David Barber received a BA in Mathematics from Cambridge University and subsequently a PhD in Theoretical Physics (Statistical Mechanics) from Edinburgh University. He is Director of the UKRI Science of Fundamental AI Research Lab (SOFAIR). He has broad research interests related to the application of probabilistic modelling and reasoning. David cofounded the startups re:infer (acquired by UiPath) humanloop (acquired by Anthropic) and vectify and is Distinguished Scientist at UiPath. 

Sara is a multidisciplinary designer working across brand identity, storytelling and experience design. Her work spans healthcare, culture and education, with clients and collaborators including NHS, Bloomsbury Festival and University of the Arts London. She is the creative behind the visual identity of this year’s Future of Knowledge conference. 

With a background in Narrative Environments from Central Saint Martins, Sara is interested in how design can make complex ideas tangible, accessible and engaging. Combining analytical thinking with a human-centred approach, she uses storytelling to shape experiences that connect people, places and ideas across physical and digital environments. 

Naomi Menezes is an experiential designer and creative strategist specialising in brand identity, visual communication and creative direction. A graduate of UAL’s London College of Communication, she has built her career across the UK creative industry, working with global brands across technology, B2B, retail and culture. Her freelance projects include overhauling the brand for S’ABLE Labs, the skincare start-up of Idris and Sabrina Elba. She worked at Accenture Song before moving on to spearhead Kansei Network, an independent creative agency exploring brand, culture and experience. Her work blends design, strategy and storytelling to create meaningful, culturally relevant experiences that connect brands with their audiences.

Ivy Alice is a multidisciplinary graphic designer based in London, working across visual identity, editorial and illustration. Her work is rooted in visual storytelling and finding creative ways to make complex ideas clear, engaging and accessible, often combining analogue processes with digital design. As Head of Design at Class 13, a Brixton-based education charity putting equity at the heart of education, she has developed the organisation’s visual identity and wider approach to communicating its work across print and digital. She combines a strong visual language with a focus on audience, clarity and purpose. 

Sam is Managing Director of Arts Temps, UAL’s specialist recruitment service connecting students and graduates with paid work opportunities across UAL and with external organisations. With a background in recruitment, HR and operational leadership, Sam has led the significant growth and transformation of Arts Temps into a £9.5m operation, creating thousands of paid opportunities each year. They are passionate about improving access to meaningful paid work, strengthening employer partnerships and ensuring students develop the skills, experience and confidence to succeed in their careers. 

Edmund is a strategic leader working at the intersection of culture, technology and business futures. His work explores how emerging technologies are reshaping consumer markets, creative economies and the ways audiences engage with culture. 

With a focus on ethics, cultural innovation and audience intelligence, Edmund works across UK and international cultural markets, helping organisations understand changing audiences, identify new opportunities and make evidenced strategic decisions. His work brings together audience data, market modelling and cultural insight to explore where demand is shifting, how cultural participation is evolving, and how organisations can use technology responsibly to build more relevant, resilient and accessible cultural experiences. 

Edmund has worked with brands such as Google Arts Culture, The British Library, YouTube, Decca and the British Museum.   

Alexandra Hartman is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Academic Co-Director of the UCL Policy Lab. She is also a faculty affiliate of the Immigration Policy Lab and EGAP (Evidence in Governance and Politics).

Her research looks at how marginalised groups interact with the state, with a focus on displacement, inequality in property rights, and survivors of sexual violence. She works in conflict and post-conflict countries as well as in Europe and the UK, combining randomised controlled trials, detailed data and in-depth fieldwork, and also writes on research ethics.

Her work has been supported by organisations including the National Science Foundation, UNHCR, the Norwegian Refugee Council and J-PAL, and published in leading journals such as PNAS, the American Political Science Review and International Organization.

Priya joined Springer Nature in August 2026 as Vice President for Research Ecosystem Initiatives, a new role. Her immediate priority is to take over ownership of three pan-publisher ‘trust’ initiatives: (1) Journal Trust Markers, (2) TRACE (AI provenance and measurement), and (3) Peer review recognition.  

