Our People

Sir Peter is acknowledged to be the UK’s leading educational philanthropist. He founded the Sutton Trust and has given over £50 million to the Trust to achieve this aim. He is also chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation.

Before establishing the Sutton Trust, Sir Peter founded the Sutton Company, a Private Equity firm with offices in New York, London and Munich.

Sir Peter was educated at Oxford and the London Business School. He grew up in Yorkshire and Surrey, has three teenage children and divides his time between the UK and Florida.

Nick joined the Trust as CEO in May 2023.

He was formerly Chief Growth Officer for MATCHESFASHION, the global online retail company. Prior to that, he spent most of his career as a consultant with Oliver Wyman, one of the world’s leading management consulting firms, where he was a partner.

He also sits on the Social Metrics Commission, which addresses the definition of poverty and its alleviation.

Carl leads the Trust’s programme of policy-focused research. He has authored reports on subjects including student finance, unpaid internships, school admissions and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on learning.

He is also Co-Investigator on the COSMO (Covid Social Mobility and Opportunities) longitudinal cohort study.

He has been at the Trust since 2016, having previously worked in a variety of roles in social and political research, including NatCen and Democratic Audit.

Sam leads Communications and Public Affairs at the Trust. She joined the Trust in 2022 and was previously Director of Communications at the Health Foundation, where she led communications and influencing work as well as the Foundation’s impact strategy. Prior to this, Sam held a number of communications roles in the NHS and within the Greater London Authority group.

Sam holds a BA in French and Hispanic Studies from Queen Mary University of London.

Katy leads the Programmes Team, covering university access and employability programmes for young people and alumni. She joined the Trust in 2023 and was previously Director of Programmes and Operations at national charity Education and Employers connecting state schools to volunteers from the world of work. Prior to this she worked on a youth programme for Voluntary Service Overseas and spent a decade in corporate finance for EY, FTI Consulting and HSBC.

Katy is a governor of a local primary school and holds a number of charity trustee roles.

Stefanie leads the finance and operations team at the Trust. She joined in August 2019 from Global’s Make Some Noise, where she was responsible for finance, governance and grant-making activities. Stefanie started her career at Barnardo’s.

Binda leads on the Trust’s new and exciting innovation work. She looks at how we can have a broader impact on a greater number of young people. Binda was previously our Head of Programmes & Partnerships and former MD of Pure Potential. She is a trustee of PRIME and Access Accountancy, and was a young trustee at the Diana Award.

Jenny leads the Development team who are responsible for fundraising across trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships and individuals.

She joins the Trust with a successful 20-year track record in fundraising, having most recently worked as Director of Development for the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Prior to that she was Director of Development at the Philharmonia Orchestra for three years where she was responsible for devising and implementing a strategy which affected a step change in fundraising and embedding a culture of philanthropy across the organisation.

Jenny also spent 12 years at the British Museum as Head of Corporate Relations, where she built a strategy focused on raising income through building strategic long-term partnerships with aligned purpose across a range of Museum activities. These included exhibitions, gallery refurbishment, learning and engagement programmes and curatorial posts, working with key partners such as Citi, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs.

Vicki oversees our Trust-led employability programmes, with a focus on facilitating collaboration across our university partners.

Vicki has a wealth of experience in the not for profit sector, with previous roles at Teach First, Loughborough University and the Woodland Trust all focused on increasing opportunities for young people to thrive.

Laura joined the Trust in 1997, helping Sir Peter Lampl to establish the Trust. She has had a variety of roles at the Trust and in recent years has led on the Early Years work. This has included management of action research projects as well as commissioning high-impact reports that uncover and promote solutions to the issues around addressing the disadvantage gap in the early years.

David joined The Sutton Trust in May 2022. He manages the UK Summer Schools programme and carries out work to increase the Trust’s engagement with schools and teachers throughout the UK.

David previously worked at Deloitte as a management consultant and as a civil servant in the Cabinet Office. David studied at the University of Oxford, where he completed an MPhil and a BA in Classical Archaeology.

Sara joined the Trust in January 2020 and manages the Pathways residential conferences, as well as overseeing the Pathways to Law Plus programme and acting as a Designated Safeguarding Officer for the Trust. She has previously worked for youth charities and for a university careers service. Sara studied Modern Languages at the University of Bristol.

Caitlin joined the trust in August 2023 as Digital Programmes and Platform Manager, managing Sutton Trust Online. She has previously worked in the STEM education sector, working on various areas including content development, partnerships, programme operations and data management. She has a BA in History from the University of Leicester and an MA in History from University College London.

