Our Staff Team
Angela Bediako-Ntim
Work Experience Manager
angelageorge@sparkcharity.org.uk
Angela joined Spark! in December 2023, having worked in both the voluntary and corporate sectors for a number of years. She has a strong and varied background within the employment sector and is passionate about providing good quality work experience opportunities for young people.
If you are a school or employer who would like to find out more on how we could support your work experience, please get in touch.
Ronika Bhudia
Mentoring Programme Manager
ronikabhudia@sparkcharity.org.uk
Ronika joined Spark! in June 2022. She comes from a background in supporting young people in both the non-profit and education sectors. She is passionate about providing young people with access to a wide range of opportunities, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Her role as Mentoring Programme Manager is to support disadvantaged young people to access to career mentors and social capital, and to build their employability skills and confidence, as they face the challenges of transitioning from education to employment and career.
Georgia Ford
Head of Workplace Experience
georgiaford@sparkcharity.org.uk
Georgia joined Spark! as the Work Experience Manager in November 2018, and since October 2022 has been the Head of Programmes (maternity cover). She has previously worked in the education sector for a number of years, and has experience of a variety of other sectors.
Please contact Georgia if you have any enquiries about our programmes and range of services.
Paniz Juwandoon
Regional Programmes Coordinator
panizjuwandoon@sparkcharity.org.uk
Paniz joined Spark! in May 2021, via the Government Kickstart scheme, and in September she become a permanent member of the team. She comes from a background in International Relations, assisting others with their programmes and events. She enjoys being part of projects that make a sustainable impact on people.
Rochelle Laurencin
Programmes and Partnerships Manager
rochellelaurencin@sparkcharity.org.uk
Rochelle joined Spark! in May 2023. Before joining the team Rochelle worked in various organisations, including the London Screen Academy, and most recently at Islington Council supporting young people to broaden their career aspirations and develop employability skills. In addition, Rochelle has worked in partnership with a range of employers to design and deliver activities and programmes in schools, to ensure young people are able to reach their full potential.
Rochelle is highly motivated and passionate about breaking down barriers to ensure young people can attain rewarding careers that are perfect for them.
Matt Lent
Chief Executive
mattlent@sparkcharity.org.uk
Matt joined Spark! as Chief Executive in August 2020. He has more than 30 years’ experience working with and for children, young people and communities. He worked as a youth worker and trainer for many years, and since 2004 has been a senior leader and Chief Executive of a number of youth and education charities.
Matt is passionate about improving the well-being and lives of young people and communities, and is committed to building and leading resilient not-for-profit organisations to do so.
Rachel McAdam
Head of Partnerships
rachelmcadam@sparkcharity.org.uk
Passionate about helping young people prepare for their working lives, helping to level the playing field once students enter the labour market, Rachel has been with Spark! since February 2013.
If you are a business or a grant-making organisation interested in learning more about our work, please talk to Rachel about the transformative work we can do.
Ayana Khan
Community Engagement Officer
ayanakhan@sparkcharity.org.uk
Ayana joined Spark! in March 2024 as part of the Jack Petchey Internship programme. Alongside her studies of Social Anthropology at university she has worked with young people in a range of different environments; from running sports activity sessions for young refugees to volunteering within a school community inclusion team targeting marginalised families. Ayana believes that it is imperative to give young people the skills and experiences necessary to enable them to be the experts and drivers of their own lives.
Faye Rounding
Head of Programmes (maternity leave)
fayerounding@sparkcharity.org.uk
Faye began her career teaching English at secondary level, and has since managed and grown a number of alternative education programmes, focusing on developing vital life skills to prepare young people for their futures. She believes in creating equal opportunities for everyone, and loves working to support programmes and their participants to develop in a sustainable way.
Grace van der Velde
Regional Programmes Manager
gracevandervelde@sparkcharity.org.uk
Grace joined Spark in November 20222. She has been involved in the non-profit sector since University, including in social housing and most recently at the Prince's Trust. She has a particular interest in providing young people with the opportunities and experience to enable them to achieve their goals, not matter their background.
Megan Wright
Collective Action Manager
meganwright@sparkcharity.org.uk
Megan is a qualified youth worker with 8 years experience working with young people across multiple sectors.
She is passionate about bringing the best opportunities to young people to enhance their futures, and does this by leading Spark! 's collective action and place-based approach in the London Borough of Brent and Ealing.
Charmaine Esprit
Programmes Manager (Alternative Provision and SEND)
charmaineesprit@sparkcharity.org.uk
Charmaine brings extensive experience to Spark!, having supported young people with complex needs through various youth intervention programmes. She has successfully designed and delivered services focused on crime prevention, education, and trauma-informed support. Charmaine is deeply committed to promoting inclusion and equality, with a passion for creating opportunities that empower young people to overcome barriers and achieve their full potential.
Kate Powys-Maurice
Mentoring and Programme Manager
katepowysmaurice@sparkcharity.org.uk
Kate is qualified as a history and law teacher in 2017, and was based in south London secondary schools, before travelling to Taiwan to work as an English teacher. Now back in the UK, she is excited to bring her knowledge of education, as well as her passion for educational equality, to Spark! and the partnerships and mentoring programmes.
