Some careers are built on chasing the next big title. Others are built on staying close to what matters, and doing that work exceptionally well for over a decade. Gillian Hosier’s career belongs firmly in the second camp.
Gillian is Head of Philanthropy for The Open University, a role she has grown into over more than eleven years working in higher education fundraising. Her work sits at the meeting point of ambition and generosity, building relationships with trusts, foundations, corporate partners and private individuals who want their giving to genuinely change lives through education.
Philanthropy work rarely makes headlines, yet it quietly shapes who gets access to opportunity. Behind every scholarship, research grant or widening participation programme sits someone who has spent years building trust with donors and translating good intentions into lasting support. That is the world Gillian has worked in for over a decade.
Her career and community contributions include:
- Head of Philanthropy at The Open University, leading fundraising across trusts, foundations and corporate partners
- Over 11 years of specialist experience in higher education fundraising
- Trustee of a local youth mental health charity
- School governor, supporting education closer to home
- Editor of her village’s parish magazine
What stands out about Gillian’s story is how consistently it points back to community. She grew up near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, and rather than leaving that connection behind as her career grew, she built it into her working life. Trustee work with a youth mental health charity, service as a school governor, and editing her village’s parish magazine are not side projects fitted around a demanding career. They are part of the same instinct that drives her professional work, a genuine belief that support given locally and consistently adds up to real change.
She lives in a small village near Milton Keynes with her partner and her dog Kira, a detail that says something about the balance she has found between ambition and rootedness.
It is that balance, professional expertise paired with a hands-on commitment to the community around her, that makes Gillian such a valuable addition to the Novi Awards judging panel. She understands, better than most, that meaningful impact rarely happens in isolation. It is built relationship by relationship, over years, by people willing to stay involved long after the initial commitment is made.
Ambition does not have to mean leaving your community behind. Gillian Hosier’s career shows that the two can grow together, each one making the other stronger.
Applications for the 2026 Novi Awards are still open until 17 July.
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