Priya joined the Trust in July 2021 as Senior Programmes Officer, and works as part of the Programmes team to deliver a new offering of employability activity to the post-18 group, including alumni from existing Sutton Trust programmes – predominantly reaching those who are studying at undergraduate level.

She previously supported student employability and extracurricular activity at London South Bank Students’ Union, in a year-long placement undertaken as part of the Charityworks graduate scheme. Prior to this she completed her BA in History at the University of Cambridge.

Aiyesha supports on the delivery, student management and communication of the Trust’s employability programmes, including Pathways Online, Pathways residential conferences and Careers Plus. She joined the Trust in September 2021 as Programmes Intern: University Access and Digital, and was appointed Programmes Assistant: Employability in September 2022.

In 2021, Aiyesha graduated from King’s College London with a degree in BSc Geography (Geocomputation and Spatial Analysis). Whilst at university, she interned at Eastside Educational Trust, an educational arts charity which educates young people through direct participation in the arts. A UK Summer School alumnus, she also worked on the UK Summer Schools as a Senior Widening Participation ambassador.

Georgia joined the Trust in July 2022 on the internship scheme as part of the Research, Policy and Communications team having recently completed a Politics degree at Durham University.

A UK Summer School alumnus, Georgia has worked to further social mobility throughout her time at university, volunteering for The 93% Foundation as well as working on the UK Summer Schools and other access projects as a student ambassador.

Marie-Rose leads the alumni programmes and engagement activity at the Trust. She is responsible for our alumni relations strategy, as well as building new programmes to service the needs of our alumni community particularly in the area of employability. Marie-Rose joined the Trust in February 2021, after working in the higher education sector at a range of institutions including the University of Manchester, Royal Holloway University and London Business School. Marie-Rose’s experience spans alumni relations and volunteer management, as well as digital fundraising and communications. Marie-Rose also spent two years at a start-up – digital fundraising tech provider Hubbub Fundraising, where she worked as an Account Manager and Digital Fundraising Consultant, working with over 40 UK HE and School clients managing their digital projects and advising them on their fundraising campaigns.

Marie-Rose is also a regular volunteer for the charity Streetlink helping process phone and web alerts for rough sleepers across the country, to connect them up with vital services and support.

Katherine joined the Trust in February 2019 to oversee the Apprenticeship Campaign. She has previously worked within the charity and public sector supporting young people develop the skills and confidence to reach their potential in employment. Katherine graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BA in English and Education.

Anna has been Sir Peter’s personal assistant and diary manager since the inception of the Sutton Trust and for ten years before that at the Sutton Company. Anna has a BA in German and Russian from the University of Bristol.

Alexandra has come from a fundraising background after studying Psychology and Politics in the US. She now works in our Programmes team on Marketing and Communications, from social media to the running of our website to writing and designing emails to teachers, parents, and students around the country about our various different programmes.

Ryan joined the team in March 2022 to support the Trust’s work in policy and public affairs.

He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2016 with a BA in Spanish, before gaining a PGCE at the University of Nottingham and working as a language teacher in the UK and abroad.

Katherine leads on the Trusts suite of Employability programme. She works closely with university partners, sector supporters and third sector organisations to design and deliver these.

Katherine has held various roles in leading education programmes, with experience in developing, delivering and evaluating training products for diverse audiences. She has led and managed food education programmes for Jamie Oliver Group and the Tesco National Charity Partnership. She has also designed and delivered continuous professional development events and programmes for healthcare professionals with roles at the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

She has a B.Sc. (Hons) in Food and Human Nutrition from Newcastle University.

Erica joined the Sutton Trust in February 2020 as Research and Policy Officer. Prior to working at the trust, Erica worked in the field of Public Health. She holds a degree from the University of Southampton in Population and Geography.

Laura joined the development team at the Sutton Trust in 2018 and leads on our work giving supporters a fantastic experience of championing social mobility. She has previously held fundraising roles at Anthony Nolan, Scope and School-Home Support, with a particular focus on building strategic corporate partnerships. Laura studied theology at the University of Cambridge, followed by an MPhil in philosophy of religion.

Jenny joined The Sutton Trust in January 2022 as Senior Alumni Officer, working on developing our alumni network and providing opportunities for alumni to volunteer their time and expertise to support students and other alumni.

She previously worked for a UK Government scholarship programme, supporting international students and working with British Embassies and High Commissions around the world. She graduated from the University of Essex with a degree in Modern History and Politics.

