Founded in 2012, upReach began by supporting an initial cohort of 39 Associates. Following steady growth, in 2018/19 we worked with over 1,300 students, putting us well on our way to achieving our target of working with 2,500 students by 2022. Our leading technology platform helps us measure impact in real time. Our Impact Report outlines how we use outcome and output data to evaluate the success of our programmes. In October 2019, upReach won the 2019 Charity of the Year Award at the Charity Times Awards in the under £1m income category. In July 2019, in recognition of the impact upReach is having, upReach were "Highly Commended" at the FSI Small Charity Big Impact Awards.
John has been actively involved in social mobility since founding the successful Cambridge University Shadowing Scheme in 1999. Since joining as CEO in January 2016, upReach has tripled in size, providing a more personalised, comprehensive and impactful programme of support to students in close partnership with employers, universities and the third sector. Prior to joining upReach, he spent 11 years in investment banking, and as a Lead Practitioner, taught Maths and Economics in state and independent schools. A charity trustee for seven years, John likes skiing, marathons, coffee and red wine.
Stephanie joined upReach after working in the Corporate world as a tax director for 25yrs and is working closely with our Professional Services partners. She wanted to join upReach so she could share insights she gained while developing her own career with Associates as they are launching their careers. She is also responsible for developing and managing the relationships with University partners.
Mona joined upReach because she is a social mobility advocate. She previously worked in Higher Education and local government where she created and developed a number of programmes boosting access to opportunities for students from a widening participation or low socio-economic background. She is an experienced employability professional with a strong background in partnership development and project management. Her role is to oversee the efficient management of upReach’s partners, creating a strategy to drive the development of new projects and bringing in new strategic partners aligned to the needs of the upReach mission. Mona studied Chemistry. In her spare time, she mentors and is a trained coach. She likes travelling, spending time with her new niece and nephew, going to restaurants and writing food reviews and going to the theatre. She is also a Spurs fan (for her sins).
Hannah is the Sector Programmes and Mentoring Manager. She joined upReach because she wants to help students reach their full potential, and ensure that no one feels their background can stop them from achieving their career goals. Her favourite things are tea, cake, and history.
Liam is coordinating the upReach University Societies. He joined upReach because he is passionate about bridging the attainment gap in graduate employment for students from different backgrounds. In his spare time, Liam enjoys football, travelling and cycling everywhere he can.
Olivia is our Fundraising Manager, and coordinates the Rise London programme in partnership with John Lyon’s Charity. After working to help prepare sixth formers for the transition to university, she was attracted to upReach’s focus on the transition which follows, between university and employment. Olivia enjoys travelling and has researched primates in various rainforests in the tropics.
Gavin is responsible for all things finance-related at upReach. Before making a career shift into the Third Sector and re-training as a Management Accountant, he co-founded and ran a niche recruitment business for over 10 years. Prior to joining upReach, Gavin worked as Finance and Administration Manager for a leading Arts Charity in East London. When not staring at various spreadsheets, he enjoys theatre and quality box-sets.
Emily joined upReach as she is particularly keen to help individuals realise their full potential regardless of where they grew up. She has field experience of teaching, development and leadership across a variety of continents. Her interests include travel, culture, outdoors and adventure. So far Emily has been to 33 countries… and counting!
Throughout his time at university David helped sixth form students from less-privileged backgrounds overcome the many barriers to university. He came to realise that it was these students that needed extra support during the transition which follows university, into employment. This is why he joined upReach. David has a strong interest in history and enjoys playing any sport that is thrown his way.
Based in Manchester, Gemma manages the University Partnerships at upReach. Before upReach she worked at an education charity, working closely with Universities to help bring more skills to school governing bodies. Gemma is passionate about equal opportunities and continues to volunteer as a school governor in Stockport. Her hobbies include fitness and everything outdoorsy!
Tom joined upReach after working as a strategy consultant at PwC for 3 years. He joined the team to apply his skills and expertise from the corporate sector to improving outcomes for upReach Associates around the UK. He also loves hiking, running, and travelling around Indonesia!
