Our Team

Meet our dedicated team who support all the work we do.

Our team members are based across our four hubs in the South, North, Scotland and the Midlands.



EY Foundation Team

I joined the EY Foundation in March 2014 ahead of its launch in July. Prior to taking on the CEO role, I was a member of the Leadership Team, with responsibility for the charity’s strategic partnerships and collaborations, the diversification of income streams, and expanding our work with employers.

 

Having worked in the sustainability and not-for-profit field for 12+ years I am passionate about the potential of cross-sector partnerships and the role businesses can play in helping to drive social change. 

 

The best piece of careers advice I’ve been given? You’ll spend a large chunk of your life at work, so work in a field/sector that you’re passionate about. You might not get there instantly but keep the focus. Don’t forget about volunteering – it’s an amazing way to build up your skills and add experience to your CV.

EY Foundation Team

I joined the Foundation in February 2017 and lead on all of our programmatic activity with young people and social entrepreneurs. Alongside this I also look after Youth Voice, Volunteering and Datat and Impact.

 

I have worked predominately in the third sector for the past 20 years and am passionate about developing the employability skills of young people through employer led/supported initiatives.

 

The best career advice I’d give is to find what makes you tick and don’t be afraid to change your mind – career journeys are never straight or indeed straightforward!

EY Foundation Team

I joined the Foundation in September 2023 and I am a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

 

My role as CFO, along with the Leadership Team is to support the Foundation to develop and implement its long-term strategic plan and to ensure its financial sustainability and good governance.

 

The best career advice I was given is to have an open mind as there’s something new to learn every day and that there may well be a better way of doing things than the way they are done today.


EY Foundation Team

I joined in August 2019 and my role is to work closely with employers across a range of sectors to connect them to untapped talent through employability programmes and strategic partnerships.

 

I am strong believer in the need to reframe society’s thinking around work experience. Rather than viewing it as something altruistic that businesses should do to support young people, we need to recognise the incredible talent, skills and perspectives that young people have, and support employers to genuinely invest in and develop them, as their future talent pipeline. 

 

Best career advice I’ve been given? I’ve recently read Atomic Habits by James Clear in which he reminds us that every action we take is a vote for the type of person we’d like to become. This is an approach I think we can all apply to our careers as well.

Ewan Bennie

I joined the communications team in September 2018, where I’m responsible for the Foundation’s communications and influence activity. The ‘influence’ part of my job title refers to creating change that helps ensure every young person has the same opportunity to succeed in the workplace, no matter their background.

 

The best piece of careers advice I have been given is to pursue your passion – it makes work much more enjoyable!

Photo of Anu

I joined the team in 2017 and I lead the Southern Hub Team in co-ordinating the delivery of key programmes supporting young people.

 

I am passionate about providing opportunities for all young people and have over 15 years of experience in delivering and leading programmes that help achieve this aim.

 

The best career advice I’ve been given is if you are not sure what you want to do in future then the only way to find out is to seek out opportunities and learn through new experiences.


Farjana Begum

I started working at the EY Foundation in May 2015 and have been working in the Finance team since. My role involves managing all the EYFs income and expenditure in preparation for the monthly accounts.

 

I am very passionate about what the EYF does and how much we’ve achieved so far.

I believe it is very important to understand what the charity does and be supportive of the work being done in order to strive in your role and do the best you can.

I am an HR Professional Associate CIPD qualified and joined the EY Foundation in April 2022. I am responsible for all the strategic people & development activities for the EY Foundation whilst also delivering on all the people-related operational aspects.

 

I am passionate about employment law, talent development and management, DEI, employee wellbeing and people analytics. People professionals have a key role in supporting employers in enhancing social mobility to create more fair, diverse, equal and inclusive workplaces. 

 

The best career advice I have been given is that you should never settle for something that you do not love, as the only way to do a great job and be professionally happy is to love what you do in an organisation in which you share its values and mission.

EY Foundation Team

I joined EY Foundation in November 2022 and my role is to ensure our partners have a positive and rewarding experience throughout their partnership with us.

