Lisa Pearce Email & Phone Number

Making Good Things Better

Staff team c. 400. CAP serves people across the UK and Ireland who are experiencing poverty – and challenges government and major institutions to address the injustices systemic in our society. 46% of clients have considered or attempted suicide before seeking help. A huge network of churches and volunteers provide the community-level support, practical help and encouragement which is a vital part of restoring hope to clients.Having served on CAP’s board since 2014, I was asked to step in to lead the organisation through a period of significant transition when it was hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis. Sharpening focus on vision and impact, streamlining costs and investing in key areas, with our mission, values and priorities clearly in view. Commitment to transparency and a collaborative process ensured that decisions were collectively owned and understood by the wider team. Worked with the exec team to deliver a robust, balanced plan and budget and worked with the Board to recruit a substantive CEO. Returned to the Board as Deputy Chair on Jan 1, and will step down at the end of 2024.

Built and led a new team responsible for global advocacy, increasing the impact of support countries and starting new ones (raising funds, prayer and advocacy) and repositioning our approach to improve the way we served persecuted women.Key achievements of the team I built and led included:- Overall leadership of the global advocacy work of Open Doors, with advocacy being recognised as one of three global strategic priorities of the organisation (a significant shift) - Driving changes that amplified the visibility and voices of persecuted women in our research, advocacy and program work. (The Gender Specific Religious Persecution reports and research from my team have been welcomed by the UN, the FCDO and many development organisations.) - Training of leaders in all Field regions on how to identify and capitalise on grass-roots advocacy opportunities.- Holding international responsibility for all countries raising funds, advocacy and prayer – (annual income of c.$134m). - Developing an agile way to start new development countries which accelerated growth and impact.In my last six months at Open Doors International, I was asked to rapidly establish a new country team in the US taking the role of Interim CEO for the US alongside my main role. Main spokesperson across both secular and religious media, which included a gruelling schedule of television and radio appearances alongside comms to supporters and major donors. I recruited a small new team in line with Open Doors’ vision and values, to allow time to recruit a substantive CEO to lead the team forward. I was able to hand a small but very effective team over to the new CEO on 1st June.

I led the organization and team, and acted as the main secular media and advocacy spokesperson for OD UK & Ireland. With the support of my excellent team, we achieved a substantial amount:- Strong culture established around a shared vision; increased staff retention- Driving impact-focused advocacy with evidence-based policy recommendations (leading the annual parliamentary launch of our World Watch List was always a highlight)- Significant increase in awareness, engagement and advocacy leverage in both secular and Christian arenas, as well as substantial increase in income and supporters.

Overall strategy, governance reporting to the Board, as well speaker at key external events.With my overview of the organisation’s operations, I quickly noticed that some work was being duplicated by different departments, leading to both inefficiency and poor morale. Working with the heads of both departments, I led the merger of the two teams to capitalize on the talent we had while minimizing inefficiency.

I led a review to shape the strategy around current and future opportunities, identifying an alternative structure to enhance stewardship and impact. Implemented a major new strategy, re-structuring the organisation to deliver it. The charity doubled in size over the next five years.My passion for strategic impact led me to pitch a new way to work as a global organisation for greater advocacy impact. I was subsequently commissioned to lead the change, achieving 428,000 participants in the first campaign across 16 countries, working closely with our Field team. The model is now a core part of Open Doors global strategy to deliver change.

Responsible for mobilising and equipping new and existing audiences to take action on behalf of Christians living under persecution. Integrated outputs across the organisation to maximise the clarity of our message and our impact.

Held bottom-line accountability for the commercial success of ntl Interactive’s platforms, including assessing the viability of all internal business plans and proposed developments, oversight of ntl’s advertising and sponsorship propositions, and the PR team.

Developed strategic partnerships and senior-level trust in a new and untested market. Established strong strategy, consumer propositions and viable revenues. Negotiated and agreed partnerships of up to £3.3m with corporates such as Tesco, Arcadia and Halifax.

Responsible for all commerce-related channels within ntl (specifically Retail, Travel and Finance), including the overall e-commerce strategy of the business and line-management of the channel teams. Spoke at conferences and events to establish the credibility of the platform and raise ntl's profile within the New Media sector. Blue-chip businesses committed over £12m in partnership agreements despite the absence of a ‘live’ platform (it was still being developed).

Joining a new division set up to capitalise on interactive media, I developed the protocols for revenue-generating deals across the ntl service, and led a channel team of producers, designers and technologists to develop and implement the right proposition for both content partners and consumers.I held overall responsibility for strategy, core content and the channel’s commercial success.

Held responsibility for maximising effectiveness, and joint responsibility for developing the Trust’s overall communications strategy.Strategically identified opportunities through geographic and demographic analysis of referrals, running focus groups of GPs and working with directorate managers. Responsible for online strategy and providing a 24 hour media-handling service.

Responsible for effective product development to generate multi-million pound investments from banks such as JP Morgan.Researched, developed and launched a product for fund managers and analysts within the UK Equity market. Responsible for market segmentation, competitor analysis, strategy and sales forecasting.

Market research: Carried out a major research project for the Board Chair, which formed the basis of an away-day for the International Board. Investigated the global threats facing Reuters’ business and assessed their likely impact on the company, working with one other person. We commissioned research from key organisations such as the London School of Economics. Financial Markets Group: Worked with senior fund managers within the City of London to review the way that major banks used our products and re-assess the way that we configured our information products. As a result two new products were developed and launched.Marketing communications: Dealt with corporate sponsorship, organised large international events.

Diploma, Theology/Theological Studies

Graduate Training Scheme

Bachelor Of Business & Finance, Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services

Marketing and Business Development focus