Adam is a University Access Officer at Shirebrook Academy and West Nottinghamshire College.

Adam holds a Law degree and an MA in International Law, Ethics and Politics from the University of Birmingham. Before joining The Access Project Adam supported several research projects in Birmingham Law School. He has experience in the higher education and the third sector.

Alisa is one of our Volunteer Coordinators for London.

She previously worked for a charity in Glasgow supporting disadvantaged children engage with education. Alisa studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University after which she worked in cell biology research at the University of Edinburgh.

Arif is our Operations Administrator.

Previously, Arif has worked at a Background Screening Firm as a Researcher and Analyst. Arif is also a volunteer at the Wapping Community Centre, working on various projects, predominantly with children from an age range of 5-16. Arif has a BA in Islamic Theology and Arabic Literature from the Institute of Islamic Education.

Cheryl is our Operations Delivery Manager & Deputy Designated Child Safeguarding Officer as part of Operations Team, providing recruitment, HR and office support.

Cheryl studied English Literature at Roehampton University and has gone on to work in various professional services roles including Business Development and Project Management for both private and public sectors. She is currently training towards a Psychotherapy M.A and is passionate about helping people to reach their full potential.

Fay is the Impact and Strategy Director for The Access Project.

 She is responsible for maintaining and improving our impact with our young people as we grow, and for supporting our strategy development.In previous roles with UK charities she has led the design, quality assurance and evaluation of humanitarian and development programmes in a number of countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Fay studied Arabic and French at the University of Edinburgh and has an MA in Anthropology of Development from SOAS.

Holly is a University Access Officer at King Solomon Academy.

Prior to this she completed a PhD looking at health, gender and the body in contemporary American fiction at Ghent University, Belgium. In 2017, she was a Visiting Scholar with the School of Critical Studies at the California Institute for the Arts, Los Angeles. She developed an interest in improving access to higher education in her previous role working as a Learning Support Assistant at a large London secondary school. 

She also holds an MA in Comparative Literary Studies from Goldsmiths University, and a BA in American Studies from the University of Nottingham.

Kanekwa is a University Access Officer at Norwood School and University Academy of Engineering South Bank. 

She has previously interned at various education charities and social enterprises tackling educational inequality in the U.K. Kanekwa has also volunteered in schools as an Academic and Study Skills Adviser. Most recently, she was leading on research and strategy to maximise impact for a youth-centred social enterprise at the start-up stage.

Kanekwa studied Psychology at the University of Bristol and has just completed an MA in Social Justice and Education at UCL’s Institute of Education.

Mairead is a University Access Officer at St Thomas More Catholic School and City of London Academy Highbury Grove.

Prior to this, she has worked for children’s charities including Give Something Back to Berlin and The Tutor Trust. She has also worked at Randstad as a university support worker and has experience in content writing for student related websites.

Mairead studied English Literature at the University of Leeds.

Naomi is Head of London Programmes and Central Provision. She is responsible for school relationships and high quality programme delivery across all our London Schools. She is also responsible for all the Centrally Delivered Provision across all regions, including our Societies Programme and University trips.

She has previously worked on the Mayor of London’s School Programme as well as in Social Housing. 

Naomi has a degree in Geography from University of Liverpool.

Riaz is our Salesforce Coordinator who manages our CRM.

He has previously worked as a Salesforce Administrator in the charity industry.

Sophia is our Alumni Officer & Senior Programme Officer. 

Her previous roles have included developing Peer Assisted Learning and academic writing programmes for undergraduate students.

She has a degree in English Language and Communication from Kingston University.

Taija is a University Access Officer at Haggerston School and The City Academy, Hackney. 

She previously taught English as a foreign language and ran career guidance workshops whilst volunteering in Tanzania. Taija has also volunteered with various UK based charities, working closely with vulnerable groups; including a role as a mentor at a social mobility charity. Taija graduated in Sociology from Brunel University London. 

Amy works as the Senior Communications Officer managing our social media, online platforms and marketing content.

