Our People

Peter is acknowledged to be the UK’s leading educational philanthropist.

He founded the Sutton Trust and the Education Endowment Foundation to tackle Britain’s low and declining social mobility. He has given over £50 million to the Sutton Trust. Before establishing the Sutton Trust, he founded the Sutton Company, a New York leveraged buyout firm, and made £230 million inside a decade.

Peter grew up in Yorkshire and Surrey and now lives in Surrey with his wife Susan.

Stephen is a London based entrepreneur and investor, focused on acquiring and re-launching iconic, luxury consumer brands such as Riva, Chris-Craft and Indian Motorcycle. Controlling investments are made through his privately-owned firm, Stellican Ltd. which he founded 33 years ago.

He was previously a Non-Executive Director of Odeon Cinemas, Wyevale Garden Centres, Brighterkind Nursing Homes and Fairline boats, and he was a member of the investment committee of Magdalen College, Oxford.

Stephen began his career at The Boston Consulting Group. He read classics at Magdalen College, Oxford and he did an MBA at the Harvard Business School. He has three children.

Oliver Quick has worked in a number of roles in the private equity and venture capital industries, and was previously a partner in the Sutton Company. He is currently involved in postgraduate studies in the philosophy of education and is based in San Francisco. He has also worked in a part-time capacity at the Trust. He is a graduate of Oxford University and holds post graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and King’s College London.

Sir Graham Brady was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Altrincham and Sale West 1997-2024, and was Chairman of the 1922 Committee for 14 years – spanning coalition government, Brexit and five Conservative Prime Ministers.

He served as a whip before holding positions on the Shadow Cabinet under three Conservative leaders while in opposition, including Shadow Minister for Schools and Shadow Europe Minister, stepping down from the frontbench in 2007.

In 2010 he was elected Chairman of the 1922 Committee, the Parliamentary Group of the Conservative Party in the House of Commons, representing the interests of backbench Conservative MPs.

Knighted for political and public service in 2018, Sir Graham was appointed a Privy Counsellor in October 2023. A former Governor of Manchester Metropolitan University, he is also patron of the Counselling and Family Centre in Altrincham and a trustee of the Jubilee Centre in Bowdown. He is a keen supporter of Stockdales, a Manchester-based charity supporting children and adults with learning disabilities.

Graham was made a life peer in the Dissolution honours list in 2024.

Martin Sullivan has over fifty years of experience in insurance and financial services and is a Senior Advisor at Lightyear Capital LLC, a New York based private equity firm. He also serves on the board of Lightyear’s portiolio companies, Inzone, Lighthouse and Wren Sterling Financial Services, in addition to being Chairman of Hartford Underwriting Agency Ltd.

He spent thirty-seven years with AIG Inc. (1971-2008), holding a number of management positions of increasing responsibility in London, Dublin, and New York, latterly as President and Chief Executive Officer. In 2010, he joined Willis Group Holdings PIc as Deputy Chairman and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Willis Global Solutions.

He was the first President of British American Business and remains an Honorary Director. He is also a former President of the Geneva Association and Chairman of the US-ASEAN Business Council. Among his many non-profit activities, he is a trustee of the Inner City Scholarship Fund, a trustee and director of The Sutton Trust in the UK and Chairman of the Business Advisory Council of the St. George’s Society of New York.

In addition to being an Associate Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute, Martin was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2007 and an honorary doctorate from Hofstra University in 2008. In 2020, he was made a Freeman of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

He is married and has three children.

Peter is acknowledged to be the UK’s leading educational philanthropist.

He founded the Sutton Trust and the Education Endowment Foundation to tackle Britain’s low and declining social mobility. He has given over £50 million to the Sutton Trust. Before establishing the Sutton Trust, he founded the Sutton Company, a New York leveraged buyout firm, and made £230 million inside a decade.

Peter grew up in Yorkshire and Surrey and now lives in Surrey with his wife Susan.

Stephen is a private investor with interests in impact investing and education. For 30 years he was involved in the family-held retail business. He has been active in impact investing since 2002, and founded Willows Investments in 2008 with the aim of supporting promising ventures with a social mission.

He is currently a member of the Global Board of the World Resources Institute (USA), the Europe Council of the Nature Conservancy (UK), the Foundation Council of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (UK), the International Council of the Global Leadership Forum (UK), and the Advisory Board of Auticon (UK).  Also the Advisory Board of the European Business School (Germany), and the board of responsAbility Participations AG (Switzerland).

David Briggs is a Director and co-founder of GeoComply, the geolocation anti-fraud specialists.

Starting in Barclays Bank’s internet banking group David moved to join Ladbrokes in 1999 to start-up their fledgling online division which went on to achieve a market-leadership position before he left as Managing Director in 2007.

After having worked across Europe, Asia and the United States, David co-founded GeoComply with his wife, Anna Sainsbury in 2012. From its base in Vancouver, GeoComply has expanded to become the global market-leader in the delivery of mission critical geolocation confidence, serving the global Media, FinTech and regulated Gaming sectors.

Michael A. Carpenter was chief executive officer of Ally Financial Inc. from November 2009 to February 2015. During this time he turned around this $150 billion bank and returned nearly $16 billion to the American taxpayer who funded the company as part of the auto bailout. He retired as CEO in February 2015 and continues to be active through Southgate Holdings which he founded in 2007.

