Gemma Kybert | Oscar's Wish Foundation
As a Nursery Manager, Early Years Teacher, Youth worker and private Nanny my whole world was focused around children and young people.
As a family we were foster carers and this supported my work around behaviour management and safeguarding vulnerable children.
I set up Oscar's Wish Foundation after I tragically lost my first born son in November 2014. As an Early Years Teacher and College lecturer it became increasingly difficult to maintain teaching the subject (covering conception and birth) whilst working through my own grief. I chose to turn my grief journey into exploring how to support other parents who lose their precious baby, my future and their dreams and ensuring Oscar's life wasn't in vain- the charity was launched.
Support families locally through out Sussex and the UK. We aim to provide support from day one and work along side the local hospitals and bereavement midwives, providing much needed therapy and counselling and online support. Parents often join our online support groups which offer them the option of support in future pregnancies too. WE are creating a holistic wholesome support network to wrap our arms of care around parents and families at their most vulnerable times.
Natalie Moore | Apps for Good
Natalie Moore is currently co-Acting UK Managing Director (maternity cover) at Apps for Good.
Joining Apps for Good in January 2013 she has been a core part of a small team with a start-up mindset. Natalie joined Apps for Good as Education Outreach and Development Coordinator and during her 6 years has gone on to take on more responsibility and become one of the longest serving team members. Over the years Natalie has been a key player in the success of Apps for Good, particularly supporting the role out, growth and reach of the charity.
Prior to joining Apps for Good, Natalie was International Education Programme Coordinator at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic & Paralympic Games (LOCOG). She started at LOCOG in September 2007 at the age of 18 as part of the School Leaver Programme, and remained in the team until October 2012. During this time she supported the role out of the London 2012 education programme (Get Set) to schools all around the UK and internationally, building relationships with schools and teachers. During "Games Time" Natalie was seconded to London 2012 Ceremonies Ltd. from LOCOG. Acting as a "Casting Assistant", working with school groups and young people rehearsing and performing in the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Opening & Closing Ceremonies.
Natalie is particularly passionate about using education and innovative initiatives to create an environment that allows young people to be inspired, thrive and achieve, no matter their location or socio-economic background.
Herchran Boal | RSPCA
I have been working for the RSPCA as a Inspector for the last 19yrs.
I am extremely Passionate about Animal welfare, educating the public on being compassionate towards animals & how caring for them can bring us not only great joy but Rewards both Physically & Mentally.
I have been privileged to be able to do this through working on different programs namely The Dog Rescuers & The cat Rescuers on channel 5. I have become one of the Inspectors featured regularly on this program & i feel very honoured to be able to do this & reach a wider audience to showcase the great work done by the RSPCA.
My Specialisms at work Include being a Tutor Inspector, Puppy trade Officer & Performing Animals Advisor.
I also Specialise in large Multi Animal investigations & those investigations that are Complex in Nature Involving usually Organised Crime.
These Investigations tend to involve other organisations like the Police & Local authority, i'm a believer in Multi Agency Working to get the Best Results for both the Animals and Sometimes people namely children.
Sonia Meggie | Inspirational YOU
Sonia Meggie is the award-winning founder of Inspirational YOU; a London based social enterprise.
Their mission is to connect, inspire and empower young people, women and ethnic minorities who want to progress personally and professionally.
She is passionate about tech, BAME progression, diversity and Africa, which saw her be selected as an RSA Diaspora Changemaker. Sonia is a Diversity and wellbeing Consultant and can be seen and supporting inclusion initiatives around the UK. In February 2019, Sonia was shortlisted for Stylist Magazine ‘Inspirational woman of the year’ award in their inaugural Remarkable women awards.
In 2016 she launched an accessories brand called FunkyNChunky creating ethically made accessories from Africa, this has seen her brand grow globally. Her passion is empowering others and giving back. This summer (2019) will see her open a Saturday school for those aged 8-14 in South West London.
