THE YOUNG FOUNDATION - Key Persons
With a specialisation in co-design and citizen engagement, Adira leads a range of mixed-method research projects, from community-led social innovation to supporting peer research training. She has a multidisciplinary background in design research, social innovation and visual communication.
Having completed her MA/MSc in Global Innovation Design from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London, Adira joined The Young Foundation in 2023. She has a multidisciplinary background in design research, social innovation and visual communication. Adira has lived and worked in India, Japan, Singapore and the UK, gaining experience of designing for different languages and cultural contexts.
With a specialisation in co-design and citizen engagement, she leads a range of mixed-method research projects, from community-led social innovation to supporting peer research training. She has a strong application of participatory design methodologies in her process, and has worked across the areas of education, ecology and social impact to create systems and tools that promote behavioural wellbeing.
Adira's early career experience began with ornithologists and social scientists at the Nature Conservation Foundation in India, where she created nature education tools and scientific illustrations for outreach programmes. She has since led design research projects with organisations including Nesta, ArtFund, University of Cambridge, and the Mayor of London's Culture and Community Spaces at Risk Division.
Outside of work, Adira enjoys being outdoors in nature and exploring arts-based events in her neighbourhood. She has a deep affinity for handicrafts, literature, and finding spaces of rest under trees.
Alice joined The Young Foundation in 2020, having previously gained experience as a Government Social Research intern. She is enthusiastic about exploring innovative and inclusive methods to involve diverse communities in impactful research.
Alice joined The Young Foundation as an intern in 2020, after graduating from the University of Cambridge with a geography degree. Previously, she gained experience as a Government Social Research intern.
Through her work, Alice is enthusiastic about exploring innovative and inclusive methods to involve diverse communities in impactful research. She is particularly inspired by approaches that challenge the power imbalances in dominant forms of knowledge production.
Beyond research, Alice continues to engage with these issues through her involvement in the Fawcett Society's East London local group. She also enjoys rowing with her club on the River Lea in Hackney.
After completing her masters in sociology, Amelia joined The Young Foundation in 2022. Amelia has a passion for uplifting marginalised voices, especially disabled and chronically ill voices. She is also interested in research into role-playing games, and in fringe subcultures.
Outside of work, Amelia enjoys watching documentaries, listening to music, and playing Dungeons and Dragons.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Design Officer
Ari joined The Young Foundation in 2023, after managing events and engagement for a health research learned society, and working as a creative producer with a London-based brand agency.
She is passionate about supporting social innovation by connecting communities and sharing stories that matter, and is particularly interested in tackling health, wealth and educational inequalities.
As the Communications & Design Officer, Ari uses her content creation and marketing expertise to share the impact of our work and engage audiences with exciting projects and opportunities.
Outside of work, Ari volunteers with Yes Futures and The Felix Project, spends time with friends and family, and enjoys visiting new places and being in nature.
Job Titles:
- Head of Systems Change and Innovation
Charlene brings extensive experience leading large, complex innovation programmes across the public sector, arts and culture, health and care and local communities. She is skilled in developing partnerships that explore how people-powered innovation can create meaningful change in complex systems.
Job Titles:
- Head of Social Business and Innovation
Charlotte's background is working as an Economic Development Programme Manager in Local Government. She loves all things social enterprise and is interested in how we can use social innovation to create a more equal society.
Charlotte joined The Young Foundation in 2022 after working as an Economic Development Programme Manager in local government. There, she supported disadvantaged people to start businesses and transformed vacant spaces into areas of community and economic growth. Charlotte loves all things social enterprise and is interested in how we can use social innovation to create a more equal society. When she is not seeking out a new social business, she can be found travelling and exploring new places.
Chelsea joined The Young Foundation in 2021 after working as an education policy and campaigns officer at the Traveller Movement, and a youth research and campaigns officer at Partnership for Young London. Chelsea is passionate about working with young people and changing research approaches to make them more accessible.
Chelsea is passionate about working with young people and changing research approaches to make them more accessible. She joined The Young Foundation in 2021 after working as an education policy and campaigns officer at the Traveller Movement, and a youth research and campaigns officer at Partnership for Young London.
Chelsea is motivated by her desire to make a difference, and this extends beyond work, where she campaigns on issues surrounding Gypsy and Traveller people, and mentors' university students from under-represented backgrounds.
