Nicola leads AccessEd. She is a registered Industrial Psychologist and holds a PhD in Industrial Psychology. Her doctoral study was focussed on investigating variance in employee engagement among Teachers in South Africa. While completing her PhD, Nicola worked as a Tutor of the AccessEd ZA programme. Prior to her involvement with AccessEd, she gained experience in the education sector in South Africa and in South Korea.

Zani is an experienced HR Consultant and Career Coach, who graduated from Stellenbosch University and further obtained qualifications in Training and Development Management as well as Executive and Management Coaching. Zani has worked for MSF as HR Manager, as Coach Lead for an EdTech start-up and most recently started her own coaching and consulting company. She has also Coordinated a university scholarship programme in Indonesia.

Swathi is a PhD candidate at Birkbeck, investigating the pathogenesis of the Kaposi Sarcoma-associated Herpes Virus. She has an MRes in Cancer Biology from Imperial College. Swathi has experience teaching and tutoring, and she is a science writer for the Science Entrepreneur Club. Prior to her role at AccessEd, Swathi has worked with other education charities in the UK and India.

Daniel is a Mastercard Scholar at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He is studying towards a Master’s degree in Political Sciences while completing his internship at AccessEd. He is skilled in the creation and management of websites and has a successful history in audio-visual production.

Anne-Liese is an experienced facilitator, originally from the Netherlands. After graduating with her MA in Sociology of Childhood and Children’s Rights in London, she devoted herself to developing theatre programmes in South America and Africa. She has since facilitated a plethora of workshops in various schools across the UK, Europe, Africa and South America, while also training teachers at universities in the UK. Currently, Anne-Liese is a facilitator and works to provide leadership training and coaching around the UK.

Loell has 10+ years of experience working with high-performing teams, organising their collaborative efforts and way-of-working for maximum tangible output. With a background in several industries, including Telecoms, Automotive, Technology and Education, Loell helps globally dispersed teams solve problems, make decisions, create strategies and innovate at speed. She is a certified Project Manager, Design Thinking expert and Workshopper Master. Loell is also a keynote speaker, YouTuber and advisor to innovative start-ups.

Leona is a Learning and Development professional and Associate CIPD. She has experience in facilitating workshops, internal communications, student outreach and employee engagement. Leona has an MA in Public Humanities from the University of Sheffield. She is also an occasional freelance writer, with bylines in Metro UK, Black Ballad and Yellow Eve Magazine. Leona is passionate about instilling confidence in others and helping them identify their strengths.

Natalie utilises transferable skills from her acting background to bring a compelling dynamic energy to her role as a lead facilitator, trainer, and presenter. With experience across several industries including Professional Services, Financial Services, Automotive, and Hospitality, adjusting to changing environments and content comes naturally. As a storyteller and content producer, Natalie has designed and written many L&D-focused workshops and work experience programmes to inspire action in others, build confidence and make an impactful difference.

Zoi is an experienced facilitator, business coach and entrepreneur who has worked with leaders for more than a decade. Originally from Greece, she now lives in Scotland and has been supporting leaders all over the world to build a more sustainable, socially-conscious global economy. Zoi has designed and delivered countless workshops in Silicon Valley, India, Greece, the Netherlands and the UK. Zoi is passionate about creating safe spaces for people to uncover their potential.

Richard joined AccessEd in 2018 as Curriculum Manager and now advises on curriculum programming for maximum student subject impact. Before joining the organisation he was a physics teacher on the Researchers in Schools programme at Lampton School in west London, where he continues teaching three days a week. Prior to training on the programme, he was a postdoctoral research fellow in biophysics at Harvard University.

Chi Chi joined Hong Kong Scholars in 2018 as Programme Manager now undertaking a research fellowship at the University of Strathclyde. She led on the delivery and growth of a new university access programme in Hong Kong. Chi Chi completed her BA at the University of Sydney, her MPhil at the University of Cambridge and her PhD in History at the University of Hong Kong. She has led Hong Kong Scholars since 2017 and now advises their delivery team.

Lucy completed her PhD at the School of Medicine, Cardiff University, after completing her BSc, MSc and PGC-THE in the UK. She also studied at the University of Botswana where she won a scholarship to study abroad. She was an Associate tutor at Cardiff Metropolitan University. In 2016, Lucy became one of The Brilliant Club’s first PhD tutors to work in Wales. She has led Botswana Scholars since 2018.

Philippe is a PhD candidate in Medical Physics at University College London. His research focuses on lung cancer radiotherapy, aiming at optimising radiation usage in treatment. He previously completed his BSc and MSc and gained experience in other education charities in Taiwan. Before joining AccessEd, he worked as PhD tutor at The Brilliant Club, completing seven placements. As the Founder of Taiwan Scholars, Philippe oversees programme management, university partnerships and in-country support.