Sonia is a qualified football coach, Trustee for the Jason Roberts Foundation, Friends Committee member of the Black Cultural Archives and Ghana GUBA Trade Expo. Via Inspirational YOU she has held over 100 events in 8 years, which include the popular teenagers careers platform and ‘women at the top’ masterclass at the House of Commons.
Sonia has worked alongside organisations such as Google, Deloitte, Barclays Corporate, BAML, MP’s, Law Chambers, PwC, Pearsons, ITV, Sky, London Youth, BBC, Channel 4, Stephen Lawrence Trust, DAC Beachcroft and UK Supreme Court.
Laura Perkins | Young Women's Trust
I am a creative and target driven fundraiser, with a passion for engaging with people and developing the capacity and resources of charities particularly those that support women.
I have been a fundraiser for charities both large and small, from the British Heart Foundation to Find Your Feet. I started my career after university, as an administrator taking calls and sending thank you letters and I loved the opportunity it gave me to talk to people about issues they cared about. I was also really motivated by the difference that every donation made to the lives of the people the charity served. Over the years I have looked for ways to increase my skills and knowledge by taking on new responsibilities and networking with peers. I have also purposefully taken roles in smaller charities to enable me to broaden by experience and help them grow.
In 2006, I undertook an MSc in Development Studies which fuelled my interest in international development issues which led me to work at a number of international charities supporting the economic empowerment of women across the world. A highlight during that time was travelling to meet with colleagues overseas to support them with their own fundraising so they could support more women through their programmes.
I then took the decision to apply what I learned to supporting young women across the UK. Currently manage a small team of fundraisers at Young Women’s Trust, a charity that supports disadvantaged young women to build their confidence, broaden their expectations and find work that’s right for them. My work focuses on building relationships with people, companies and networks to raise awareness of the challenges young women face and find ways for them to make a difference. I also contribute to the charity’s strategic direction, looking for new ways for us to grow our impact on young women’s lives. I am deeply concerned by the growing inequality in the UK and believe strongly that we are all losing out, both economically and socially by not supporting all young women to be socially mobile and fulfil their potential.
Christine Ondimu | HSBC
Christine Ondimu is a volunteer mentor, striving to live a purposeful life to inspire kindness and to lead by example.
Christine is a Compliance Governance and Standards Manager at HSBC.
Christine has lived and worked for HSBC in four (4) countries – United States of America, South Africa, Kenya and now United Kingdom.
In her 11 year career at HSBC, Christine has been actively championed Diversity through the HSBC USA African Heritage Committee, Mentor at Sizanani mentoring program in Johannesburg South Africa and HSBC EMBRACE UK in London.
As Community Engagement Lead at HSBC EMBRACE UK she has created a strong partnership with charities like the Princes Trust Mosaic mentoring programs, HESTIA and Wildfowl Wetlands Trust and DWP mentoring Circles where HSBC EMBRACE members regularly volunteer.
Additionally Christine has spoken to students at London universities and schools on the importance of Diversity in an organisation.
Christine lives in Kent, with her two children, 17 and 7.
In addition to running the 2018 London Half Marathon and raising funds for the British Red Cross, her extracurricular activities include writing, baking, hiking and gymnasium
Clodagh McCullagh | Barclays
Clodagh joined Barclays in 2015 on the Markets graduate programme, in the Client Strategy team.
Clodagh has set high standards for her work and has led the client strategy and analytics support for several key areas of the Macro business, including the UK Rates franchise, the Global Rates Options business and our EM franchise. She has taken the lead in training and managing several graduates in the global team.
As well as driving the client strategy for these key businesses, Clodagh has taken a leading role in developing critical IT, MI & CRM tools for the business, has assisted with Barclays graduate recruitment efforts and also received her Professional Risk Manager designation and completed Level 1 CFA.
