We’re delighted to welcome Sarah Porretta, CEO of Young Enterprise, to the ImpactExpert QT series.
Sarah’s career spans the charity sector, government and large organisations, but the thread running through it is consistent: creating real opportunity, at scale, for people who are too often locked out of it. From shaping national strategy on financial wellbeing to leading one of the UK’s most established youth charities, her focus has been less on quick wins and more on building confidence, capability and systems that last.
Sarah reflects on the moments that shaped her values, the discipline behind turning strategy into delivery, and what sustained leadership really looks like over time.
Key Takeaways:
- Purpose shows up in decisions, not slogans – from career choices to stepping away when it matters.
- Strategy only works when delivery is designed in from the start, particularly when you don’t control all the levers.
- People commit to what they help build; consultation and co-design create momentum.
- Leadership is often about repetition – reconnecting teams to the north star again and again
What was one of the best roles you’ve ever had and why?
I’ve been very lucky. Every role I’ve had has taught me something, but the consistent theme has been creating impact – particularly working with young people or those at risk of exclusion, where the need for the work is clear.
I’ve had the chance to do that across very different environments: the private sector, a meaningful period in the public sector, and now back in the charity sector where I began my career.
In many ways, it’s come full circle. Each role has shaped how I think about impact, leadership and purpose.
What’s one decision you’ve made that helped align your work with your own values?
When I was 15, I lost my father – he was just 46. From that point on, whenever I faced a big decision, I asked myself: what would you do if you knew your time was limited?
That question shaped me early. By 18, I knew I wanted a career with purpose. After university, I went to Japan on the JET Programme, volunteered with Médecins Sans Frontières, and later returned to the UK to work in the charity sector.
That mindset has stayed with me. It’s meant making decisions that weren’t always about progression – including taking voluntary redundancy from a secure job to travel for a year with my husband. Time is finite, and recognising that early has allowed me to build a career, and a life, that feels genuinely fulfilling.
What is the biggest thing you’ve done to create or improve social impact?
One of the biggest opportunities I’ve had was leading the development of the UK’s National Strategy for Financial Wellbeing while I was Strategy Director at the Money and Pensions Service.
The work was shaped by wide consultation, with listening events across the UK bringing together organisations working in debt, pensions and financial education. That process led to five national goals, spanning children and young people, mid-life savings and debt, and later-life pensions.
One of those goals focused on two million more children and young people receiving a meaningful financial education. Over time, that helped align financial services, youth charities and policymakers – and last year led to the announcement that financial education will be included on the national curriculum in England by 2028.
Can you share some key milestones or proudest moments in your career?
Creating the national campaign Talk Money Week while I was at the Money and Pensions Service was a proud moment. The ambition was to build something consumer-facing and visible at scale. It’s now in its eighth year and firmly embedded in the national calendar.
Earlier in my career at Lloyds Banking Group, I led Money for Life, a financial education programme focused on social mobility, which began as a £4m initiative and grew into an £8m programme over four years. Through small grants, it reached hundreds of young people facing disadvantage, including one who went on to train through Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen programme.
And earlier still, while teaching in a rural village in Japan, I put myself forward to stand for election as national chair of the JET Programme. It was the first time I’d really put my hand up – and it changed how I see leadership and opportunity.
What’s one project or piece of work that taught you a big lesson about impact?
Writing the National Strategy for Financial Wellbeing taught me that ambition isn’t enough. The goals were strong and widely consulted on, but initially we weren’t specific enough about delivery.
We also didn’t own all the levers. Achieving the outcomes required policy change across UK and devolved governments, which meant going deeper and building clearer delivery plans with accountability.
The lesson for me was to be explicit from the start about outcomes, ownership and the kind of strategy you’re really creating. We built on the initial national goals by creating four national delivery plans to drive the work across the UK.
What’s one piece of strategic advice you’ve found yourself giving more than once?
Something my former boss, Sacha Romanovitch, always said – and which I now repeat constantly – is that the role of a CEO is to be the Chief Repeating Officer. Once a strategy is set, people naturally drift back to what feels urgent or familiar.
Leadership is about continually reconnecting teams to the north star: why this work matters and how it fits the strategy. It sounds simple, but repetition is what creates clarity.
What’s one learning from delivering work at scale that you think others should know?
Never underestimate the power of consultation and co-design. Even when you think you have the right answer, involving people early builds far stronger commitment.
It may slow things down at the start, but it pays off later. People support what they’ve helped shape.
Who or what inspires your approach to creating impact through your career?
I’m inspired by peers and other leaders. I learn a lot through conversation, particularly with other CEOs, and through reading honest reflections on leadership and impact.
One standout experience was a funder-convened dinner that brought together CEOs from very different organisations, with no heavy agenda. That space to connect and learn from each other was incredibly powerful – and often underestimated.
What’s the thing that brings you the most work joy?
It’s a tie between my team and working with young people.
Seeing young people grow in confidence through our programmes – from being nervous to introduce themselves, to standing at trade fairs proudly calling themselves marketing or finance directors – is deeply rewarding.
Watching that shift happen is a constant reminder of why this work matters. It’s a genuine privilege.
What is your favourite quote you would like us to include, and why?
“A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” It applies everywhere – teams, strategy and delivery. If something isn’t working, that’s where the focus needs to be.
I also live by: “There’s no such thing as bad weather – only inappropriate clothing.” Being outdoors is how I reset, whatever the conditions.