Mike has broad and deep experience in banking, capital markets, turnarounds and corporate strategy. From 1995 to 2006 he held several senior management positions at Citigroup, and its predecessor Travelers Group. His most recent roles were as chairman and chief executive officer of Citigroup Alternative Investments, and chairman and chief executive officer of Citigroup’s Global Corporate & Investment Bank. Previously, Mr Carpenter held senior management positions at Travelers Group, GE and The Boston Consulting Group.

Mike received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nottingham, England, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. Mr Carpenter is a director of various public and private companies.

Mark is a Managing Partner at Antin Infrastructure Partners, a Euronext listed leading European private equity firm focussed on infrastructure investments, which he has co-led since its inception in 2007.

A chartered accountant by training, prior to co-founding Antin he had a 14 year career as an investment banker and spent 7 years at Centrica PLC where he was a member of the Executive Committee and had group-wide responsibility for strategy, business development and M&A.

Roger Devlin is Chairman of Persimmon PLC, Britain’s largest housebuilder and a FTSE 50 company.

Previous roles have included chairing William Hill, Gamesys and Marstons as well as a number of private equity exits for Permira, Advent and Phoenix.

Roger was the first Senior Independent Director of the Football Association 2012-19.

In an executive capacity Roger worked for Hill Samuel (1978-1992) and Hilton/Ladbrokes (1993-2008).

He presently chairs Sunningdale Golf Club and owns and breeds racehorses.

In 2015, Roger wrote and produced Breaking the Bank, a feature film starring Kelsey Grammar and Tamsin Grieg, which was nominated for best UK comedy.

Roger was educated at Manchester Grammar School and Wadham College Oxford. He is married with two expensive daughters.

Glenn Earle is a member of the Boards of Directors of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. and Rothesay Life Group. Mr. Earle Vice Chairman and Trustee of Teach First. He is also a former Director and Trustee of the Royal National Theatre and of Teach First, and was Chairman of the Advisory Board of Cambridge University Judge Business School.

Glenn retired in December 2011 from Goldman Sachs International, where he was most recently a Managing Director and the Chief Operating Officer. He previously worked at Goldman Sachs in various roles in New York, Frankfurt and London from 1987, becoming a Partner in 1996. From 1979 to 1985, he worked in the Latin America Department at Grindlays Bank/ANZ, leaving as a Vice President.

Glenn is a graduate of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and of Harvard Business School, where he earned an MBA with High Distinction and was a Baker Scholar and Loeb, Rhoades Fellow.

Fiona Forbes started her career on the graduate programme at Unilever before setting up Off the Fence Marketing, a boutique consultancy offering support on strategy, communication and innovation. Off the Fence has worked with Tesco, Unilever, William Grant and Pernod Ricard amongst others.

Fiona’s key charitable interests are education and social mobility in the UK. She sits on the Board of Ark Schools and as a local governor at Ark Putney Academy, she is a Trustee at Get Further, a tutoring charity, and she volunteers in a local secondary school. During the pandemic, Fiona launched the ‘September for Schools’ campaign, calling for home-schooling to be improved and for a return to schools to be a government priority.

Fiona attended state schools in Warrington and read Modern Languages at Durham University.

Marc is an executive and director of several operating businesses, including U.S. exchange traded Associated Capital Group. Marc is active in a variety of charitable educational efforts in the United States and Europe. He has lived and worked in the U.K. at various times, beginning in 1990 while at Lehman Brothers International. He is a graduate of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) Sloan School.

Anthony is co-head of Investment Banking Services in EMEA and co-head of UK Investment Banking. He is a member of the Goldman Sachs Partnership Committee. He joined Goldman Sachs as a managing director in 2007 and was named partner in 2012. Prior to joining the firm, Anthony spent seven years at Citigroup. Earlier in his career, he qualified as a corporate solicitor at Freshfields in London.

Anthony earned a BA in Modern History at Worcester College, Oxford University, and a CPE and LPC degree from the London College of Law.

Andy is co-Fund Manager of the Veritas Global strategies. He joined the company in 2003. He previously worked as an Analyst and Portfolio Manager at WP Stewart from 2001 to 2003 and Newton Investment Management from 1996 to 2001. In 2021 Andy became a Trustee of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

A Chartered Accountant, Andy also worked as a Tax Consultant at Price Waterhouse from 1993 to 1996.

Meg Headley is VP of HR for Hult Corporate Education, and the co-founder of Atticus Social Purpose, a Corporate Responsibility consultancy. She has spent her career in Human Resources with Accenture and PA consulting, and most latterly as the HRD of a global professional services firm.

Andrew Law is the Chairman and CEO of Caxton Associates, a thirty seven year old global macro hedge fund. He joined the London office of Caxton in 2003, was appointed global Chief Investment Officer early in 2008, and to his current position effective 1st January 2012.

He attended a state school in Manchester, and graduated from Sheffield University in 1987 with a First Class degree in Economics. Prior to Caxton, he was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, as head of FICC proprietary trading in London.

His philanthropic interests include his role as a founding Trustee of both the Law Family Charitable Foundation, and the Law Family Educational Trust which sponsors a large multi academy trust in Greater Manchester. He is also Chairman of Speakers for Schools, and a trustee of the New School Network.