Previously, Priya was Vice President for External Affairs and Policy at Taylor & Francis for 7 years where she chaired the open research committee. She has extensive experience in developing and positioning global policies with relevant stakeholders and decision-makers and currently sits on the Publishers Association’s Academic Publishers Council and the policy committee of the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP). 

Before joining the world of publishing, Priya spent ten years at GlaxoSmithKline in a variety of government affairs, policy and market access roles. In her most recent role as Director of Government Affairs, she led the company’s positioning on international intellectual property and global health issues.  She also gained experience in the external affairs function for the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations in Geneva. 

Priya’s previous roles include working across a wide range of policy and government affairs functions at the World Health Organization, the European Commission and the UK Government‘s Department of Health. Her global and regional experience includes working in the Philippines, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium and France. 

Priya has a Masters in Classics and Modern Languages from Oxford University. She speaks English and French and has good knowledge of Hindi and German. 

Professor Adam Sobey is Mission Director for Sustainability at the Alan Turing Institute and Professor of Data-Centric Engineering in the Maritime Engineering group at the University of Southampton. The Sustainability mission focuses on the safe decarbonisation of transportation networks, manufacturing processes and critical infrastructure, to create pathways to net zero. The mission uses the tools of data-centric engineering, pioneered by researchers at the Turing in partnership with Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a global safety charity with a mission to engineer a safer world. He is also a Non-Executive Director at Theyr Ltd, a MetOcean and Voyage Optimisation Software provider and at AQ, provide tools for Digital Assurance.

Marieke Navin is the Head of Public Engagement and Dialogue at the Institute of Physics. She was previously Head of Programming at the Cheltenham Science Festival, and Head of Contemporary Science at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.  Marieke is experienced in bringing science to life in the most creative ways possible. She has used ballet dancers to interpret the collisions of protons at the Large Hadron Collider and circus performers to demonstrate the strength and flexibility of graphene.  Marieke has a first degree in Physics and Astronomy and a PhD in particle physics, where she chased elusive neutrinos in a huge tank of water below a mine in Japan. 

Bio coming soon.

Philip Ball is a freelance science writer and broadcaster. He spent over twenty years at Nature, first as physical sciences editor and later as Consultant Editor. He has written many popular science books, exploring subjects from water and natural patterns to colour in art, music cognition and physics in Nazi Germany. A columnist for Chemistry World, he also writes for the Guardian, New York Times, Financial Times and New Scientist, and has presented BBC Radio 4’s Science Stories. He has lectured widely, from the V&A to NASA. He holds a chemistry degree from Oxford and a physics PhD from Bristol.

Stephanie Sherman is a researcher, strategist, writer and producer at Central Saint Martins, UAL, working across urbanism, technology and design. She develops large-scale projects that repurpose outmoded systems, sites and surplus as collaborative platforms. She founded Elsewhere, transforming a three-storey second-hand store into an immersive creative space, and Kulturpark, which helped turn an abandoned East Berlin amusement park into a public park. She is Associate Director of Antikythera, the Berggruen Institute’s research programme on planetary computation, and founder of Radio Espacio Estación, a nomadic radio station. She holds a design PhD from UC San Diego, researching the histories of automation.

Amy Brown is a senior creative and strategic leader with over 20 years of experience in brand, events and entertainment. As Head of Creative Strategy at Google she acts as the voice of the brand – creating award-winning, high-impact experiences. She works to bring the helpfulness of opportunities created by technology to everyone, and connect brand actions to local economies.

Laura Flynn-Coley is Director of the London AI Campus, part of Camden Learning, where she provides strategic leadership in developing and delivering innovative programmes that broaden access to AI education and create opportunities for young people and educators. 

A computer scientist and computing education specialist, Laura brings together expertise from education, industry and leading AI organisations to design AI education programmes, build strategic partnerships and enable young people to engage with emerging technologies, learn from industry experts and explore future career pathways. 

She is a passionate advocate for widening participation in AI, committed to ensuring that young people from all backgrounds have the opportunity to shape and benefit from an AI-enabled future. 

Bio coming soon.

Diba Salam is the founding Principal and Creative Director of Studio DS, a dynamic London based architectural studio with bureaus in Dubai and Bangkok. She founded the practice in 2012 after leading national and international projects, such as Imperial College, White City, London and Aldar’s Yas Island Hotels in the United Arab Emirates.