 

I have over five years of experience in Account Management roles where I have developed work experience-style programmes for young people across the country.

 

The best career advice I have been given is that opportunities don’t just happen, you create them.


EY Foundation Team

I joined in February 2021 and my role is to holistically support care-experienced young people to realise their full potential by accessing meaningful pathways to education and employment.

 

I am extremely passionate about making a positive impact in the lives of others, particularly vulnerable young people, and possess a wealth of knowledge and experience across a range of multifaceted settings i.e. local authorities, youth offending, and alternative provisions with particular focus around planning and delivering innovative programmes and bespoke interventions.

 

Career advice that I would share is: lifelong learning is an integral part of your development so always remember to develop a new skill(s) and share on your journey – never stop investing in yourself!

EY Foundation Team

I joined EY Foundation in October 2022 and my role is engaging with employers employer networks to create new partnership opportunities across a variety sectors. As a passionate advocate for inclusive employment, I play a pivotal role in unlocking the potential of untapped talent. 

 

The best career advice I've ever been given is that opportunities can come from unexpected places and people, so always keep an open mind in all situations.

EY Foundation Team

I joined in March 2022 and I work in the programmes team supporting our programmes across all of our delivery locations.

 

Our young people have incredible goals and potential and it’s my absolute pleasure to help them realise this and boost their confidence through our various programmes. It’s vital that programmes like these exist so that young people can develop early networks and professional skills that will equip them for broadened opportunities in the working world.

 

The best piece of career/ general advice that I regularly share is to back yourself! Confidence is the key to encouraging you to push yourself, you have to believe in yourself otherwise how can you expect anyone else to! My key tip for building confidence? Surround yourself with people who celebrate you.


I joined the Foundation in January 2022, and my role is to coordinate fundraising strategies and support fundraising programmes for the Foundation.

 

I love the prospect of creating new ideas and methods of raising awareness of the cause, as well as interacting with potential donors, stakeholders and the young people who sign up to our programmes.

 

The best career advice I have been given is that life is too short to be stuck in a job you hate! So even if you are in one, take small steps to find what your passion is and run with it to reach your end goal.

I joined in December 2019, my role is to manage our relationships with our employer partners, supporting their engagement with young people and securing income for the EY Foundation.

 

I enjoy bringing employers together to make an impact for young people – there are so many interesting careers out there, I love hearing about them from employers and help them bring these opportunities to young people.

 

The best career advice I’ve been given is that a career doesn’t have to be a linear progression, opportunities will arise and whichever path you go down you will enjoy and learn something from it and learn more about yourself!

Freya Mumford

I joined in February 2023 and my role focuses on how we can use digital approaches to reach our ambition.

 

I am passionate about social mobility and making sure every young person has the best possible opportunities to reach their full potential.

 

My best career advice is to focus on networking, there's always someone willing to give you a helping hand!


EY Foundation Team

I joined in May 2021, and my role is within the Corporate Partnerships team. I find people from the working world to volunteer for speaking opportunities, to host our young people on work placements, and become partners to help fund our programmes.

 

I am passionate about making opportunities for young people more equal. I love seeing young people succeed based on merit, not just opportunity. I have worked in the charity sector for over 20 years in youth work and fundraising & partnerships.

 

The best piece of career advice I’ve ever been given: Be the best team mate you can be.  Support people in a way which helps them thrive!

James Dundas

I joined the foundation in October 2018 and my role includes engaging with schools and teachers in order to recruit for and deliver our employability programmes and workshops across Scotland whilst also working closely with volunteers and employer partners too.

 

I am passionate about supporting young people and helping them take the first steps in the early stages of their career goals and ambitions and helping them recognise and believe that they can achieve their ambitions regardless of the hurdles and barriers that they might face.

 

The best career advice I have received was “be confident and believe in yourself – If you don’t believe in yourself then how can you expect an anyone else to.”

EY Foundation Team

I started working at the EY Foundation five years ago, joining the Programmes Team in the southern hub to support across all our programmes. I manage our Smart Futures, Corporate Partnership and employability workshop programmes.