Kevin joined the Sutton Trust in April 2023 as Research and Policy Manager (Schools and Colleges).

He has long experience in higher education as a university lecturer and also taught for two years in a state secondary school.

His BA was in Chinese at Oxford University and his MA and doctorate were completed in Social Anthropology at SOAS, University of London.

Emma manages the Trust’s Operations function, working to maintain and improve the Trust’s policies and procedures in HR, recruitment and IT.

She graduated from the University of Surrey with a BA in English Literature and French.

Rocky is Head of Communications and Public Affairs at the Trust. He joined in July 2023 and was previously Head of Public Policy and Communications at the skills and employability provider Seetec. Prior to this, he held leadership roles at the National Farmers Union and the manufacturing trade association Make UK, and he has also previously worked in consultancy and in parliament.

Rocky holds a BA in British Politics and Legislative Studies, an MSc in Government, Policy and Politics from Birkbeck University of London, and an MBA from the Open University.

Annie joined the Sutton Trust in January 2021 as Programmes Officer. She works on multiple projects across the Pathways and University access programmes to support students in accessing higher education and work placement opportunities. Annie graduated from studying Law at the University of Exeter in 2018 but since then has worked in supporting young people access their full potential. Prior to joining the Trust, Annie worked in schools to support vulnerable students and in a start-up, which connected the UK’s brightest graduates to internships and graduate roles.

Conor joined the Trust as Programmes Intern in September 2022.

Prior to this, he was a participant at a Sutton Trust Summer School in 2017 before becoming a Summer School Ambassador, working in the Widening Participation team and also an e-mentor for 16-18 year olds while at the University of Nottingham, where he studied History.

He has also completed an internship at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, obtained a PGCE in teaching and contributed to music publications while at university.

Lauren joined the Trust in April 2023, as a Project Manager in our Innovation Team. Her role focuses on developing new work in the tech and creative industries.

Lauren has experience designing and delivering programmes for young people in a range of education and community settings, most recently for a national mental health charity. She is passionate about working with young people and using co-production to inform her work.

Since Rebecca joined the Trust in 2017, she has authored reports on a variety of topics including internships, university access, highly able student from disadvantaged backgrounds, access to the professions and how parents use financial and cultural resources to boost their children’s educations. Rebecca previously completed a PhD at the University of Manchester, and was a Fellow at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

Mairead joined the trust in April 2022 as a Senior Programmes Officer, working on the online content and digital delivery for Sutton Trust Online. Prior to joining the trust, she has worked for various charities that support young people, including working with students from disadvantaged backgrounds to help them access top universities. Mairead also wrote articles for various student related websites and newspapers whilst studying English Literature at The University of Leeds.

Charley joined the Sutton Trust in August 2023 as the Senior Schools Engagement Manager. Her role focuses on Secondary School Admissions.

Prior to joining the trust Charley has 15 years experience working in secondary schools. Primarily as a Science and Physics teacher and for the final 6 years as a Senior Leader. Charley holds a BSc* in Physics and the Universe from Reading University and a MEd in Educational Leadership from the University of Buckingham.

Alex joined the Trust in December 2022, as the Employability Programme Manager, having previously worked for over two years at a UK-based charity empowering global young leaders. In her role, she leads on the planning and delivery of programmes including the 3 Pathways Online programmes, and the Sutton Trust Careers Plus programme, providing work experience opportunities and skills sessions across a range of sectors for young people across the United Kingdom.

Maxine has worked in private office for many years spanning both property and politics.

Her work has included setting up a Community Interest Company focusing on education as well as consulting on a charitable project targeting early years reading for pleasure.

She is also a holistic practitioner.

Kainat joined the Trust in September 2022 as HR Assistant after obtaining a degree in History from the London School of Economics.

She supports the Trust’s Operations function by coordinating recruitment, supporting HR admin and managing the Trust’s Learning and Development opportunities.

Betelhem graduated in 2015 from London South Bank University with a degree in Accounting and Finance. She joined the Trust in November 2018 as Finance Officer. Prior to joining the Trust she worked for an international humanitarian aid charity based in London.

Rhian joined the Trust as Development Intern in September 2021. She works with the Development Team across our portfolio of family and individual supporters, and also focuses on donations from new and current Trusts and Foundations.

Rhian graduated from the University of Exeter this year after studying a History degree. Prior to joining the Trust, Rhian completed a 6-week internship at the Department for Education.

