Vanessa Northam is a strategic and engaging leader with over 30 years’ experience across financial services, energy, fintech, and the charity sector. She is driven by a strong commitment to delivering sustainable social impact through innovative solutions, robust governance, and high‑impact partnerships.

As Partnerships Director at StepChange Debt Charity, the UK’s leading provider of debt advice and solutions, Vanessa is accountable for the development and stewardship of a diverse portfolio of strategic partnerships. This includes securing and diversifying funding, strengthening referral pathways, and building long‑term relationships that underpin the charity’s ability to deliver against its extensive and growing remit.

Alongside these priorities, Vanessa is focused on enabling collaboration across multiple sectors—including financial services, utilities, fintech, and the voluntary sector—to improve awareness, early intervention, and support for people experiencing problem debt. Prior to joining StepChange, she worked within an Open Banking start‑up and in consulting, specialising in the needs of vulnerable customers within the energy sector and the design of inclusive, scalable customer support solutions.

Vanessa also brings valuable perspective as a lived‑experience advocate, actively raising awareness of hearing loss and epilepsy, and championing more inclusive approaches to service design, partnership working, and leadership.