About us - The One Foundation

The One Foundation was born out of a simple yet powerful idea:

Everyone deserves access to clean, safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

To date, we have raised £30 million and changed the lives of 5 million people in Africa.

Duncan’s story

Founded in 2006 by Duncan Goose, The One Foundation began with a bold mission – to tackle the global water crisis head-on.

Inspired by his travels and deeply moved by the stark reality that millions of people lack access to clean drinking water, Duncan launched the ethical bottled water brand One Water. Profits from the sale of One Water would go directly to funding life-changing water and sanitation projects around the world.

The idea took off. From supermarket shelves to global partnerships, the movement grew – with the support of businesses, retailers, and individuals who believed in turning everyday purchases into a force for good.

Since then, The One Foundation has invested over £30 million into sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) programs across Sub-Saharan Africa, transforming the lives of over 5 million people.

Meet the team

At The One Foundation, we may be small, but we’re mighty. Every success starts with a passionate team dedicated to driving real change – meet the people powering our mission.

Paul Gunstensen

Executive Director

Paul Gunstensen is passionate about delivering impact in water, sanitation and climate. With more than 20 years working in international development, philanthropy and social investment, he has guided foundations, investors and social enterprises to scale innovative solutions across Africa and Asia. Through a varied career, spanning NGOs, multisector partnerships, philanthropy and advisory, his strength lies in connecting people, ideas and finance. He has a long track record of designing strategies that blend finance and grow high-impact programmes. Known for building strong partnerships and practical roadmaps, he brings deep expertise in the WASH sector and a commitment to sustainable change. Paul also sits on several boards and advises a range of initiatives.

Nikki Armstrong

Programming and Partnerships Manager

Nikki Armstrong is the Programming and Partnership's Manager at The One Foundation, where she oversees funding for sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in vulnerable communities. With twenty years of experience at The One Foundation, she has played a key role in growing the Foundation’s network of key funders and managing strategic partnerships with both international WASH programme delivery organisations and corporate partners. Nikki leads on the distribution, grant management and reporting of The One Foundation's annual funding - ensuring that investment delivers lasting measurable impact for the communities that The One Foundation supports.

Board of Trustees

Ensuring governance and strategic oversight.

Jim Ridgwick

Chair of Trustees

Jim Ridgwick has served on the Foundation’s Board for over four years, including the last 2 years as Chair. He is currently a Director at Save the Children International, bringing deep expertise in global development and organisational leadership. Prior to this, he held senior roles in the corporate sector, including at a FTSE top 10 beverage company and as a Senior Manager at Deloitte Consulting. He combines experience across the private and non-profit sectors with a strong commitment to driving the Foundation’s mission and impact.

Duncan Goose

Trustee

Duncan Goose started his career in marketing, but ended it by leaving to ride a motorbike around the world. He founded One Water & The One Foundation based on his global experiences including being caught in Hurricane Mitch in Honduras in 1998 - a natural disaster responsible for killing over 11,000 people which also resulted in a lack of access to clean, safe water. Driven by his passion for helping those without water and committed to making changes to the global water sector from a sustainability perspective, Duncan continues to build on the expertise acquired over the past two decades venturing into new areas for the brand & foundation.

Nyika Brain

Trustee

Nyika Brain joined The One Foundation Board in 2021. Born in Malawi, she has a long-standing passion for driving sustainable development across Africa. With over 15 years’ experience in ESG and responsible business, Nyika brings expertise in sustainability strategy, global supply chains, and governance, alongside her commitment to helping The One Foundation deliver lasting change for communities.

Karina Morawska

Trustee

Karina works for law firm Linklaters, where she has most recently focussed on the Finance division, encompassing the Funds, Regulatory, Capital Markets, Energy & Infrastructure sectors, amongst others. Her role is global in nature and has entailed leading on numerous strategic initiatives, with a strong focus on market positioning, client service and delivering financial results. Across two decades, Karina has also led the firm’s Commercial division, held Chief Operating Officer roles in the UAE, India and Japan where she established offices and executed mergers and has operated across Europe, Asia and the Americas as part of the Strategy group. With a keen focus on teams and the drive to take on challenges, Karina has provided direction and management, helping businesses innovate and achieve a competitive edge across different stages of economic cycles. Prior to working in the legal sector, Karina held roles in investment banking and consulting. In 2016, Karina was appointed to the Chair of the Board of Trustees for The One Foundation, before joining the Water Unite team in 2020. Today, she continues to serve as a trustee for The One Foundation, championing initiatives that drive sustainable impact.

How it all began

It’s impossible to tell this story in a few words, so we hope you have a few spare minutes to watch this film.

Spoilers include a motorbike adventure around the world, a hurricane, 10 Downing Street and million to one chances…