Joe joined PIMCO in 1998 to open and head the firm’s London office, its first presence in Europe.

When Joe retired from PIMCO in 2014 the firm had close to $300 billion in third-party assets across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Joe spent 33 years in the financial services industry, having previously worked for Salomon Brothers in New York and London, and Merrill Lynch in Seoul, Korea.

Following university he spent three years in Korea as a Peace Corps volunteer working in public health. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College, where he serves on the board of trustees, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Sir Harvey McGrath is Chair of the Advisory Board of the Impact investing Institute. He is the former Chairman of Prudential plc, Man Group plc, the London Development Agency, of the Governors of Birkbeck, University of London, and of Big Society Capital.

An active philanthropist and social investor, Harvey is Chair of West London Zone, which supports children and young people; Chair of Funding London, which provides capital to London based early-stage businesses; and a trustee of New Philanthropy Capital, a research-based charity which gives advice and guidance to donors and charities.

Peter is a Managing Partner at SEDA Experts an expert witness firm, and Chairman of Clowd9, a UK fintech. Prior to this he was the Global Head of Equities at Deutsche Bank and the co-head of Global Equities Trading at Goldman Sachs where he worked for 23 years.

Peter moved to New York from London in 2007. Peter is the head of the New York Committee for Cambridge in America.

Peter earned an MA in Economics from Cambridge University in 1994.

Martin Sullivan has over fifty years of experience in insurance and financial services and is a Senior Advisor at Lightyear Capital LLC, a New York based private equity firm. He also serves on the board of Lightyear’s portiolio companies, Inzone, Lighthouse and Wren Sterling Financial Services, in addition to being Chairman of Hartford Underwriting Agency Ltd.

He spent thirty-seven years with AIG Inc. (1971-2008), holding a number of management positions of increasing responsibility in London, Dublin, and New York, latterly as President and Chief Executive Officer. In 2010, he joined Willis Group Holdings PIc as Deputy Chairman and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Willis Global Solutions.

He was the first President of British American Business and remains an Honorary Director. He is also a former President of the Geneva Association and Chairman of the US-ASEAN Business Council. Among his many non-profit activities, he is a trustee of the Inner City Scholarship Fund, a trustee and director of The Sutton Trust in the UK and Chairman of the Business Advisory Council of the St. George’s Society of New York.

In addition to being an Associate Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute, Martin was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2007 and an honorary doctorate from Hofstra University in 2008. In 2020, he was made a Freeman of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

He is married and has three children.

Richard is Chairman of Greenhill International, a leading independent investment bank focused on providing financial advice globally on significant mergers & acquisitions, restructuring, financing and capital advisory to companies and other organisations. He joined the firm in 2020.

Richard was formerly Chairman of Global Corporate and Investment Banking at Barclays Plc. He held a number of roles in his nine years at the firm, including: Co-Head of Global Investment Banking Division; Head of Investment Banking Division for Europe; and, on joining, Head of UK Investment Banking. Prior to joining, he spent nearly 11 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he was most latterly Head of UK and Ireland Corporate and Investment Banking. Prior to joining Merrill Lynch, he worked at HSBC Investment Banking for 10 years.

Richard is a trustee and board member of Teach First, and a Non-Executive Director at Severn Trent Water. He is also a member of the campaign board of Historic Royal Palaces. Richard holds a first class Engineering degree and, prior to entering investment banking in 1991, qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen.

Steve is the Owner of True Manufacturing Co., a firm that was co-founded by his father, Bob, in 1945 and has its headquarters in O’Fallon, MO. True Manufacturing is a leader and innovator in the refrigeration business and has offices domestically and internationally. Steve joined the family’s commercial refrigeration business, in 1982 and since that time he has taken on many different assignments in his career involving finance, product strategy and international market development.

Steve grew up in St. Louis, and then went to DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in English. He then earned a Master’s Degree in Sports Administration and an MBA Degree, both from the Ohio State University. Currently, he serves on the board of the Robert J. Trulaske College of Business. Steve is a former Chapter Chair of YPO Gold St. Louis as well as an active member of YPO International and the CEO organization.

He lives in St. Louis with his wife Lisa. They have five children, Steven and Kay and Jack, Lucy and Slater.

Ian is a Senior Partner and Managing Director at BCG London, where he has led both the Financial Institutions and Education practices in the past.

His team has supported The Sutton Trust on a wide range of engagements since 2007, on strategy, funding, research, programme design and return on investment.

He has also led multiple projects for the Education Endowment Foundation.

Ian has a Bachelor in Commerce and Masters in Finance from University College Dublin, where he was a member of the Governing Authority. He qualified as a barrister at the King’s Inns in Dublin and is a member of the Irish Bar.

Tim is retired, after nearly 30 years in finance. Over the past 10 years he has served as Head of London for Balyasny Asset Management and Head of Macro for Citadel Ltd Europe; both large Chicago based hedge funds. Prior to that he ran Fixed Income Proprietary trading at Lehman Brothers Europe.

Tim attended state school in the London Borough of Havering then completed a degree in mathematics at the University of Bristol followed by a master’s degree at Imperial College London.

Tim’s philanthropic interests include Essex Community Foundation and the National Theatre.

Christopher is Chairman of EMAlternatives LLC in Washington DC, an emerging markets-focused asset management firm, and of YIMEI Capital Ltd in China. Since 1987 he has been a Director of Merifin Capital, a privately owned, Brussels-based investment company.