Kiran works as a Programme Coordinator and is based in the Manchester office alongside Gemma. He joined upReach as he was looking for an organisation that had strong core values and a clear idea of how to make a positive change within society. Kiran is also passionate about Music and History having studied both subjects in a joint honours degree at Leeds University.
Lee joined upReach after running a university access programme. He joined the team because he was motivated to support students more once they reached university, with the next step of entering rewarding graduate employment. Lee is responsible for running upReach’s Investment Industry Springboard, in partnership with the Diversity Project
Andy joined upReach because he is passionate about ensuring that all students have the knowledge needed to access opportunities that will allow them to develop the skills to go on to access top graduate jobs. His role is to support a new cohort of aspiring law professionals in doing exactly that. In his spare time, he likes to read, spend time in the great outdoors and travel overseas.
Having been an upReach associate at the University of Exeter, Niamh was very keen to join upReach to be part of their ambitious vision to facilitate equal access to opportunities and to work with a diverse and interesting group of Associates. Before joining upReach she studied Middle East Studies and taught English to children and university students abroad.
Yolanda joined upReach because of her passion for contributing to social change and mentoring young people from under-represented communities. Before completing her Masters in African Studies at the University of Oxford, Yolanda was a member of the Executive Team for the Patchwork Foundation Masterclass Programme, further propelling her to pursue a career whereby she can have a positive social impact. Yolanda enjoys museums and anything to do with colonial history.
Liz is Programme Coordinator who joined upReach because she is passionate about improving social mobility across the UK. Before starting with upReach, Liz worked and volunteered in a number of charities where she developed her motivation for social change. In her spare time Liz likes to be spontaneous, trying new activities whenever she gets chance!
Tabitha is our Operations and Development Coordinator, and will be organising the 2019 Student Social Mobility Awards. After working as a Sutton Scholars Mentor and President of Sexpression Warwick while at university, she was keen to further develop her knowledge of the charity sector. upReach’s ambitious Theory of Change and ever-growing impact on social mobility issues further drew her to the role. Tabitha enjoys collecting houseplants, listening to all sorts of podcasts and eating vegan treats!
Alex joined the upReach Manchester office after graduating from the University of Cambridge with a determination to help tackle social and educational inequality. Prior to receiving her English degree, Alex was extensively involved in her college and wider university access work.
As the first person in her family to go to university and a former pupil of a state comprehensive school in Greater Manchester, she understands that social mobility issues do not end once graduation is over. She is passionate about helping Associates realise their brilliance and potential.
She can be found with either a coffee, book or online shopping order in her hand.
During her time at university, Anna worked with school students from less privileged backgrounds to gain the skills needed to attend university. She joined upReach as a Programme Coordinator to help students with the next step of gaining access to top graduate jobs. In her free time she enjoys cooking, exploring London by bus and finding bargains in charity shops.
Tim joins upReach for a 6 month secondment from the Civil Service Fast Stream. As a digital, data & technology fast streamer he is working towards becoming a leader in a ‘Brilliant Civil Service’. He is excited to be working at upReach and helping the charity to improve the socio-economic diversity of applicants to top graduate schemes such as the Fast Stream. Prior to joining the Fast Stream Tim worked as a civil servant at various departments for over two years, having joined as an apprentice after dropping out of a physics degree and working as a labourer and delivery driver. In his spare time Tim likes to cycle, and play the piano.
Liberty first heard about upReach through her shortlisted nomination at the 2018 Student Social Mobility Awards for her voluntary work at university. She is very excited to join upReach to be part of a team that is enthusiastic to help improve social mobility and support a wide inspiring cohort of students. In her spare time Liberty likes reading about world politics, being near the sea and travelling!
Jacque is a programme coordinator, is passionate about social mobility and has previously worked on increasing access to higher education in Devon. In his free time Jacque enjoys playing the guitar, and ukulele and likes to play instrumental music and the occasional jazz standard. Jacque likes hikes in the countryside and listening to live music.