She can often be found with her head in a book, or exploring old buildings. She has a particular interest in Romanesque and Gothic architecture.
Job Titles:
- Economist
- Partner at EY
- Partner, Ernst & Young LLP
Chris is a Partner at EY who brings 20 years' experience working in and with government seeking to tackle some of the UK's biggest challenges.
Chris is a Partner at EY, a professional services firm, and works with a number of government departments and Arm's Length Bodies, seeking to help them deliver efficiently and effectively.
He has previously been a senior civil servant and policymaker at the Department for Work and Pensions, Strategy Director at a Regulator, Business Development Director at a FTSE 100 company, Head of Secretariat at an Independent Commission, and a Non-Executive Director of a housing and care provider.
Chris is an economist by background and brings 20 years' experience working in and with government, seeking to tackle some of the UK's biggest challenges.
Cristina is a mixed-methods social researcher with an MSc in sociology from the University of Edinburgh. She has more than seven years' experience working in research and evaluation in agency, charity and academic settings.
Before joining The Young Foundation, Cristina worked as Research Manager at ClearView Research, where she was involved in delivering research involving participatory research methods on a range of topics including youth engagement, identity, and racial inequalities. Cristina also has extensive experience in the youth sector, analysing impact evidence across large-scale, national youth programmes and conducting research with grassroots youth and community organisations.
Cristina has experience working on and leading research and evaluation projects that involve both qualitative and quantitative methods including projects for BBC Children in Need, Fair4All Finance, Impact on Urban Health, and Sport England.
Cristina is also a trained musician with a BA in music. She has delivered music-based projects with children and young people across South America, North America, and the UK. She is passionate about arts-based research approaches and co-creation and is committed to producing research that is participatory, accessible, and led by community needs.
Daisy joined The Young Foundation in 2023, and is passionate about using her skills and experience within an organisation fighting for a fairer future through social research.
Daisy joined The Young Foundation in 2023, having previously worked in administration and completed a BA degree in Politics and Hindi. She is excited to be using her administrative skills within an organisation fighting for a fairer future through social research, a topic on which she is very passionate.
Daisy enjoys the variety of her role as an administrator. Outside of work, her interests include languages and the arts.
Job Titles:
- Director of Innovation and Practice
Dan leads our practical social change and innovation work with communities, public systems, and social enterprises. He has worked across the public, private and charitable sectors, and was previously a director of Nesta's Health Lab.
Dan leads our practical social change and innovation work with communities, public systems, and social enterprises. Dan has worked across the public, private and charitable sectors, and was previously a Director of Nesta's Health Lab where he led the People Powered Results programme as social enterprise, focussed on developing new methods and approaches to systems change. Dan joined The Young Foundation in January 2022, bringing a passion for working with individuals, organisations and systems to release the power of people closest to issues.
Job Titles:
- Civic Leadership Programme Lead
David's role is to discover and develop civic leaders working to improve the health of our society. He has a background in personal and organisational development, supporting pioneering changemakers and organisations in the UK and internationally for more than 15 years.
David joined The Young Foundation in 2023 to help us to discover and develop civic leaders - anyone who is willing to share responsibility for the health of our society.
He has a background in personal and organisational development, having been a learning partner to pioneering changemakers and organisations in the UK and internationally for more than 15 years.
David is particularly interested in working across system and sector boundaries. He is a certified coach and facilitator, and his approach is rooted in his lifelong experience of navigating chronic illness.
Having previously been Director of Research and Learning at the RSA, and Head of Research at Good Things Foundation, Al is passionate about The Young Foundation's commitment to realising a fairer future with communities, and supporting evidence-driven social change.
Al is Director of Research and joined The Young Foundation in 2023. Prior to this, she was Director of Research and Learning at the RSA, and Head of Research at Good Things Foundation.
Before moving to the charity sector, Al worked in academia, where her work focused on research partnerships with underrepresented groups, redesigning participatory approaches to landscape architecture and urban design. She brings more than 15 years' experience leading research teams, taking a strategic approach to participatory practice in order to create lasting local and national impact. Al is passionate about The Young Foundation's commitment to realising a fairer future with communities, and supporting evidence-driven social change.
As an expert in participatory research and digital inclusion, Al holds a number of advisory board positions including INCLUDE+, developing a minimum digital living standard for households with children, and Equity for the Older: Beyond Digital Access. She is committed to cross sector impact, and improving understanding and collaboration between policymakers, academia, businesses, and charities.
