Helen Haugh
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor in Community Enterprise, and Research Director, Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation
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.
Timur Alexandrov
Research Associate, Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation
Having completed his PhD in Sociology at the University of Cambridge, Timur Alexandrov has joined the project ‘Reimagining churches as community assets for the common good’ at Cambridge Judge Business School. In his thesis he analysed local forms of civil society and community development practised in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where he conducted fieldwork. As part of his PhD, Timur analysed social practices of religious organisations, including churches and mosques, in creating capacities for civil society development and sustaining communities and social networks. His research findings define cultural articulations of civil society concerned with solidarity, reciprocity, and mutual trust. Timur has published in peer-reviewed publications, including The Global Encyclopaedia of Informality.
In the post-doctoral project on re-imagining churches in England, Timur Alexandrov examines community values and perceptions of church buildings, and explores new ways of measuring the success of churches’ work in their local communities. This innovative project in the church context will help understand how community values can be used in the most effective way to ensure the sustainable future of historic church buildings.
Prior to joining Cambridge Judge Business School, Timur was employed by the Cambridge Department of Sociology to develop research project websites, produce academic video and photo materials, and advise on communication aspects of research dissemination.
Before coming to Cambridge, Timur Alexandrov worked in an Integrated Civil Society project at the UN Headquarters in New York. He also managed public relations for USAID development projects in Central Asia, and for film producers.
Geoffrey Hunter, Head of Church Buildings and Pastoral
Geoffrey Hunter is engaged full time in working with churches to help them conserve and develop their buildings to meet the present and future needs of congregations and wider local communities. Geoffrey advocates for churches in their contact with the various statutory bodies who oversee works to historic church buildings. Geoffrey has also served as the elected churchwarden of a country parish in the diocese of Norwich, and also as PCC secretary of a busy central London parish, helping him to understand the challenges faced by those responsible for church buildings.
Paul Evans, Diocesan Secretary, Diocese of Ely
Paul Evans’s areas of speciality are leadership, strategy and governance. He has been closely involved since his arrival in the development of the dioceses’ growth strategy Ely 2025. Paul has had a long track record of involvement with the Church of England in a number of roles at parish and deanery level.