Dan Phipps

Appointed to the board of this award-winning, community-led social enterprise focused on combating fuel poverty and climate disruption through energy-saving interventions.

• Provide independent and strategic oversight, ensuring strong board governance, accountability, and alignment with mission, values and long-term sustainability.

• Advise on and help reshape board composition and team dynamics: reviewing current structure, introducing refreshed governance processes and meeting frameworks to ensure the board adds maximum value.

• Partner with the leadership (executive & senior management) to assess and improve technology infrastructure, IT support and digital tools—supporting digital transformation, operational resilience, and efficiency.

• Support process improvement across the organisation: facilitating more effective workflows, decision-making cycles and measurement of key performance indicators.

• Bring AI / digital transformation expertise: helping embed data-driven approaches, evaluate emerging tech or digital trends, help set up governance around tech risk (e.g. cybersecurity, data protection, ethical use of AI).

• Promote sustainable business model scaling: help the organisation explore operational structures and commercial strategies to grow impact locally and beyond, balancing financial viability with social and environmental objectives.

• Contribute to stakeholder engagement strategies: ensuring that community voices, funder expectations, and environmental impact metrics are factored into board decisions.

• Monitor risk, compliance, and internal control frameworks; help the board ensure there are proper policies, oversight mechanisms, and clarity in roles / responsibilities.

• Uphold and promote high standards of ethical conduct, transparency and accountability across the organisation.

Provide strategic advisory and consulting services to VCSE organisations, specialising in:

• Board governance improvement and leadership alignment

• Organisational and net-zero strategy development

• Social impact maximisation through operational and digital transformation

• Strategic facilitation and mentoring for senior leaders to embed long-term sustainability and measurable outcomes

• Led comprehensive organizational growth strategy, tripling revenue from £2M to £6M while simultaneously enhancing operational efficiency and long-term sustainability.

• Scaled the team from 12 to over 60 professionals, strategically building new departments and optimizing organizational structure to support rapid growth while maintaining efficient overhead.

• Directed robust financial planning and risk management frameworks, integrating People, Planet, and Profit considerations into strategic decision-making.

• Championed significant Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, including establishing the Ghyston Foundation (pledging 10% of profits to charity) and developing strategic partnerships with multiple charity clients, providing pro bono or heavily discounted consulting services.

• Developed and executed a comprehensive net zero strategy: conducted detailed carbon audits, enhanced supplier sustainability assessments, founded an employee green group, and secured shareholder approval for offsetting strategy, positioning Ghyston in the top 5% of tech companies for environmental practices.

• Spearheaded the creation of a senior leadership team and successfully implemented the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) framework, resulting in significantly greater alignment around company vision, enhanced accountability, and streamlined communication and execution.

• Designed and delivered a structured leadership training program, successfully developing the next level of leadership talent within the organization.

• Oversaw and delivered substantial business transformations across diverse sectors (charity, manufacturing, housing, care), managing consultancy projects for over 100 clients, resulting in significant outcomes such as increased charity donations, reduced administrative overhead and manual effort, improved efficiency, enhanced digital presence, accelerated processes, and positioned clients for sustainable growth.