Our Community

I couldn't be prouder to be Chair for this award winning race and class inclusion charity. I fell in love with YMI in 2018 when I joined as a mentor and saw first-hand how transformative and empowering this organisation is on the wonderful women taking part, as well as the businesses that learn from their holistic, human-centred approach. An inner city Londoner and proud product of refugees and migrants, I’ve always been a passionate advocate for equity of opportunity and love enabling people to be the driving force for positive change. For well over a decade, I've led teams in the tech space and am currently Director of Product & Technical Operations at Depop, where we’re committed to building the world’s most diverse and progressive home of fashion.

The work that You Make It does resonates with me personally and I’m excited to contribute to an organisation that empowers women, strives to challenge the status quo and has a real impact. My parents are first generation immigrants and I was born, raised and educated in Hackney. The work that You Make It does resonates with me personally and I’m excited to contribute to an organisation that empowers women, strives to challenge the status quo and has a real impact. I have an extensive career working in the television broadcast industry and know all to well the barriers women can face in intense working environments. I’ve learnt how to overcome and how to succeed. I’d like to share this with the women of You Make It and help empower them to fulfil their potential and help drive forward the strategy of the charity. I am currently the Principal, Broadcast Regulation at BT Sport responsible for instilling a compliance culture and ensuring we adhere to UK broadcast regulation, whilst also lobbying government legislation in this space. I am also a committee member of BT’s Ethnic Diversity Network, and deliver learning and development opportunities for BT’s racially diverse employees and influencing the business on diversity issues specifically race.

I have been a mentor and am now delighted to be a Board member of You Make It because it empowers, encourages, provides skills and offers bespoke support. You Make It is the antithesis of a ‘one size fits all approach'. And because of all of these factors, it transforms lives.

I’m a strategic leader and operations expert with over a decade of experience driving transformational change across high-growth, purpose-led organisations. Rooted in a deep commitment to equity and social justice, I have worked across sectors to design and deliver strategies that centre underrepresented voices and dismantle structural barriers. I’m proud to join the Board of You Make It, championing its mission to unleash the agency, confidence, and creative potential of young women from marginalised backgrounds.

I am an HR Director with over 20 years of experience, primarily in charities working with young people. I have lived in the UK for more than half my life and much of that has been in Hackney which is why I’m keen to work for and with the young women in my community to achieve positive social change. As an HR professional, I have had a front row seat to good intentions in businesses that don’t always translate to meaningful change, and believe YMI can support them to make basic but important changes to underpin more inclusive workplace cultures.

Mentorship has been a big part of my own journey, so I’m thrilled to be part of You Make It to support the development of the amazing young women they serve. As a sustainability and human rights professional, I have spent over a decade working to make global systems more equitable and am passionate about doing this work closer to home, in London. I'm currently the Responsible Operations Manager at the LEGO Group.

I am an award winning creative director and music executive who has spent my career at the intersection of music, culture, and storytelling. As an artist, filmmaker, and executive, I have worked with some of the world’s most influential artists and brands, while always championing outsider voices and new perspectives. Coming from a working-class, immigrant background, I am passionate about creating opportunities for others who may not see themselves represented in the industry. I am a trustee of You Make It to help build spaces that are inclusive, forward-thinking, and rooted in community.

I am a Senior Associate in the London office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, specialising in international arbitration and business and human rights. In addition to my day-to-day work, I am committed to my pro bono practice, which is centred on human rights and criminal law. I have always had a strong sense of justice, informed by my travels and relationships, and that informs my everyday life. I firmly believe in intersectional justice, and that I have a responsibility to act as an ally to racialised women from working class backgrounds. That is why I am very proud to be a trustee for You Make It, which creates unparalleled space and opportunity to empower those who others have overlooked.

I believe everyone is a human star, capable of shining in their own unique way and as a trustee, I want to help young women see that light within themselves. I aim to spark meaningful conversations and shine a light on underrepresented narratives, de-stigmatise misconceptions surrounding neurodivergence, disability and unconventional identities and create space for deeper understanding, connection and self acceptance. I’m a YMI alumni and the programme helped me utilise my voice and believe in my own potential helping me to step into my purpose. I’m a multidisciplinary multimedia creative working across photography and poetry to explore themes of identity, mental health and lived experiences. I'm also a student studying M.Sc in Human Computer Interaction.