Sophie joined upReach on the FCLP Programme as she is excited about working to support and empower students. She is currently finishing up her MA and joins us after having worked in international development. Out of the office she can be found cooking, travelling or curled up with a book.
Mabel joined upReach because she is passionate about social mobility and dismantling systemic oppression and inequality, which she explored in her degree in History and English Literature at the University of York. In her spare time, Mabel participates in competitive cheerleading, and is a regular attendee at her weekly pub quiz.
Sarah is a Programme Coordinator at upReach. Originally from Liverpool, she graduated from Royal Holloway with BA Modern History and Politics. She then went on to study Economic History MSc at the London School of Economics and is passionate about the reduction of inequality in society. In her free time she enjoys cooking and spending time with her dog, Charlie.
Iria joined upReach with the drive and passion to help students from different backgrounds prepare and develop the skills to access top graduate jobs. Prior to working here Iria graduated in Politics and Latin American Studies from the College of William and Mary in the US. In her spare time, Iria enjoys reading and cooking, and especially loves knitting in the winter.
Dulcie joined upReach as she wanted to work in an organisation that made a signifiant difference to students’ lives, and aims to make a real change in the Higher Education sector. After applying to University through a scheme called Access to Leeds, and understanding the challenges of adapting to University and the transitions that follow, Dulcie is passionate about ensuring that access to graduate employment is inclusive and accessible, and wants to ensure that all students are given equal opportunities. Her main interests are cooking, travelling, and learning about different cultures.
Michelle joined upReach as she is passionate about helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds secure graduate jobs. Her role is to support aspiring lawyers, having come from a legal background herself and being a Future Trainee Solicitor. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys cooking, going to live concerts and travelling.
Graeme is an international leader & researcher in the field of access and diversity in higher education. Graeme founded and leads both AccessHE and the National Education Opportunities Network (NEON). He holds Visiting Professorships at London Metropolitan University, Amity Business School and Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur. He also wrote ‘Charting Equity: Drawing the Global Access Map’ and ‘Access to Higher Education: Understanding Global Inequalities’.
Azhar studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Exeter. Having recently graduated, he is working as a Management consultant and served as a Trustee at the University of Exeter Student’s Guild.
Katy is the Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Bank of America, covering Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region within the EMEA Talent function. She leads a team in creating and leading on the organisations diversity and inclusion strategy, including partnering with HR partners to embed diversity and inclusion practice into our business and people strategies, oversight of our Employee Networks and partnering with external organisations in order to maximize our diversity and inclusion efforts.
Al is an experienced Financial and Operational Turnaround Executive, currently working in McKinsey’s Restructuring Team. Before joining McKinsey, Al qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC in their Restructuring Team where he spent 14 years working on assignments based out of London, New York, Zurich and Paris.
Alex is currently working as an associate at AllianceBernstein in Fixed Income. Prior to this he completed placements in Corporate Finance and Private Banking. He holds an MSc in Economic History from The London School of Economics.
Valentina works as Assistant Project Manager at Lendlease. Prior to this, she completed a BA in English Language and Communication at Kings College London where she also worked as a Research Assistant. Her first published article, ‘UK higher education institutions’ technology-enhanced learning strategies from the perspective of disruptive innovation’, was published by the Research in Learning Technology and the Distance Education in China academic journals.
Owain is the former Managing Director and Co-Founder of the Behavioural Insights Team. Currently, Owain is enjoying a few months of parental leave.
Associate at Mishcon de Reya LLP, Founder & CEO of The Student Development Co., Founder & CEO of Career Ear.
Dr. Louise Ashley specialises in researching diversity and inclusion across leading professions. In 2015 and 2016, she led the teams appointed by the government’s Social Mobility Commission to identify and understand barriers to the elite professions on the basis of socio-economic background.
