Clare Woodcraft

Executive Director, Centre for Strategic Philanthropy, at Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education

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  • Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education

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Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education

An internationally recognised leader in social investment, Clare has worked in emerging markets with a focus on the Middle East and the energy & financial sectors helping companies deliver effective social investment/philanthropic programs to build license to operate & reputational value.

Before joining the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy as the Executive Director she built a portfolio career as a consultant, NED and speaker (philanthropy, sustainable development, Venture Philanthropy and managing non-technical/reputational risk).

Trilingual (Arabic/French) Clare was a development practitioner in the Middle East, became a journalist in finance + broader economic development in the region and has established global relationships at the most senior levels of governments, corporates & NGOs.

Working with Visa & Shell, Clare held leadership roles in public affairs supporting business development by managing reputational & non-technical risk. A communications expert, she built a portfolio of government clients in the UAE for Burson-Marstellar.

She works with leading philanthropic organisations to achieve measurable social impact, most recently as CEO of Emirates Foundation (the national foundation of the UAE) taking it from a grant-making body to an operational foundation and building long-term corporate partnerships with some of the world’s largest energy companies whose CEOs served as trustees.

Clare holds non-executive/advisory roles with the National Philanthropic Trust, Sumerian Foundation, Operation Hope and the University of Berkeley’s enterprise centre focused on MENA & previously with the British Embassy in the UAE, the University of Salford and the Arab Foundations Forum (as Chair).

An inspiring & passionate speaker, Clare speaks at leading conferences globally, particularly on venture philanthropy & youth enterprise. She spoke at the UN's High Level Meetings in Mexico and Addis Ababa and in 2014 was named as one of the top 20 influential British leaders in the UAE and the most influential British woman. 

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