I am an Ecosystems Manager at the Wellcome Trust, where I work to build more inclusive and equitable research environments. Over the past 15 years, my career has taken me through academic research, community engagement, and grant-making, all rooted in the deep belief that everyone should have a chance to contribute to and benefit from knowledge creation. I am passionate about mentorship and creating spaces where people can thrive, which is why I am delighted to serve as a Trustee at You Make It Trustee, a charity that empowers marginalised young women in London, the city I have had the joy to call home my entire life. Outside of work, you will find me in my allotment or on my bike. I co-founded Black Women On Wheels CIC, a cycling community dedicated to improving the well-being of Black women through cycling.

My story of both setting up and my unwavering commitment to ensuring the continued existence of You Make It, is powered by my own lived experiences of intersectional discrimination. Alongside this, I have clarity that while it's impossible to make positive change solo, if enough of us with shared values join together, then beautiful things can happen even in a world that feels stacked against those not born into privilege. You Make It exists to empower our community of racialised, working class women, and our movement to break down the barriers that wrongly derail personal and professional potential and purpose, is grounded in a truly collaborative approach to working with others. In a divisive time, we are about unity. In addition to raising the funding for and being responsible for running this true unicorn of a charity, as CEO I also facilitate learning for other organisations and people with a focus on anti racism learning, not for profit start up consultancy and coaching. I am also on the EDI board for the GLA, and am a member of the board for Dialled In, which showcases South Asian artistry. Prior to setting up You Make It, I held largely management roles in the cultural and creative industries.

Being an Irish woman from a working-class background, my values and perspective deeply shape how I show up in my role as the Operations and Team Manager at YMI. I know firsthand the power of opportunity, community, and self-belief which strongly aligns to YMIs values and impactful programmes. A scientist by background, I have over 15 years’ experience working with national-level health, public sector and non-profit organisations in the UK and abroad, working in the areas of global public health, health policy guidance, mental health as well as health emergency preparedness and response. I love bringing structure and creativity together, and I’m deeply committed to doing so with care and integrity. I’m currently training to become a counsellor and psychotherapist, which closely aligns with You Make It’s 16-week programme which provides therapy to participants. Being part of a movement that centres around equity, authenticity and joy is what drew me and what keeps me passionate about our mission.

I’m lucky enough to oversee the whole programme, making sure everything runs smoothly while supporting our brilliant coordinator, mentors, therapists, and partners in giving the very best to the women we work with. Basically, I try to keep the ship sailing, the coffee flowing, and the laughter echoing down the hallways. I’m passionate about creating a space where everyone feels seen, supported, and celebrated. Some days that’s juggling schedules and solving puzzles behind the scenes; other days it’s cheering on small wins, sharing a giggle, or spontaneously dancing in the office just because we can. For me, empowerment works best when it’s paired with a bit of joy, kindness, and love sprinkled everywhere.

In 2021, I took part in YMI’s empowerment programme; a transformative experience that shaped my path in film, theatre, and participatory arts. Four years later, I’ve returned to YMI in a new role, coordinating and recruiting for the same programme that helped build my confidence and personal growth. It’s a full-circle moment to now support women who look like me and share similar lived experiences. Alongside my work with YMI, my creative practice focuses on telling stories with and for underserved communities, those often pushed to the margins but who deserve to be centred.

Following Ladies' Den, I won a bursary for studio space at Cockpit Arts and completed the Prince's Trust programme. I want to help promote this positive and amazing programme. It is a privilege to support the charity, to inspire other young women to achieve their ambitions and to answer any questions about the programme. I want to pass on the positive knowledge and confidence they gave me. Since taking part in YMI I have gained confidence in who I am and what I do. Following Ladies' Den, I won a bursary for studio space at Cockpit Arts and completed the Prince's Trust programme. I launched my fashion collection (thanks to YMI contacts) and took part in open studios where I sold my products. I have just passed a teaching qualification and am volunteering once a week teaching adults with disabilities.

I wouldn't be where I am now without YMI - I have a full-time job, a flourishing freelance career as an illustrator and a book ready to be published. I think YMI is a great opportunity for young women, I encourage as many young unemployed women to get involved and as many corporate organisations to back our cause to help the charity grow! Since taking part in YMI I have grown as a person. I've learnt how to network and had the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting and well-connected people. I wouldn't be where I am now without YMI - I have a full-time job, a flourishing freelance career as an illustrator and a book ready to be published. I'm so grateful!

Since taking part in YMI, I am building momentum, exercising my talents and turning my dreams into reality. Before I started the programme I was very discontent with the direction my life was headed. I made it my mission to discover who I truly was, what my gifts were and where I could use them to gain streams of income. Since taking part in YMI, I am building momentum, exercising my talents and turning my dreams into reality. I am working on my book while waiting to start my Master's next year. I have secured a voluntary role relevant for my MA working to empower others and through this, I empower myself.