DSC Leadership and Governance Summit - Speakers

Dr Sarah Hughes is Chief Executive of Mind, the UK’s leading mental health charity. With more than 35 years’ experience in mental health and social justice, she has held senior leadership roles including Chief Executive of the international think tank Centre for Mental Health and CPSL Mind.
Her work in mental health began at 15 and became her life’s vocation. She trained as a social worker and went on to manage services in communities, residential care and Holloway Prison before moving into senior leadership. Sarah now serves on the boards of One Small Thing, A Better Way, and the Central East Integrated Care Board, and is the founder of The Muse Nine, an online leadership studio exploring rebellious leadership and feminist innovation.

A regular media commentator and sought-after speaker, Sarah is frequently invited by governments and organisations worldwide to share her expertise on mental health and inclusive leadership. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, the Sciana Health Leaders Network and Salzburg Global, she holds a professional doctorate in women and leadership and an honorary doctorate from Hull University. Her leadership is rooted in lived experience of social injustice and a lifelong commitment to equity and inclusion. She lives in Cambridgeshire with her family — and an ever-growing collection of pets and plants.

Martin Edwards has been CEO since 2005 of children’s hospice Julia’s House, a charity employing 240 staff and 600 volunteers and renowned for innovation in workforce culture. Julia’s House has twice been ranked No 1 Charity to Work For by Best Companies, based on staff survey scores, and has won the Healthcare category at The Charity Awards. Martin writes a regular column for Third Sector on leadership and fundraising, and won Fundraiser of the Year at the 2025 Charity Heroes Awards.