Emeka Forbes
Strategic adviser, campaigner and writer.
I’m Director of Secretariat for the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion and chair the anti-poverty charity Z2K. I write about community and social change at stronger.community.
What brings you here?
Advice for organisations
I work with a small number of charities, companies and public bodies each year. Most come to me with a problem where politics, public opinion and the places they work collide.
- Reading political change and what it means for you
- Campaigns and communications that win public support
- Long-term partnerships that put communities at the centre
Talks on politics, public mood and a changing Britain
I speak to councils, charities, universities and businesses. Keynotes, panels and workshops, in person or online.
- Keynote, Universities UK annual conference, 2026
- Plenary, Local Government Association annual conference, 2026
- Panel, Welsh Local Government Association, 2026
Comment on politics, public attitudes and community life
I comment in a personal capacity on politics, public attitudes and community life. Put “Urgent Media” in your subject line and I’ll reply within 30 minutes during working hours, and as soon as I can outside them.
Emeka Forbes is a strategic adviser, campaigner and writer. He is Director of Secretariat at the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion and chair of the anti-poverty charity Z2K, and writes at stronger.community.
Communities and cohesion
I run the secretariat of a national, cross-party commission on how people across Britain can get on and trust each other. Through my work at Together, I built an independent network that brings government, policing, business and civil society together when tension rises. I write about communities and cohesion at stronger.community.
About
I’ve spent years learning what brings communities together, and what divides them.
I’m Director of Secretariat for the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion, co-chaired by Sir Sajid Javid and Jon Cruddas, and I lead cross-sector efforts to predict, track and respond to social tensions.
I regularly write about what I’m learning, and I’m a keynote speaker for events across the country.
I also help leaders navigating complex political and social change. I work on a handful of consulting projects each year to tackle problems that only get solved by mobilising people and politicians in tandem.
Through my wider work, I chair the anti-poverty charity Z2K, advise the inequality think tank the Fairness Foundation, and write a regular column for Civil Society Media’s Governance & Leadership.
ADVICE
I help leaders with problems that only get solved by mobilising people and politicians in tandem.
Charities and foundations, companies, councils and public bodies. The problem might be a policy change, a divided public, a campaign that isn’t landing, or a place where you need to earn trust.
Read the politics
What is shifting in Westminster, Whitehall, town halls and public opinion, and what it means for you. I brief boards and leadership teams and help them decide where to act.
Win public support
Campaigns and communications that move people, not just inform them: the argument, the messengers and the moment.
Build with communities
Long-term partnerships that bring together civil society, business, councils, government and faith groups, and give local people real power over what happens where they live.
I start by working out the problem you are trying to solve. Then I shape the work around it: a short piece of strategy, a project where I join your team, or regular counsel for your leadership. For example: a board briefing before a policy change, a stakeholder engagement plan for a new project, or a partnership design for a place-based fund.
Talk to me about your organisationWork
Selected work
I run the secretariat of a national, cross-party commission on how people across Britain can get on and trust each other.
Together is one of the UK’s largest coalitions working to bridge divides. As Head of Cohesion I built the Cohesion Risk Forum, an independent cross-sector network that brings government, policing, business and civil society together before tension turns to disorder. Before that, as campaign strategist, I helped design The Big Help Out, the volunteering day for the King’s Coronation in 2023.
Z2K gives specialist advice on benefits and housing in London and campaigns to end poverty.
I advise the inequality think tank on strategy and on building public and political support for a fairer economy.
Public affairs
In agency roles I worked on accounts for clients including Google DeepMind, AstraZeneca, The Crown Estate, Asda and Newcastle University. In-house at Barnardo's, I led policy and public affairs work on serious youth violence and children’s mental health.
Writing
Writing
stronger.community
Field notes from across Britain, and the occasional longer essay, on why communities come apart and what holds them together.
Subscribe at stronger.communityTreat impact measurement as a norm
What a community hub in Leeds teaches charities about measuring impact.
Read ↗Councils’ role in the cohesion crisis
Why local government stands on the front line when places come under strain.
Read ↗A good ending can be evidence of discipline rather than failure
Closures are rising. Some of them show good governance at work.
Read ↗Too often, people experience systems as something imposed on them
Charities already know how to fix Britain’s delivery problem.
Read ↗Fairness is key to a more cohesive Britain
Why fairness is the civic value that can hold a plural Britain together.
Read ↗Disagreement is inevitable, division isn’t
Charities must show how to disagree without contempt.
Read ↗After the riots: building the foundations for social cohesion
Policy priorities for cohesion and resilience after the summer disorder. Contributor.
Read ↗External articles may require a subscription to read.
Speaking
I speak to charities, businesses, councils and universities about a changing Britain and how to build stronger communities.
How public attitudes, trust and political loyalties are moving, and what leaders of charities, companies and public bodies should do about it. Suits keynotes, conferences and leadership events.
Drawing on years of local work and conversations across Britain: what makes a place feel like home, and what wears that feeling away.
A practical session for boards and senior teams: how to work with councils, businesses, faith and community groups over the long term, and give local people real agency.
Contact
Write to me.
For advice, speaking or a conversation about your work. I read every message and reply within a week. For press enquiries, put “Urgent Media” in the subject line and I’ll reply within 30 minutes during working hours, and as soon as I can outside them.