Stanley Fink, the former chief executive of hedge fund Man Group who quit last year to focus on philanthropy, has urged entrepreneurs and wealthy individuals in the UK to ensure that charitable giving in the country does not suffer amid fears that last year's rise in donations could be short-lived.

Fink was speaking this morning at the Sunday Times Giving List Presentation in the City, London, where a number of high profile donors, corporate specialists and charity representatives gathered to compare notes on the impact of the recession on giving in the UK.