In this final instalment of a four-part series, we prepare to bid a fond farewell to our CEO Susan Kay who heads off into retirement next week. Her successor, Katy Saunders, has been working alongside her for some time already and is primed to take the helm.
It has been a busy year. We’ve made decisions about just over £1m of grant awards so far. And there is substantially more to come early in the new year when we will be making decisions about this year’s major themed grants programme: Implementing evidence-based interventions that prevent, delay or reduce health and social care requirements for older adults in underserved communities. In addition, we’ll be making decisions about our Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme.
We have also awarded two Academy Excellence Awards, made a new social investment in the fabulous hip-hopping Blair Academy and welcomed our 600th member to the Vivensa Academy.
Here, Sue and Katy look back on the changes that have happened since the start of the financial year, and allow us a glimpse of the shape of things to come.
April
We changed our name from Dunhill Medical Trust to Vivensa Foundation.
We launched our new Strategic Framework.
We published ‘Ageing-related research in the UK: a landscape analysis’.
Becca Perl joined the team – our first in-house communications professional.
We welcomed over 80 delegates to our biggest event of the year, the Annual Symposium.
We announced our latest Academy Excellence Award winners: Senior Leader Professor Vicki Goodwin and Rising Star Dr Toby Ellmers.
May
The Chair of our Board of Trustees, Professor Deborah Dunn-Walters, was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship.
June
We bid a fond farewell to Professor Tom Kirkwood CBE FMedSci and James Lorigan, who both served full eight-year terms on our Board of Trustees.
July
Sue chaired a consultative event hosted by Tom Copley, the Deputy Mayor of London (responsible for housing and residential development) at the Greater London Authority’s City Hall. The ‘Amar Bari, Amar Jibon’ team shared the findings of one of the projects funded under our Suitable Homes and Living Environments for an Ageing Population theme.
Later in July, Sue spoke at the Housing LIN’s annual networking reception at the House of Lords. Our five-year collaboration and flagship housing programme for 2025-30 was announced.
August
We joined forces with a number of organisations to sign a statement of intent. This follows up on the recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer for England’s report on health in an ageing society, committing us all to integrate older people into health and care research.
September
Along with a group of leading UK charitable foundations, we launched the Endowments Investing Challenge.
We published our Annual Report and Accounts for 2024/25 (which includes a full list of the grants and investments we made during the year to March 2025).
Our Review of Plan Period 2020-25 was published.
October
We welcomed Uhuru Lambert, who joined the Grants Team.
We launched the SHAPE Exchange – our partnership project with Housing LIN.
November
We hosted the Early Career Researchers’ event in London.
We held the inaugural meeting of the SHAPE Exchange Advisory Board.
December
Katy Saunders started as CEO, working alongside Sue until her departure.
Our new Trustee, Russell Jones, joined us for his first Board meeting.
We announced the date for next year’s Annual Symposium – 23 April 2026.
We outgrew our office but were able to move into a bigger one in the same building.
And with that, we wish all of our award-holders, Academy members, Trustees, Committee members, peer reviewers, partners and the wider community a peaceful festive season.
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Our office will be closed from 23 December until 5 January. See you in 2026.
Team photo L-R: Andrew Gnaneswaran, Dr Sanjay Thakrar, Sarah Allport, Katy Saunders, Becca Perl, Susan Kay, Oliver Soutar, Professor Deborah Dunn-Walters, Uhuru Lambert, Dr Pedro Jacob.