Al lives in Sheffield, and loves being out in nature with her family, exploring the nearby Peak District.
Job Titles:
- CEO, North of Tyne Combined Authority
- Strategic Adviser to
Henry is a Strategic Adviser to The Young Foundation. He was formerly an executive director at the West Midlands Combined Authority, responsible for its work on inclusive growth, public service reform, climate change and digital. Previous to this he was chief executive of Collaborate CIC, and held roles in UK public policy and international development. He is a member of NESTA's Government Innovation Board, and between 2013-18 was a visiting fellow of the UNDP Global Centre for Public Service Excellence.
Job Titles:
- Adviser, Writer
- Independent Expert, Urban Policy, Social Innovation and Labour Markets
Eddy is an adviser, writer, moderator and events facilitator, working internationally on urban policy and growth inequality. He works extensively with Rotterdam, as well as with Glasgow, Turin, Milan, Bilbao and Berlin.
Eddy is an adviser, writer, moderator and events facilitator. Working extensively with the European Commission, the OECD and other international agencies. His roles include moderating the EU Cities Forum, providing expert support to the Urban Development Network, and contributing to the Urban Agenda for the EU's Partnership on Jobs and Skills. He is also a Programme Expert for URBACT, the Paris-based EU cities exchange and learning programme.
Interested in tackling growing inequality, Eddy has been engaged in BRIDGE, the pioneering Urban Innovative Actions project led by Rotterdam. He is also the UIA Expert for Milan, advising on measures to promote youth wellbeing. Previously, Eddy was instrumental in developing the Scottish Government's NEET-prevention strategy and review of learning and skills for young offenders.
Elizabeth is an HR professional with experience in sectors including finance, education, and health. She is particularly passionate about The Young Foundation's role in community research, engagement, and inclusion.
Elizabeth is an HR professional who joined The Young Foundation in 2023 as our Interim HR Manager.
Prior to joining the charity sector, Elizabeth worked as both an HR advisor and a business partner across various sectors, including finance, education, and health. Elizabeth brings her functional HR skills and professionalism to The Young Foundation and is particularly passionate about our role in community research, engagement, and inclusion.
Elizabeth lives in Essex with her two children and husband. She enjoys participating in charity events, is a lover of sports and sometimes volunteers in her local athletics club.
Job Titles:
- Interim Director of Institute for Community Studies, Director of Sustainability and Just Transition
Emily joined us from the British Council, where she developed the global research portfolio. She has led and conducted a broad range of international research projects, and previously held positions at University College London and King's College London. Emily has a long-standing interest in participatory and creative research approaches.
Emily is our Director of Sustainability and Just Transition, and leads our evidence centre, the Institute for Community Studies. Her expertise is in designing, leading and brokering partnerships, tools and impact frameworks to drive social, environmental and place-based impact.
Emily has led research and engagement projects that critically examine the research themes integral to building more equitable, thriving communities. She was previously at the British Council, where she developed the global research portfolio, spanning internationally comparative research into policy and intervention for international development, civil society, and youth; education, and culture. She has led and conducted research in the Western Balkans, the Middle East, Latin America, South Africa and Europe, and previously held professional and academic positions at University College London and King's College London. She began working in research as a creative practitioner researcher with NGOs in the UK and overseas.
Outside of The Young Foundation, Emily is currently funded by the Leverhulme Trust, undertaking research at Queen Mary, University of London into the effect of political instability on citizenship, trust, and social organisation.
Job Titles:
- Head of Participatory Research
Emma's expertise is in designing, leading and implementing participatory research to drive understanding of social justice. She has worked internationally with governments, institutions and charities.
Emma's expertise is in designing, leading and implementing participatory research to drive understanding of social justice. She brings a variety of experience working on participatory research projects with governments, international institutions and charities in many different countries and contexts. She has led and conducted participatory research in the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and Europe. She is responsible for the participatory research portfolio across The Young Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Finance Services and Business Support Manager
A key member of the Finance and Corporate Resources team, Felicia manages our payables and receivables, payroll and pensions, and provides budget support and analysis to project managers. She also leads on corporate resourcing, and supports colleagues across the organisation to ensure the smooth operation of The Young Foundation on a day-to-day basis.
