Sarah Brook

Sarah Brook is a dynamic and innovative charity leader, with over 12 years' experience across the third sector. She has deep knowledge of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) space, after volunteering with 13 not-for-profit organisations worldwide before founding The Sparkle Foundation in 2015. This UK-registered charity and international NGO aims to improve the lives, education and wellbeing of thousands of vulnerable children and local communities in Malawi, Africa, using an innovative sustainable model that disrupts the traditional charity sector approach. With expertise in fundraising and philanthropy, the BSc Psychology holder started her career in the UK as a Sports Journalist at the BBC before moving into PR and Media. Holding various strategy, business development and communication positions alongside her role as CEO and Founder of The Sparkle Foundation, Sarah helps develop social responsibility programmes as a CSR consultant for a wide variety of organisations, including the London Stock Exchange, PwC and Clifford Chance, to bridge the gap between the charity and corporate world. Sarah’s unique life experiences – from being held at knife point to recovering from a coma after suffering a severe brain injury – have given her an unwavering will to succeed and do good. A passionate advocate for the work of charities, the award-winning TEDx speaker (recently named as one of the Top 7 CEOs in the UK charity sector) seeks to drive positive change at a grass roots level and make a sustainable and significant impact on the world. Sarah is regularly invited to speak at high-profile events around the world with global organizations and educational institutions, thereby raising vital funds to keep The Sparkle Foundation projects alive. She works tirelessly to engage directly with governments, corporates, students and young children who want to understand more about how they, too, can bring positive change to the charity sector, and learn from her resilience, leadership, motivation and determination. Sarah brings insights on wide-ranging topics, including: moving from ambition to achievement, changing careers, finding one’s purpose, the psychology behind the global gender pay gap, and building resilience for powerful results.