Speakers Index

Alfie Sterling, JRF

Alfie is Director of Insight and Policy at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, leading the evidence, economics and policy teams. Previously Alfie was Director of Research and Chief Economist at the New Economics Foundation (NEF), leading research teams across economics, environment and social policy. Prior to that, Alfie was senior economist at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), leading macroeconomic and fiscal policy research for the Commission on Economic Justice. Alfie is a regular contributor in national media through TV, radio and print.

Monday 28th September, 14:00 - 15:00: Building the Productive State: The pillars of progressive reform

Andrea Egan, General secretary, UNISON

Andrea Egan is the General Secretary of UNISON. Previously a social worker, she is the first lay member to lead the union.

Tuesday 29th September, 15:30 - 16:30: Rewiring Britain: Labour's Last Chance?

Andrew Lewin, MP

Monday 28th September, 10:30 - 11:30: Fighting for a future we can all afford: working together to end the cost of living crisis

Anki Deo (Hope not Hate)

Anki Deo leads on polling and insights for HOPE not hate, the UK’s biggest anti-fascism organisation. Her recent research has covered the nuances of Reform UK supporters and "anti-Reform" sentiment in the UK.

Tuesday 29th September, 16:30 - 17:30: Beating the far right - how economic populism can defeat the forces of darkness

Dr Ben Tippet, Kings College London

Ben Tippet is a Lecturer in Economics and Wealth Inequality. He is a council member of the Progressive Economy Forum and a committee member of the Post-Keynesian Economics Society. He is author of Split: Class Divides Uncovered (Pluto Press: 2020). He is also Principal Investigator on a British Academy/Leverhulme funded project building a new dataset on the wealthiest families in the UK from archives of The Sunday Times Rich list. He co-leads the Technology, Inequality and Development Research Group.

Tuesday 29th September, 13:00 - 13:30: A £10bn wealth tax on the super-rich - how can we make it happen?

Caitlin Boswell, Deputy Director, External Affairs, Tax Justice UK

Tuesday 29th September, 11:00 - 12:00: What's so wrong with wealth inequality?

Clive Lewis, MP, Norwich South

Clive Lewis is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Norwich South since May 2015. Before entering politics, he spent over a decade as a BBC TV political journalist and served as an infantry officer in the Army Reserve, completing a deployment to Afghanistan in 2009. Within Parliament, Clive has held several high-profile shadow frontbench roles—including Shadow Defence Secretary and Shadow Business Secretary—and launched a bid for the Labour leadership in 2020. A prominent voice on the left of his party, he is widely recognized for his advocacy on progressive issues, championing constitutional reform, wealth redistribution, and a UK Green New Deal.

Monday 28th September, 15:00 - 16:00: A Blueprint for Economic Renewal
Monday 28th September, 17:00 - 18:00: Investment in every postcode: The opportunity for public financial institutions

Conor O'Shea (ECU)

Monday 28th September, 10:30 - 11:30: Fighting for a future we can all afford: working together to end the cost of living crisis

Dr Daniella Jenkins, Executive Director WBG

Dr Daniella Jenkins joined WBG from the University of Bristol, where she led pioneering research at the intersection of feminism, economic policy, and design. Her PhD was in designing feminist pensions policy. Prior to her academic career, Daniella worked across the public and financial sectors, leading policy development and large-scale change programmes. She is committed to advancing gender equality and previously served as the first Executive Director of The WOW Foundation, a women’s advocacy charity. Alongside her professional roles, Daniella is a parent and carer.

Tuesday 29th September, 10:00 - 11:00: From Pay to Pensions: Tackling Women's Lifetime Economic Inequality

Danny Sriskandarajah – CEO, New Economics Foundation (NEF)

Dr Danny Sriskandarajah is Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation (NEF), a role he has held since January 2024. He previously served as Chief Executive of Oxfam GB, Secretary General of CIVICUS, Director of the Royal Commonwealth Society and Interim Director of the Commonwealth Foundation, as well as holding roles at the Institute for Public Policy Research. He holds a Masters and Doctorate from the University of Oxford and an undergraduate degree from the University of Sydney. Danny is also the author of Power to the People, published in 2024, which explores how people can use collective action to reshape society and democracy.

Monday 28th September, 16:00 - 17:00: The UK's 2027 G20 Presidency: A Historic Opportunity to Fix the Financial System

Deborah Doane, Co-Director, Verdant

Tuesday 29th September, 12:00 - 13:00: Food prices and food security: a bold new approach is needed

Dillon Lancaster, Future Governance Forum

Dillon Lancaster managed a £12 billion Global Strategic Bond Fund, composed of government, corporate and financial bonds He now is a Policy associate for the Future Governance Forum concentrating on economic policy where he has just co-authored a paper on Improving access to finance for underinvested founders.

