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 Programmes
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.
Razvan Paraschiv
Digital T Level Placement
razvanparaschiv@sparkcharity.org.uk
Razvan joined Spark! as a Digital Development Intern in February 2024. He is currently taking the Digital Production, Design and Development T-Level course at West Thames College. He will be working to assist the Spark! team with digital services.
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.
Eva Butterworth
Programmes Manager (Alternative Provision and SEND)
evabutterworth@sparkcharity.org.uk
Eva qualified as a mathematics teacher through Teach First, and has worked in both primary and secondary schools across the South West of England and London. She has a particular interest in supporting students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), recently completing a Masters in Educational Leadership and Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) training. Her role is to support students with additional barriers to engage with career learning and pathways to employment and is passionate about providing positive employment outcomes for the most vulnerable young people.
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.
Jasmine Green
Partnerships and Programmes Coordinator
jasminegreen@sparkcharity.org.uk
Jasmine is joining Spark! in January 2024. She has been involved in the not-for-profit and education sectors, working with schools, charities, and organisations to create impactful cultural experiences that break down barriers for young people.
She is highly committed to fostering equal opportunities and providing support to empower young people, enabling them to maximise their potential and navigate life confidently.
Nora Hulme
Programmes and Work Experience Coordinator
norahulme@sparkcharity.org.uk
Nora joined Spark! in February 2024. After studying Sociology at university, she worked as a Teaching Assistant across a variety of schools in London, supporting children with their educational and social development on a one-to-one and group basis. Nora also worked for a charity helping refugee children and young adults through events and activities to welcome them into their new environment and empower them. Nora is driven by establishing and maintaining professional relationships, collaboration and encouraging young people to feel confident in their skills and future.
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.
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
Young 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.