Harry joined the trust in October 2019 and works across the Trust’s Pathways programmes, focusing on applications, evaluation and long-term tracking of participants. He has experience in the voluntary and grant giving sectors working on projects which support young people to develop life and work skills. Harry holds a master’s in International Development from the University of Bristol and a degree in Human Geography.

Lewis joined the Trust in September 2021 as Research, Policy and Communications Intern, later stepping up to Digital Communications Officer.

He is responsible for the oversight and management of the Trust’s various communications outputs, including our social media channels, our website, and our newsletter. His role also covers work on the COSMO (COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities) Study.

Prior to joining the Trust, Lewis obtained a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. During his studies, he worked as a student support mentor, for an anti-racist charity and a mental health charity, and took an active role in student politics.

Jonny manages the Trust’s university access programmes which include UK Summer Schools, Sutton Scholars, personal statement mentoring and our work with teachers. He has previously worked with schools across the country at Shakespeare Schools Foundation and is a trustee of an Arts Centre.

Genevieve joined the Development Team in January 2021 having previously worked for two years at an East London based education charity. Prior to entering the charity sector, she worked as an English teacher at the University of Nantes in France. She holds a BA in French and Spanish and a research MA in French Studies from the University of Sheffield.

James joined the Sutton Trust as Data Analyst and Insights Manager in September 2021. He is responsible for leading the analysis of the Sutton Trust’s programmes, as well as supporting its evaluation work. James also carries out secondary data analysis in contribution to the Trust’s programme of policy-focused research.

Prior to joining the Trust, James worked as a Senior Statistician at the National Centre for Social Research. In this role he worked on a wide range of social surveys, including the British Social Attitudes Survey and the Student Income and Expenditure Study. He also has first-hand experience of the Higher Education sector, having previously taught at the LSE.

Farida joined the Trust in early 2022 as Operations Assistant. She works within the Operations team to manage office administration, and support the wider team more generally.

Farida graduated from the University of Leeds in Philosophy and Politics, and alongside her work at the Trust regularly volunteers with the British Red Cross London Refugee Service.

Sir Peter is acknowledged to be the UK’s leading educational philanthropist. He founded the Sutton Trust and has given over £50 million to the Trust to achieve this aim. He is also chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation.

Before establishing the Sutton Trust, Sir Peter founded the Sutton Company, a Private Equity firm with offices in New York, London and Munich.

Sir Peter was educated at Oxford and the London Business School. He grew up in Yorkshire and Surrey, has three teenage children and divides his time between the UK and Florida.

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.

Tim is Vice-Chair of the Sutton Trust. Tim joined Balderton Capital as a General Partner in 2007, before moving into his current role as Senior Adviser in 2021. He was previously a partner of Goldman Sachs where he spent 18 years. At Goldman, Tim held various roles including Global Head of Equity Capital Markets (2002 to 2005) and Vice-Chairman of Goldman Sachs International (2005 to 2006).

In 2006 Tim spent a period as non-executive chairman of Betfair. Tim is also a Trustee of the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, The Royal Opera House, Royal Springboard, and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

Tim is a graduate of the University of Cambridge.

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.

Sir Peter is a British businessman and former civil servant. He is currently Chairman of enfinium, the largest pure play waste-to-energy business in the UK. Sir Peter is former chairman of the National Grid, the Aircraft Carrier Alliance and Tate & Lyle. He has held senior executive positions in the UK computer, telecommunications and defence industries as well as being the first chief executive of the Office of Government Commerce. In 2004/5 Sir Peter, at the request of the Prime Minister and Chancellor, led a major review of efficiency in the UK public sector which recommended significant savings. He is a trustee of the Sutton Trust as well as the chairman of the Dreadnought Alliance and Join Dementia Research. He is married with three children and six grandchildren.

Sir Peter was awarded the CBE in 2000 for services to the Defence Industry and was knighted in 2004 for his work on public procurement. In 2016 he won the FTSE100 non-executive director of the year award.

Sir Peter was educated at Reigate Grammar School and Churchill College, Cambridge.

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.

Kasia has over 30 years’ experience in investment banking and private equity, in the UK, US and Europe. She is currently active in early stage investing, is involved in various businesses in Poland and has sat on a number of PLC boards.  Kasia holds a MSc degree in Engineering/Economics from Cambridge University and an MBA from the Stanford Business School.

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.

Prior to joining Lightyear Capital in October 2014, Martin was Deputy Chairman of Willis Group Holdings plc and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Willis Global Solutions.