Until mid-2003 he served as Head of Private Equity for Dresdner Kleinwort Capital and was a Group Board Member of Dresdner Kleinwort Benson working in New York, Los Angeles, London and Frankfurt with global responsibility for alternative assets as well as for certain other activities of the Dresdner Bank Group in North America. He acted as chairman of various investment funds prior to and following the latter’s integration with Allianz A.G. He is a co-founding board member of Roper Technologies Inc (NYSE) and of IDOX plc (AIM), and continues to serve on the board of Roper.

Christopher is affiliated with and/or has sat on various boards of several other financial institutions, including Artio Global Asset Management Inc., Hansa Capital LBG., Campbell Lutyens @Co Ltd., CdB Webtech SpA., Standard Bank Group of South Africa, GP Investimentos (Brazil), IL+FS (India), and IDeA Alternative Investments SGR.

David Gregson is the former Chairman of the Lawn Tennis Association; an advisor on the Olympic Stadium; and a member of the Advisory Boards of Phoenix Equity Partners and of the Apeldoorn Conference Series, which promotes shared understanding between the British and the Dutch. Until recently, David was Chairman of the Investment Committee of the London Legacy Development Corporation, which is transforming East London following the 2012 Games.

Previously, David was a co-founder and Chairman of Phoenix, a leading UK mid-market private equity business. Over his career, he has been a director or Chairman of some thirty companies or charities.

Based in London, Andrew manages global portfolios and oversees the firm’s European, Asia-Pacific, Emerging Markets and Global investment teams. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and the Executive Committee. Prior to joining PIMCO in 2006, he was an economics correspondent and columnist for the Financial Times in London, New York and Washington DC. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Oxford, a Master’s degree from Harvard University and was a lecturer in Economics at Keble College, Oxford. 

Sarah Cowlishaw is a Partner in Covington’s Life Sciences group and co-chair of Covington’s multidisciplinary Digital Health Initiative. She supports innovative pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, diagnostic and software technology companies on regulatory, compliance, transactional, and legislative matters. She has particular expertise in advising on the legal issues presented by digital health technologies, and helps companies navigate regulatory frameworks while balancing challenges presented by the pace of technological change over legislative developments. Sarah is also the Graduate Recruitment Partner of Covington’s London office.

Cerry is a lawyer, specialising in competition law, and worked for two of the magic circle law firms in London before moving in-house.

Cerry grew up on a council estate in South Bristol and attended the local comprehensive school. She was the first in her family to go to University – Jesus College, Oxford, where she studied law. Cerry currently lives in Monaco.

James is currently a commercial barrister at Fountain Court Chambers. He grew up on a council estate in Ewell, while his mother was a hospital receptionist and his father worked as a part-time barman and part-time security employee. He attended his local comprehensive school, where he was on free school meals.

In the summer of 1999, James attended the Sutton Trust summer school programme, studying law for a week at Oxford University. That was James’ first experience of both Oxford and law, and it was a week that changed his life. He applied to Oxford the following autumn, as the first of his family’s generation to go to university, and went on to obtain a First in Law and then a Distinction in his Masters (BCL). James was called to the Bar in 2005 and he’s now a member of Fountain Court’s pupillage recruitment committee.

James is keen to give back through the Fellowship to help others from non-privileged backgrounds to fulfil their potential and gain life-changing experiences.

Debbie retired in 2014 from a 26-year career in executive search focused on the European Private Equity sector, previously having worked in investment banking in the US and the UK. 

A 2015 Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University within the Advanced Leadership Initiative, she spent her time at Harvard exploring and formulating strategies to widen the reach of the Accelerate and Access Foundation’s (AAAF) activities which centre on the creation and incubation of higher education access programmes in the UK with the aim of improving social mobility. The AAAF’s flagship programme is the Kent Academy Network University Access programme which has become the flagship outreach programme of Sevenoaks School.

Other non-profit activities include various roles with the Sutton Trust US Summer School, advisory positions with the Center for Social Impact and the First Generation Office at Dartmouth College (USA) and as the founder of a mentoring initiative for first generation students at Dartmouth. She was also a co-chair of the founding of the Centennial Circle at Dartmouth College, a groundbreaking alumnae-led philanthropic initiative. An American living in London since 1988 who moved back to the US in 2021, Debbie has an AB degree in Government from Dartmouth College in the US and an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth. A keen sportswoman, she is an avid skier and a competitive rower.

Ian retired in 2012 after 12 years as Chief Executive of Babson Capital Europe, following a successful career analysing and financing European private businesses. Prior to leading Babson from inception, Ian spent 18 years appraising a broad range of businesses on behalf of 3i and the Royal Bank of Scotland.

On graduation from Glasgow University in 1976 Ian trained as a Chartered Accountant with PWC before a 5 year financial management career with GKN and Hawker Siddeley Group.

Ian lives in Northumberland, is married with 3 children and 6 grandchildren. He is actively involved with The Prince’s Trust in Newcastle.

Tina was educated in the state sector at Wolverhampton Girls’ High School and subsequently read Physics at Balliol College, Oxford. After graduation, she spent a year working in Singapore, and following that held a number of senior marketing positions in the publishing and professional services sector, including Deloitte. Tina is currently on a career break whilst raising her three children, and has recently completed a postgraduate qualification in business continuity, with a focus on risk management in the education sector. 