Clodagh has been actively involved in Barclays’ diversity agenda and community projects, specifically with the younger generation:
- Co-chair of the Win Enable and Engage committee which seeks to inspire and innovate in gender equality, personal development and talent pipeline areas
- Leads the Spotlight workstream which brings a wide variety of speakers, both internal and external, to Barclays colleagues on a range of subjects including communication, resilience, and diversity. Hosting 12 events a year with roughly 800 colleagues attending the events annually. Through which she was nominated for Diversity Network Member of the Year 2019
- Led the work with London Youth - City Leaders to arrange mentors for a variety of community groups across London. The goal was for the young people to pitch for funds to finance an idea that would help their community
- Partnered with Leaders in Community to help young people with their employability skills. Arranging numerous LifeSkills sessions on communication, job applications, and networking and hosted two of them alongside other volunteers
- Volunteered and hosted various LifeSkills sessions for young people in the community including workshops on CVs, interview skills and networking
Preeti Chaudhary | AIB UK
Preeti is the Head of Lean at Allied Irish Bank (AIB UK), and is focused on delivering transformational change with long last impact.
In a short time at AIB UK, Preeti that has already delivered tangible benefits contributing to the bank’s growth and overall customer experience improvement. Her passion and drive for making a difference to AIB UK is infectious and we are seeing hearts and minds being changed as a result of Preeti’s approach.
Prior to her current role, she held various roles at RBS within ‘lean’ or with a coaching or people development focus, including Lean Academy Manager, Learning and Development Manager and Transformation Approach Manager. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to sustainable behaviour and culture change. She has, and continues, to put herself in the shoes of customers to drive efficiency and effectiveness.
Preeti has grown her current team from the bottom-up, having identified and nurtured talent within and beyond the organisation. She is regarded as an inspirational role model by her colleagues, and a future leader for transformation and culture change within Financial Services.
Ericka FitzGerald | MUFG
After working as an ESL teacher for nearly 10 years for large corporates and a university in Brazil, I decided to challenge myself by applying for a sales role at Bloomberg following the advice of a Head of HR who happened to be one of my students at that time.
In a couple of years I became the top sales person for LATAM and decided to move to the UK where my family was based. I then joined Barclays as an eFX sales person and later MUFG. I got married, had two boys who are now 7 and 3 years-old, and, besides my role as a Vice President on the eFX Trading desk, I am the founding co-chair of Family Matters, one of MUFG’s Employee Networks founded in 2016.
I also lead the MUFG's mother’s forum, where I support new mothers coming back from maternity leave. This has significantly contributed to MUFG’s ability to support and retain women. As I work 4 days a week, I have been a role model for many others (men and women), who I mentor, to support them in finding balance in their day-to-day lives and careers.
After my first child was born I suffered from PTSD and know how hard it is to cope with mental health, a stressful job whilst being a mum and a wife at the same time. This made me passionate about creating networks and helping others especially at work where people usually suffer in silence. I regularly sit on panels to share my experiences as a working mum on a part-time arrangement and also about mental health. I have done Reiki and Healing courses and am an active fundraiser for Deep Sea Rainbows, a charity supporting young kids and teenagers in Kenya.
Jemma Waters | Lloyds Banking Group
Jemma leads the Insight, Policy and External Relations team within Lloyds Banking Group’s Responsible Transformation function. Using data analysis and mixed research methods she drives data-led strategies for responsible business and produces actionable insights for partners across the UK including charities, industry and government. This has made a real difference to the provision of digital skills in the country, and is widely recognised as a leading piece of annual insight by government and the other partners that use the data.
Jemma also leads external engagement for Group Transformation division, telling the story of Digital Inclusion, Responsible Transformation, and Diversity externally; all with the aim of Helping Britain Prosper. In this capacity she has worked to forge new relationships with corporates, policymakers, start-ups and small businesses. She has also shaped new propositions such as the Lloyds Bank Academy – a free skills academy aimed at helping everyone in the UK to get the skills they need to succeed - and #DiversitybyDefault – a series of events and papers seeking to spark new debate around the topic of Diversity. The next event will be on May 30th and will focus on suicide prevention and how corporates and policymakers can work together to help.
Prior to Lloyds Banking Group, Jemma worked at Accenture Interactive and dunnhumby, using data with human-centred design thinking to develop and deliver customer propositions and insights for a range of clients including Sky, Tesco, Channel 4 and leading FMCGs.