Neil Heslop OBE
Chief Executive at Charities Aid Foundation
Business and Finance
Neil is a passionate advocate for businesses to do more to promote employment opportunities to disabled people and seize the value these individuals can bring.
In the early 90s, Neil joined with friends to establish the charity Blind In Business to harness their own experience and help people who are blind or partially sighted into work. He advised the Government on the Disability Discrimination Act and co-chaired the Disability Charities Consortium, a group of eight disability charities dedicated to promoting the rights and interests of disabled people in the UK.
Neil is Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, one of the UK’s largest charities by income. CAF helps donors to achieve impact and supports tens of thousands of charities globally to promote social progress in communities. Under Neil’s leadership, funds entrusted to CAF surpassed £1bn for the first time and continue to grow. As a charity sector leader, he advocates for the third sector to have a seat at the table when policy decisions are made.
Prior to joining CAF, Neil served as Chief Executive at the international pan-disability charity Leonard Cheshire for four years and during 25 years in business, he held various senior leadership roles in the telecoms industry. In 2002, Neil was awarded the OBE for services to telecommunications and charity.
“I feel very privileged to have had the career and opportunities that I have, and I am very mindful that it’s not the experience of many. It is therefore incumbent on myself and others who may have had that experience to shine a light on the subject.”
Disability Power 100 2023 profile information has been self-submitted by the profile subject. Shaw Trust understands and respects that disability and impairment descriptors and language use varies from person to person. Shaw Trust assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or discrepancies in the content of this, or any other, profile page.
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