Dinti began her career as an international lawyer at Linklaters and FremantleMedia, gaining an MBA at INSEAD. Politically active for over a decade as a policy-maker and campaigner, she is also a trustee of the Fawcett Society and board member of the Arnold Foundation.
Phillip is a Distinguished Research Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University, having previously worked at the University of Cambridge and University of Kent at Canterbury. He is widely recognised for his international work on education, employability and labour markets. He is currently studying talent management, corporate change and the future of work.
Julia currently works at Mercer as an HR Business partner within the HR Regional Leadership team focusing on Europe. Previously she managed the sourcing, selection and screening of candidates for junior positions in a dynamic management consultancy. Strongly committed to diversity and inclusion, she was involved in setting up D&I initiatives for the London office and led the partnership with upReach.
Nick works within the Clara Analytics Team at KPMG. He was previously in Graduate Recruitment and Outreach at KPMG. In 2015, Nick created and delivered Professional Experience Programmes for students across the UK as well as attending policy discussions and debates around social mobility, barriers to work and higher education.
Kate is VP, Head of Talent Marketing at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She has been with the bank for 9 years, across a variety of Junior Talent and Employment Brand roles in Hong Kong and London. She partners with the banks Diversity & Inclusion team on key initiatives.
Deborah was part of the founding team at upReach, where she worked for almost four years in a number of different roles including leading the first Associate programmes. She is currently a diversity recruiter at McKinsey & Company.
Kate has over 20 years’ experience working as a careers Consultant/Coach and is passionate about supporting individuals to fulfil their career potential. Based for the last 10 years in the Higher Education sector with a particular focus on widening participation, she is now working at the University of Exeter.
Rachel is the Resourcing Lead for Aviva in the UK. She has worked at Aviva for 17 years in a variety of HR roles across talent, recruitment and business partnering. Prior to joining Aviva Rachel worked for over 10 years at British Airways Holidays in Customer Service management roles. Rachel is passionate about helping to unlock opportunities for people, at all career stages, to enable them to do the best work of their lives.
Richard Kennett is the Director of UK Student Recruitment and Outreach at the University of Southampton. He chairs the Southern Universities Network Management Group that contains the six Hampshire and Dorset universities working together on the National Collaborative Outreach Programme. Previously he chaired the Russell Group Widening Participation Association.
Michael LeoValan is the co-founder and CTO of JMAN Group. Leo is passionate about technology, with over 25 years of deep technical background and multiple leadership roles in Silicon Valley, CA and in India. He advises product startups and large corporations on digital transformation and data strategies. His belief in equal opportunity for different social classes has brought him closer to upReach.
Tania is Career Mentoring Manager and Doctoral Researcher at the University of Reading. Her research focuses on the impact of social diversity on the success of career mentoring partnerships in Higher Education. Tania also has experience of graduate recruitment for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Emma Moore is the Head of Careers & Employability at the University of Liverpool. She chairs the AGCAS Employer Engagement Task Group sharing best practice around university and employer engagement nationally. Emma is also a member of the AGR Policy Group.
Reggie Nelson is a Graduate Analyst at Legal and General Investment Management; is currently the Group Chair for ACCA Emerging Talent Advisory Group, and has previously worked with the Cabinet Office and Downing St to help tackle ethnic and social disparities
Emma is a CSR professional with over 20 years experience, managing Allen & Overy’s educational programmes with a particular focus on social mobility. Emma has a been a Trustee of the London Legal Support Trust since 2011 and in her previous role managed the firm’s pro bono legal advice clinic work.
Sarah led City Gateway’s corporate partnerships team and oversaw the creation of over 1000 jobs for disadvantaged young people. Today she is responsible for Development and Communications at Greenhouse Sports. She is also Chair of youth charity TwentyTwenty.
Phil is the Chief Psychologist and Chief Assessor of the Civil Service Fast Stream, focusing on assessment design and diversity initiatives. Prior to this, he was Head of Occupational Psychology at the London Fire Brigade and Acting Head of Occupational Psychology for Greater Manchester Police.
