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.
Laura manages our Rise and Aim Programmes and is responsible for measuring our impact and managing our mentoring and alumni activities. She was drawn to upReach because of its strong social mission, its ambitious outlook and young, fun team.
Eugene joined upReach because he wanted to see students access the opportunities they deserve. He is responsible for developing and managing relationships with upReach’s Employer Partners. He likes hockey, cycling and all things behavioural economics-related.
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.
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.
Madeleine joined upReach because she is passionate about education and believes that the collaboration of universities, employers and a charity is the best way to tackle social mobility. She manages our tech platforms and works with the team to continue creating new and engaging tools. She loves yoga, running and travelling.
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!
Olivia is our Fundraising Manager, and coordinates the Rise London programme in partnership with the John Lyon 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.
Kwaku has been with upReach since September 2015 working with Associates to realise their potential. He studied Economics at the University of Cambridge and has a side venture making handmade chocolates. Kwaku joined upReach because he is passionate about supporting young people to discover and achieve their goals.
Programme Leader (Banking & Finance)
Hannah is the Programme Leader for Banking and Finance. 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.
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.
Gemma is a Programme Coordinator based in Manchester. With a passion for social mobility, Gemma joined upReach because she believes that we need to invest more in creating equal opportunities. Her hobbies include fitness, cooking and everything outdoorsy!
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.
Aine is a Programme Coordinator at upReach she is also currently supporting the team in the application process for new Associates. She is a graduate of the Irish Center for Human Rights and is passionate about social justice. She is excited to work with upReach as she has long been an advocate for access to equal opportunities for all, regardless of social background. Aine enjoys reading, music, and playing with her dog on the beach.
Noshin joined upReach having previously been an Associate whilst at university. She joined upReach as she is passionate about social mobility and believes workplaces can thrive with greater social diversity. Noshin enjoys baking, reading and everything to do with economic history.
Beth joined upReach because she loves working with young people and is passionate about social mobility. She has previously worked with students of diverse backgrounds to improve the accessibility of higher education in Bristol and London and is excited to support students with the next step. She enjoys playing netball, escaping to the country and generally keeping busy!
Ally is the Development and Operations Officer at upReach. She is passionate about social mobility and equality of opportunity, and has experience of teaching in France and of charity work in the UK. She studied history and French, and enjoys reading and practising yoga.
Mark is a strategic communications professional who specialises in working with education institutions and research bodies. He started his career working in think tanks and then went on to serve as Director of Communications at the 1994 Group of Universities, Head of Strategic Communications at GSM London and is now Head of Policy and Communications at Abellio Group.
Dr. Graeme Atherton 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’.
Mikayla is a Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Company, where she’s been working for two years. Prior to this, she completed a BSc in Government and Economics at LSE.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Katy is SVP Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She has been with Bank of America Merrill Lynch collectively for over 12 years, across a variety of leadership roles in Staffing and Global Human Resources across the UK and Ireland.
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.
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.
