Jasmine Song | The Early Careers Foundation
Jasmine is the Foundation Manager at The Early Careers Foundation – a new social mobility charity which aims to improve the life outcomes of young people from less advantaged backgrounds, by equipping them with the skills, confidence and inspiration they need to successfully progress on to a diverse range of fulfilling commercial career paths. Jasmine is a care-leaver, an experienced youth worker and a passionate advocate for young people from under-represented backgrounds.
Jasmine is dedicating her life to raising the aspirations of young people and instilling the belief in them that they can achieve whatever they want in life, irrespective of their background or the start they have had in life. During her time in care, very few adults believed in her ability to succeed. She was forced to attend a school run by the children’s home she lived in, which only taught Maths and English at a level far below the national curriculum. Jasmine knew she wanted to attend a top university and was determined that the circumstances she was in would not stop her from achieving what she wanted in life. She began teaching herself her GCSE’s aged just 12 and achieved A*AAA in Year 8.
In 2015, Jasmine achieved her dream - she was admitted to King's College London to study a Psychology BSc. In 2019, she graduated receiving the Dean's Prize for Outstanding Achievement for achieving the second highest mark in her cohort. She was also nominated for the King's College London Wellington Undergraduate of the Year Award, an award given to “an outstanding student in the year of their graduation, who has demonstrated huge potential for the future.” Since then Jasmine has held numerous roles supporting young people including representing the voices of looked after children as the Participation Officer for the London Borough of Bromley, being a coordinator in the Social Mobility Division at King’s College London, a teaching assistant in a Pupil Referral Unit and a mentor to Year 9 boys in Northumberland Park School in Tottenham. She is an active campaigner and advocate for reform to the care system and has met with Lords and MPs to share her experiences and deliver key asks on campaigns including the over-criminalisation of children in care.
In her new role as Foundation Manager of The Early Careers Foundation, she aims to improve the life outcomes of thousands of young people from less-advantaged backgrounds across the UK. The Foundation will deliver three initiatives which aim to raise young people's aspirations, confidence and equip them with the tools, knowledge and exposure they need to succeed in their career. The initiatives include a large-scale mentoring programme and a gamified virtual learning platform which will teach young people about the wide range of commercial career paths that exist today as well as key life skills like financial literacy. An early intervention approach will be adopted for maximum impact, with students starting the programme age 14, being supported until 18. Jasmine will oversee the building of the Foundation's initiatives and will be responsible for leading the expansion of the charity's reach to as many young people as possible over the coming years.
Noorina Ramdhay | HSBC
I am Noorina Ramdhay a relationship Manager for HSBC UK Wealth and Retail Banking where I have worked for over 15 years.
I came to the UK in 2000 from Mauritius to continue my studies in Programming but took a gap year to marry my childhood sweetheart in Wirral who is also Mauritian. My biggest accomplishment is raising our 2 amazing daughters. I am also self-accomplished website developer with an obsessive relationship with technology who thoroughly enjoy using innovation to bring solutions & change to people’s lives. This passion drove me to start my own cleaning business in my spare time to employ single mums who are mostly on benefits and can only work during school hours, another one is a small care services business to offer care to Mauritian expats in Mauritius following my dad’s stroke in 2017 and now my most recent fulfilling accomplishment is Clothing Bank (WIRRAL) founded in May 2020 during the 2nd lockdown of COVID-19 in my garage. Since its start, Clothing Bank has provided used clothing to over 140 people in Wirral of which over 60% are children. Until Feb 2021, I had to rely on myself & friends to help me sort through clothing which I would deliver to our service users, however now we have a strong team of 31 committed volunteers which means Clothing bank is nearly at the stage where it will run itself and looking forward to registering it as a charity in the next couple of months. Despite everything else I do my dedication and interest remains to HSBC for my story is a very a fortunate one. Thanks to the unconditional support and work life balance my work has provided me in the last 15 years, I have been able to be my best self in all my other adventures. My view on life is one which leaves a legacy, make such an impact that you will genuinely be missed and lead a life of discipline without regrets. My moto is 'focus on what you have and not what you don’t', whether this is health, love or skills....
Veronica Frincu | Royal Academy of Engineering
A values driven young professional, with experience in people management, diversity, inclusion and belonging, programme management and community building.
A strong believer in the power of equitable access to education in building thriving communities and sustainable societies. An avid reader who understands that every story has the power to heal. An ally for young people who acknowledges the transformative power of mentoring. A restless runner who knows that pain brings about growth.
Gemma Oxenham | One Housing
Gemma is a a multi-talented personality. She is a Head of IT PMO, a mother and volunteers in her local community. At university she studied Business Computing Systems and worked as a youth participation officer.
Whilst at GSK she on a voluntary basis as a STEM ambassador, working with other GSK associates to promote and create excitement around technology in schools and universities. Her enthusiasm and effort was infectious, it was great to see someone in the early part of their career display this kind of self starting motivation.
She went on to work at GSK in their PMO in Global ERP/SAP Services before moving into Housing sector at One Housing. Throughout her career she has returned to give speeches at university and mentored students from her previous university.
During her university years she volunteered as youth independent advisory group working with the council to deliver informal training programmes on conflict management. She liaised with local community groups and was driven to drive change and better outcomes for all she worked with.
At One Housing she is now co chair of the women in social housing and is determined to increase opportunities for women of all backgrounds. Gemma is constantly engaging with the wider team and encouraging people to look after themselves mentally, emotionally and physically. She has set up gratitude challenges, daily wins groups, parenting discussions and regularly shares well being and exercise challenges. She has initiated women in tech mentoring and is always focused on developing people and making them shine.
She has recently volunteered as a Domestic Abuse Champion at work to support staff and customers. All whilst working from home full time in a pandemic with a 5 year old daughter at home.
