Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE is a global expert on economic abuse. In 2008, she undertook the first piece of research on economic abuse in the UK. Since then, she has undertaken further research alone and with other academics. In addition to producing reports and publishing in national and international journals, Nicola has written the book ‘Understanding and Responding to Economic Abuse’. She is an Emeritus Research Fellow at the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit at London Metropolitan University.

In 2017 Nicola founded the UK charity Surviving Economic Abuse which she led as CEO until May 2024. During this time, she pioneered practice, policy and legislative responses to economic abuse in the violence against women and girls’ sector and with the financial services industry, working closely with the Westminster Government. She continues to work with SEA as the charity’s founder, coordinates the International Coalition Against Economic Abuse, is an Expert Advisor to the Empower Finance Alliance led by the International Finance Corporation and is working with FinEquity (housed at the World Bank) to advance women’s financial inclusion through defining a learning agenda on financial abuse.