Anthony is the founder of Pets at Home. He opened their first store in Chester in 1991 and grew a chain of 150 stores by 2000.  Pets at Home now has 450 superstores across the UK, most of which also operate veterinary surgeries under the banner “Vets4Pets”. Anthony began his career as a financial controller for the ICFC (now 3i) and went on to work for the family business, Prestons Cash and Carry, distributors of domestic hardware. Anthony was born in Eccles, Manchester. He attended Manchester Grammar School and Wadham College, Oxford, where he is a Foundation Fellow.

Oliver Quick has worked in a number of roles in the private equity and venture capital industries, and was previously a partner in the Sutton Company. He is currently involved in postgraduate studies in the philosophy of education and is based in San Francisco. He has also worked in a part-time capacity at the Trust. He is a graduate of Oxford University and holds post graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and King’s College London.

Dan Riggs attended the Sutton Trust Summer School at Oxford University in 1999 and went on to gain a place at the LSE to study Economics, making him the first person in his family to attend university. For the past 17 years Dan has worked in the investment management industry, firstly with Goldman Sachs and now at Brevan Howard Asset Management where he is head of UK Institutional Sales. 

James is currently Chief Financial Officer of Deutsche Bank’s Infrastructure functions as well as Chief Operating Officer for the Finance department. He was previously head of Investor Relations for Deutsche Bank.

After earning a place at grammar school, James was the first member of his family to graduate from university. James started his career in Equity Research, ultimately working in London, Milan, New York and Latin America. His experience in navigating the graduate recruitment process first highlighted the need to support those from less privileged backgrounds. James is looking forward to helping others learn from his experiences in navigating the corporate world.

Edward Shuckburgh is a Director at Montagu, a European private equity fund, where he is responsible for the UK and Ireland and Nordic regions. He is / has been a board director for a number of Montagu’s portfolio companies including Wireless Logic, Janes, Parentpay, ITRS, Servelec, Visma, Miraclon, Deas, Open GI, CliniSys Group, CAP, and BCA. Prior to Montagu, he was a consultant with McKinsey and also worked at the Financial Times. Edward has an MBA from Harvard Business School, studied maths at Magdalen College, Oxford, and attended Verulam School in St Albans. 

Leanne Wood is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Vodafone Plc. With over 20 years’ international experience in large businesses across the consumer, luxury and retail sectors, Leanne brings experience of strategic planning, running effective organisations and developing talent.

Prior to joining Vodafone, Leanne was the Chief People, Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer for Burberry Plc and the Group HR Director of Diageo Plc. She is also a Trustee to The Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone’s charitable arm.

As Education Secretary from 2016-18, Justine put social mobility at the heart of the Department for Education’s strategy through the Social Mobility Action Plan, alongside introducing Opportunity Areas, the Early Careers Framework and Gender Pay Gap reporting. She left Cabinet to fully focus on her Social Mobility Pledge campaign with employers and universities. Through the Levelling Up Goals architecture, Justine is working with leaders across the private and public sectors to develop levelling up strategies delivering change on the ground for communities.

Between 2011 and 2018, Justine served as a UK Cabinet Minister, as Secretary of State for Education, Minister for Women and Equalities, Secretary of State for International Development and Secretary of State for Transport and prior to that from 2010-11 as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.

Professor Colin Bailey began his career as an apprentice draughtsman after leaving school at 16, before going on to study for a degree in Civil and Structural Engineering at Sheffield University, where he finished first in his year and offered a scholarship to study for a PhD. He joined the University of Manchester in 2002 as Professor of Structural Engineering, and became Head of the School in 2007. He was then appointed Vice-President of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, before becoming Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor in 2014.

Over his career he has gained significant non-executive experience, including as a non-executive chair, sitting on the Board of a number charities and organisations.  He is currently a member of the Independent Expert Advisory Panel advising government on building safety following the Grenfell fire. Colin is author of more than 130 research papers and practical design guides, and has been awarded nine prizes for his research work. This has included the publication of the ‘Bailey’ fire design method, which has been used in design software and distributed to 2,500 companies in 20 countries.

He is a Chartered Structural, Civil and Fire Engineer and is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He joined Queen Mary as President and Principal in September 2017.

John Jerrim is a Professor of Education and Social Statistics at the University College London Institute of Education. He is a significant contributor to the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and became the first recipient of the ESRC Early Career Outstanding Impact award. The OECD Programme has been conducted tri-annually since 2000 and aims not only to publicise the success of teaching and learning in individual nations, but also to investigate the reasons for their success and share best practice with the rest of the world.

Dame Sue was the headteacher of Lampton School in Hounslow from 1997 to 2015. The school was included in the 2010 Ofsted publication Twelve Outstanding Secondary Schools: excelling against the odds. Sue worked as a National Leader of Education and as project manager for some of London’s most challenging and complex schools. She was the Director of the London Leadership Strategy for secondary schools during the London Challenge.

