Our Community

I’m huge on partnerships. I create new and maintain existing ones with people and places from a range of sectors whose time and investment in our work ensures quality creative learning and earning opportunities for the amazing women who are awarded places with us.

In addition to self-empowering young people through our structured YMI programmes, as an accredited relational dynamics coach, I also work with other individuals from all walks of life to help them unleash their full potential.

My taste for creating programmes of work which make exciting change have been seen previous to setting up You Make It in roles for Islington 14-19 Partnership, Roundhouse, Channel 4, Skillset and New Opportunities Fund (now Big Lottery). I’m also privileged to have strengthened my leadership as a fellow of the Clore Leadership Programme, which included secondments to NGOs working in Cape Town and Rio.

In recognition of my personal and professional expertise related to diversity, I've been appointed as an advisor on the Mayor of London's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion board.

An inner city Londoner and proud product of refugees and migrants, I’ve always been a passionate advocate for equity of opportunity and love enabling people to be the driving force for positive change. For well over a decade, I've led teams in the tech space and am currently Director of Product & Technical Operations at Depop, where we’re committed to building the world’s most diverse and progressive home of fashion.

My parents are first generation immigrants and I was born, raised and educated in Hackney. The work that You Make It does resonates with me personally and I’m excited to contribute to an organisation that empowers women, strives to challenge the status quo and has a real impact.

I have an extensive career working in the television broadcast industry and know all to well the barriers women can face in intense working environments. I’ve learnt how to overcome and how to succeed. I’d like to share this with the women of You Make It and help empower them to fulfil their potential and help drive forward the strategy of the charity.

I am currently the Principal, Broadcast Regulation at BT Sport responsible for instilling a compliance culture and ensuring we adhere to UK broadcast regulation, whilst also lobbying government legislation in this space. I am also a committee member of BT’s Ethnic Diversity Network, and deliver learning and development opportunities for BT’s racially diverse employees and influencing the business on diversity issues specifically race.

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

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

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