Monday 28th September, 09:15 - 10:15: Bond markets - can governments drive the economy? Or are they in hock to the bond markets?

Dora Meade (NEON)

Dora Meade is the Co-Director of the Comms Hub at NEON, where she set up the messaging programme. She has a particular interest in economic framing and is leading a new project, Narrative for a New Economy.

Tuesday 29th September, 16:30 - 17:30: Beating the far right - how economic populism can defeat the forces of darkness

Esther Giles, Treasurer, The Socialist Health Association & War on Want

Esther Giles is an economist by education. She then trained as a public finance professional and worked as finance director in many parts of the NHS, most recently in the South Region as Finance Director for Specialised Services. Esther is now a Director and Treasurer of The Socialist Health Association, and Treasurer and Trustee for War on Want.

Monday 28th September, 15:00 - 16:00: A Blueprint for Economic Renewal

Hannah Peaker, NEF

Hannah is Deputy Chief Executive at the New Economics Foundation, where she directs and oversees NEF’s research and policy work, from greening finance to social housing acquisition. She has worked on community empowerment in the charity sector and local government, and open data and democracy at the Cabinet Office and UN. Hannah worked on the Obama presidential campaign in North Carolina, and went on to manage successful local election campaigns for Labour. In 2015 she helped transform the Women’s Equality Party from an idea on Facebook into a movement capable of winning real change — on childcare, abortion rights and criminal justice. She has co-authored legislation with the Lib Dems and Greens. Hannah studied Philosophy at Leeds University, undertaking a Masters in Comparative Social Policy at Oxford, and in 2010 was awarded a Kennedy Scholarship to study at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Monday 28th September, 14:00 - 15:00: Building the Productive State: The pillars of progressive reform

Hannah Webster - Director, Care Full

Hannah’s background is in research, having led research teams in think tanks (the RSA) and charities (Turn2us, Centrepoint). She comes to Care Full after a number of years caring for her partner

Tuesday 29th September, 09:00 - 10:00: From fixes to foundations; building a caring economy

India Burgess - Associate Director, Autonomy Institute

India Burgess is an Associate Director at the Autonomy Institute, where she leads the advocacy and funding teams and manages projects on the future of work, welfare and climate. She is also the General Secretary and Coordinator of the European Work-Time Network, a pan-European network on working time reduction, and an experienced climate justice organiser.

Tuesday 29th September, 09:00 - 10:00: From fixes to foundations; building a caring economy

Isabella Weber, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

Isabella Weber is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is the author of Anti-Fascist Economics (2026) and How China Escaped Shock Therapy (2022).

Tuesday 29th September, 15:30 - 16:30: Rewiring Britain: Labour's Last Chance?

James Meadway, Co-Director, Verdant

Tuesday 29th September, 12:00 - 13:00: Food prices and food security: a bold new approach is needed

Jeevun Sandher MP

Dr Jeevun Sandher has served as MP for Loughborough since 2024 and currently serves as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Before entering Parliament, Jeevun worked as an economist overseas, in academia, and in think tanks.

Tuesday 29th September, 16:30 - 17:30: Beating the far right - how economic populism can defeat the forces of darkness

Joe Morris MP, Hexham

Tuesday 29th September, 11:00 - 12:00: What's so wrong with wealth inequality?

Joe Powell, MP

Joe Powell is the Labour Member of Parliament for Kensington and Bayswater, having been elected in July 2024. Before entering Parliament, he served for 11 years as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Open Government Partnership, an international organisation working to promote transparency, accountability and citizen participation in government. His work there focused on international efforts to strengthen open government and tackle corruption. Since becoming an MP, he has served on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee and has spoken in Parliament on issues including international anti-corruption efforts, sanctions, housing, climate change and the legacy of the Grenfell Tower fire.

Monday 28th September, 16:00 - 17:00: The UK's 2027 G20 Presidency: A Historic Opportunity to Fix the Financial System

John McDonnell MP

Tuesday 29th September, 12:00 - 13:00: Food prices and food security: a bold new approach is needed

Jon Trickett, MP

Jon Trickett has served as an MP for three decades, representing Labour in Normanton and Hemsworth. He is the Chair of the Tribune Advisory Board and a regular contributor to the magazine.