Joining in 2009 from OC&C Strategy Consultants, Felicia is passionate about our organisation, and a gifted communicator, with expertise in operations, policy development and implementation, change management and frontline service delivery for the private, public, and charity and not-for-profit sectors. She is a Foundation Chartered Manager (fCMgr) in Management and Leadership, working towards full Chartered Manager status with the Chartered Management Institute.
Outside of work, Felicia is a volunteer Youth Worker at Springfield Club for Young People. Deeply motivated by the desire to help others, she is passionate about working with young people and tries to connect this with the principles of empowerment and encouragement. She is an avid sports enthusiast and a qualified Football Coach. She also loves photography and travel.
Gary joined The Young Foundation in 2023, having previously supported social innovators and designed innovation funding programmes, through roles with Elrha's Humanitarian Innovation Fund and Nesta's Challenge Works. Alongside this, as a Churchill Fellow he has completed international research on inclusive engagement in social innovation and social entrepreneurship.
As an Innovation Practitioner Gary works across the Young Foundation's social innovation portfolio. He is passionate about empowerment, ideas, and action. He is also an aspiring board game designer.
Helen leads our multi-disciplinary team of researchers and innovators to support stronger communities across the UK. Previous roles were at Nesta, in the private sector, and in government. She was awarded an OBE for services to development of sustainable communities in the 2023 New Year Honours List.
As Chief Executive Officer of The Young Foundation, Helen leads our multi-disciplinary team of researchers and innovators to support stronger communities across the UK.
Prior to joining The Young Foundation, she spent nine years at Nesta as Executive Director, supporting, funding and scaling innovation in civil society, social tech, government, arts and education.
Previous roles have included work within the private sector developing digital strategies and solutions for global corporate clients. She spent five years consulting in the Cabinet Office, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and then Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), developing national innovation programmes for local government and leading research and development for interactive TV public services.
Helen is also a Trustee of the Big Education Trust.
Helen was awarded an OBE for services to development of sustainable communities in the 2023 New Year Honours List
Iqra manages the HR department and provides support across the organisation. Prior to joining The Young Foundation in 2017, she worked at AEG Europe, based at the O2, in a similar capacity. Iqra has more than five years' HR experience and is CIPD-qualified.
Iqra speaks three different languages and, in her spare time, she enjoys watching cricket and travelling around the world.
Jack joined The Young Foundation in 2023 after working for the Bridge Group - a small research consultancy working on social equality in higher education and the professions. Prior to that Jack earned a PhD at UCL, where he studied the role of urban public sports facilities as social infrastructures. Jack has written several widely read and highly cited articles that have developed the concept of social infrastructure in a UK context.
Through his work, Jack is passionate about making our towns and cities better places to live. As part of the team at the Institute for Community Studies, he works to ensure people's voices across the country are heard and their needs prioritised.
Outside of work Jack will usually be found outside - hiking, swimming, cycling, or watching football. He's also a proud parent to a rescued guinea pig, Matilda.
Job Titles:
- Knowledge Exchange Manager
Joining the Institute for Community Studies in 2023, Jacob leads work focused on supporting anchor institutions to develop deeper more integrated relationships, aimed at enabling greater knowledge-sharing and strategic thinking.
Prior to this, he has worked for Local Government, the Local Government Association, and the Climate Change Committee, focusing on net zero skills and employment policy.
Away from work, Jacob spends his time taking advantage of the amazing natural spaces near his home, heading to Dartmoor to walk and to the coast to surf and swim whenever possible.
Jasper joined The Young Foundation in 2023 after 10 years managing and producing projects across the creative industries. As part of our Innovation and Practice team, he supports the development and delivery of ambitious and fast-paced social innovation programmes
Jasper joined The Young Foundation in 2023 after 10 years managing and producing projects across the creative industries. Through this work, he has designed national arts funding packages, developed youth engagement programmes and implemented large scale communications strategies.
As part of our Innovation and Practice team, Jasper supports the development and delivery of ambitious and fast-paced social innovation programmes.
Jasper is driven by working collaboratively and is most fulfilled when engaging with people on the ground to create social change. Beyond his professional pursuits, Jasper finds inspiration in exploring music, culture, and food across London.
Jem joined The Young Foundation in 2023 after having worked as a Research Assistant for a charity supporting children living in deprivation.
He is interested in the causes and impacts of systemic racism, and how inclusivity in research can combat this. He has also volunteered at an NGO based in Buea, Cameroon, working on sexual and gender-based violence. Jem has expertise in British imperial history, holding an MSc in empires, colonialism, and globalisation.
