# Plenary speakers announced for Fundraising Convention 2025

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/04/11/plenary-speakers-announced-for-fundraising-convention-2025/
- Published: 2025-04-11T08:55:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Monty Halls and Priya Lakhani OBE will present the two plenary speeches at the
annual Fundraising Convention in June.**

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising has announced that broadcaster, explorer 
and travel writer Monty Halls will be the plenary speaker on the first day, and 
award-winning entrepreneur and innovator Priya Lakhani OBE will address attendees
on the second day.

![Monty Halls](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2025/04/Monty-Halls-2025.jpg)

Monty starred in the BBC series “Great Escapes” where he lived on the west coasts
of Scotland and Ireland with his dog Reuben.

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He is a former Royal Marines officer who worked for Nelson Mandela during the peace
process in the early 1990s. He has pursued a career in expeditions, travel journalism
and biology.

Priya Lakhani stepped back from a career in libel law in 2008 to set up her own 
company, Masala Masala, a fresh Indian food brand. In parallel she founded the charity
iamSOCO (I am socially conscious) that ensured that the sale of each hot pot of 
Masala Masala covered the cost of a hot meal for an underprivileged person in India.

She launched education tech AI firm Century Tech in 2013, utilising data mining 
techniques to provide a personalised learning experience for students. She was awarded
an OBE for services to business, community and voluntary initiatives in 2014.

Katie Docherty, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, said:

> “Priya and Monty have such interesting backgrounds and stories to share, so I 
> am really thrilled to have them on board for this year’s Fundraising Convention–
> I am sure they will captivate and inspire everyone who hears them speak.”
> The [National Fundraising Convention](https://ciof.org.uk/fundraising-convention/home)
> takes place from 9-10 June 2025 at the QE11 Convention Centre in London. Its theme
> is ‘**Fundraising with Purpose**‘.

## Previous plenary speakers

Previous plenary speakers at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising’s annual conventions
in London include:

 * [Fatima Whitbread](https://fundraising.co.uk/2024/05/09/fatima-whitbread-to-deliver-plenary-at-julys-fundraising-convention/)(
   2024)
 * [Hannah Ingram-Moore](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/09/14/hannah-ingram-moore-is-opening-plenary-speaker-at-fundraising-convention-online/)(
   2021)
 * [Sir Lenny Henry](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/06/25/sir-lenny-henry-to-give-conventions-opening-plenary-speech/)(
   2020)
 * [Dame Kelly Holmes](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/05/15/dame-kelly-holmes-announced-as-fundraising-convention-plenary-speaker/)(
   2019)
 * [Fatima Bhutto, Will Gompertz, June Sarpong](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/03/09/will-gompertz-fatima-bhutto-june-sarpong-headline-iof-convention-plenary-speakers/)(
   2018)
 * Jon Snow (2017)
 * [Dan Pallotta](https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/07/07/collected-resources-national-convention-2010/)(
   2010)
 * [John Bird MBE](https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/02/27/plenary-speakers-announced-national-fundraising-convention/)(
   2009)