Previously, Martin was President and Chief Executive Officer of American International Group Inc., where he worked for 37 years. He serves on the Board of Directors of Lightyear Capital portfolio companies; Engage PEO, Lighthouse Global, Wren Sterling and Ygrene Energy Fund. He is also Chairman of Navigators Underwriting Agency Ltd and Navigators International Insurance Company.

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 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. 

John Langley is the Head of Wells Fargo International, Regional President of the Wells Fargo Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, and Head of Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) for EMEA. He is based in London, United Kingdom. 

John joined Wells Fargo in 2019 as the EMEA Regional President and was appointed Head of International in April 2021. He is responsible for the overall strategy and execution for Wells Fargo International and has regional responsibility for all businesses that operate internationally: Corporate & Investment Banking, Commercial Capital and Treasury Management. 

Before joining Wells Fargo, John served as Global Head of Capital Markets at Barclays PLC, with responsibility for DCM, ECM, Leveraged Finance, Risk Solutions, and Debt Syndicate businesses globally. During his 11 years at Barclays, John held a number of senior leadership positions, including Global Head of Risk Solutions Group. 

Prior to Barclays, John held several senior leadership roles at Merrill Lynch, including Head of Corporate Risk Advisory Group and Global Head of FX Derivatives Trading. 

John is a trustee of the Kings School, Chester and a fellow of The Sutton Trust, an organisation that champions social mobility through programs, research, and policy influence. He holds a M.A. in natural sciences from Cambridge University. 

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.

Mouhssin Ismail is the Principal of the Newham Collegiate Sixth Form (the NCS) and Director of Standards (Sixth Form) for the City of London Academies Trust.  Prior to becoming a teacher, Mouhssin qualified and worked in the city as a banking and finance lawyer.  In 2014 he was appointed the founding Principal of the NCS which serves students from the second most deprived borough in London.  Since their first set of A level results in 2016, NCS students have secured offers to study at  some of the most prestigious universities in the UK and abroad, including Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Oxford and Cambridge all on full scholarships worth £250,000 each.

Joanna is the Chief Executive Officer of Tees Valley Collaborative Trust, a multi-academy trust comprising a two-site 16-19 academy of 2000 students, a primary school, a pupil referral unit and a Montessori day nursery located across Teesside.  With over thirty years’ experience in education, Joanna was previously a sixth form college Principal in Wigan and then in Stockton.  She is whole-heartedly committed to inclusive excellence in education.

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.

Kevan has worked in public service for over 30 years and became the first EEF Chief Executive in October 2011, stepping down in 2019.  He was previously Chief Executive in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Prior to this role he led a distinguished career in education – starting off as a primary school teacher, leading the Primary Literacy Strategy as National Director, and then serving as Director of Children’s Services at Tower Hamlets. More recently, Sir Kevan was appointed by the Prime Minister to advise the government on its pandemic education catch-up strategy.

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.

Jane is the headteacher of Carlton Bolling School in Bradford which is situated in one of the most deprived areas in the city; a serious organised crime hotspot. The school’s rapid improvement journey gained them an “Outstanding” rating from Ofsted in 2017 less than two years after coming out of Special Measures.  In 2018 Carlton Bolling was awarded “World Class Schools” Status and in October 2019 the Pearson National Teaching Award for Secondary School of the Year. Jane has over 30 years’ experience in education, holding leadership roles in three schools. She is also a founding member of the Bradford ICE district partnership board, aligning industry and education to the needs of the local and regional economy.

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.

Kayley is from County Down in Northern Ireland. She graduated from University College Dublin in August 2021 with a degree in Commerce, during which time she worked with Microsoft as a Supply Chain Manager and within Operations with Amazon. She has worked as both a financial analyst and buying assistant with Applegreen before pivoting to become a production co-ordinator within factual TV. 

Kayley is also the Chairperson for Warrenpoint Comhaltas, a not-for-profit which provides affordable music tuition to make music education accessible to all, and was the UK’s Youth Delegate to COP27 in 2022. Alongside her job, Kayley is currently studying to become a mental health counsellor. 

Ask me about… 

Muzammil and I would be delighted to hear from all alums on how they have been getting on since their programme, any ideas they have to further develop our alumni community or on anything we may be able to help with 

In particular, I would love to hear from alums: 

• from Northern Ireland 
• hoping to work in or study business, or hoping to pursue a career in Big Tech 
• hoping to pursue a career in media 
• hoping to study counselling/work in mental health 
• looking for guidance on balancing working, studying and volunteering commitments
• and any other areas I may be able to help with

Connect with Kayley on LinkedIn

Muzammil is an Associate at Clifford Chance working in the firm’s Real Estate group. He has previously worked across the firm’s Corporate and Capital Markets groups on keynote transactions spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and the US. He has further experience working with investment banks, insurers and start-ups.  

