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We’re a multi-disciplinary
team of digital experts with
decades of experience
Annika Small OBE
Co-founder and director
It’s inspiring to see how charities are using digital tools and techniques to transform their strategy, culture and services. I’m excited about how CAST and our partners can accelerate this use of digital to create a more resilient, responsive social sector.
Annika is a social entrepreneur focused on using digital technologies to address big social challenges. She advises CAST on business development, leads our cross-sector partnerships, and also holds Board positions at a number of social funders and ventures including Access Foundation, the Design Council, Lightful and Founders4Schools.
Dan Sutch
Co-founder and director
If we can mix the creativity and persistence of charities, funders and nonprofits, with the flexibility and power of digital, we can create incredible social impact. I'm excited about how CAST can help make this happen.
Dan leads CAST’s business development and our support programmes for funders and nonprofits. He ensures CAST is continually living by our own mantra – to understand the changing needs of those we seek to help, and adapt our programmes and approach accordingly. He also crafts all our work and workshops to be fun, as well as focused.
Sam Sparrow
Operations and programmes lead
It’s a privilege to watch organisations grow in confidence through our programmes, and I’m excited by a future where the social sector have both the tools and the space to design truly user centred services.
Sam manages the support we deliver across our programmes. A passionate and successful digital entrepreneur herself, she also ensures the personal development and emotional needs of anyone on a CAST programme are considered and met, particularly when integrating new methodologies back into their organisation. Sam also handles much of CAST’s finance and operations.
Suraj Vadgama
Founder of Beehive
I love designing and building tech for good products at CAST, and I’m particularly interested in getting all levels of the social sector to use the best processes from digital product development in their work.
Suraj is the founder of Beehivegiving.org, a tech for good platform incubated by CAST, which intelligently matches nonprofits with funders. He also supports organisations we work with in test-driven product development and digital marketing, and is currently exploring tools to better support organisations through the product discovery process.
Tori Ellaway
Fuse lead
I really enjoy working as part of a close knit team with charities of all shapes and sizes, and particularly love seeing the positive impact the accelerator can have on the amazing people and organisations we work with.
Tori leads our Fuse product accelerator, recruiting and supporting nonprofits throughout the programme in user-centred service design, and integrating the methodologies they learn back into their organisations. She also runs a number of our bespoke consultancy projects, working with our network of product and service design professionals.
Vala Petursdottir
Digital product and service designer
It's extremely exciting to be able to help charities from the inside out with their processes and how they connect with the people using their services - giving them the tools instead of the solutions.
Vala leads CAST’s product and service design, working across a number of our programmes, bespoke consultancy offers and internal design projects. She also brightens up the CAST Slack with amazing animated emoji.
Ellie Hale
Digital Fellowship and communities lead
‘Tech for good’ and ‘ethical tech’ is making headlines across the world. I believe charities - with their unparalleled understanding and experience of complex social issues - can be leaders, not laggards, in this exciting movement.
Ellie runs our Digital Fellowship programme for nonprofit CEOs and senior leaders, and is CAST’s Community Champion, collaborating with other leading organisations to run regular events including Tech for Good London, NetSquared London and Open Charity Meetup. She is a trustee of Quaker Social Action.
"In my experience, you can approach CAST with high expectations, and have them comfortably exceeded. They are a team who deliver. I like working with CAST as they combine real digital expertise with an understanding of the dynamics of the social sector. I'd recommend them for anyone who wants to put technology and users at the heart of their work, and to see results quickly"
Our Board
Lord Jim Knight
Education, technology and digital inclusion expert. Former Labour Schools minister, Chief Education Adviser at TES Global Ltd.
Mary McKenna MBE
Tech entrepreneur and angel investor, Entrepreneur in residence at the NI Science Park, Digital Catapult Advisory Network member,.
Nat Hunter
Social, digital and communications designer. Founder of Airside, former director of design at the RSA and director of Machines Room.
Nick Stanhope
Expert in social innovation and product design for social change. CEO of Shift and trustee of the Good Things Foundation.
Emma Thomas
Charity and technology innovator, leader and advocate. Former CEO of YouthNet and trustee of Technology Trust.