 

I’ve been lucky to hear a lot of great advice throughout my career, the most impactful was a quote from Jane Goodall - “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.


EY Foundation Team

I have been at Foundation since October 2018 in the role of Head of Finance, Governance and Assurance. I am passionate about numbers and how finance has an impact on other areas of the business which ultimately impacts the delivery of the Foundations objectives.

 

The best career advice I have been given is you can only grow beyond where you are if you accept where you are in the first place.

EY Foundation Team

I joined the EY Foundation in May 2022 to support how we engage with young people as an organisation. My role involves embedding Youth Voice across EYF and centring the thoughts and opinions of the young people we serve. Additionally, coordinate our post-programme engagement opportunities, including our Alumni community, young volunteers and our Youth Advisory Board.

 

I believe that all young people should be given the chance to succeed in life, regardless of socio-economic background, and be given the skills and opportunities to explore their passions.

 

The best piece of career advice I can give is that no one individual story is the same. We all progress and learn in different ways, and all we can do is be the best version of ourselves with as much confidence and passion as possible! 

EY Foundation Team

I joined in June 2017 as part of the Northern team and work on leading and delivering employability programmes for our young people. I have over 20 years of experience in charity, with a strong passion for moving and supporting young people into their next progression path.

 

The best career advice I was given was ‘’ Find a way to say yes to things. Say yes to invitations, say yes to meet new people, say yes to learning something new. Yes is how you will gain new experiences and opportunities which will help you grow’’.


I joined the EY Foundation in 2018 to develop the Foundation’s work with employers and in 2020 helped set up the national employability programme Beyond Your Limits.  I am now responsible for raising money to ensure that the EY Foundation can deliver its programmes and support to young people. 

 

One of the best bits of careers advice I have had, is to seize every opportunity you are offered. Some opportunities may push you outside of your comfort zone, others tell you more about jobs and ways of working you don’t like. Regardless of how hard or enjoyable, it is all helpful learning. 

EY Foundation Team

I joined the EY Foundation in February 2019, and I lead on the EY Foundation’s data and impact approach in relation to planning, monitoring, and evaluating our programmes and their wider societal benefit. Identifying opportunities to use our data to help drive continuous improvement is a further key aspect of his role at the organisation.

 

I have a passion for making data as accessible as possible; I’m a firm believer that harnessing data to help us ask better questions and design better solutions is the key to help drive organisational and social change. 

 

The best piece of career advice I would give is to have perseverance and never be scared to try new things as this will help you market your experience in an ever-changing world.

I joined in August 2022, and my role involves influencing change and developing new ways of improving prospects for young people from low-income backgrounds.

 

I believe a holistic approach is needed to remove barriers for young people entering the labour market, which will ultimately create a more diverse, innovative, and skilled workforce.

 

The best career advice I’ve been given is to push yourself out of your comfort zone because that’s how you grow!


EY Foundation Team

I joined in June 2021 and my role is to create and deliver content for internal and external audiences and produce key campaigns, publications, and events.

 

I am a firm believer in the potential of business to contribute to social progress and enjoy learning about new and innovative mediums of communication.

 

The best career advice I’ve been given is that nothing you learn will ever be wasted, even if you end up moving in completely different directions across your career you will always make use of what you learn along the way.

I joined the EY Foundation in August 2021 after 7 years with EY - first within Financial Services Risk then UK&I Consultancy.

 

The move to the Foundation enables me to support the Leadership Team and Board of Trustees in their pivotal roles, whilst offering the personal satisfaction of contributing to a life-changing resource.

 

The best career advice I have been given is actually general life advice – to remember that people matter more than things; and to always treat others as you would wish to be treated.

I joined the team in August 2022 and my role is to manage our volunteer network across all of our hubs and programmes.

 

For years now I have seen the tangible benefit of volunteering to support aspiration and build employability skills, not only for the young person but for the volunteer too. I have seen volunteers go for promotions they wouldn’t have put themselves forward for beforehand, boosts in their own confidence and abilities – even complete career changes. Working with young people is massively transformative – for both parties.