He holds an LLB in Law from the University of Leicester and a Masters in Law from BPP University, prior to which he attended the Pathways to Law programme with the University of Nottingham. He works with several schools, colleges and universities with the aim of supporting social mobility and has joined the Alumni Leadership Board to further champion the same. 

Ask me about…

Feel free to reach out to Muzammil for any questions related to the fields of Law, Finance or Real Estate! 

Connect with Muzammil 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 South London and I took part in the Sutton Trust Cambridge Summer School in 2020. I’m currently studying Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge.  

Initially, I believed people like me didn’t attend universities like Cambridge. However, the Sutton Trust gave me the confidence to apply to Cambridge, where I now study. Experiencing its benefits, I wondered how many students with immense potential disregard university due to societal barriers. At university, I’ve been an Access Officer, Ambassador, and a Student Mentor, helping others overcome educational challenges. The Sutton Trust’s ALB involvement furthers my goal to break down these barriers. 

Ask me about… 

Careers and/or education advice, personal development, diversity, social mobility. 

Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn

After the Sutton Trust Summer School in 2014, Emily went on to study Aeronautics & Astronautics at the University of Southampton. She experienced a mechanical engineering placement at Leonardo, before moving into Technology at London Stock Exchange group. She is currently working in ForexClear as a 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 with Stemettes. She is passionate about helping those from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds to pursue careers in technology. 

Ask me about… 

• Applying for & studying Engineering. 
• Working in the Technology Sector. 
• 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

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

Sofia is from and currently lives in Port Talbot, South Wales. She attended the University of Cambridge Summer School 2013 for Modern Languages. Being the first in my family to enter higher education, she graduated from University of Bristol in 2018 with a First in Italian and Spanish BA. She now works as a freelance journalist and creative consultant. She has written for The Independent, VICE and Cosmopolitan, all with a particular focus on social justice, and most recently is working as a researcher on a documentary series. She is also a Project Co-ordinator of A Writing Chance, a scheme co-founded by Michael Sheen to support aspiring writers from under-represented backgrounds by providing mentoring, bursaries and more. She has long been passionate about social mobility and equality, with a particular focus on increasing opportunities for under-represented voices in the media and creative industries. She firmly believes that when we open up access to these sectors, we can all benefit from a richer culture and a fairer, more democratic society. She is particularly excited to contribute to this goal through the ALB. She has long admired and been influenced by Sutton Trust’s work around Access to the Workplace, and was compelled to be part of shaping policy and direction through joining the ALB.

Ask me about…

Journalism, media and the creative industries, as well as translation and advice about working internationally. She also has a special interest in increasing opportunities for alumni based in Wales.

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

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 York and I did the Sutton Trust Summer School in Durham in 2019. Having recently just graduated from The University of Manchester, I’m looking for grad jobs and building my media portfolio. 

I know from my own experience 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

Philip is a second-year student studying Economics and Mathematics at the University of Glasgow. Having grown up in a rural Scottish community, his goal is to increase opportunities in these areas and help widen access to higher education.

Philip is also a part of the trading and investment club at his university with an interest in the financial world. Outside of his studies, he also enjoys bodybuilding.

Connect with Philip in LinkedIn

Thonmoy is a second-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’m currently in my final year studying BSc Economics at the University of Warwick. 

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 Bristol and participated in the Geography summer school at Durham University in 2015. I studied Geography and History at Durham University and got involved with widening participation by being a Student Ambassador and Mentor while also getting involved with student theatre and volunteering around welfare and mental health. After graduating I worked for the North East Uni Connect Programme to widen participation across the North East before moving to Liverpool in 2023. I now work at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, working with schools and colleges across the UK to support progression onto higher education as well as running widening participation programmes such as summer schools. 

I decided to get involved with the ALB because attending the Sutton Trust summer school in 2015 was a lifechanging experience for me and since then I’ve been involved in the Sutton Trust as a student mentor and then as part of my full-time job. I feel like the ALB is a unique opportunity to have a real impact on the organisation while also meeting other people who are passionate about social mobility. 

Ask me about… 

Navigating university and working while disabled, working in widening participation, student theatre, volunteering. 

Connect with Helena 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