Tuesday 29th September, 15:30 - 16:30: Rewiring Britain: Labour's Last Chance?

Kate Bell, Assistant General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress

Kate Bell is Assistant General Secretary and supports Paul Nowak in leading the TUC. Kate works with external stakeholders on behalf of the TUC and is responsible for inter-union relations. She also leads on internal TUC matters. She represents the TUC on the government’s Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, and was formerly a member of the Low Pay Commission. Kate joined the TUC in 2016 as the organisation’s head of economics, international and employment rights department, where she worked on the furlough scheme, the TUC’s campaign for a £15 minimum wage, and stronger worker bargaining rights. Before joining the TUC, Kate worked as Head of Policy and Public Affairs for a local authority, for the Labour Party, and for the charities Child Poverty Action Group and Gingerbread.

Monday 28th September, 17:00 - 18:00: Investment in every postcode: The opportunity for public financial institutions

Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP

The Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP is Labour Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North and Chair of the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee. He has been an MP since 2004 and is a member of His Majesty’s Privy Council. He served in Gordon Brown’s government, including as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. An economic historian, Byrne has written more than 20 books, pamphlets and chapters on economic history, foreign policy and public service reform, and is an Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham.

Monday 28th September, 16:00 - 17:00: The UK's 2027 G20 Presidency: A Historic Opportunity to Fix the Financial System

Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP (invited)

Monday 28th September, 09:15 - 10:15: Bond markets - can governments drive the economy? Or are they in hock to the bond markets?

Maria Finnerty, Exec Committee, LCID (Chair)

Maria Finnerty is a political economist with over a decade of experience working at the highest levels of UK and international politics. Formerly as CAFOD’s Lead Economist and now as Bond’s G20 and Global Reforms Lead, she has played a leading role in coordinating the UK development sector’s collective advocacy on fixing the global financial system. She has a first-class master’s in development economics from the University of Cambridge and has previously worked as chief speechwriter to the Global CEO of Plan International and adviser to a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in UK Parliament.

Monday 28th September, 16:00 - 17:00: The UK's 2027 G20 Presidency: A Historic Opportunity to Fix the Financial System

Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value, University College London

Mariana Mazzucato (PhD, CBE, FREcon) is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL), where she is Founding Director of the UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose. She is winner of international prizes including the Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana in 2021, Italy's highest civilian honour, the 2020 John von Neumann Award, the 2019 All European Academies Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values, and 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. She is a member of the UK Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and the Italian Academy of Sciences Lincei. In 2025, she was appointed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for services to economics in the King’s Birthday Honours List. In April, 2026, she was appointed as the first Economist-in-Residence at Whitechapel Gallery. Pope Francis appointed her to the Pontifical Academy for Life for bringing ‘more humanity’ to the world.

Monday 28th September, 17:00 - 18:00: Investment in every postcode: The opportunity for public financial institutions

Mark E Thomas, Founder, The 99% Organisation

Mark E Thomas is the Founder of the 99% Organisation, His background is mathematics and business strategy. His book 99%: Mass Impoverishment and How We Can End It was one of the FT’s Best Books of 2019, and he is also the lead author of the 99% 'Rewiring for Success' working paper.

Monday 28th September, 15:00 - 16:00: A Blueprint for Economic Renewal

Mathew Lawrence, Common Wealth

Mathew is Common Wealth’s Founder and Director. Prior to founding Common Wealth, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, working on their Commission on Economic Justice. He is the co-author of Owning the Future (Verso, 2022) and Planet on Fire (Verso, 2021).

Monday 28th September, 14:00 - 15:00: Building the Productive State: The pillars of progressive reform

Matthew Brown, Preston City Council Labour Leader

Matthew Brown is the Preston City Council Labour Leader and a Senior Fellow at The Democracy Collaborative.

Tuesday 29th September, 15:30 - 16:30: Rewiring Britain: Labour's Last Chance?

Matthew Butcher (NEON)

Matthew Butcher is the Co-Director of the Comms Hub at NEON. He has been working in media and communications for over 15 years across politics, NGOs and activist groups.

Tuesday 29th September, 16:30 - 17:30: Beating the far right - how economic populism can defeat the forces of darkness

Morgan Vine, Director of Policy, Grants and Influencing Independent Age

Morgan Vine is the Director of Policy, Grants and Influencing at Independent Age, leading activity to tackle poverty in later life across the nations. During her career Morgan has amplified the voices of people affected by different issues and worked to improve policy and legislation on topics such as social security, employment, health, social care and accessibility. Before joining Independent Age, Morgan worked for multiple national charities including Age UK, RNIB, Parkinson’s UK and Versus Arthritis. Alongside this, she has played a key role in multiple coalitions including being a member of the steering group of the UK Commission on Bereavement and was a former Chair of the Continuing Healthcare Alliance and the Prescription Charges Coalition. Morgan is also Vice Chair of Age UK Bromley and Greenwich and a Trustee for both the Centre for Mental Health and National Energy Action.