Outside of work, Jem enjoys sports, particularly cricket and running.
Jen's background is in designing and delivering support and scaling initiatives for social innovators and entrepreneurs. Before joining The Young Foundation, she held integral roles in grant management delivery, challenge prize design, and business mentor brokering at UnLtd and Nesta.
With a background mainly in designing and delivering support and scaling initiatives for social innovators and entrepreneurs, Jen has held many integral roles in grant management delivery, challenge prize design, and business mentor brokering at UnLtd and Nesta. She is a problem-solver, tackling everything from the complex timeline to the fascinating challenge of trouble-shooting a tricky issue with a social innovator.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications and External Affairs
Joining in September 2021, Jess drives thought leadership and shares our creative ideas with diverse audiences. Passionate about communicating the needs of people in our communities, she works to extend The Young Foundation's reach and impact.
Jess is a communications specialist with a wealth of experience supporting charities, companies and media organisations. This includes leading creative campaigns, engaging partners and stakeholders, building thought leadership, developing and placing impactful content, and elevate messaging across a range of platforms and with diverse audiences.
Having led both the day-to-day and the strategic direction of The Young Foundation's C&EA work since 2021, Jess communicates our programmes, research and initiatives, and builds political engagement and influence, driving impact across multiple programmes.
Jess was previously Media and Content Editor at Jisc, a not-for-profit member organisation for the education and technology sectors. Her background is in journalism. She was an Editor at The Guardian and The Independent, and freelanced for broadsheets, charities and companies as a writer, editor and communications specialist. Throughout her career, Jess has focused on communicating the experiences and priorities of traditionally disadvantaged and under-represented communities.
Job Titles:
- Senior Researcher
- Senior Researcher, Institute for Community Studies
Jess works to ensure community voices are reflected in research and policy design. They were a policymaker at the Bank of England, held roles in government, policy research, and education, and explored youth unemployment and educational inequality as part of the Year Here Social Innovation Fellowship.
Jess brings experience in data analysis, economic policymaking, and teaching, seeking to harness the power of collective, social learning ‘done with' people (rather than ‘done for') to generate social change. They are motivated to share power and build capacity within organisations and communities to address issues of systemic inequality, economic justice, and youth participation in political process.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Director, RBU Partnership
Having started his career as a teacher, Jonny has since worked predominantly in start-up and fast growth organisations in both private and third sectors, with a theme of social justice running through most of his projects. He is the Founder and Director of the RBU Partnership.
Prior to the RBU, Jonny held Director positions at Accenture and BCS Consulting, where he was also Chief of Staff. Jonny is the Founder and Executive Chair of ImpactEd, former CEO and Chair of the Peter Jones Foundation, Trustee and Treasurer of The Young Foundation, and advisor to the English Speaking Union and the British Science Association.
After starting his career as a classroom teacher, Jonny had the idea for The Brilliant Club and led the charity as CEO for its first five years. Jonny has been listed as one of the UK's leading social entrepreneurs and has won national awards from UnLimited, Nesta and the Guardian.
Julie joined The Young Foundation in February 2023 after working in finance roles in the charity and education sectors for more than twenty years.
Julie qualified as a chartered accountant while working as an auditor and particularly enjoyed working with charity clients. Since leaving auditing Julie has worked for charities working with young people in the community and in education.
Outside work Julie has volunteered with the National Trust and local conservation and litter picking groups. Her hobbies include yoga, running and walking - she loved completing the Cancer Research London Shine marathon walk two years running
Job Titles:
- CEO
- CEO, Leeds Community Foundation / Give Bradford
Kate is an experienced CEO, skilled in managing non-profit organisations - especially in the arts and local community activity - and rooted in her home region of Leeds, Bradford and West Yorkshire.
Kate is an experienced CEO, skilled in managing non-profit organisations - especially those that call upon a broad spectrum of differing skills.
Having focused much of her career in arts and culture and local community activity, Kate is rooted in her home region of Leeds, Bradford and West Yorkshire, where she's built an up-to-date, modern grant-making portfolio that is driven by a strong commitment to equity and inclusion.
An experienced non-executive director, Kate, until recently, served as Board member and Diversity Champion for Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, chairing West Yorkshire Mayor Brabin's Fair Work Charter Steering Group.