Diba has made research a key part of her entrepreneurial business by analysing place making, smart designs and neuroscience in architecture. The studio’s core values are to create efficient, adaptive, and effective communities through design by establishing stakeholder needs. Each solution is uniquely tailored to maximise the social economic and environmental potential of each individual site, celebrating exceptional detail craftmanship through modern methods of construction.

She has a hands on integrated approach to the studio and, from the outset, has been fully involved in all work stages of the projects. From developing the brief with the client, creating unique concepts, working collaboratively to achieve complex planning consents, working with contractors and specialist craftsmen in achieving high quality construction, and ultimately building a relationship with occupiers to ensure the building is used to its potential.

Chryssi Tzanetou is a Teaching Fellow in Business Management at the University of Greenwich, following a multidisciplinary career in different sectors.

She has extensive teaching experience with both undergraduate and postgraduate students, having designed and delivered modules pertaining to different facets of leadership, creativity and innovation, management, strategy and entrepreneurship.

Chryssi is passionate about the role of creativity to embrace personal, organisational, and social change, and she specialises in embedding creative practices into teaching to offer students agency to become directors of their own learning and envision the Business Schools of the Future.

As a leadership coach, facilitator and educator, she has worked with diverse communities of learners, such as professionals at different stages in their careers, entrepreneurs, senior executives, offenders, and young people who are NEET (not in education, employment, or training). She has also designed and delivered executive education for luxury brands, organisations from the corporate and community sectors, start-ups, and SMEs.

Before joining the University of Greenwich, she also specialised in developing research and knowledge exchange programmes on social innovation, focusing on the valuable contribution creativity can make to address social challenges and enhance the student learning and teaching experience.

Before making a career change towards academia, she worked for more than 15 years in the international development sector, orchestrating partnerships with the UN, national governments, the European Commission, the World Bank, and major Philanthropic Foundations such as the Open Society Foundations and Bloomberg Philanthropies. She also led cross-country teams and delivered cross-cultural capacity building programmes for local civil society organisations in Africa, Asia, including Central Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

When she is not in the classroom, she is passionate about telling stories as a multilingual actress and director.  She is also the founder of Leadership Studio – a signature boutique specialising in leadership development through creativity.

Darshan Sanghrajka is founder of social innovation studio, Super Being Labs. With 17 years of experience using design, creativity, and technology to help tackle complex social problems, he founded Super Being Labs to design a world that truly enables the best of human potential.

He is also the co-founder of Being ManKind, a project that uses storytelling to inspire boys to shun damaging gender stereotypes and grow into kind, compassionate and empathetic humans – everything that will render terms like ‘Man Up’ redundant and create a happier world.

Outside of work, he is a Visiting Fellow at the Skoll Centre at the University of Oxford, a non-exec Chair at Sporting Memories Network – a social enterprise using sporting reminiscence to fight dementia and isolation for the elderly, Chair for STCA – a community charity in London, and also serves on a few other boards too, and a trustee at arts charity – Summertown Arts Community – where he is designing the arts centre of the future.

For two decades, she has led one of London’s most ambitious community associations through extraordinary change and growth. She believes that change demands more than good intentions. It demands bold action. 

It demands new ways of thinking about leadership, community power, and who gets to shape the future. 

At Somers Town Community Association, she’s made it her mission to: 

● Embed climate resilience as a core human rights issue 
● Build safer, more inclusive spaces through women’s empowerment 
● Challenge and transform traditional models of knowledge, access and power 
● Connect the built environment to social equity, climate action and wellbeing 
● Create leadership pathways for those historically locked out 

Luke O’Shea is Director of Innovation at University College London Hospitals, where he is also the Executive Lead for Sustainability. He has held a number of senior leadership roles across government and was previously Director of Clinical Policy and Operations at NHS England. He was Harkness Fellow at University of California San Francisco, with publications on Integrated Care Models in the US and UK. Prior to that he worked in a range of government departments including leading work on early year services at the Prime Minister’s strategy unit, as a private secretary to a children’s minister and leading cross government working on ageing. 

