We’re delighted to introduce the judging panel for the 2026 CFG Awards – a group of respected charity leaders and sector experts who will help recognise and celebrate charity excellence.
Our judges play a vital role in recognising outstanding achievements in charity finance and operations, bringing expertise, integrity and real‑world insight to the table.
This year’s judging panel:
Anna Bennett, Stuart Fox, Sue Hall, Rohan Hewavisenti, Joyce Materego‑Woodall, Mwiza Mkandawire, Maggie Smith, Hugh Wallace, Amy Walton and Helena Wilkinson.
Drawn from a range of backgrounds and sectors, the panel brings broad experience and perspective to selecting this year’s winners.
Alongside their selected finalists, we look forward to welcoming them to the celebrations at CFG’s Annual Dinner and Awards on Thursday 8 October in London.
Enter the 2026 CFG Awards
If you or your team has delivered something exceptional in the past 12-18 months, the CFG Awards are your opportunity to showcase your impact, innovation and leadership.
There are five award categories to enter this year – three team awards and two individual awards – alongside a special CFG Volunteer of the Year award.
If your team has excelled in Financial Reporting, Technology/Digital or ESG, we encourage you to enter.
Individual achievements are also recognised through awards for Inspired Financial Leadership and Rising Star.
Don’t delay! Entries close on Thursday 7 May! To find out more and to enter, visit CFG’s Awards webpage.
Corporate partners interested in supporting the CFG Awards can contact the Corporate Membership team at corporates@cfg.org.uk.
About our judges
Anna Bennett
Anna joined the CFG Board in November 2023. She is Director of Finance, IT and Facilities at London's Air Ambulance Charity. Prior to this role, she worked in charity audit, advising and supporting a large range of charities. Before this, Anna was Finance Director at Hospice UK and Director of Finance & Operations at BBC Children in Need. Anna has been a CFG member for most of her career and aims to use her experience to ensure other finance professionals can continue benefiting from CFG membership.
Stuart Fox
Stuart is Director of Finance and Technology at Magic Breakfast, the national charity dedicated to championing and providing nourishing breakfasts that help children learn and thrive. He brings over 15 years of senior leadership experience in the charity sector, having previously served as Chief Financial Officer at RNIB and held senior finance roles at Parkinson’s UK, following an early career in investment banking. Stuart is a keen member of the CFG’s Large Charities Special Interest Group and a passionate advocate for cross-sector collaboration and financial sustainability.
Sue Hall
Sue has over 20 years of board level positions in the public and charity sectors – ranging from local government, NHS, arts & heritage, and more recently major health care charities. She is currently working as the Interim COO at Arthritis UK and as the Interim Director of Digital Transformation for us at CFG. Sue is an experienced transformation and change director and is a trustee of The Reading Agency. Outside of work Sue is a keen runner so knows the value of awards!
Rohan Hewavisenti
Rohan is the Chief Financial Officer at Amnesty International. He brings over 20 years of financial leadership experience across the non-profit and humanitarian sectors, as CFO at the NHS Confederation, WWF-UK, Imperial War Museums, Fairtrade Foundation, RNIB, British Red Cross, and Breast Cancer Care. Rohan has also served in board roles at CFG, the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, an NHS Clinical Commissioning Group, and East Thames Housing Association.
Joyce Materego-Woodall
Joyce is Director of Finance and Operations at Global Greengrants Fund UK, where she oversees financial stewardship, organisational operations, and people-centred practices in support of grassroots environmental and social justice movements globally. She is also a Trustee and Treasurer of the Digital Freedom Fund and a Trustee of the Aleto Foundation. Joyce’s work sits at the intersection of finance, mindset, and human capabilities. She is particularly interested in how money is understood, accounted for, and stewarded including the non-cash money forms that shape trust and long-term impact in the sector, its stakeholders including the communities it serves.
Mwiza Mkandawire
Mwiza is currently the Head of Finance and Administration at Transaid Worldwide Services an international development charity based in London. Prior to that she worked at Artsadmin Ltd as the Head of Finance. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a masters degree in Accounting with Finance from London South Bank University. Before joining Artsadmin Ltd in 2008 she had worked with various organisations in both the commercial and charity sectors in Malawi. Mwiza has excellent knowledge and understanding of charity finance and is a trustee of two arts charities.
Maggie Smith
Maggie is an Executive Coach and facilitator and works alongside many different public, private and third sector organisations. She is a consultant and visiting lecturer with the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Bayes Business School – City, University of London. Before this, Maggie worked in management positions in the sector and in the events and hotel industries where she specialised in corporate comms and project management and led large and diverse teams. Today, she leads a number of leadership programmes and her consultancy work involves coaching individuals undertaking leadership development and culture change work and, alongside Judith Miller, runs CFG’s flagship course Inspiring Financial Leadership.
Hugh Wallace
Hugh joined CFG's Board of Trustees in January 2023, and became Chair in January 2025. Hugh is Chief Information Officer at Research Data Scotland, a charity focused on enabling access to public sector data about people, places and businesses. Prior to that he led a high-profile programme to deliver a common payments platform in Scottish Government and support digital service development within Scotland’s Social Security agency. His previous roles include leading the digital teams at Oxfam and National Museums Scotland, as well as heading up the design function in a digital agency.
Amy Walton
Amy is the vice-chair of LGBTQIA+ charity Proud Changemakers. She is passionate about championing small charities and advancing diversity, inclusion, and community-building. She specialises in making the complex simple – including financial management! Until recently, Amy was the Small charity helpdesk manager at NCVO, leading the development of practical support and guidance for small organisations. Before this, she managed the helpdesk, mentoring, and grants programmes at the Small Charities Coalition before its closure. Coupled with hands-on experience across local charities supporting refugees, asylum seekers, and young people with additional needs, Amy brings deep sector insight to the judging panel.
Helena Wilkinson
Helena is a retired partner specialising in charities who advised not-for-profit organisations and acted as a sounding board to many clients giving practical and pragmatic advice. She is a charity and governance specialist working and writing for the charity sector. She is a renowned and recognised charity expert.
We look forward to receiving your award entries!
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