Dan Francis
Chief Executive
Dan Francis joined Cranfield Trust as CEO in September 2025. Previously Principal Consultant at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, he led NCVO’s training and consultancy business as a social enterprise, reshaping the service to meet the sector’s needs. With a background in governance and leadership development, Dan has supported hundreds of charities to strengthen their effectiveness, led the development of sector standards and good practice tools, and he was also key to establishing a national programme connecting skilled volunteers with charity board roles.
Before joining NCVO, he worked in the youth and education sectors and has also served as a trustee and committee member for a range of voluntary organisations. Dan is passionate about extending expert support to charities that otherwise wouldn’t have the capacity to fund the skills the Trust provides and was drawn to Cranfield Trust’s impact and the power of its volunteer community.
James Lennard
Head of Finance, Administration & Control
Jim joined the team in March 2018, building on 15 years’ experience as a senior manager in local / regional voluntary sector organisations leading financial strategy, central support services, IT strategy, communications infrastructure and data security. A key element of Jim’s role is to build robust support services, infrastructure and effective policies and processes to underpin the Trust’s growth and development.
Marie Langan
Head of Operations
Marie is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales ("ICAEW") with over 30 years of accounting and auditing experience in a variety of management roles in Big Four and Top 20 firms in the UK and US, most recently in global outsourcing in the technology sector. Marie has also specialised in project management, business development, risk management and corporate governance. She has audited charities and has acted as Treasurer and Vice Chair on the Board of Trustees of a law centre. Marie joined the Trust in April 2018 as Project Manager overseeing our projects in the South West of England and then stepped in as Interim Head of Operations in January 2025. Follow @Marielan51 on Twitter.
Joanne Madders
Head of Development
Joanne has been Cranfield Trust’s Head of Development since 2018. She has overall responsibility for the Trust’s fundraising and income generation activities, and our partnerships with other organisations to deliver support to the voluntary sector. As a fundraising specialist, Joanne brings a range of experience gained from her previous roles in charitable and public sector organisations. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising (CIoF) and has completed CIoF’s Diploma in Fundraising. She values being able to support the work and capacity of smaller frontline human welfare organisations through her role at Cranfield Trust.
Laura Cadd
Head of Communications and Insight
Laura has a background in third sector and public sector communications, marketing and PR. She has broad experience of creating and delivering strategies and initiatives to raise awareness and understanding, and to engage stakeholders and new audiences. Laura joined Cranfield Trust in June 2022 and is responsible for developing and delivering the strategy with her team to enhance and grow the Trust’s reputation and recognition in the third sector. Laura is also a trustee of a small national charity and when not working is kept busy by her two children and dachshund.