CEO and Development Director at Leeds Community Foundation since 2015, Kate previously held senior leadership roles at Opera North, Theatre Royal Wakefield, BTL Brussels, Yorkshire Culture, and AXIS. A regular Chair of Bank of England Citizen's Panels, before joining The Young Foundation, Kate has served as a Trustee at Freedom Festival Arts Trust Hull, The Art House Wakefield, and Leeds Culture Trust.
Kathryn was a Year Here Social Innovation Fellow in 2018-19, with a focus on health and wellbeing. She later went on to be a Programme Producer for the next two cohorts of social entrepreneurs.
Kathryn joined The Young Foundation at the beginning of 2023, after working at Spacehive to design and deliver community-led crowdfunding programmes with Local Authorities across the UK. She enjoys applying creative approaches to community engagement and developing ways to build meaningful social connections within communities.
Passionate about community, social justice, equality, diversity and healthy democratic practice, Kersten's career over four decades has included work in the voluntary and community sector, higher education, central and local government.
An experienced executive and non executive leader, Kersten has been Chair of The Young Foundation since September 2022.
Passionate about building community, social justice, equality, diversity and healthy democratic practice, her career over four decades has included work in the voluntary and community sector, higher education, central government and more than 30 years in local government. Between 2009 and 2023 she was a local authority Chief Executive, initially in York for six years and latterly eight years for the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council.
Kersten's current portfolio of work includes: Chair of the Bradford Culture Company, which will deliver the programme for Bradford's year as the UK City of Culture in 2025; Trustee of the National Literacy Trust; a consultant for the Association of Local Authority Chief Executives; Co-Director of the Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership; and she is a lay canon of Bradford Cathedral. Previously, Kersten was a Trustee of Nesta, a member of the Archbishop of York's symposium on social and economic affairs, and the President of the Society of Metropolitan Chief Executives.
Kersten was awarded a CBE in the 2019 New Years Honours for her contribution to the communities and economy of the Bradford District.
Leonie joined The Young Foundation in 2023, and is passionate about using ethical research to address health inequalities. She is a social researcher with a background in migration studies and gender equity. Leonie's international experience in Sierra Leone and Greece informs her research design.
Lily is passionate about engaging communities in research to drive social change and exploring the most effective and valuable ways to do so from participant perspectives. Her background is in research focused on migration and children and young people, and she has an MRes in Global Migrations and Social Justice.
Job Titles:
- Editor in Chief, the Big Issue
Lynn provides project support to the research team and Peer Researcher Network. She joined The Young Foundation in 2023 from a career background in project office and change management, and is motivated to help reduce barriers to inclusion, and to support positive social change.
Joining the NHS Confederation in June 2021, Matthew previously led the RSA for 15 years, was a Chief Adviser to Tony Blair, and ran the IPPR. Matthew is a media commentator on policy and public service reform.
Matthew has worked at the heart of public policy for the last 20 years and became Trustee of The Young Foundation in 2022.
Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation since June 2021, he previously led the RSA for 15 years, transforming the organisation into a global institution, with 30,000 fellows and an influential research programme.
Before that, he was Chief Adviser on Political Strategy to Prime Minister Tony Blair, and he ran the Institute for Public Policy Research for four years. In 2016, he was commissioned by the Conservative government to carry out an independent review into modern employment practices.
Job Titles:
- Advisor
- Consultant
- Social Entrepreneur, Academic, and Commentator
In 2019, Micheal was named by the Financial Times among the 100 most influential leaders in tech. He is founder of The Common Sense Network and a range of other organisations and charities
In 2019, Micheal was in the Financial Times 100 most influential leaders in tech in the UK as the Founder and CEO of The Common Sense Network, an alternative news platform dedicated to finding common ground between opposites.
He is also founder and director of a Christian charity, Our God Given Mission; founder of The Apex Group, where CEOs and founders share best practice; and founder of the BAM Project, helping young boys reimagine masculinity.
Micheal is an advisor and consultant for a range of organisations, and the youngest ever non-executive director at the University of Salford. He serves on the Board of Chatham House, and the Royal Institute of International Affairs, and is a Trustee at both GMAX Athletes and The Young Foundation. He is currently completing a PhD on Balkanisation.