She has previously worked for a children’s charity in volunteer management and communications. Amy is also involved with Girlguiding UK as a volunteer leader working with Brownies (ages 7-10) as well as the lead volunteer for Girlguiding members aged 18-30 in North East London. She previously worked for the National Citizen Service working directly with a variety of young people.

She has a degree in International relations and Politics from The University of Sheffield.

Christian is a University Access Officer at Central Foundation Boys’ School.

He has previously worked as a SEND Teaching Assistant at a secondary school before going to university where he developed an interest in the education sector. Christian studied Ancient History at Durham University where he was also Vice-President of his college. 

Freya is a  Senior University Access Officer at St George’s RC School in Maida Vale.

Freya studied English Language and Literature at Oxford University. She has worked for The Times Educational Supplement, Sonia Friedman Productions and Alan Brodie Representation, managing the Noel Coward Archive.

Alongside The Access Project, Freya runs Bottle Cap Theatre, writing and producing new works of musical theatre. She is also an experienced private tutor.

Holly is a University Access Officer at University Academy of Engineering and Lister Community School.

Prior to joining our team, Holly has worked in diverse roles including as a foreign language assistant for the British Council and as an Event Coordinator.

Holly holds a degree in Politics and French from the University of Bristol and a Master of Public Policy from King’s College London. She specialised in European integration and has a keen interest in education policy.

Katie is Head of Midlands for The Access Project. She leads partnership development and volunteer recruitment in the East and West Midlands. 

Katie’s previous role was Regional Manager (West Midlands) for One Million Mentors, a community-based mentoring programme to support young people to fulfil their potential. Prior to that she worked for the regional STEM Ambassador Hub and managed summer camp programme delivery at The ATE Trust.

Katie has a degree in Italian and Spanish and worked professionally as a translator before joining the charity sector.

Nathan is our CEO. He works with Trustees and the Executive team supporting The Access Project to set and fulfil its strategic goals.

Nathan’s most recent roles have been within charities focussed on improving life chances for young people. He has been responsible for programme design and scale-up in senior roles at The Challenge Network, Starfish and Frontline. He moved to the third sector from a successful career in the civil service, including serving as the Programme Director responsible for National Citizen Service (NCS) — the coalition Government’s flagship youth programme.

Rachel is a Senior University Access Officer for Holte School in the West Midlands. Prior to this Rachel was an English teacher in Nottinghamshire for 13 years. During that time she was Achievement Leader for Year 11 and completed the NCSL Leadership Pathways qualification.

Rachel holds a PGCE in English from The University of Nottingham and obtained a degree in Literature, Life and Thought from Liverpool John Moores University.

Ronke is our Finance Director. She has a degree in Accounting and  is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and accountancy (CIPFA).

Ronke has over 22 years’ post qualification experience of providing financial leadership in the charitable sector and in schools. For almost six years, she was Director of Corporate Service at Crossways Sixth Form. Other roles she has held are  Financial Controller at Leigh Academy Trust, a Multi Academy Trust with over 25 schools,  Director of Finance and Resources at City YMCA, Financial Analyst at Transport for London and Financial Controller at Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS).

She is the founder/volunteer of IA-Foundation, a charity that helps children in Africa get good education. She has served as a Trustee/Director of over five charities and most recently, was formerly a Trustee of British Safety council.

Sara manages the delivery of the Programme across half of our London schools. Prior to becoming a Programme Manager, she worked as a University Access Officer for two years, delivering the programme in two of our schools.

Her previous roles have included teaching English as a second language, along with mentoring for youth charities.

She has a degree in English Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of Sussex.

Tiffany is a Programme Manager helping manage the delivery of the Programme across our London schools. Prior to this she worked as a University Access Officer for two years, delivering the programme in school.

She has background in access initiatives, having applied to university through one herself, and also having spent a year as the undergraduate student admissions officer. After university Tiffany completed the TeachFirst scheme and spent three years as a secondary school maths teacher.

She has a degree in Philosophy, Psychology & Physiology from Oxford University

Alafia is one of our Volunteer Coordinators for London. 

She previously worked in the education sector, focussing on inclusion and pastoral care, before joining The Access Project. Alafia holds a BA Hons in History and Politics and an MSc in Development Management. 

