About us
Quintessentially Foundation was created in 2008 to address some of Britain’s most acute social problems, especially those right on our doorstep.
Our approach has always been to galvanise our network of donors, friends and partners, and inspire them to make a difference. We have put our shoulders to the wheel, serving the communities we work with, to the best of our ability.
We are an independent charitable organisation and rely on our generous supporters to fund our work.
Source: The Childhood Trust
We have built a reputation for forming deep relationships with our charity partners, offering funding and additional assistance to help further their mission.
In 2022, we launched The Firefly Project, a new grassroots initiative focused on children and young people living in poverty. The programme will provide funding, raise awareness and facilitate partnerships to ‘turbo charge’ these smaller charities and help reach more people.
BEN ELLIOT
Founder
JO WALKER
Head of Events & Engagement
JOEL DAVIS
Chief Executive
JULIA MCKERRON
Team Executive
Chair
Rory Brooks CBE
Rory is co-founder of the international private equity group MML Capital Partners. The Rory & Elizabeth Brooks Foundation focuses on poverty research, youth disadvantage, social justice, and arts and education. He is an inaugural Trustee of the CSJ Foundation and a previous Chairman of the Centre for Social Justice. In 2015, Rory was awarded a CBE for his services to philanthropy.
Founding Trustee
Ben Elliot
Ben is the Founding Trustee of Quintessentially Foundation and a Co-Founder of the Quintessentially Group. He holds Trusteeships at the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Royal Albert Hall and The Eranda Rothschild Foundation. Formerly, Ben was Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party and was the UK Government’s first Food Surplus and Waste Champion.
Trustee
Andrew Crawley
Andrew (known as Drew) is the Chief Commercial Officer of American Express Global Business Travel responsible for the global customer partnership organisation. He is also a non-executive director of Travelopia, a KKR company. His previous roles include Chief Executive and Board Chairman at International Airlines Group, Chief Executive of IAG Cargo and Chief Commercial Officer at British Airways.
Trustee
Peter Crowther
Peter serves as a member of the global Executive Committee of Winston & Strawn, a leading global law firm. Peter has a broad-based advisory practice, with experience advising companies in a wide variety of regulatory, investigations, disputes, and transactional matters. Peter has been recognised for many years in the leading legal directories.
Trustee
Sebastian Lee
Seb runs his own travel business, Latitude International. He has been a trustee and friend of Quintessentially Foundation since its inception and is an integral member of the QF annual Bike Ride organising committee. Seb is also a Trustee of The Sobell Foundation, a grant making charity.
Trustee
Emma McCarthy
Emma is Commercial Director for Churchill Estates Management. Emma’s current role is to oversee and develop financial growth of the company. She has a keen interest in philanthropy where she previously headed up Quintessentially Foundation and launched the Churchill Foundation, both charitable arms of large organisations.