She was previously awarded an honorary fellowship from Brunel University and an Honorary Doctor of Laws by Roehampton University. Sue has held directorships at the Brilliant Club, DfE, Future and Teaching Leaders and is currently the Chair of the South London Teaching School Hub and Charles Dickens Research School. Sue is a member of the Sutton Trust Education Advisory Group, the advisory group for the Fair Education Alliance and the Royal Society’s curriculum group. She is a trustee for The Haberdasher’s Academies Trust South and also the Chair of Trustees for the Teacher Development Trust.

Maria is the Executive Director of the US-UK Fulbright Commission. Educated in the US and in Europe, she worked for the BBC from 1991-2009 as a producer and senior editor. She then returned to the US on a Nieman fellowship at Harvard and subsequently founded Latitude News. In 2014, Maria joined the launch team of The Conversation US, a non-profit digital daily with content authored by academics and edited by journalists, working for four years as their Editor-in-Chief. Maria has had extensive contact with universities and academics on both sides of the Atlantic and is a strong supporter of expanding international educational and cultural exchange.

Farouk is the co-founder of All Africa Partners, an investment firm specialising in African public equities. Prior to returning to the UK in 2019, Farouk was based in the Middle East for ten years where he was in charge of regional investments for a Saudi sovereign entity, as well as heading an investment research division for a local firm.  Farouk started his career in London at Lehman Brothers and subsequently Nomura, focused on European public equities. Farouk holds a MA degree in Economics and Management from the University of Cambridge. Farouk was born and raised in Lancashire and took part in the Sutton Summer School in 2001 where he spent a week at the University of Cambridge in the Economics programme.

Naomi is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford.

In 1999, Naomi became the first director of the Department for Education’s Sure Start Unit. In early 2006 she was the Secretary of State’s Chief Adviser on Children’s Services before taking over as director of the Social Exclusion Task Force in the Cabinet Office.

In 2015, Naomi was appointed the independent adviser on poverty and inequality to the First Minister of Scotland.

Ann was formerly Digital Publishing Director & Editor of the TES. She started her career as a music titles and joined TES’s sister publication the Times Higher Education Supplement in 1994. She held a number of roles at the newspaper and helped it relaunch as the Times Higher Education magazine in 2008. She served as the magazine’s editor between May 2008 and January 2012.

Mike joined the University of Cambridge in October 2021 as Director of Recruitment, Admissions and Participation, having previously held similar roles at the University of Bath (2014-21), University of Oxford (2006-2014) and the University of Essex (1998-2006). He is also a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

He is a Trustee of the Council of International Schools and a Trustee of the AQA Exam Board and has recently joined the Rethinking Assessment Advisory Board. Since 2019 he has been a member of the Universities UK Fair Admissions Advisory Group.

Mike graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in English and History, being the first member of his extended family to attend university.

Mick is Director of External Affairs for Capital One UK, where he has responsibility for the business’s corporate communications, public policy advocacy and corporate social responsibility agenda. Prior to joining Capital One, Mick was a director at a City-based communications agency. He was, from 2004 until 2007 special adviser to the then Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon John Prescott. Prior to that, Mick worked at the Labour Party, working in the policy unit helping to draft the 2005 general election manifesto and helping manage the party’s policy making process.

Cecil is Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Advancing Black Pathways for EMEA at JPMorgan Chase & Co. a role encompassing 34 countries and 25,000 employees.   Prior to these roles, Cecil was a career technologist, beginning as a trainee computer operator after leaving school at 18, before becoming responsible for the delivery of encryption-based Data Protection Technologies at JPMorgan.  He has an MSc in Information Systems.

Cecil currently serves as a Non-executive Director of JPMorgan Jersey Trust Limited, and on the advisory board of UK Black Business Week and Bubblr Inc., an ethical tech company. He has been recognized as a finalist in the 2020 UK Black Business awards (STEM category).

Helen Pike is Master of Magdalen College School, Oxford. Educated in the state sector, she read Modern History at the University of Oxford, was a postgraduate student in the USA, and taught at the University of Warwick. She began her school teaching career at Westminster, then spent many enjoyable years in pastoral and academic roles at City of London School, St Paul’s, and RGS Guildford. From 2013-16 she was Headmistress of South Hampstead High School. She is also a novelist and academic editor.

After the Sutton Trust Summer School in 2014, Emily went on to study Aeronautics & Astronautics at the University of Southampton. She is currently working in Post Trade as a Risk-focused Software Engineer but has experienced many roles through the Graduate & Internship programmes. Emily assists in outreach projects as part of the LSEG Foundation, as well as volunteering as a Mentor / Role Model for Urban Synergy and Connecthive. She is passionate about helping those from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds to pursue careers in technology. 

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• Moving into Technology from another field. 
• Long term health conditions in the workplace. 
• Anything you like, happy to have a chat & no such thing as a stupid question! 

Connect with Emily on LinkedIn

Mary grew up in Hackney, inner-city London and strongly advocates for social mobility and diversity. After graduating from the Pathways to Law Programme in 2014, she studied law at the University of Essex. In her third year of University, Mary studied abroad at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Whilst in Hong Kong, she volunteered at a local primary school and participated in various projects. Upon her return, Mary sat as the BAME Officer for the Students’ Union to help cultivate better experiences and opportunities for students from ethnic minority backgrounds. 
 
She also co-founded the University of Essex TEDx Society, which hosted the University’s first-ever student-run TEDx Live event. After graduating, Mary was fortunate to get a full scholarship from the Law Society Diversity Access Scheme and has completed the Legal Practice Course with a Master in Law Business and Management at The University of Law. She currently works as a Trainee Solicitor.