Tuesday 29th September, 10:00 - 11:00: From Pay to Pensions: Tackling Women's Lifetime Economic Inequality

Nadia Whittome, MP, Nottingham East

Nadia Whittome has been the Labour MP for Nottingham East since 2019. Before entering Parliament, she worked as a care worker, returning to the role part time during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a supporter of a caring economy and has long advocated for a National Care Service that is free at the point of use, fully public, and co-produced by care recipients, unpaid carers and workers.

Tuesday 29th September, 09:00 - 10:00: From fixes to foundations; building a caring economy

Natasha Yorke-Edgell

Monday 28th September, 11:30 - 13:30: ***Screening of Chancellor's Speech - Please register (free)
Tuesday 29th September, 13:30 - 15:30: ***Screening of Prime Minister's Speech - Please register (free)
Tuesday 29th September, 19:00 - 24:00: ***Drinks reception for those working in the economics/inequality space - Please register (free)

Dr Phil White

Phil is a technologist who is passionate about leaving the world a better place for future generations. Since retiring from being a partner in a consulting firm he is now actively supporting the climate and economic justice movements through organisations such as Patriotic Millionaires UK, The 99% Organisations and Greenpeace.

Tuesday 29th September, 13:00 - 13:30: A £10bn wealth tax on the super-rich - how can we make it happen?
Monday 28th September, 09:15 - 10:15: Bond markets - can governments drive the economy? Or are they in hock to the bond markets?

Rachel Grocott, CEO Pregnant then Screwed

As the CEO of Pregnant Then Screwed, Rachel spearheads the UK’s fight against the motherhood penalty, advocating for legislative reform and workplace equality. She is a feminist campaigner and charity leader with over 20 years of experience driving systemic change. Rachel joined Pregnant Then Screwed in May 2025 after spending the last twenty years in a variety of communications, campaigning, fundraising and leadership roles at charities both large and small. Pregnant Then Screwed's work confronts the reality that too many families are still failed by systems meant to support them, systems that instead embed unfairness and disadvantage across a lifetime; this is especially true for those with marginalised identities. Rachel balances working life with a young family, a very energetic rescue dog and regular Zumba classes.

Tuesday 29th September, 10:00 - 11:00: From Pay to Pensions: Tackling Women's Lifetime Economic Inequality

Richard Burgon, MP

Richard Burgon is the Labour MP for Leeds East, a former trade union lawyer, and a prominent campaigner for peace and economic justice.

Tuesday 29th September, 15:30 - 16:30: Rewiring Britain: Labour's Last Chance?

Romilly Greenhill – CEO, Bond

Romilly Greenhill is Chief Executive of Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development, a role she has held since November 2023. Previously, she was UK Director at the ONE Campaign, where she led work on global health, education and development finance. She has also held senior roles at the Overseas Development Institute and the UK Department for International Development, where she led work on aid transparency and initiated the International Aid Transparency Initiative. Earlier in her career, she worked in Uganda’s Ministry of Finance on the use of debt relief for health and education, and has worked with organisations including the New Economics Foundation and ActionAid.

Monday 28th September, 16:00 - 17:00: The UK's 2027 G20 Presidency: A Historic Opportunity to Fix the Financial System

Ruth Hannan - Director, Care Full

Ruth has worked in the community and at national policy level for a number of charities whose work focused on carers. She has led on policy in think tanks (the RSA) and charities (Carers Trust, People’s Powerhouse). She comes to Care Full after caring for her mum and dad for a number of years with her sister.

Tuesday 29th September, 09:00 - 10:00: From fixes to foundations; building a caring economy

Sara Hall, Co-Executive Director, Positive Money

Sara Hall is Co-Executive Director of Positive Money, a not-for-profit civil society organisation working towards reform of the money and banking system to support a fair, democratic and sustainable economy. Previously Sara worked as Deputy Director and most recently interim Executive Director at Tax Justice UK and prior to that held senior roles at the Europe Regional Office of Amnesty International as well as at Stonewall, Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ organisation.