Lyndsay is the Clinical Sustainability Lead for UCLH, responsible for Net Zero Clinical Activity and Staff Education and Engagement. She is a diagnostic radiographer by background, having practiced in a variety of clinical specialities before undertaking a Masters of Public Health. She has a particular interest in the health impacts of climate change and the adaptation and resilience of clinical services in a changing environment, and co-chairs the North Central London Climate Adaptation, Resilience and Air Quality Group. 

Lyndsay has contributed to several publications exploring sustainable care provision, including low-carbon theatres and reducing the carbon footprint of dental sedation, and was a subject matter expert in the NHS England Nitrous Oxide Waste Reduction Toolkit. She is now a co-investigator of the NIHR-funded study “Childbirth, Choice and Climate Change”, which is aiming to identify and implement opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of gas & air in maternity units across NHS England whilst maintaining choice and promoting excellent care. 

Asha is Arup’s Healthcare Business Leader for the UK, India, Middle East and Africa Region. Her experience spans over 34 years with a focus in the health and social care, working in the public and private sector. She has an extensive portfolio in managing the development, design, procurement and construction of capital works projects in the health sector.

Asha has significant experience in successfully developing, implementing and delivering projects and programmes for her clients. She often advises on estates masterplanning and business case development on national programmes and health eco-system analysis. She utilises her in-depth understanding of operational requirements in leading mulit-disciplinary teams.

Asha acts as client’s project lead on complex design and build projects on live operational sites, and manages the implementation of contracts, contract administration, construction management and transition of operational processes. She has an international understanding of complex construction and procurement issues through working on major procurement projects in a wide range of sectors including healthcare, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, commercial and urban regeneration.

Sam Oates is Partnerships Manager at the Knowledge Quarter, where he has been finding opportunities to connect the KQ’s institutions since 2018. In 2020, he launched the Knowledge Quarter’s response to climate change, establishing a number of key networks and forums for the area’s sustainability experts and innovators. In 2021, he played an integral role in mobilising Knowledge Quarter partners in support of a local bid for the National Lottery’s Climate Action Fund, as well as Camden Council’s winning Future Neighbourhood bid, raising more than £1.5 million in funds for retrofit and sustainability initiatives across Somers Town. He has been a trustee at Somers Town Community Association since 2024, supporting STCA’s efforts at making climate issues a central pillar of its work in the community. Despite being pessimistic about the state of the planet, he believes in the potential of Knowledge Quarter partners to innovate for a more sustainable future.

Helen Chatterjee is Professor of Human & Ecological Health at University College London; she is also currently the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Programme Director for Health Inequalities. Her research includes biodiversity conservation and evidencing the impact of natural and cultural participation on health. Helen ran museums at UCL for 15 years and is a Founding Trustee of the National Centre for Creative Health. She has written 5 books, including: ‘Touch in Museums’ (2008), ‘Museums, Health and Well-being’ (2013), ‘Material Connections: From Object-Based Learning to Object-Based Well-being’ (2020), ‘Gibbon Conservation in the Anthropocene’ (2023) and over 100 publications. In 2021 Helen and UCL colleagues launched the world’s first Masters in Creative Health and she currently leads a national research programme called ‘Mobilising Community Assets to Tackle Health Inequalities’ in partnership with the NCCH. Helen received an MBE in 2015 for Services to Higher Education and Culture. 

Guy Noble, CMgr FCMI,  has worked in the field of Arts and Health for over 25 years. In 1998 he set up Addenbrooke’s Arts, the arts and health programme at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Since 2005 he has worked as Arts Curator at UCLH NHS Foundation Trust and developed the arts programme into one of the country’s flagship arts and health projects. In this role he has overseen the commissioning of art in six major capital hospital projects. He is currently in the process of establishing a NCCH creative health system lead post for North Central London. 

Guy holds a Postgrad certificate in Arts Health and Wellbeing, a Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies (Arts and Culture Senior Business Leader) and Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship CMI and is currently completing an MBA in Senior Leadership. 

He has won numerous awards for his work including the Building Better Health Care Award for Best Collaborative Art Project in 2016 and 2017. In 2024, with colleagues from NAHN won the RSPH Arts and health award for “Our National Health Stories.” In 2011 he received the RSPH Arts and Health Award, Heritage in Hospitals, Special Commendation for an innovative and outstanding contribution to the field of arts and health research. 

