News & Views

I was honoured to represent the Lord Mayor at the Charity & Philanthropy Colloquy at Mansion House. This event brought together experts and key figures to explore transformative philanthropy and new approaches to modern charity. As part of Alderman Michael Mainelli's 'Connect to Prosper' theme, we engaged in thought-provoking discussions aimed at advancing charitable efforts.

Sheriff-elect, distinguished panellists, honoured guests, ladies & gentlemen, good morning! 

And a warm welcome to Mansion House for the Charity & Philanthropy colloquy. 

My name is Robert Hughes-Penney, and it is my great pleasure and privilege to be the Lord Mayor’s Aldermanic Representative this morning, to welcome you here on his behalf and to make a few opening remarks. 

As you may be aware, the Lord Mayor, Alderman Michael Mainelli's theme this year is Connect to Prosper, and as part of that, he has arranged a series of coffee colloquies, connecting people in the age-old London coffee house style in order to share ideas, and ultimately to prosper and improve the common good. Each colloquy brings together several experts to speak on and discuss one of the UN Sustainable Goals. 

Now, the good news is that today is the special bonus edition, the double shot coffee or the free top-up, if you will, because charity & philanthropy isn't actually one of the SDGs, although you might well argue it should be. And so, in the spirit of charitable generosity and wisdom, the Lord Mayor has added this extra one. 

And you will, of course, notice that, very appropriately, it is being held on City Giving Day – running since 2015 and having raised over £3.5m. This is the day in the year which enables over 600 businesses and employees to come together to celebrate and showcase their charitable and volunteering achievements. Wonderfully, 73% of organisations involved reported that the day inspired their employees to become more involved in charitable activity. To mark the occasion, we, by tradition, wear something red and add the hashtag GoRed to our posts. 

But besides the fun of City Giving day, this is also a subject that interests me enormously; I have served on the board of several charities, from very large to very small, and from grant-making to fundraising. Each was doing its own wonderful and inspiring work. 

Professionally, as an investment manager, I have also sat on the other side of the table and managed, and still do, Portfolios for a range of charities. And, of course, while we like to be able to report excellent risk-adjusted returns, it actually also gives me great pleasure to hear from the trustees to whom I am reporting some of the great work that the charities are doing, delivering hope and healing in their respective contexts; it brings the important human story into what might otherwise just be numbers and percentages. In that way it makes sense of what I am doing. 

And that brings us to today’s focus of transformative philanthropy – how do we best deliver philanthropy on the front line? If we open our eyes, we see need all around us; in no particular order and not a complete list, there are as many charitable sectors as letters of the alphabet: from animals to children, education and environment, homelessness and health to medical and overseas aid. And the list goes on. 

But today, we will be considering, with the help of our expert panellists, led by the City University Centre for Charity Effectiveness, in partnership with the Pan Livery Pro-bono group, The Beacon Collaborative and the Better Society Capital, new ideas, innovative ideas that have the potential to move the field of charity and philanthropy forward. And I would encourage all, in that spirit of connecting to prosper, to inspire and encourage one another. 

And in that vein, may I conclude by reflecting that last week I had the privilege of visiting Assisi, in Italy, home of St Francis, who was the son of a wealthy merchant who gave up all his material possessions, distributing them liberally to the poor and disadvantaged. This challenged me in a number of ways, but let me share just two with you; first, there was the reminder that the act of giving is good for the giver, not just the recipient. It softens the givers' hearts and creates healthy bonds in society and community. Someone once said there’s a route when creating the charitable runway of converting the head, then the heart and then the wallet. Secondly, there was the model of Francis giving directly from his resources into the hands of the poor and how this contrasts with the business of charity, or charity businesses. I wonder how best we square that circle. 

So let's enjoy this morning. After all, someone once said that God loves a cheerful giver, so let's be encouraged and inspired in our own and our mutual endeavours. 

Thank you, and have a good morning.