Spirit of 2012 will close on 30 January 2026. This website will remain publicly accessible but will not be updated.
Members of the inquiry come from all parts of the UK and bring a wide range of expertise. They are sharing their expertise in their personal capacities, and their views do not represent those of the organisations that employ them.
Chairperson
Sir Tom founded the Marshall Institute for Philanthropy and Entrepreneurship at the London School of Economics (LSE). He is also the founder and Chair of Helpforce, a charity championing the greater use of volunteers in health and social care.
Chhabra is an actor who helped create outdoor performance company Nutkhut, which creates festivals, digital artworks and theatrical moments which bring people together, under single, universal experiences.
As Director of Springboard Opportunities, Angila has extensive experience of working across divided communities, promoting an appreciation of diversity and increasing community cohesion. In 2022 she was awarded an MBE for services to young people in Northern Ireland.
From 2006 to 2013 Bill was responsible for the team which delivered the London 2012 Games Ceremonies. Since then, he has advised the International Olympic Committee and several Games Organising Committees.
Chris Creegan is a writer, consultant and non-executive based in Edinburgh. He was Chair of the Scottish Association for Mental Health from 2015-2022 and Chief Executive of the Scottish Commission for Learning Disability from 2013-2019.
Danny is Conservative MP for Devizes. He was formerly Political Secretary to Boris Johnson and an Expert Adviser on Civil Society. He co-chairs the New Social Covenant Unit, and serves on the Treasury Select Committee.
David is best known for his extensive career in football and charity, serving The FA, The Football League and Ipswich Town over the last 30 years and, in the voluntary sector, Suffolk & UK Community Foundations.
Jason is Chief Executive Officer of Lioncroft Wholesale Limited. He has been a Non-Executive Director of University Hospitals Birmingham Foundation Trust and is currently a Member of the Aston University Governing Council.
Neil is Director for Experience, Participation and Equalities at NHS England, having joined the NHS after a 25-year career in the voluntary sector. Neil has previously been a Non-Executive Director for the NHS.
Emma joined Young Manchester as Head of Development and Partnerships in January 2022. Previously, Emma held roles at the Together Coalition and Step Up To Serve – the charities that co-ordinated #ThankYouDay and the #iwill campaign respectively.
Esther Britten has been the Head of Major Events at UK Sport since March 2012, leading the team that is responsible for the strategic programming and investment of major sports events in the UK.
George is founded Do IT Life and various tech platform businesses over a 25-year period. He also created the world’s first social currency for schools and is passionate about the intersection of society and technology.
Hayley is a Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant and campaigner who co-founded Nutmegs, a growing football community for women of colour and non-binary people of colour. She currently sits of Spirit of 2012’s Board.
Kersten has been Chief Executive of Bradford Council since 2015 and is also the chair of the Young Foundation whose mission is to develop better connected and more sustainable communities across the UK.
Mark has led a range of campaigns to improve the resilience of diverse local communities. In 2022, Mark chaired the Festival of Suffolk that brought all communities together to ‘Recover, Reset and Recharge’ following Covid.
Nicola has had a long career in the charitable and voluntary sector, most recently as Director of the John Ellerman Foundation, where she developed the strategic direction and advised trustees on governance and grant-making.
Petra launched KERB, a food market accelerator, in 2012 and currently sits on the board for KERB and UCL SU, providing placemaking consultancy for organisations.
Donna was CEO of Wigan Council for 8 years and is also an Integrated Care System Adviser to NHS England. She was awarded a CBE in 2009 for innovation in public service.
Geoff is the Founder and Chair of the Youth Charter, a charity which uses sport, arts, cultural and digital activities to tackle societal problems. He is also Chair of the London Youth Games and was Deputy Chair of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Jane joined Newcastle University in 2019. As Pro-Vice-Chancellor, she leads the University’s Engagement & Place Strategy, focussing on building partnerships to enhance our contribution socially, economically and culturally.
Patrick is an independent adviser on equality, diversity and inclusion for the Crown Prosecution Service and Islington Council and has led the campaigns for a national Windrush Day and amnesty for the Windrush Generation.
Revd. Gumbel is the creator of Alpha, an introduction to the Christian faith running in churches in 140 countries. Initially trained as a barrister, Nicky went on to be Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton, London.
Simon was the first Director of Communications for NHS England. He worked through the Covid pandemic establishing the NHS presence at the daily Downing Street briefings.
Sir Peter Bazalgette is Senior Independent Director on the board of Saga and also chairs LoveCrafts, an online retailer. From 2016 to 2022 he chaired ITV, and previously served on the board of Channel 4.
For six years Susie was a 5-time medal-winning professional Paralympic swimmer, retiring in 2017. Susie currently works as a Technical Advisor on Disability Inclusion for Economic Empowerment at the Department of International Development.