About Us
Groundbreakers, the UK's network of women voluntary sector CEOs, was founded in 2002 by Dorothy Dalton (former Chief Executive of ACEVO and the first editor of Governance magazine) and Geraldine Peacock (former Chief Executive of Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and former Chair of the Charity Commission).
Groundbreakers' Chair is Susan Daniels, Chief Executive of the National Deaf Children's Society.
If you are a woman CEO in the voluntary sector and would like to join Groundbreakers please email Susan.Daniels@ndcs.org.uk
We are delighted to welcome two new Steering Committee members in January 2022
Camilla Knox-Peebles and Dhivya O'Connor
Camilla Knox-Peebles says “I came across Groundbreakers in the summer of 2020 and I don’t think I have missed a single event since I joined! I love the informal nature of the events and I have found them thought provoking and a great way to share and reflect on some of the challenges I have faced as a CEO. I have also linked up with CEOs I did not know but met through the events. I would love to contribute to the organisation of the Groundbreakers events by joining the SC, I am nearly 2 years and a half in my role at Amref UK and I have the time and energy to support and some creative thoughts on future speakers."
Dhivya O'Connor says "I am delighted to join the Steering Committee of Groundbreakers. As a mother and as a CEO I feel passionately about championing the development of more women into leadership roles across the voluntary sector. The networks and opportunities that Groundbreakers offered me when I first became a CEO have been of immense personal value and I hope to be able to pay this forward.”
Groundbreakers' Steering Committee includes:
Our Chair
Susan Daniels OBE
Susan is Chair of Groundbreakers and Chief Executive of The National Deaf Children’s Society. She is a member of the BBC Appeals Advisory Group and Chair of the New Born Hearing Screening Quality Assurance Programme Advisory Board which monitors the delivery of the programme across hospitals in England. Susan was a Commissioner of the Disability Rights Commission from 2003 until its merger with the Commission for Equality and Human Rights. In 2006, Susan was awarded an OBE for services to deaf children and their families.
Twitter @SusanNDCS
Caroline Diehl MBE
Caroline is CEO of Impact Media, and the Social Founder Network, including the podcast series 'Social Founder Stories'. Caroline was Founder CEO of the Media Trust until 2017, and Founder and Executive Chair of Together TV (The Community Channel) until Sept.2022. She is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at INSEAD, a Governor of the East London NHS Foundation Trust, a 2019 Churchill Fellow, a WEA Fellow and an EY Entrepreneur of the Year.
Twitter @carolinediehl
Camilla Knox-Peebles
Camilla became Chief Executive of Amref Health Africa UK in August 2019. She has 25 years of experience in the humanitarian and international development sector. Prior to joining Amref, she was Deputy Humanitarian Director at Oxfam International where she oversaw Oxfam’s global work on public health, water and sanitation, and Disaster Risk Reduction.
Camilla is multilingual, skilled at developing and delivering organisational strategies, with extensive experience of complex management and governance issues and a broad professional network.
She has lived and worked in Africa and Asia and has an MSC in International Health. She is passionate about seeing more women in leadership positions and thriving professionally and aims to play a part in enabling this to happen whenever the
opportunity arises. @CamillaKPeebles
Polly Neate CBE
Polly became Shelter’s CEO in August 2017, having been the CEO of Women’s Aid and, before that, Executive Director at Action for Children. She has always worked for social justice, previously as an award-winning journalist. Twitter: @pollyn1
Dhivya O'Connor
Dhivya is a dynamic charity leader, with over 22 years' experience across both the chairty and commercial sectors. She has served as CEO for organisatinos including United World Schools, Chartered Institute of Fundraising and Children with Cancer UK. She is a Board Member of Book Aid International, and a governor of a London state primary school. Prior to joining the third sector she held various strategy, business development and leadership roles, helping drive transformative growth, including with Lloyds Bank, GE Capital and Octopus Travel (now part of Expedia Group). Dhivya is the creator and executive producer of the chart-topping The Charity CEO Podcast. https://www.thecharityceo.com @DhivyaOConnor
Bridget Warr CBE
Bridget has been CEO of United Kingdom Homecare Association, the professional association for providers of homecare since July 2010. She has been a member of Groundbreakers for over 10 years and also chairs ACEVO’s Women’s Special Interest Group.
Dorothy Dalton
Many thanks to Dorothy for her inspiration and dedication as
Founder of Groundbreakers, ACEVO and the Network of Women Chairs.
Dorothy is a leading expert on governance and advises several national charities. She has written several books on governance. She was founder CEO of ACEVO, and founding editor of Governance magazine: essential information for effective trustees from July 2005 to January 2016, and on the Groundbreakers Steering Committee, as our Founder, until 2021.