 Ask me about…

Volunteering, university, studying/living abroad, scholarships, project management.

Connect with Mary on LinkedIn

I’m from Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. I was on the first ever US Sutton Trust programme.

I’m a researcher at the London School of Economics (LSE). I’m also involved in the mental health support and community building for students in my role as a Warden in the Residential Life team.

I decided to get involved with the ALB because being a young person in post-financial crash, post-Brexit, post-Covid Britain is full of challenges and I want to dedicate some of my time to supporting Sutton Trust alumni to navigate their next steps in life.

I think that the ALB is a great opportunity for me to support the continuing growth of a network of change makers.

Ask me about…

A career in academia, mental health and wellbeing support work, part-time MSc degrees, art and inequality, moving to London and vegan baking!

Connect with Jack on LinkedIn

Noshim participated in the Pathways to Banking & Finance programme during his time at sixth form. He attended King’s College London and during his time there he chaired the first Career’s Student Advisory Board and was also a Widening Participation Ambassador. He has done internships within asset management, financial data and private markets and is happy to speak with any alumni interested in the financial industry.

Connect with Noshim on LinkedIn

Sutton Trust USA Programme 2015 – Cohort 4 – now a Strategic Portfolio Advisor at Newham Borough Council

I decided to get involved with the ALB because the Alumni community at the Sutton Trust is going from strength to strength and the ALB plays a pivotal role in ensuring we build a cohesive and sustainable community that puts forwarding social mobility at its centre. I got involved because I wanted to play a part in pushing us forward both in building community but also in spurring this community into action and pushing our communities and organisations to do more for social mobility.

Ask me about…

Studying in the United States, Management Consulting, Technology & Social Media Policy, Local Government

Connect with Ibrahim on LinkedIn

Mitesh is based in the East Midlands and is currently a finance manager for a Swedish manufacturing company. He attended the Sutton Trust Summer School program at the University of Nottingham studying Accounting and Finance. He then went on to study Business and Management at the University of Salford before taking up his current role. He is interested in other cultures and passionate about social mobility, which is what attracted him back to a role within the Alumni Board. He is particularly interested in different cultures and the impacts on social mobility.

Ask me about…

Anything finance-related from university course selection to questions about different finance roles. I would love to chat to alumni about their ideas and areas of interest.

Connect with Mitesh on LinkedIn

I’m from Taunton in Somerset, and went to school at the King Alfred School and Sixth Form in Highbridge. While at King Alfred’s I was a participant on the Sutton Trust Summer School at the University of Nottingham (Law and Politics) in 2014. 

I’m a Solicitor at Clarke Willmott LLP, and am one of the firm’s two solicitors specialising in criminal & regulatory law. This is mostly defence work for police matters and private prosecutions, but includes some prosecutions for local authorities. 

Having benefited from the support given during and after the Sutton Trust Summer School, I am a firm believer in being able to give back to those who seek opportunities and guidance. I see the ALB as a golden opportunity to learn from others about how we can improve social mobility in our professions and regions, how we can improve outreach for the Trust, and how to build on the great resources we already have. 

Ask me about: The legal profession, particularly tips on how to gain experience (although I may not be able to provide it myself, I can certainly give pointers about how to obtain it) and complete job applications. Alumni can also reach out to me regarding building their network in the South West region, an area close to my heart where a stronger network certainly wouldn’t go amiss! 

Connect with Sam on LinkedIn

I’m from Hampshire and did the Sutton Trust Online programme. I’m currently pursuing a degree apprenticeship with the civil service, working with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) alongside studying for my BSc in Economics at the University of Kent.  

I wanted to get involved with the ALB because I believe social mobility is important post-18 as well but doesn’t happen so often and I’ve found the Sutton Trust alumni offering really useful so far. I wanted to be a part of the team that supported its development to learn more about new areas and continue to support others in their post-18 opportunities. 

Ask me about… 

Anything apprentice-related or how to juggle working & studying at the same time. How to look for opportunities in your area of interest. 

Connect with Ridhka on LinkedIn

Neil is a Senior Translation Project manager at Etymax working across their global portfolio with clients spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. He manages their Central and Eastern European departments, is former French lead, and has experience in Chinese having worked in Education Management in Chengdu. He frequently conducts intern and student training, and holds an MSc in Central and Eastern European, Russian and Eurasian studies from the University of Glasgow, and an BA in Modern Languages from the University of Exeter. He has also studied at Saint Petersburg State University, Kazan Federal University, and the University of West Bohemia as a language scholarship recipient, and won the 2022 UK entry for the Susanna Roth Czech Young Translators’ Prize. He took part in the Sutton Trust Summer School at St Andrew’s in 2011.

Ask me about…

Translation and localisation industries, international education opportunities, living and working abroad.

Connect with Neil on LinkedIn

I grew up in York, North Yorkshire, and completed the Sutton Trust Summer School at Durham in 2019. 
 
In 2023 I graduated from The University of Manchester with a degree in Politics and International Relations and decided to live and work here in Manchester. Currently, I am on a local government grad scheme and studying for a Policy Officer qualification. I hope to learn more about government and political communications during my time here. 
 
