Karen Spencer

Karen Spencer is a social entrepreneur and systems-change expert, known for championing transformative solutions across child welfare, land management, and sustainability.

In 2004, Karen founded Whole Child International, pioneering a pragmatic, relationship-centred approach to care reform in low-resource settings, for which she was recognised as an Ashoka Fellow. The organisation’s systemic approach has helped improve outcomes for vulnerable children at scale. Now serving as Chair of the Board, Karen continues to provide strategic leadership to the organisation.

In 2019, she became a Founding Member of Catalyst Now, a global movement of social innovators. In 2025, she was appointed one of four Co-Chairs of Catalyst Now’s Governing Council, where—alongside her broader governance responsibilities—she advocates for funding models that prioritise long-term impact, institutional resilience, and genuine systems change.

Also in 2019, following her move to the English countryside, Karen expanded her work into sustainable and financially viable land management, leading the planned transformation of the historic Althorp Estate. This initiative involved the conversion of 4,500 acres of previously conventionally farmed land to regenerative organic management, with a focus on restoring soil health, enhancing biodiversity, improving water systems, and demonstrating that ecological regeneration can be aligned with long-term economic viability at estate scale.

In addition to her Chair roles at Catalyst Now and Whole Child International, Karen serves on the boards of the Center for Global Development and Integrity Soils, supporting global efforts to advance poverty reduction and sustainable land-use practices.