the Concordia Leadership Council. He was the Chancellor of Regent’s University London from 2016 to the end of October 2021. Lord Hastings is also a Vice-President at UNICEF UK and a Trustee for the Africa Philanthropy Foundation and Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.
As President of UKCF, Lord Hastings will be an advocate and ambassador for the work of UKCF and the community foundation network, both nationally and internationally and will be a sounding board for the UKCF Chair and Chief Executive on all matters of good governance and organisational culture, especially equity, diversity and inclusion.
With over 20 years of experience, Lord Hastings’ previous roles have seen him hold the prestigious title of Head of Public Affairs at the BBC, as well as being the BBC’s first Head of Corporate Social Responsibility. He also served as the Global Head of Citizenship for KPMG, is a former Trustee of the Vodafone Group Foundation and is Governor of the Vodafone/Safaricom M-PESA Academy in Nairobi, for 800 of Kenya’s poorest children.
Having begun his career as a teacher, Lord Hastings first worked across government agencies on policies to build racial equality, being a Commissioner with the Commission for Racial Equality from 1993 to 2001. He led the merger of Crime Concern with the Rainer Foundation to create charity Catch22, having been a Trustee and Chairman of Crime Concern for 21 years.
Lord Hastings is recognised for his influence in the charity sector and is highly regarded for his passion and commitment to supporting organisations and causes that make a difference.
He has established an impressive record of achievement, including a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for services to crime reduction, a Crossbench peerage in the House of Lords; the UNICEF Award for Services to Africa’s Children; a Doctorate in Civil Law from the University of Kent, Canterbury, in recognition for his leadership at KMPG, the BBC and for his work in international development and corporate responsibility; and was the first-ever recipient of the Stephen R Covey Leadership Award for a life built on principles and pragmatic delivery.
Lord Hastings is also co-founder of My Brother’s Keeper – an in-depth, ongoing in-prison service that supports better outcomes for insiders; he is Chair of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Black Business Association, and Chair of the Advisory Board of the Black Business Institute.
Lord Dr Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE, President of UKCF said:
“It’s an honour to be appointed President of UKCF. I am really looking forward to using the skills and connections I have developed over the years to champion local philanthropy and to ensure that community foundations can continue to make a difference to vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and communities across the UK.”
Andrew Tuggey CBE DL (UKCF Chair) and Rosemary Macdonald BEM (UKCF CEO) said jointly:
“The UKCF Board and Team, and the 47 community foundations across the UK are delighted that Lord Hastings has agreed to become the President of UK Community Foundations. His influence and experience across the corporate and charity sectors will be invaluable to all of us at UKCF and across the community foundation network.”
