People
Ethos Foundation is made up of a small Board of Trustees and staff team. Our partners work across the public sector, private industry, and wider civil society. We will work with anyone who can help us to achieve impact against our mission.
Trustees
Grant Gordon OBE (Chair)
Grant is a social entrepreneur and philanthropist. Alongside chairing Ethos Foundation, he sits on the board of the Childhood Trust, Thrive at Five and the Cabrach Trust. He has played a key role in founding these organisations which continue to be Ethos partners. He also chairs The Distillers’ Charity. In his leisure time Grant is a keen sailor.
Brigitte Gordon
Brigitte is the wife of Grant Gordon, and mother to their three daughters. She is a member of The Philanthropy Workshop (TPW).
Katie Oliver
Katie is the Managing Director of Ark Start. She joined Ark in 2006, just before the first Ark school opened, and has since held several roles, including Projects Director and Operations Director. As Managing Director of Ark Start, she leads its growing nursery network in London and advocates for the importance of Early Years in national policy. She is also Director of Ark Ventures, overseeing Ark’s wider education and society initiatives.
Lucy Blythe
Lucy is Founder/Director of Philia International, a board, governance and leadership consultancy specialising in organisational excellence, executive coaching, and philanthropy advisory. She has been a foundation and charity CEO, partner in an international search firm and served on several non-profit boards.
Luka Gakic
Luka is Grant and Brigitte’s son-in-law. A former refugee and ‘scholarship kid’, he is committed to upholding and advancing social mobility and compassion in British society.
Staff
Sarah Blackwood (Director)
Sarah is responsible for leading Ethos’ strategy, partnership working and day-to-day operations. She has spent the last two decades working to shape multi-sector programmes and partnerships for transformative impact, within philanthropy, government and civil society organisations. Outside work, her spare time is mainly spent running on trails and after her two small children.
Saada Ibrahim (Finance and Operations Manager)
Saada leads Finance and Operations at Ethos, keeping the Foundation running smoothly, compliant with charity regulations, and supporting the delivery of lasting impact in early childhood. Outside of work, she is a mum to a neurodivergent, curious, and energetic young boy, and enjoys seeing the world through his eyes.
Partners
We work with a range of partners:
Keep exploring
Read our latest Reflections on our work.