Francine Bates is a leading figure in the charity world with an insider’s knowledge of Whitehall.
Francine recently stood down as Chief Executive of The Lullaby Trust in 2018 after eight years. The Lullaby Trust raises awareness of sudden infant death and provides bereavement support to families who have lost a baby. In 2013, she successfully rebranded the charity, winning plaudits from the sector. Previously, she managed the public affairs and communications strategy at Carers UK for nearly 10 years up until 2000 and was Chief Executive of Contact a Family between 2000 and 2007.
In 2007, she had a three year spell in Government when she was appointed as a Special Adviser to Rt Hon Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.
Francine has a strong track record of successes including securing legal recognition for carers; establishing the Every Disabled Child Matters Campaign which persuaded HM Treasury to allocate £340 million to local authorities to support the development of new services for disabled children, and reducing the incidence of sudden infant death to a record low across the UK through a transformational communication strategy. She was awarded an OBE for services to disabled children in 2006.
Francine now offers consultancy and strategic advice to charities on a range of issues drawing on her expertise as a third sector leader.