Our senior leadership team brings together a wealth of experience from across the not-for-profit sector to enable inspirational, diverse young people to tackle educational inequality - and gain life changing opportunities.
Kevin is passionate about helping young people achieve their full potential and became the Chief Executive of City Year in September 2018. Prior to joining City Year UK, he was the founding Chief Executive of ThinkForward, a programme providing young people with long-term and intensive support to ensure they make a successful transition from school to work. ThinkForward was incubated in Impetus – The Private Equity Foundation and he previously worked with them as an Investment Director.
Before creating ThinkForward, Kevin worked in children’s services at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, where he was Deputy Head of Youth Services and then Head of 14-19 Education. Other roles have included as Deputy Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services and with the national charities Community Matters and St. John Ambulance. He is a qualified youth worker and teacher, has an MBA from Ashridge Business School and is currently completing a Doctorate in Education.
In his spare time Kevin is a trustee of the Centre for Youth Impact, a director of the Catch 22 Multi Academies Trust and the volunteer National Youth Engagement Adviser for St. John Ambulance. He is a Clore Social Fellow, was named by The Guardian in 2008 as one of the ‘Future 500’ leaders in public life and by Striding Out in 2011 as one of the UK’s top 100 Social Entrepreneurs.
Who is your hero?
Martin Luther King, for his commitment to building a beloved community and to giving service to others. He believed in a community in which people of different backgrounds recognise that we are all interconnected, and that our individual well-being is inextricably linked to the well-being of others. He said: “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”
What is the most powerful book you have ever read?
"The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas", by Ursula K. Le Guin. I like fantasy stories and this one comes with a moral dilemma and asks us all what we would do when faced with a tough choice.
What is your best career advice?
“Build on what you are into”. Work takes up such a big portion of our lives, you ideally want to do something you love. Developing personal interests and skills, including through volunteering, can be a great way of getting into your first job or progressing in your career.
Chandni joined City Year in 2023 to lead on our income growth and diversification strategy. She has over 16 years of experience in the charity sector, having raised millions of pounds for a range of UK-based organisations in that time. Chandni has experience leading multidisciplinary teams across a range of income streams including trusts and foundations, corporate giving, major donors, individual giving and events. Her passion lies in tackling inequality, in all its forms, so that everyone, no matter their background has access to the support and opportunities they need to thrive.
Chandni also sits on the Trustee Board of her local hospice and is the Chair of the Fundraising and Growth Committee for Girls Friendly Society UK
Who is your hero?
My hero is my dad because no matter what life throws at him, he never gives up and always fights through with a smile on his face.
What is the most powerful book you have ever read?
“The Architect’s Handbook” because it made me realise that I was definitely pursuing the wrong university degree and career path, and led me to my true passion and purpose in life!
What is your best career advice?
Technically it’s not my advice but I live by the advice of some guy called John Lydgate who said “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.
As Interim Director of Finance, Alison is responsible for the day to day operations of the Finance Department and all financial reporting. She is a chartered accountant, and began her career with EY, where she worked in the audit practice. Alison first got to know City Year through her role as an Investment Manager with Impetus-PEF, the organisation who helped bring City Year to the UK.
Who is your hero?
Jacinda Ardern - for her compassionate and empathetic response to the Christchurch shootings and her leadership in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is the most powerful book you have ever read?
"This is Going to Hurt" by Adam Kay. Kay's humorous diary of life as a junior doctor does not prepare you for the dark ending where he retells the sad events, the impact on him and his decision to give up medicine.
What is your best career advice?
Don’t be afraid to make big changes in your career. Opportunities don’t always arise at convenient times but don’t let that stop you seizing them.
For the past 20 years, Dean has worked as a Senior Leader in Education, Consultant and Director in some very challenging urban environments. Dean’s previous roles have seen him establish himself as a business leader in education, with responsibility for growth and educational experience. He understands that working to develop a different approach is vital.
Who is your hero?
My dad. A man who always taught me to never stop learning, strive to achieve your goals and always be the person you want to be.
What is the most powerful book you have ever read?
Maya Angelou’s "I know why The Caged Bird Sings".
What is your best career advice?
Kaizen: a Japanese business philosophy, meaning continuous improvement.
Sophie, Interim Associate Director of Development at City Year UK, has worked in the not-for-profit sector since 2007, gaining experience across adult and child social care, food poverty, politics and education. Finding a love of fundraising, she has worked across Trusts & Foundations, Corporate, Community and Individuals, and her favourite part of the job (after seeing the CYUK programme in action) is talking about the incredible work of our Mentors to our many supporters. Sophie became a school governor in 2009, and now sits as Chair of Governors of the Weavers Federation in Tower Hamlets.
Who is your hero?
My hero is Dolly Parton. Musical genius (she wrote Jolene AND I will Always Love you in ONE day!) and also an incredible philanthropist. Through the Dollywood Foundation she has supported children and young people to thrive in education and attend college in the USA. She set up The Imagination Library which has supported millions of children with free books across the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and Republic of Ireland. More recently she helped fund a Covid vaccination to save millions of people. Incredible and inspirational woman.
What is the most powerful book you have ever read?
I find it hard to pick just one but "Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants" by Robin Wall Kimmerer is a beautiful read. A mixture of science, Native wisdom and memoir, she writes of gratitude and reciprocal relationships within the natural world. Highly relevant and a joy to read.
What is your best career advice?
Don’t have rigid plans, take opportunities when they arise, finely tune your gut response. And in the words of Dolly - pour yourself a cup of ambition!
For the past nine years, Louisa has worked within the third sector as part of recruitment, sales and partnership teams. She has led regional sales teams across the North West and Yorkshire for NCS The Challenge, and was thrilled to be able to join City Year UK in 2019 as the Schools Partnership and Volunteer Recruitment Manager, leading both teams nationally.
Who is your hero?
A hard one! I don’t think I have one particular hero but am inspired by lots of different people I have in my life: friends, family, colleagues past and present...
What is the most powerful book you have ever read?
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini.
What is your best career advice?
Don’t over-complicate things, keep it simple and get the basics right first.
