ACEVO, the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, has today released the programme for ACEVOFest 2025, its two-day festival dedicated to advancing leadership within the civil society sector.
The event will take place on Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 March 2025 offering a blend of in-person and virtual experiences designed to inspire and connect leaders across the sector. On day one attendees can choose to participate either in-person at the Hilton Wembley, Lakeside Way, Wembley Park, London, HA9 0BU, or online. Day two will be held exclusively online.
Speaker highlights include:
- Yvonne Field, founder and CEO of The Ubele Initiative, who will kick off ACEVOFest 2025 with an insightful session on ‘leading with purpose’ sharing her expertise on embedding purpose into the core of leadership and organisational strategy.
- David Holdsworth, newly appointed CEO of the Charity Commission, who will join a panel discussion on ‘the future of civil society’ exploring whether a radical rethink is necessary to address the evolving challenges facing the sector.
- Caroline Slocock, director of Civil Exchange, Patrick Butler, social policy editor at The Guardian, and Dan Corry, CEO of New Philanthropy Capital who will all delve into ‘the evolving relationship between civil society and the new government’.
- Sanchita Hosali, CEO of the British Institute of Human Rights, who will chair a panel discussion on ‘the new age of activism’ with Ben Gilchrist, CEO of Caritas Diocese of Shrewsbury, Tom Brake, director of Unlock Democracy, and Matthew Bolton, executive director of Citizens UK.
Jane Ide, CEO of ACEVO, said:
“ACEVOFest is the highlight of our year and a fantastic opportunity for leaders from across our sector, members or otherwise, to come together to be inspired in their leadership practice. The programme we’re launching today brings together insightful and thought-provoking discussions led by engaging and expert speakers with a unique opportunity for peer-to-peer networking, conversation and support. We know from past experience that, whether in-person or online, our delegates love the buzz of ACEVOFest and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back to join us in March 2025.”
ACEVO is looking forward to inspiring civil society leaders once again. Last year, 94% of ACEVOFest attendees felt encouraged to reflect on their leadership practice, and 98% confirmed that the event met or exceeded their expectations.
Here’s what just a few of those delegates had to say about it:
“Brilliant work putting this together and many thanks for making it an inclusive and safe space, with adaptations readily available.” Victor Iringere, director, Together Now
“The team has done a fantastic job of putting on two-day events – one in person and the other online and it was all relevant, engaging and much needed. Thank you to everyone – you all out did yourselves.” Arti Sharma, CEO, Nurture UK
“I joined ACEVOFest online and really enjoyed it despite not being there in person – my colleague was in the room, and she sent a euphoric email at the end of the day saying how stimulating and brilliant it was. Well done to the ACEVO team.” Su-Mei Thompson, CEO, Media Trust
For more information and to register for ACEVOFest 2025, visit acevo.org.uk.
Ticket information
- Day one in-person & day two online member price: £169/£199 (under/over £1m turnover)
- Day one online & day two online member price: £129/£149 (under/over £1m turnover)
- Day one in-person & day two online non-member price: £219
- Day one online & day two online non-member price: £209
Headline sponsors
The first of our headline sponsors is Ansvar a broker-only insurance company with over 60 years of experience specializing in charity, not-for-profit, and faith insurance. Ansvar is committed to ethical practices with over 74% of staff involved in or supporting charitable activities.