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance and Corporate Resources
Paul joined The Young Foundation in 2021 from The Land Trust, where he had been in a similar role. He has 15 years' experience in the charity and not-for-profit sector, having begun his career in the corporate world. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and brings many years of experience at director and trustee level, across HR, and IT, as well as finance. He enjoys leading change and helping to make organisations and the people in them the best that they can be.
Outside work, Paul enjoys travel and languages. He is a fitness fanatic, running regular half marathons and spending hours in the gym.
Previously a Research Manager for Revolving Doors and Toynbee Hall, Philip is passionate about using research to address health inequalities and social justice. Managing peer research projects, he has supported diverse groups of people to co-design, conduct, analyse and present timely and ethical research to achieve real-world policy impact.
Philip joined The Young Foundation in 2023 after previous roles as Research Manager for Revolving Doors and Toynbee Hall. Passionate about using research to address health inequalities and achieve social justice, he strongly believes that local people and communities have the right to be meaningfully involved in research and social action about their lives and communities.
Philip has several years' experience managing peer research projects, supporting and training diverse groups of people to co-design, conduct, analyse and present research to achieve real-world policy impact. He has worked on topics including housing and homelessness, community safety and cohesion, trauma, poverty, and healthcare access and treatment, for clients including the NHS, the Ministry of Justice, His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, and His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service.
Philip's academic background includes a PhD at Newcastle University, which explored the diverse care needs of homeless young people using a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, and undergraduate teaching experience.
Outside of work, Philip enjoys going to gigs and playing football. He also enjoys supporting causes to promote equality, having previously co-founded a small LGBTQ+ charity.
Job Titles:
- Interim Communications and Design Officer
Rachael delivers creative design solutions, impactful visual communications, multimedia, and social media content. Passionate about supporting organisations working towards social justice, sustainability, and better-connected communities, she has worked for a variety of charities, not-for-profits and academic clients.
Job Titles:
- Filmmaker and Director, Centre for Media Monitoring
With over 30 years' experience as a producer and director for the BBC, Channel 4 and other international broadcasters, Rizwana's films have won awards, been used as evidence in internal enquiries, and influenced policy change.
Rizwana is responsible for overseeing CfMM's work and is the Advocacy Lead, engaging with all key stakeholders.
She has over 30 years' experience working in the media, having worked as a producer and director for BBC Television (news, current affairs, religious, documentary, World Service, and multicultural programming), as well as for Channel 4 and other international broadcasters. Her films have won awards, been used as evidence in internal enquiries, and led to changes in policy.
Rizwana has also run media skills workshops for disenfranchised communities in the UK, Zimbabwe and South Africa. She joined The Young Foundation's Board of Trustees in 2022.
Rosema joined The Young Foundation as a Project Coordinator in 2023. Previously, she worked within the Mental Health sector in Bradford, to improve accessibility of Mental Health Services using Artificial Intelligence.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate / Joining
in 2020, Rosie's passion is working with change-makers to make communities and cultures more effective and more meaningful. She is an experienced facilitator, coach, innovation mentor, and senior leader with an MSc in international development, and a BSc in psychology.
Job Titles:
- Chairman, Old Ford Housing Association
Stephen was brought up in the East End of London, and has held a variety of senior positions within housing departments in London Local Authorities. He established the largest not-for-profit regeneration company in London, and was community lead in the successful Olympic bid team.
Stephen and his identical twin brother are the product of the post-war baby boom. Brought up in the East End of London, educated at a local secondary school and, being a ‘late developer' he gained O-levels and A-levels afterwards by attending ‘night school'. This enabled him to progress to a social policy degree and postgraduate diplomas in community development, and employment and planning.
These qualifications allowed him to occupy a variety of senior positions within housing departments of a number of London Local Authorities, preceded by community work posts in Birmingham and London. He established the largest not-for-profit regeneration company in London, and became the Community Lead in the successful Olympic bid team.
In his spare time, he has been a Local Ward Councillor, chaired a Local Acute Hospital Trust, a Primary Care Trust and two Health Investment companies. He also chaired the Expert Patient Programme.
He, with others, established the One Public Estate Programme based at the Local Government Association and it was from here that he was seconded to create the Neighbourhood Office on the Lancaster West Housing Estate following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower.
His commitment to co-designing programmes with local communities has been and continues to be a key influence, whether working in an executive or non-executive role. He believes passionately about the collaboration that should exist between communities and professionals to get things done.
He was awarded an OBE in the Millennium Honours list, which he accepted on behalf of the groups with whom he has worked.