Monday 28th September, 17:00 - 18:00: Investment in every postcode: The opportunity for public financial institutions

Sarah Nankivell Tomanovic, Common Wealth

Sarah is Deputy Director at Common Wealth. Before joining Common Wealth, Sarah was Assistant Director of Operations at Forensic Architecture, founding Operations Manager and Advisory Board member at Forensis e.V, and a founding Trustee of Equidem. Sarah is a graduate of the University of Toronto (BSc) and the University of Cambridge (MPhil)

Monday 28th September, 14:00 - 15:00: Building the Productive State: The pillars of progressive reform

Sarah Ronan - Executive Director, Early Years and Childcare Coalition

Sarah Ronan is Executive Director of the Early Education and Childcare Coalition, a partnership working to reform childcare. Its work focuses on widening access to high-quality provision and improving pay and conditions for the early years workforce. Sarah developed the Coalition while working at the Women’s Budget Group and previously led Pregnant Then Screwed’s award-winning pandemic response including campaigns on childcare and the safety of pregnant workers. She sits on the boards of the Baby Bank Alliance and Middleton Co-operating.

Tuesday 29th September, 09:00 - 10:00: From fixes to foundations; building a caring economy

Sarah Russell MP

Sarah was elected in July 2024 as the first Labour MP to represent the constituency of Congleton in Cheshire East since it was created in 1983. Sarah has dedicated her life to public service, having spent thirteen years as an employment lawyer, as well as time spent as Manchester City councillor. The insight and experience that working alongside those people gave her was second to none, and Sarah is working hard to make sure that her time in Parliament is also spent trying to make life easier for vulnerable people. Sarah sits on the Justice Select Committee and chairs several APPGs including on Access to Justice and on Flexible and Family Friendly Working.

Tuesday 29th September, 10:00 - 11:00: From Pay to Pensions: Tackling Women's Lifetime Economic Inequality

Steve Akehurst, Persuasion

Steve Akehurst is Director of Persuasion UK and leads our research work. He has spent his career working at the intersection of politics, policy and public attitudes, with a focus on communications-orientated polling research. In recent years, he has specialised in global attitudes to the Net Zero transition.

Monday 28th September, 14:00 - 15:00: Building the Productive State: The pillars of progressive reform
Tuesday 29th September, 16:30 - 17:30: Beating the far right - how economic populism can defeat the forces of darkness

Theo Harris, New Economics Foundation

Theo Harris is an economist focused on how macroeconomic policy can support a fast and fair green transition in the UK, the EU, and globally. His work has emphasised the importance of improving coordination between fiscal and monetary policy and the need for a longer-term perspective on economic stability. His recent publications have made the case for increased public financing and ownership of infrastructure, reforms to the Bank of England's bond market operations, and a targeted green interest rate.

Monday 28th September, 09:15 - 10:15: Bond markets - can governments drive the economy? Or are they in hock to the bond markets?

Vince Gomez, Former Bond Trader, The 99% Organisation

Vince Gomez is a former bond trader and a member of the Bank of England’s citizen forum. Vince had a very successful career in the city—and when the Global Financial Crisis struck, he realised that it was not only economists who had failed to predict it: hardly anyone in the City fully understood what had just happened either. Since then, Vince has been assiduously studying, speaking and writing about the myths we all believed about the economy, and specifically about money.

Monday 28th September, 15:00 - 16:00: A Blueprint for Economic Renewal
Monday 28th September, 09:15 - 10:15: Bond markets - can governments drive the economy? Or are they in hock to the bond markets?

Will Snell, Chief Executive, Fairness Foundation

Will Snell is Chief Executive of the Fairness Foundation. He is a non-profit entrepreneur with experience across a range of sectors, both in the UK and overseas, who is now focused on UK public policy related to inequality.;He spent several years on the UK government’s civil service fast stream programme at the Department of Health and then the Department for International Development, before leaving to set up a skills mentoring programme for entrepreneurs in Kenya. He then worked in senior roles for a global health NGO and a global tax reform think tank before setting up Tax Justice UK in 2017.;After a stint as interim Chief Operating Officer at Global Witness, a human rights and climate NGO, Will set up the Fairness Foundation in collaboration with Julian Richer in 2021, becoming its founding Chief Executive. ; At the Fairness Foundation, Will leads a small team, and works with a broad range of partners and experts, to persuade politicians to treat inequality in the UK as a policy priority, making the moral, political and policy arguments for action to tackle inequality in all its forms. ; Will was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in October 2023.

Tuesday 29th September, 11:00 - 12:00: What's so wrong with wealth inequality?