Business and strategic planning
Savoy Educational Trust
October 2025
Summary
The strategic development project enabled Savoy Educational Trust to move from an established charity with unclear direction into a strategically focused organisation with measurable goals. The Trust now operates with enhanced board governance, clearer funding priorities, and a structured approach to maximising grant impact.
The framework has allowed the Trust to be more intentional and effective in its grant-making, ensuring sustainable support for the next generation of hospitality professionals while maintaining its commitment to helping disadvantaged groups access career opportunities in the sector. Angela concluded: "We have much more clarity regarding what we fund and therefore can help those people who are genuinely interested in long-term careers in hospitality."
Background
Savoy Educational Trust is an independent grant-making charity established in 1961 by directors of Savoy Hotel Ltd in London. Its endowment, established from the sale of Savoy Hotel group shares, funds education, training, and professional development for those pursuing careers in the UK hospitality industry. The Trust supports a wide range of organisations, from primary schools to universities, industry associations to small charities, all committed to hospitality education and skills development.
The issue
Following the appointment of new CEO Angela Maher in January 2023, the Trust's board recognised the need for strategic clarity. Angela explained the situation: "There was a feeling amongst the board that we could carry on doing the same thing over and over again. But what long-term impact were we having?" The charity had experienced "mission drift," moving away from supporting education and training towards more generic social projects. The board wanted to refocus on its core purpose while developing a written five-year strategic plan to guide future decision-making and measure its effectiveness.
The solution
Cranfield Trust Regional Manager Adam Wilkins helped the Trust develop a comprehensive project brief with realistic timescales and clear objectives. Adam matched the Trust with volunteer Babs Evans, whose experience with major grant funders such as the Elton John AIDS Foundation, BBC Children in Need, and the Henry Smith Charity made her well-suited to supporting a larger foundation. As Adam explained:
"Babs has strong experience that could help guide a fund of this scale and lead the trustees to the most impactful outcome for beneficiaries."
The nine-month strategic development process brought external expertise to challenge assumptions and prompt honest reflection. Angela praised the collaboration:
"From the minute we met, it was clear that she was definitely the right person for me to work with. She was very clear-sighted, and that's what impressed me the most. Bringing in an expert who's got experience from a charity background helped us be a little bit more reflective and maybe critical and honest about questioning what we were doing and why we were doing it."
The impact
The strategic review delivered exceptional, measurable results. The Journey to Excellence assessment showed remarkable improvements: Leadership and Strategic Direction increased by 40% (from 52% to 92%), with an overall performance improvement of 20% - one of the highest improvements seen in Cranfield Trust projects.
Adam reflected on the outcomes:
"The outcome of the project was a significant change in the area of leadership and strategic direction. Angela found Babs really supportive in helping her guide the trustees towards the best outcome. Some of the improvements in the scores were considerably above average for a project."
The project transformed the Trust's approach from reactive grant-giving to strategic relationship-building. Angela noted:
"It's the first time some of the trustees have had a clear written strategy that we're able to assess our progress against. We're moving from being a reactive charity that just responds to requests for grants, to being more relational - forming deeper partnerships with our grantees so we can achieve greater impact."
The strategic plan established operational KPIs and performance indicators, enabling the board to monitor progress effectively and hold leadership accountable for delivering measurable outcomes.
"She was very good at bringing it all back and summarising and helping me focus on what was important and how we might go about the strategy."