Guy has provided his expertise to a number of other organisations, including as Art Advisor to Nuffield Health Cambridge, The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Stanmore and the Yorkshire Eye Hospital, delivering their respective arts strategies. 

He is Director of the National Arts in Hospitals Network. He previously served as Chair of London Arts and Health Forum and is passionately committed to the role the arts play in transforming people’s lives for the better. He has published widely on arts in health and co-authored the book Museums, Health and Wellbeing (Ashgate, 2013). In his spare time he likes to make pots! 

Clare Connor is Chief Executive of The Place and London Contemporary Dance School (LCDS), one of Europe’s leading centres for contemporary dance. Since 2017, she has led significant artistic, educational and organisational growth, advancing a vision of creating “a world with more dance” through professional training, artist development, performance and community participation. 

Alongside its international reputation for dance education and artistic innovation, The Place has developed more than eight years of research and practice focused on embedding psychological and physical wellbeing at the heart of professional dance training. This work is now informing broader applications across the creative industries, exploring how integrated approaches to health, performance and resilience can support individuals and organisations to thrive. 

The Place also delivers more than 30,000 annual leisure and participation sessions for adults, children and families, supporting active, healthy and life-enhancing experiences for local communities across Camden and beyond. 

Clare’s career spans leadership roles at the Southbank Centre and Stratford Circus Arts Centre, and she currently serves on the Office for Students Provider Panel, is an Executive Group member of GuildHE, a Trustee of Sadler’s Wells, and an advisor to the Sir Robert Cohan Legacy CIC. She was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2024 and received the Jane Attenborough Award for her transformative impact on the dance sector in 2026. 

Katie Colombus is Director of Audiences at Art Fund, where she leads the teams behind its membership, marketing, content, digital, creative and media work, with a focus on growing and broadening the audience for museums and galleries across the UK. Before joining Art Fund in 2025, she held senior communications and marketing roles at Marie Curie, Samaritans, Save the Children and Sky, building a career around connecting people with causes and culture.

Clare is Chief Executive of Citizens Advice and leads the national charity and network of local Citizens Advice charities across England & Wales. Through 1:1 advice, online support and advocacy, Citizens Advice gives individuals the knowledge and confidence they need to find their way forward and speaks up on their behalf to bring about wider change. Clare was previously a civil servant for 35 years, latterly as Permanent Secretary of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2015 to 2019, and of the Department for Exiting the EU until its closure in January 2020.  After leaving the Civil Service, Clare chaired the Health Foundation’s Covid-19 impact inquiry before joining Citizens Advice in 2021.  She is the senior independent member of Westminster Abbey’s Board, a trustee of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Treasurer of the History of Parliament Trust. 

Jeanette is Chief Operating Officer at Citizens Advice Islington, part of RCJ Advice-Citizens Advice & Law Centre. Citizens Advice Islington delivers local social welfare advice to Islington residents through diverse delivery models, including multichannel advice like digital, email, telephone, or face to face advice in our office. We also deliver advice in several outreach community centres, offering face to face advice locally. Jeanette has held various roles in over 25 years at RCJ Advice, including Director (Citizens Advice Islington), General Advice & Specialist Services Manager (Miscarriage of Justice Support Service) & Specialist Adviser. Jeanette has experience in both Statutory work (Criminal Justice Units) & voluntary sector, including Victim Support volunteer. Jeanette is a member of the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, being called to the Bar in 1995 and is a (unregistered) Barrister. Jeanette is about to sit as a Poverty Truth Commissioner, hoping to help change policies and practices which will improve the life of our residents.

Professor Jessica Deighton is the Director of Research at Anna Freud. In addition to her role at Anna Freud, Professor Jess Deighton is Director of the Evidence Based Practice Unit (EPBU) and Professor in Child Mental Health and Wellbeing at UCL. She is also Director of Growing up in the 2020s. Jess’ expertise focuses on factors that promote or undermine resilience in children and young people; the evaluation of interventions to support mental health and well-being, particularly in educational settings; the interplay between mental health and educational outcomes.

Jess has caried out some of the largest trials and research projects mental health and wellbeing of young people in the school context, including leading the Department for Education-funded Educational for Wellbeing programme and the National Lottery-funded HeadStart Learning Programme. Jess also co-leads the research programme for #BeeWell.