Catriona is a University Access Officer at The Crest Academy and The Urswick School.

Catriona most recently worked in a London Sixth Form in Student Support where she developed an interest in improving access to university. 

She has worked as a Relationships and Sex Education worker in schools and universities in the UK and Canada, independently running workshops and resource centres addressing sexual health and sexuality for the community. Catriona holds a Geography degree from the University of Manchester and is currently studying an MSc in Education, Power and Social Change at Birkbeck. 

Ellie is the University Events and Student Enrichment Manager at the Access Project. Previously, she worked in an Addiction Charity, working with young people suffering from parental substance misue. Ellie studied International Relations and Politics at the University of Sheffield, and has a Masters Degree in Middle East Politics from SOAS.

Gareth is the Programme Manager for the Midlands, managing delivery of the programme in schools across the West and East Midlands. 

Gareth’s previous role was Head of Programmes, Central Region for The Prince’s Trust, helping young people transform their lives through training, education and employment.  Before that Gareth had an 18 year career at NatWest Bank.

Jake is our Senior Impact Manager and leads our Tuition Programme.

Jake previously worked for another leading University access charity and taught English in China for a year. He has a degree in English and Related Literature from the University of York.

Lucy is the Programme Director and is responsible for school relationships and high quality programme delivery across all of our schools in all regions.

She previously worked at a business pyschology consultancy, leading a team of PAs and Project Managers, before joining The Access Project.

Lucy holds a BA in English Literature, an MA in Colonial and Postcolonial Literature, and a PhD in the memorialisation of the British slave trade.

Michaela is one of our  Senior Volunteer Coordinators for London.

She has previously worked in a similar role for a charity helping young offenders to resettle in the community upon release from prison and ultimately reduce re-offending.

Michaela has a BSc in Criminology and Sociology from Royal Holloway University of London.

Nicole is a University Access Officer in London.

Nicole’s two most recent jobs have been working as both a Youth programme Leader for NCS The Challenge as well as a Team Leader for Raleigh International. Previous to this she worked as a Relationship Coordinator at Dot Dot Dot Property Guardians, managing various buildings and guardians across the country. She has also worked as a Teaching Assistant in Spain and Resort Representative in France. Nicole graduated in International Business with French at Warwick.

Rachel is the Senior Data & Insight Coordinator.

She has previously worked as a programme coordinator for another educational charity and worked as a supply teacher in various primary schools throughout Luxembourg.

She holds a degree in English and American Studies from the University of Nottingham and a Masters degree in Transnational Studies from University College London.

Rubinder is our Online Tuition Coordinator, responsible for coordinating online tuition across the Midlands.

In her previous role, Rubinder acted as a leadership coach and mentor for qualifying and newly qualified teachers.

Rubinder holds a PGCE in Mathematics from the University of Nottingham and obtained a degree in Economics and Management from Aston University.

Simon is a University Access Officer at the Chelsea Academy. His previous roles have included supporting SEN children as a 1:1 teaching assistant in North London, fishmongering in Canada and writing articles as an exchange student in the United States. As a qualified teacher, Simon’s passions include intercultural learning, teacher development and combating educational disadvantage.

Simon has a BEd degree in Primary Bilingual Education from St. Mary’s University College/Queen’s University Belfast and is currently studying a masters degree in Education, Policy and Society at King’s College London.

Stuart is the Operations Director and is responsible for high quality delivery across all operational areas.  

Stuart’s most recent roles have been senior positions within the higher education sector, including serving as Operations Director at Kaplan and National Head of Assessments at The University of Law.

Stuart holds a BA in Leadership & Management from the Open University and was the Open University Business School Leadership & Management Student of the Year in 2018. 

Tim Archer is Head of University Partnerships at The Access Project and leads on maintaining and expanding our relationships in higher education.

Tim was previously a Director of Public Policy Events at a political communications company, overseeing a programme of engagement with those working in the wider public sector and beyond. Before that he worked in ‘Welfare to Work’, building delivery networks of back-to-work services.

Tim studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Oxford (having been given a helping hand by an access scheme) and went on to do an MSc in Government and Politics of the Middle East at SOAS.