Gemma is committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of her work. She has a continuous improvement mindset and is always asking for feedback on how we can make things better and include others whilst encouraging others to do the same. Gemma is a courageous brave woman and is not afraid to have bold conversations to ensure diversity and inclusion is on the table and the right outcomes are achieved.
Anna Townsend | Women Without Roofs - Nepal
In 2005 I was fortunate to be sent with my Army husband to Kathmandu, Nepal.
While there I founded the charity Women Without Roofs – Nepal that benefits vulnerable women in the country. I have run it ever since and am committed to employing local Nepali women to run it on the ground. Following my departure from Nepal, I have lived in 11 other houses on two more continents and earned a Masters with distinction in Poverty Reduction and Development Management. The charity is now registered in both the UK and the USA and I have gathered an incredible group of committed supporters. In response to the many people that tell me that they wish they could do as I did, and set up a charity, I wrote the book ‘Destination Transformation: A forty-day journey to change the world written for people with baggage’ that has been well received.
Hannah O'Neill | Action Tutoring
After graduating with a degree in Sociology and Criminology in 2016, I became the 'Programme Coordinator for Liverpool' with Action Tutoring - a national education charity dedicated to supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve a meaningful level of academic attainment, with a view to enabling them to access further education, employment or training.
In August 2020, after 3.5 years as a Programme Coordinator, having built a series of strong, collaborative relationships and partnerships across the region, I was promoted to the new position of 'Partnerships and Fundraising Manager', leading corporate and university relationships across the country to strengthen the charity, whilst overseeing the charities fundraising activities.
A passionate volunteer, having volunteered for several years as an A-Level Sociology tutor, a mentor for young women, befriender for Mencap and a Veterans charity for retired Armed Forces personnel, and as a fundraiser for The Cat’s Protection League. My CPD includes qualifying as a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner, Timeline Coach and Hypnotherapist Practitioner.
I innately believe we can all be the difference that makes the difference.
Sherrie Smith | Gypsies and Travellers Essex
Sherrie Smith was born and raised in a traditional Romany Gypsy family, living in North London and Hertfordshire.
Having left school early, and having had both a successful career as a business woman and a community activist, whilst single handily raising two daughters. Sherrie returned to education as a mature student; gaining her BA in Social Science, Community Development and Youth Work from Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2019.
Sherrie's professional interests include challenging prejudice, racism and bias (both conscious and unconscious) directed at Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, which can act as a barrier to accessing services, as well as widening participation and access to Higher Education for her community. She has a keen interest in empowering youth and women from the community.
She has been also involved in campaigning and activism for a number of years, working in grass-root community organisations, NGOs and community organisation of charitable activities.
She has led projects and training on Roma genocide, Hate crime, palliative care and suicide awareness for Gypsies and Travellers. Sherrie is currently working with Buckinghamshire New University as a research assistant and also with Goldsmiths college of London, Wider Participation department to increase representation of Gypsy, Roma and Travellers in Higher Education. Sherrie is also a founder member of the NGO Gypsies and Travellers Essex; and Report Racism GRT, national hate crime reporting website.
She is currently studying for a post graduate degree in education at Buckinghamshire New University.
Emily Cunningham | South Tyneside Council
Emily is deeply committed to achieving meaningful impact at the intersection of ocean recovery and social justice.
She currently leads the Local Government Association's Coastal Special Interest Group, aligning 56 coastal local authorities behind a shared vision of a more sustainable and equitable future for England's coast and its communities. She is a founding member of the national One Coast Coalition and is co-Secretariat to the Coastal Communities All-Party Parliamentary Group. Having worked for governmental and non-governmental organisations at a national and local level, Emily has a strong track record in the development of pioneering projects and campaigns that engage people with our ocean and its protection. She believes a more inclusive and effective version of ocean conservation is possible and has secured over £5m funding for projects which work with underserved communities to enable them to access, enjoy and protect their local ocean. She is a Trustee of the UK’s leading marine charity, the Marine Conservation Society, where she is driving culture change as the Board’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Champion. She is an active mentor and role model for young conservationists and in 2020 was named as a global "30 under 30" for environmental education. She is a first-generation graduate and holds a BSc and Masters in Marine Biology.
Kiran Sahota | Believe in Me CIC
Kiran Sahota is a Heritage consultant and the founder of Believe in Me CIC.
Over the last 10 years Kiran has created heritage projects for BME communities to learn about their heritage. The Community interest Company is to empower young people and women through education. Curating 2 national exhibitions and now curating a third national project for young people and women. Kiran is also a writer, public speaker and a regular heritage consultant for BBC. I was born in Birmingham to working class parents and worked hard to ensure education became accessible for all.
Shreen Mahmood | Muslims Connect
Shreen Mahmood, is a proud British Pakistani Muslim, born in Birmingham, West Midlands.
Previous posts have included NHS Marketing and Communications, Administrative Manager and Fundraising Executive.
She is currently a Radio Presenter, International Fundraising Consultant, World Hijab Day UK Ambassador, and has set up a not for profit initiative called Muslims Connect. She organises events, workshops and webinars around pertinent issues such as women empowerment, confidence, mental health, family values, youth empowerment and much more. She has been invited to TV, Radio, events, schools and youth groups as a motivational speaker.
She is a keen traveller and is the first female group leader organising faith inspired guided trips to Jerusalem.
She was pivotal in setting up a successful local faith based community station in Wolverhampton.
She has a passion for charity work. In Ramadan 2020, her projects for Yemen have raised just over £50000. She has travelled to Africa, Turkey, Pakistan to deliver aid with many charities. She is one of the very few Muslim female humanitarians in the UK.