Ayleen Frete | Allianz
My first steps in insurance were at Allianz in Munich in 2008, after working at Siemens in Business Development and consulting companies in accounting in Madrid, where I was born to a multicultural family with roots in Belgium & Spain, and studied at a British school obtaining my A-levels and a Bsc in Business Administration & Management at university.
I speak fluent German, French, English and Spanish, as well as some Italian & Hebrew. I also obtained a Diploma in International Business Management in Rennes, and a M.A in Psychology at the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, publishing several research papers in the topics of technology-enhanced collaborative learning, and studying remotely the Advanced Certificate of Insurance of the UK Chartered Insurance Institute. I moved to London in 2016 after living in Munich, having worked in different roles within the Allianz Group in the areas of sales & marketing, market strategy, broker distribution, project management and business analysis. In London I have focused my career around multinational insurance, spending my time working with clients, brokers & insurance fronting partners worldwide to structure and implement global insurance programs for clients of more than EUR500m revenue at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) and now leading a team of more than 30 people. I enjoy public speaking and have represented AGCS speaking at various insurance industry conferences and panels around the world such as RIMS, NARIM, ANRA, ISIRMA, and Commercial Risk, on topics around Brexit and multinational insurance.
I have recently been part of the Advisory Board for The Women’s Insurance Network (TWIN) representing AGCS as a sponsor, dedicated to developing senior and upcoming female talent in insurance by organising insurance-related conferences. In my spare time I enjoy music and art, and I’m a Board Trustee at the South London Community Music charity, raising money for different causes by performing jazz, contemporary and classical music in London. I also volunteer remotely for the Spanish charity Alianza Solidaria, carrying out document translation services for humanitarian projects worldwide, focused on helping children in developing countries and on disaster & humanitarian relief.
Liah Ali | Markel International
I have a BSc in Finance from the University of Jordan, and an MA in Marketing from Nottingham University.
I have worked in the Middle East at KPMG and EY as an internal auditor. Then moved to London and worked at Moore Stephens, and then Markel International also an an internal auditor!
I’m a Certified Internal Auditor and hold the PRINCEII certificate. I’m also studying towards the Advanced Chartered Insurance Institute Diploma.
Lara Teesdale | Markel International
After graduating university in New Zealand with a law degree, I worked in the corporate law team at international law firm DLA Piper from 2013-2015.
I then moved in-house to Tower Insurance and found my calling in governance. I worked as Legal Counsel and Governance Manager at Tower, during which time I learnt a huge amount about both governance and the insurance industry. I developed a passion for governance at a time when there was a lot of regulatory change happening in New Zealand. Regulators were focussing heavily on the implementation and execution of good governance, particularly following failings in the financial services sector during and after the Global Financial Crisis. I worked closely with the Board of Directors and Management at Tower to implement good governance practices and promote positive change across the organisation. I was encouraged by very supportive colleagues to take every opportunity I could to develop my career and leadership skills, and this resulted in my promotion to Company Secretary and Governance Manager in 2018.
By late 2018, my partner and I decided that it was time to pursue another passion - travel. We moved to the UK in October 2018 and I started working at Markel International shortly thereafter. Initially on a fixed term contract in the in-house legal team, it became clear that my skills in governance and Company Secretarial would be valuable, with the current Company Secretary due to retire in early 2020 following over 40 years of service at the company. During 2019, I was promoted to Assistant Company Secretary, then Deputy Company Secretary, and from 1 January 2020, Company Secretary.
Markel International is a large UK company. Markel Corporation, the ultimate parent company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company looks after the commercial insurance needs of major businesses, SMEs, professionals and sole traders, and underwrites risks in its syndicates at Lloyd’s, and in the London insurance company market. Markel International has a number of branches throughout Europe and Asia.
I started at Markel a year and a half ago having limited knowledge of the London Insurance Market and no experience in UK governance. However, in a short space of time, with the support and encouragement of my colleagues, I have been promoted three times and become a valuable member of the Markel team. I provide governance guidance to directors and senior managers and look after all Markel International entities from a Company Secretarial perspective. This includes anything from implementing and improving decision-making processes across the business, to organising Board meetings and producing Board packs and minutes, to keeping company records and completing regulatory filings. In addition, I am leading and mentoring a junior colleague who is relatively new to a Company Secretarial career.
I am proud of my achievements in a short space of time. Taking over a role from an outstanding Company Secretary who has been an invaluable part of the business for over 40 years is no easy feat, but I view it as an exciting challenge and look forward to what the future holds for me as a governance professional in the UK insurance industry.
Divine Adegbie | NHS
Divine Adegbie is a 5th Year Medical Student studying at University College London.