I was motivated to join the ALB because I know how valuable The Sutton Trust can be for academic success. I’m also motivated by where we – and the entire sector – could improve, specifically focusing more on regional inequalities.

Ask me about… 

My specialist interests and knowledge are in the media and political campaigning. Specifically, I am a skilled copy editor and I have a growing network of reliable media professionals who are always keen to get involved in interesting projects. 

Connect with Maisie on LinkedIn

I’m based in Saffron Walden just south of Cambridge, however I grew up in the North West. I took part in the 2007 Summer School – specifically The University of Manchester Academic Enrichment Programme 2007 which was led and funded by The Sutton Trust and the Goldman Sachs Foundation. 

I am currently working at AstraZeneca. An area of significant importance to me is talent development, mentoring young scientists and broadening opportunities for under-represented groups, specifically supporting individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds looking to enter careers in STEM subject areas. In joining the ALB I hope to leverage my connections and experience to help others, contribute to the broader Sutton Trust strategy and encourage life sciences and drug discovery organisations to recognised the need for supporting those from low socio-economic backgrounds. 

Ask me about: anything! Although I can probably share greater insights about drug discovery and pharma innovation, entrepreneurship, careers in life sciences, studying a PhD, working in a large corporate organisation, advice on Board and leadership positions and growing your professional network. 

Connect with Saleha on LinkedIn

I’m from Manchester and I took part in the Sutton Trust Summer School in St Andrews for Biology & Psychology in 2021. I’m currently in my second year studying Human Sciences at the University of Oxford. 

As a care-experienced individual, I’ve dealt with the challenges that come with navigating higher education, particularly the lack of representation and support. The Sutton Trust has been brilliant in helping me during both the application process and my journey through university. I joined the Alumni Leadership Board to ensure that care-experienced and estranged students are represented and to advocate for better support in higher education. 

Ask me about: Please reach out with any questions! In particular, opportunities for care experienced & estranged people, higher education outreach, or anything regarding university.

Connect with Chloe on LinkedIn

Thonmoy is a third-year medical student at the Hull York Medical School. They attended the Cambridge Medicine Sutton Trust Summer School in 2020. They are currently a student ambassador involved with local Sutton Trust projects, and the Student Research Society, along with fundraising for charity. They have joined the Sutton Trust as an alumni board member due their interest in furthering social mobility.

I’m from Barranquilla in Colombia and moved to Liverpool, where I did the Pathways to Law programme in 2018. I’ve recently graduated from Christ College, University of Cambridge and I also took part in the Sutton Trust Careers Plus and Opportunity Bursary programmes. I’m currently taking a little break to focus on some personal projects including an academic advisory firm, learning Italian, coding and travelling!  

I wanted to give back to the Trust which has provided me with so many opportunities and support throughout the year, whilst taking a position of leadership. I am curious to see the backstage of how ideas are turned into actionable projects. Lastly, I want to increase awareness and visibility on issues relating to student finance and the way it affects students not born in the UK! 

Ask me about… 

Studying at Oxbridge; interview preparation; studying law; personal statement help; cover letter help; help with student finance. 

Connect with Fiorella on LinkedIn

I originally grew up in rural South Africa and in my early teens moved to the West Midlands where I completed secondary and sixth form. During this time I took part in the Pathways to Banking and Finance Programme in 2019/2020. I have recently graduated from the University of Warwick with a BSc in Economics.

Having participated in numerous Sutton Trust programs, actively contributing to various summer schools and events, I believed I possessed the necessary insights to provide valuable input to the ALB. Additionally, I felt it was my moment to contribute and support fellow students as they navigate their own educational paths. 

Ask me about… 

Anything regarding university, whether it be applications, experience, I have had a lot of experience mentoring students prior to joining university. Additionally, anything regarding the field of economics, particularly financial economics. 

Connect with Warrick on LinkedIn

I’m from Coventry and I took part in the Sutton Trust Pathways to Law programme in 2019. I am currently studying Law at Aston University. 

I joined the ALB to give back to the institution that helped me overcome my self-doubt. The Sutton Trust programme was instrumental in dispelling my imposter syndrome and reaffirming my decision to study law. I hope to help current students navigate the challenges and myths surrounding higher education, particularly in competitive fields like law. My goal is to inspire students from underrepresented backgrounds to aim high and pursue their chosen careers without fear or self-doubt. 

Ask me about: Student life (Living in student accommodation, balancing part-time work with university, and managing finances), law (the challenges and rewards of studying law, and navigating a competitive industry) and migration and acclimatization (experiences as a migrant student and adapting to a new education system) 

Connect with Emmanuel on LinkedIn

I’m from Clackmannanshire in Scotland and studied my undergraduate degree (Journalism, English and Creative Writing) at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. 

I’ve worked in communications and marketing for the past year and am now studying my Masters in Digital Media and Communications at the University of Stirling. I’m also an active volunteer with YoungScot and the Young Women’s Movement. 

The Sutton Trust has made a massive difference in my choices and ability to study at university so I’m looking to give back and support more people accessing their programmes!

I’m keen to support the growth of the alumni community in Scotland and in the creative industries. 

Ask me about: Anything related to social media and communications, getting involved in student societies, sustainability, volunteering, or writing. I’d love to connect with any alumni but in particular those from/based in Scotland. 

Connect with Bethany on LinkedIn