Amanda Tincknell

The Cranfield Trust was established in 1989 by the Princess Royal to encourage business school graduates to use their skills to assist the voluntary sector, understanding that charities sometimes lack the business skills to address some of the challenges they face. Originally drawing from just the Cranfield School of Management graduates, the Trust now draws more than 750 volunteers from business schools across the U.K. and has completed more than 2,000 projects for charity clients over the last 25 years.

Tincknell joined the Cranfield Trust as a volunteer in the 1990s, after completing her MBA at Cranfield School of Management. With a background in market research and recruitment, Tincknell was an early project manager for the Trust and spent some time as a trustee before becoming chief executive, in 2000. She holds overall responsibility for the direction and management of the Trust, reporting to the trustee board.

Since joining the Trust, Tincknell has played a leading role in increasing its capacity and influence and was awarded Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her contribution to charity services in the Queen's New Year Honours list.

Tincknell has grown the Cranfield Trust exponentially since becoming chief executive in 2000, increasing the number of volunteers to assist with special projects for the charity sector. Her impact in terms of community and social change has been immense. Examples of projects that have been supported by the Cranfield Trust under Amanda's leadership include a cookery school run by the Food Chain that helps people with HIV to maintain the healthy diet they need to become more financially sustainable; by helping the Haven, the largest independent provider of refuge for women and children in the U.K., prepare its largest contract to date; and by providing mentoring support for the chief executive of a re-use charity that helps relieve poverty and supports households in need.