The Centre team (Professor Paul Tracey, Professor Neil Stott and Dr Helen Haugh) works closely with Cambridge Judge faculty, research fellows and practitioner honorary fellows to develop cutting edge research, learning and support.

Many other social innovators, volunteers and students contribute to the work of the Centre.

Centre staff

Paul Tracey

Co-Director

Professor of Innovation and Organisation

Professor Tracey’s research is concerned with the distinctive management challenges of leading social purpose organisations that generate their income through market-based activity. An ethnographer by training, between 2010 and 2012 he held an Economic and Social Research Council Mid-career Fellowship, during which he conducted an in-depth participant observation study of a leading social enterprise. The study focused on how community-based organisations may become stigmatised for helping “unwelcome” parts of the community, and the implications for organisational outcomes.

Nicole Helwig

Executive Director, Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation

DProf (Middlesex University)

Dr Nicole Helwig is Executive Director of the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation. Prior to joining the centre, Nicole was an Honorary Practice Fellow, engaging with students in the MSt in Social Innovation.

Nicole works extensively with social ventures and social entrepreneurs as head of Cambridge Social Ventures. Earlier in her career she was founding manager of the Centre for Social Enterprise at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada where she also acted as programme co-ordinator for an MBA in social enterprise and entrepreneurship. She is an Adjunct Professor at Taylor’s University School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Nicole holds a Doctor of Professional Studies by Public Works from Middlesex University, an MBA from the University of Strathclyde (Malaysian international centre) and a BA from McGill University (humanistic studies programme). Nicole also holds a classical ballet pedagogue diploma from the Hungarian Dance Academy.

Helen Haugh

Research Director

Associate Professor in Community Enterprise

Dr Haugh has written extensively on the topic of social entrepreneurship. A particular focus of her work is community-based enterprise, and more specifically the role of communities in creating sustainable solutions to social problems. In 2008 she established the Tata International Social Entrepreneurship Scheme, which offers final year undergraduate or postgraduate students at the University of Cambridge the opportunity to work on social entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility projects within the Tata Group of Companies in India.

Soussan Shahriari

Business Development and Programme Manager, MSt in Social Innovation

Soussan manages the admissions for the MSt in Social innovation. She is responsible for business development for the programme and co-ordinates the delivery of the online and offline elements of the masters. Soussan joined the Business School from Central Admissions at the University and has worked across various department within the University offering support to a wide range of graduate students.

Dave Sheridan

Business Advisor, Cambridge Social Ventures

Dave Sheridan has over 30 years’ experience in Teaching, Training, Personal Development, Mentoring, Project Management and Business Growth Development.  He has a varied portfolio of work in public, private, sport, charities, community organisations, the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and international companies.

His early experience in community settings, and later on in further education, fuelled his enthusiasm for personal development, and he regularly sees potential where others do not.

His focus is now on the development, management and delivery of bespoke projects, courses and programmes which challenge, motivate and inspire people to make positive changes in their professional and personal lives.  Project areas he covers include lifestyle management, growth mindset, understanding relationships and positive impact.

His current clients include business owners, multi-national private sector companies, charities, and at-risk groups through his community interest company including those living with homelessness, disability, unemployment, social isolation, addiction, domestic violence and more.  He is also involved with the training and development of elite sports leaders, teams and individuals.

Dave’s creativity and eagerness to collaborate has allowed him to build strong partnerships which genuinely succeed. These partnerships enable him to develop unique projects, with themes and topics which are relevant, timely and delivered in suitable environments, from boardroom to pitch-side and everywhere in between.

Neil Stott

Co-Director

Management Practice Professor of Social Innovation and Director of the Master of Studies in Social Innovation

Professor Stott has studied social innovation in poor places and the role of entrepreneurial third sector organisations. He was Chief Executive of Keystone Development Trust from 2003-2015, one of the largest development trusts in the country, delivering community development, social enterprises and property development.

Previously Neil was Head of Community Development at Canterbury City Council, Principal Officer (Community) at Cambridge City Council as well as work for charities such as Mencap, Contact-a-Family and Elfrida Rathbone Society.

Michelle Fava Darlington

Head of Learning Design and Content Development

Junior Research Fellow, Cambridge School of Art; Co-founder, Thinking Through Drawing

Dr Michelle Fava holds a PhD in drawing and cognitive psychology from University of Loughborough (2014). Her work applies cognitive principles to education, facilitation and research methods. She has written and edited academic publications on drawing, visual literacy arts integration, and social innovation.

She is co-founder of the Thinking Through Drawing project, a research network and professional development provider that focuses on creativity and visual literacy in education and research.

Michelle’s present research with the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation is looking into the factors influencing the longevity of Community Economic Development Organisations in the UK, and their roles within cross-sector partnerships.

Heather Mackay

Programme Coordinator, MSt in Social Innovation

Heather works on promotion and communications for the MSt in Social Innovation, and works alongside the Programme Manager on logistics for the offline and online elements of the programme. Prior to joining Cambridge Judge Business School, Heather worked in academic marketing and communications for Cambridge University Press, with responsibility for promoting law books.

Leonore Lord

Business Advisor, Cambridge Social Ventures

Leonore is a business coach, work psychologist and trainer; she has 20 years of experience working with commercial SMEs and social enterprises, from tattooists to consultants, mainly during their early startup stages.

Her career includes working in the third sector on both UK and International enterprise programmes as a Project manager and as a Business Coach.

Outside of her work with Cambridge Social Ventures, she offers business coaching to a wide range of diverse entrepreneurs; specialisms include working with people with multiple barriers, including those who may have mental and physical disabilities.

Lydia Oates

Programme Assistant, Cambridge Social Ventures

Lydia is Programme Assistant at Cambridge Social Ventures, supporting a wide range of social entrepreneurs to start, grow and scale their businesses.

After graduating with a degree in Business Management from Newcastle University, Lydia spent the first part of her career in sports marketing, specialising in sponsorship, advising some of the world’s leading brands including Diageo, British Airways, Coca Cola and Chivas Brothers.

After moving to Cambridge, Lydia worked for several years in a MedTech start-up before joining the CCSI team in 2024.

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