 

The best piece of career advice I have ever been given is to always seek feedback. 


EY Foundation Team

I joined in November 2022 and my role is to ensure the smooth planning and delivery of programmes and workshops in the North.

 

I am passionate about helping young people upskill themselves, boost their confidence and allow them to be what they aspire to be!

 

The best career advice I could give would be to always try and step out of your comfort zone as endless possibilities are out there and there is definitely one for you that you may not even know is there!

I joined EYF in February 2022 as part of the Finance & Operations Team. My role is to support our Board, Sub Committees and Leadership Team through effective governance, risk management, business planning, monitoring and reporting to ensure they can continue to make informed decisions in the best interest of our young people.

 

I believe good governance practices and effective planning are crucial to creating a strong organisational base from which we can deliver equitable employment opportunities to young people. 

 

The best career advice I’ve received was to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ because its usually in those moments that you learn the most. 

I joined in November 2021 and my role is to manage the administrative side of the programmes which ensures that our young people and volunteers are able to participate in our programmes properly.

 

I believe that everyone should have access to the same opportunities in life and am happy to be supporting those who have a harder time accessing them.

 

The best career advice I’ve been given is to talk to as many people as I can, to learn from them and see how that influences my career goals. 



EY Foundation Team

 I joined the Foundation in September 2023 and work with our Southern and Midlands hubs to deliver employability programmes for the amazing young people that engage with our programmes. I care deeply about platforming the stories and agency of young people and feel privileged to be able to support them to see themselves as the powerful changemakers they are!

 

The best career advise I’ve been given is do the thing that scares you! We learn and grow by pushing against the limitations we (or others) may put on ourselves, so don’t be afraid to push back. 

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I joined EY Foundation officialy in June 2023, having been seconded from my previous role at EY since June 2022. I'm the Business Systems Technical Lead and I'm responsible for projects that improve data and impact across the Foundation.

 

The best career advise I've ever been given is don't be afraid to ask questions.

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I Joined in September 2023 and I work on onboarding our young people onto HR Systems for our EY foundation Programmes, ensuring all of their documents are correct and ensuring pay is all issued correctly and without errors.

 

The best piece of career advice I have received is never miss an opportunity to learn something new.


EY Foundation Team

I joined EY Foundation in January 2024 as a Student Onboarding Administrator. My role is to onboard the young people who are joining the EY Foundation programmes. I am passionate about engaging and inspiring young people to embrace opportunity and tackle socio-economic challenges.

 

The best career advice I was given is to really listen to people and not just hear what they say! 

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I've been happy to be part of the EY Foundation team since November 2023. In my role, I get to dive into analysing and interpreting people and organisational related data. By doing so, I contribute to drive strategic and informed decision making. 

 

The best career advice I've been given is to 'always get prepared', as you would never know when an exciting chance may come knocking on your door!

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I joined EY Foundation in January 2024 as a Programme Lead. I work with the wonderful team here to develop and deliver our Programmes to young people across all four Hubs.

 

Some of the best career advice that has stayed with me is - "People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care".


EY Foundation Team

I'm thrilled to be a part of the EY Foundation family, having joined in January 2024. As a Student Programmes Administrator, my role revolves around providing operational support, facilitating volunteering processes, managing general administration tasks, handling data and systems and ensuring safeguarding & independence compliance with quality processes.

 

One valuable piece of career advice I've received is to "Chase meaningful experiences over titles, embrace failures as lessons, and build a career that reflects the truest version of yourself."

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I joined EY Foundation in February 2024 and my role as a Student Onboarding Administrator is to ensure there is a smooth recruitment and onboarding process for all young people enrolled into the various programmes organised by the EY Foundation, in time for programme delivery. 

 

The most valuable career advice I have received is to view failures as steppingstones to success. Embracing setbacks as learning opportunities has allowed me to navigate challenges and seize new opportunities.