Rajbir completed her PhD on decolonization at Washington University in St. Louis and was Assistant Professor of Modern British History at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. After 10 years in academia, Rajbir joined The Brilliant Club as Regional Manager. She then joined AccessEd as a co-founder in 2016. Rajbir is currently Head of Student Outcomes in the Social Mobility and Student Success at King’s College London.

Anna is a chartered secretary and for the past six years worked as Deputy Company Secretary & Governance Manager at international education charity Ark. Anna now delivers advisory support to a range of charities and academy trusts and performs the role of governance professional for several public sector organisations. Anna is Co-Founder of Trust Governance Professionals and a Governor of Ark Globe Academy in Elephant and Castle.

John is the Head of Student Experience at the Royal College of Art. Formerly, John was the Chief Executive of Greenwich Students’ Union (GSU). John led the organisation through a transformation over the past 7 years, with extensive experience across the university and partnerships sector winning multiple awards. Prior joining GSU, John was Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Get Connected (now The Mix) and led the organisation through a merger with YouthNet to form a new organisation. John was awarded the ACEVO Fellowship in 2017, which recognises the achievements and hard work of civil society leaders.

Louise Banahene is the Director of Educational Engagement at the University of Leeds. She is also the strategic lead for the Go Higher West Yorkshire partnership – a collaboration between thirteen higher education providers across the region working together to develop higher level skills provision, outreach to widen access/target under-represented groups and new programme development. She has served as elected Chair of the Russell Group Widening Participation association. Louise also held a senior role at the University of Salford. In 2017 she was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to higher education.

Nicole is Senior Legal Counsel at the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF). Nicole co-founded and managed Krescent Consulting. Nicole also acted as the Director of Learning and Strategic Development for ILFA (International Lawyers for Africa). Before founding Krescent, Nicole was the deputy managing director of DaMina Advisors, an Africa-focused frontier consulting firm. Nicole has worked with top global law firms including Shearman & Sterling and Baker & McKenzie, and at Citibank in its Latin America and Caribbean Division. Nicole earned her Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center and master`s degrees from Columbia University.

Sharmila is responsible for the leadership and management of STEM Learning's new and priority national student programmes that will reach pre- and post-16 students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds across the UK. She led the STEM capacity building programmes (Nuffield Research Placements and Undergraduate Research Bursaries) at the Nuffield Foundation. She has recently undergone a secondment to the Department for Education. She has been a member of the Practical Science Executive Consortium. Previously, Sharmila worked at the British Science Association and as a secondary science teacher for six years in the UK and USA.

Tim has worked for 25 years in education, training and qualifications. He is Director of Vocational Skills at ScreenSkills, where he works with universities and colleges to help young people get the best quality education to make a positive start to their career. Prior to this he worked at the Education and Training Foundation supporting FE teachers, and at Pearson on BTEC qualifications, educational textbooks and eLearning. He is also trustee for an educational foundation in Cape Town giving financial support to disadvantaged young people to help them progress into higher education and work.

Anthony has over 20 years’ experience working for leading global companies in investor relations, communications, economic advisory, and strategy roles. Anthony is currently a Communications Consultant at WPP. Previously, he was Head of Investor Relations at Vodafone. His expertise is in planning and executing effective communication activities, creating a credible investment story, and building key stakeholder relationships. He is an active mentor, providing guidance and counsel for those who either are or feel disadvantaged.

Samora Menze is an experienced Teacher with a passion for mentoring and supporting young leaders. He graduated with a BSc in Human Life Sciences and PGCE from Stellenbosch University. He subsequently qualified as a Strengths Coach at the Strength Institute of South Africa. Samora has worked for 10+ years in South African public schools and currently serves as the Senior Programme Officer at the Jakes Gerwel Fellowship.

Clarisa Laltha is a commercial attorney, specialising in banking and finance and corporate mergers and acquisitions. She holds a BSc in Human Life Sciences (with Psychology) from the Stellenbosch University and a Postgraduate LLB from the University of Cape Town. She is currently a director at Werksmans Attorneys.

Lesedi is a Researcher, Social Entrepreneur and Education Activist. He holds a Masters in Policy Monitoring and Evaluation and is completing his PhD at the University of Johannesburg. Lesedi is an experienced M&E Researcher, having worked at JET Education Services Underhill Corporate Solutions. He has also worked with education NGOs in South Africa and the UK, including Career Avenue and Education and AccessEd.