Toren Scott
Programme and SEND Coordinator
torenscott@sparkcharity.org.uk
Toren joins the Spark! team in November 2024, having recently worked as a Senior Education Coordinator at Brentford FC CST and various roles in SEND settings previously. Toren has over five years of experience working with various types of young people including primary, secondary school and college students. Toren has developed and helped grow a range of youth programmes including STEM initiatives and personal development programmes. He commits himself to bridging social gaps amongst hard-to-reach young people and creating spaces for them to feel uplifted and reach their full potential.
Omba Okandju
Partnership Programmes Coordinator
ombaokandju@sparkcharity.org.uk
Omba joined Spark! in October 2024, bringing extensive experience in supporting young people through roles in organisations such as Street League and Crossroads Youth Development. Most recently, Omba worked as a Progressions Coordinator across multiple hubs in London, developing programmes focused on confidence, self-awareness, and employability skills for secondary school students.
With a strong background in partnership-building, Omba has collaborated with schools and employers to design impactful programmes that empower young people to achieve their goals. Omba is deeply committed to breaking down barriers and passionate about helping young people unlock their potential and pursue fulfilling careers aligned with their aspirations.
Our Board of Trustees
Chris Paterson
Trustee
Chris has been a trustee of Spark! since Sept 2016. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant and spent 17 years working as a senior leader in Finance and Commercial roles in the pharmaceutical industry. Chris subsequently trained as an Executive coach and set up his own coaching and facilitation business in 2016 and he is also is the founder of GivingTime, a charity that supports students to make the transition into the workplace by offering free coaching sessions and asking them to volunteer for a cause of their choice in return.
Sadia Rahman
Trustee
Sadia joined Spark! as a Trustee in October 2021. She is also a Director of Client Solutions at Redington, a UK-based investment consulting company where she is accountable for extending the impact of the organisations solutions into new client segments and regions. Prior to this, Sadia held numerous roles in the investment industry in both Australia and the UK. She brings a wealth of professional experience in governance, fund raising, strategy and growth and hopes to leverage this experience to contribute to local communities. She is particularly passionate about the value of incorporating diverse views in organisational decision-making.
David Scott
Trustee
David has worked in education for nearly 40 years in a variety of roles within schools, local authorities and wider partnerships. After 10 years as a Hounslow Teacher he moved into Careers Education and managed two education business partnerships (in Ealing and Islington) and the West London Education Business Links Consortium. He is now back in Hounslow as Head of the Council’s 14-19 Service, and remains passionate about ensuring that young people’s experiences in and out of school provide them with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to make a positive and successful transition into adult working life.
Joe Skelton
Trustee
Joe joined Spark! as a trustee in November 2020. He has held multiple positions across government, social policy, and the public sector. He currently works for NHS England and NHS Improvement in clinical policy development and implementation. Joe has a particular interest in supporting social mobility and ensuring that children and young people are equipped with skills and knowledge which can empower them to succeed. He also serves as a school governor.
Kelvin Zhang
Young Trustee
Kelvin joined Spark! in September 2021, bringing his passions and interests in digital, volunteering and governance to the Board. He was previously a student trustee of Imperial College Union, building upon a student volunteering career focused on youth leadership, and social and career mobility.
Currently, he works at Google DeepMind as a senior software engineer on its AI Data team. He has also worked on building new products within Google Search and Google Health, built core financial transaction and reporting systems at Monzo Bank, and volunteered at University College London Hospitals. He is also a keen ambassador of STEM, providing ad-hoc support to secondary-level students, and holds an interest in advancing diversity and inclusion in STEM.
Susan Swabey
Chair of Trustees
Susan joined Spark! at the Chair of Trustees in October 2023. She is a career company secretary and governance professional and was Company Secretary of Smith & Nephew until 2022. Prior to that, she held senior company secretarial roles at Prudential, RMC and Amersham. She was also Chair of ShareGift, the share donation charity for 9 years stepping down in May 2023. As a governance professional, she has advised multiple Boards on best governance practices and developed governance frameworks and policies to support their organisational strategies.
Susan has strong links with West London having grown up in Hillingdon, lived in Harrow and participated in local programmes mentoring young people as they made their career choices.
Could this be you?
Sharan Phull
Young Trustee
Sharan joined Spark! as a Young Trustee in October 2024, driven by a passion for helping young people succeed in their careers. She has built her expertise as a risk professional within Financial Services and currently works as a governance specialist at Newton Investment Management Group. Prior to this, Sharan held various risk-related roles at British Arab Commercial Bank, covering corporate governance, operational risk, and regulatory compliance. Sharan is also an ambassador for Women in Finance and Apprenticeships where she supports and mentors young talent while advocating diversity, equality, and inclusion.
As an alumni of Spark! Programmes, Sharan will contribute essential first-hand experience and a fresh outlook to the Board.
Keren Segal
Trustee
Keren joined Spark! as a Trustee in October 2024. She is the Chief Operating Officer of the Big Issue Group, responsible for ensuring the group's performance efficiency, managing the central services departments, and leading strategic and business transformation projects across the group.
Prior to this role, Keren had various positions in the high-tech and financial services industries, including management consultant, MD, HR, and OD Director, among others. She brings extensive professional experience in change management, business planning, organisational efficiency improvement, learning, HR, and employee relations.
Young Associates
Our Young Associates are made up of young people from our target communities, many of whom have taken part in Spark! programmes.
Find out more about our Young Associates
