Written by Joelma Aguiar, Partnerships Coordinator
Reflections from the Charity Times Annual Conference: Building Resilient, Human-Centred Organisations
Last week, I had the privilege of attending the Charity Times Annual Conference, a space that brought together charity leaders, practitioners, and changemakers to discuss one of the most pressing issues facing our sector today: resilience.
Across the conference, one message became very clear — charities are operating in an increasingly volatile world. Economic uncertainty, political instability, rising demand for services, workforce burnout, digital transformation, and global humanitarian crises are all placing immense pressure on organisations and their people.
Yet amid these challenges, two speakers particularly stood out to me for their honesty, depth, and practical wisdom: Othman Moqbel from Action For Humanity and Dr Sarah Hughes from Mind.
Resilience Must Be Embedded, Not Added Later
Insights from Othman Moqbel – CEO, Action For Humanity
Othman Moqbel delivered a powerful reflection on the growing instability shaping humanitarian work today. His message resonated deeply because it extended beyond international crises and spoke directly to the reality many charities are experiencing across the UK.
He spoke about how the world has become increasingly unpredictable and fragile. Humanitarian organisations are facing greater demand than ever before, while simultaneously navigating funding pressures, operational risks, political tensions, and rising community needs.
What struck me most was his emphasis that resilience cannot be treated as an emergency response strategy alone. It must become part of the organisational culture itself.
Resilience is not simply about “surviving a crisis.” It is about building systems, leadership structures, partnerships, and organisational mindsets that can adapt continuously in uncertain environments.
This aligns strongly with Othman Moqbel’s recent public commentary, where he highlighted how overlapping crises, conflict, displacement, economic collapse, and weakening public systems are intensifying humanitarian needs globally.
One particularly important takeaway for me was the understanding that charities can no longer operate reactively. Strategic preparedness, partnership-building, scenario planning, and community resilience need to become embedded in organisational DNA.
For networks like the London Boroughs Faith Network (LBFN), this feels especially relevant. Faith and community organisations are often among the first responders during crises, yet many are operating with limited capacity and resources. The conversation reinforced how vital it is to strengthen local resilience before emergencies occur.
Othman’s perspective also highlighted another important reality: resilience is not only operational but also deeply human. Behind every statistic are communities carrying trauma, uncertainty, and loss. Effective humanitarian leadership, therefore, requires both strategic thinking and compassion.
Vulnerability in Leadership Is Not Weakness
Insights from Dr Sarah Hughes – CEO, Mind
The keynote from Dr Sarah Hughes was equally impactful, though in a very different way.
While many leadership conversations focus heavily on performance, outputs, and solutions, Sarah brought something refreshingly honest to the room: vulnerability.
She spoke openly about the emotional pressures leaders and teams carry, particularly in the charity sector, where professionals are constantly supporting others while often neglecting their own well-being.
One of the strongest themes from her session was the importance of creating psychologically safe workplaces — environments where people feel able to speak honestly about pressure, uncertainty, mental health, and challenges without fear of judgment.
Her message was not about lowering standards or avoiding accountability. Instead, it was about recognising that sustainable organisations require emotionally healthy cultures.
She challenged the idea that leaders must always appear strong, composed, and certain. Sometimes leadership means saying:
“I don’t fully know the answer yet, but we will work through this together.”
This philosophy closely reflects Sarah Hughes’ broader leadership approach, in which she has consistently advocated for more human-centred leadership and healthier workplace cultures within the charity sector.
I particularly appreciated her discussion of sharing burdens collectively rather than allowing individuals to silently carry overwhelming pressure alone. In many organisations, people are exhausted but afraid to speak up. Creating safe peer spaces for reflection, support, and collaborative problem-solving is becoming essential.
For those working in resilience, emergency planning, humanitarian response, and community cohesion, this insight is incredibly important. Organisations cannot effectively support communities if their own staff and volunteers are emotionally depleted.
Sarah’s keynote was a reminder that resilience is not only about structures and systems. It is also about people feeling seen, supported, and safe enough to be honest.
Final Reflection
The Charity Times Annual Conference left me reflecting on a powerful balance the sector now needs to embrace:
We need stronger systems.
We need adaptive leadership.
We need sustainable partnerships.
But we also need humanity.
True resilience is not built through pressure alone. It is built through trust, preparedness, emotional honesty, collaboration, and shared purpose.
Both Othman Moqbel and Dr Sarah Hughes reminded me that resilient organisations are not the ones pretending everything is fine. They are the ones courageous enough to acknowledge reality, adapt intentionally, and support people through uncertainty together.
As the charity and faith sectors continue navigating increasingly complex challenges, these conversations feel more important than ever.
Further Reading
Action For Humanity – CEO Statements & Humanitarian Insights
Mind CEO Blogs – Dr Sarah Hughes
London Boroughs Faiths Network 