Bio
Stephen is an Independent Advisor on philanthropy and social change. He currently runs a consultancy company called ‘Work in Progress ’, which helps individuals and companies achieve their philanthropic aims.
At Caribou, he is a Senior Advisor and supports the CEO and Chief Partnerships Officer on Caribou’s strategic growth. He also advises the Omidyar Group and Public Digital, a UK Digital Transformation company. He brings over 30 years of executive leadership experience with a career focus on using media and technology to create positive social impact and hold power to account.
Stephen was the founding CEO of Luminate and led the organization from inception in 2018 to the end of 2024. Luminate is a global philanthropic organisation which focuses on ensuring that technology works for the benefit of all in society.
Before joining Luminate, Stephen was a Partner at Omidyar Network where he led the Governance & Citizen Engagement initiative and helped establish its global network of not-for-profit and for-profit investments. Prior to that, he worked at BBC Media Action for nine years where, as Chief Executive, he helped build the organization’s reputation as a global leader in using media to promote better governance and transparency and improve the lives of the world’s poorest.
Stephen sits on the board of Oxfam GB as well as being a non-executive Director at Co-Creation Hub, a leading pan-African technology innovation organization. He holds an MA in African and Asian History from SOAS, University of London, and is based in the UK.