Sarah Spencer

Sarah is a Community Weaver and Coordinator at the School of International Futures (SOIF), where she cultivates and strengthens communities across SOIF’s practices. In her role, she coordinates the alumni and community programme, weaving together SOIF’s global networks to foster collaboration, shared learning, and enduring connections. She also provides Network Leadership as the co-lead of the Network of Network Weavers, supporting colleagues in collaborative, networked work and sharing best practices for building strong and resilient communities.

Sarah has been an active member of the Next Generation Foresight Practitioners (NGFP) Practice since its inauguration in 2018, contributing to its development, processes, outcomes, and community growth. She works closely with external partners and collaborators to identify strategic opportunities for the NGFP Network. In this capacity, she leads the NGFP Judges Network, managing its processes and outcomes, nurturing connections across the network, and guiding its strategic direction to maximise engagement and collective impact.

In addition, Sarah coordinates SOIF’s flagship Strategic Foresight Retreat, alongside other high-level convenings and events.

Prior to joining SOIF, Sarah spent twelve years in the UK Civil Service. She began her career in the Cabinet Office, where she worked for ten years within the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, leading administrative teams supporting cross-government strategy projects and coordinating the Unit’s events programme. She later moved to the Department for Education, spending two years in the Sure Start and Early Intervention Unit, where she contributed to the establishment and monitoring of children’s centres and managed the design and delivery of events focused on early intervention for young children, bringing a supportive and collaborative approach to early learning initiatives.