Throughout her life she has constantly sought to nurture and hone her leadership ability,courageously stepping up to various leadership roles. In High school, after noticing the need for more support for Medicine applicants, she set up a Medical society, inviting Doctors into the school to inspire fellow students and organising weekly journal clubs.
In her second year of Medical school as president of the UCL Gospel society, whilst trying to balance her role with the demands of studying for very tough exams, she motivated her team to organise very successful and well-received events throughout the year.
Divine received a first class for her 3rd year iBSc research project in Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine, attaining a BSc (Hons) in Medical Sciences with Anatomy. Passionate about undertaking research, Divine has sought various opportunities to partake in research, participating in Audits and training in world-class research labs. She was recently able to present her work at a National conference, and had a letter to the editor published in a leading journal. She has been fortunate to receive a number of awards in recognition of her academic achievement such as the Dean's Merit award, Akindolie Medical Scholarship, and the HSBC Future Leaders award.
A trained Christian mentor, and passionate about youth outreach, she leads various community initiatives for young people, leading a group of over 50 young people between the ages of 18-25 as part of a church initiative, and also leading a team of women in a mentoring programme for young girls between the ages of 13-18.
Enthusiastic about reaching out to the next generation, Divine has held various roles which enable her to do so as former Outreach Coordinator of the National Students Association for Medical Research committee, and volunteering in a range of outreach events which encourage access to Medicine such as UCL Target Medicine:BECOME and Team Blueprint's Bridging the Gap event.
Divine has taught disadvantaged young children how to debate, and volunteered long-term with disabled children for Spectrum. In highschool Divine's dedication to the community was recognised by the presentation of the Gold Community Award for her volunteering efforts such as singing to the elderly, tutoring children with dyslexia in her spare time and volunteering in a nursing home.
A skilled pianist and singer, she has performed to audiences of over 50,000 at the London Excel centre, and Royal Albert Hall at the BBC Proms under the Young Musician's Programme with the National Youth choir, and recently released a debut single which has been well-received.
Shannon Johnson | Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
I successfully completed my BSc in Radiotherapy and Oncology at UWE Bristol in July 2019 where I was honoured to be nominated as student therapeutic radiographer of the year.
As a UWE alumni I currently work as a band 5 therapeutic radiographer at The Beacon Centre, Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. I was lucky enough to be awarded a university scholarship enabling me to promote radiotherapy as a career by way of developing an educational session which is taken into schools, sixth forms and colleges across Somerset. I have an extremely strong passion to promote the profession of radiotherapy, which has led to me to become part of the education and outreach team within the Beacon Centre radiotherapy department as well as a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) ambassador for the West of England. I have been able to utilise this role to investigate the value of STEM based subjects to students and teachers across Somerset by providing workshops and attending career events. Being one of two STEM ambassadors within the department a colleague and I were lucky enough to gain the Inspirational STEM employer award for efforts within the department, as well as being recognised as a work experience team going above and beyond with outreach work across Somerset, engaging with over 7.000 students over a 6 month period! Even though I am relatively new to the profession, I feel dedicated to educating the wider public on radiotherapy . After researching the public's perception of radiotherapy within my dissertation, I was invited to present my work at the Annual Radiotherapy Conference in January 2020 and gained very positive feedback. Following the conference I was asked to take research from my original work to create a national study engaging with higher education institutions across the UK and enhancing the profile of radiotherapy as a profession and as a cancer treatment. I am also a member of the Champions Network for Action Radiotherapy who work with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Radiotherapy (APPGRT) raising awareness of radiotherapy and promoting best practice in the profession.
Hannah Lithgow | GSK
Knowing I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up, I completed my undergraduate Msci degree in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Glasgow in 2015.
I then joined GlaxoSmithKline to undertake a unique industrial PhD in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde, where I spent 3 years in industry and 3 months in academia. I was able to work on business aligned high priority drug discovery targets leading to a number of publications and awards, including the prestigious Salter’s Centenary award for future leaders. After I completed my PhD I joined clinical development, where I have successfully helped lead the set-up of a global compassionate use programme for people with HIV and AIDs, who have no other treatment options. As a result of my commitment, performance and patient focus: I am going to be promoted to a medical science liaison, where i will build relationships with doctors. Additionally, I am a member of the GSK STEM committee, to inspire young children, especially girls, into STEM careers.
Victoria Oladosu | Barchester Healthcare
Hello I am Victoria and the General Manager at Tandridge Heights.
I have recently taken on this role and one I am enjoying very much. I have been a Registered General Nurse for about a decade now Over the course of my career, I have obtained many qualifications, which include a Diploma in General Nursing, a Post-Graduate diploma in Public and Environmental health, a Bachelor's of science in nursing studies, orientation to UK health practices, a Masters in Business administration ( Tailored to health care management) in which I graduated with a merit , my dissertation was a comparative analysis that looked at the effect of motivation on organizational performance amongst health care workers and workers in other industries and I have also obtained a Level 7 award ( QCF) in Strategic Management and Leadership from the Chartered Management Institute. I have worked as a care assistant, a nurse and deputy manager and so possess a varying range of skills. I joined Barchester Healthcare in 2018 as I decided that I wanted to work for the leading health and social care providers in the UK and I feel that I share the same values as that of the organisation. I believe that to be an effective home manager one has to possess a positive attitude towards resident and relatives, the ability to cope with stressful situations, good organisational skills, be supportive to staff and develop them to grow in the organisation. I lead the team in an open, honest, transparent way and maintain an open door policy at all times. My favourite part of the working day is seeing my team and residents interact in a meaningful, value-adding way. You know you are doing something right when you see people smile. I also enjoy engaging with people in the local community at the many events we that run.
Priya Yoganathan | Viramal Pharmaceuticals
As a healthcare scientist I have dedicated the past 8 years to the world of clinical research in both academia and the industry.
Fresh out of university I was lucky enough to gain my first employment within a London Clinical Trials Unit focusing on delivery of Phase I and early Phase II clinical trials in health volunteers and a sub population of certain disease groups. During this time, I also divulged with a pre-PhD project at The University of Greenwich exploring the cardiovascular system and physical impact effects, leading to my first research paper publication. I soon decided my area of interest was Oncology, and returned to study this in greater detail as a post graduate at UCL University. I progressed to working at the Royal Marsden Hospital within the Clinical Trials unit, exploring the effects of new medication in patients where standard treatment options had failed. I initiated the 100,000 Genomes Project as part of the West London Genomics Medicines Center, enabling an ambitious government initiative to sequence the genomes of thousands of people in the UK, to create a new genomic medicine service for the NHS and transform the way people are cared for. Working with UCL Hospital and Cancer Research UK, I have set up multiple cancer awareness programs targeting areas of high deprivation and low socio-economic status to educate populations on the signs, symptoms and effects of cancer to promote earlier diagnosis. I have recently progressed into the pharmaceutical industry working on life changing compounds and the formulation of new medication which could revolutionize the field of gynecology and women's health. Throughout my career I have aimed to achieve the upmost level of quality in all my work, with the end goal of patient status improvement, and better quality of life for those who require it the most. I hope I can continue to make a difference within the clinical trials industry and strive to release new medications for patients with rare conditions.
Amber Cowburn | Working Well (SW) Ltd
Amber is a passionate and knowledgeable mental health and wellbeing strategy manager, campaigner, and public speaker.
She has managed the mental health and wellbeing strategy at the University of the West of England (Bristol) for over 30,000 students and 4000 staff, and before that was a campaign manager for a high-profile national parliamentary campaign for YoungMinds charity.
Amber’s health and wellbeing expertise is well-respected across the sector, giving a TEDx Talk on youth mental health, and being nationally honoured with accolades such as the Diana Award (2019), Rotary National Community Champion (2019), and Prime Minister's Point of Light Award (2018). Despite being just 26, Amber is well-respected and has made her mark through knowledge and passion.
Amber recently set up ‘Working Well’, based in Bristol, taking the leap to go fully self-employed with her small business!
Her new training and consultancy business delivers bespoke solutions to businesses, empowering and equipping them to be mental health aware workplaces. She delivers training she has created on workplace mental health awareness, alongside Mental Health First Aid accredited courses, to workplaces from Bristol down to Cornwall. She has also begun creating digital content about wellbeing for corporate clients, and regularly speaks at large events and conferences.
Amber is also a proud founding trustee of the Cornish youth mental health charity 'The Invictus Trust', which her family set up in 2010 in memory of her brother Ben. The Invictus Trust successfully campaigned for and got a youth mental health unit commissioned and built in Cornwall, which opened in 2019. Amber ran the 'Bring Back our Children' campaign, with local and national media, to help make this happen.
Amber also championed mental health awareness in her time studying at Cambridge University: she founded Student Minds Cambridge, hosted the first mental health conference at the university, and was invited back to speak in the first ever mental health debate held at the historic Cambridge Union.
Amber is determined to continue working to change and influence proactive and preventative approaches to mental health and wellbeing across the country - in workplaces, at a policy level, and with young people.
Bryony Farmer | Precious Stars
Bryony Farmer is a 22-year-old entrepreneur who runs Precious Stars, an online retail business selling reusable menstrual products.
She started her business aged just 15, from her sick bed when she was suffering from a chronic illness, and rapidly built up a following, largely by harnessing the power of YouTube. Precious Stars now exports reusable menstrual products all over the world.