Jess is a Co-Investigator for the Department of Health and Social Care’s Children and Families Policy Research Unit.

Nabil serves as Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, and as Fellow and Director of Studies in Law at Lucy Cavendish College. His research covers the fields of European Union Law, Human Rights, Access to Justice and Philosophy of Law. He is also a Fellow of the Centre for European Legal Studies.  

In addition to his research and teaching, Nabil is the Founder and Director of the Law Corner, a pro bono and public interest organisation dedicated to widening access to justice, empowering students and contributing to prevalent discourses surrounding law and justice in society.   

Prior to moving to academia, Nabil was a full-time practitioner in the field of international dispute resolution, conducting litigation in the civil courts and arbitration in various fora. He regularly acted on cases relating to Business and Human Rights, Natural Resources, Competition, State Aid and Governmental work. He maintains a practice in EU and Human Rights Law as an independent consultant and academic expert.

Isobel is Head of Strategy and Impact at Citizens Advice. As Chief Executive of Poet in the City from 2014, she led its mission to bring live poetry to wider audiences and use it to spark debate and change. She worked with hundreds of artists, and highlights include a music festival of poetry and lyrics, a national communities programme with the British Library, and filling St Paul’s with 2,000 Londoners to hear new work. With a background in skills development, she is passionate about getting young people into arts careers and breaking down institutional barriers between culture and the public.

Kate has worked in local economic development and regeneration I London for 20 years. As Camden Council’s Head of Inclusive Economy, Kate leads a team which delivers a wide portfolio of work designed to ensure that growth in Camden is purposeful, locally driven and generates opportunity for the borough’s communities and businesses. Kate’s experience includes working with the Knowledge Quarter Partnership on the BEIS-sponsored Science and Innovation Audit, the establishment of the Camden STEAM Commission and delivery programme and the co-design and delivery of a re-imagined approach to supporting residents into good work.

Bio coming soon.

Adam Thorpe is Professor of Socially Responsive Design at Central Saint Martins College, University of the Arts London (UAL). He is Co Director of the Design Against Crime Research Centre and Coordinator of the UAL DESIS Lab (Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability). He is Principal Investigator of the Public Collaboration Lab, a platform for teaching & learning, knowledge exchange and research focused on participatory design for social, service and policy innovation, delivered in partnership with London Borough of Camden (2015-present). Adam is the Lead Academic for MAKE, a maker space supporting creative collaboration between residents, students and other stakeholders in Somers Town (2018-present) and leads the EU H2020 funded T Factor research for UAL which explores the potential contribution of participatory approaches to temporary urbanism to more inclusive regeneration (2020-2024).

Jodie Eastwood is CEO of London’s Knowledge Quarter, a consortium of knowledge creators within a one mile radius of Kings Cross. KQ Partners include over 100 academic, cultural, research, scientific and media organisations large and small: from the British Library and University College London to Universal Music, British Museum, Francis Crick Institute and Google. The aim of the KQ is to encourage all kinds of knowledge seekers to make the most of the partners’ combined resources. To break down barriers and stimulate dialogue, to create new friendships, new connections and new knowledge through a sense of shared purpose and possibility.

Jodie has been working within the Knowledge economy for the past 20 years, with roles at the British Library, Creativeworks London, Queen Mary University of London, London Metropolitan University and the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She strongly believes that knowledge exchange breeds innovation, fruitful networks and creative interaction. Jodie specialises in leading complex multi stakeholder partnerships, brokering relationships and creating spaces for ideas sharing and innovation.

Kayleigh is passionate about bridging the gap between education and industry, ensuring young people can access opportunities and realise their potential. Working at the intersection of education, business and skills development, she builds partnerships that connect young people with opportunities to learn, develop and thrive. As part of the Camden STEAM team at Camden Learning, she leads work to strengthen relationships between schools and employers, expanding access to high-quality industry placements and career pathways through the Camden T Level programme and STEAM apprenticeships. 

Stephen Griffith is the Founder and Managing Director of FishTank, a social enterprise based in King’s Cross working with young entrepreneurs aged 18–34 through incubation, mentoring, and training programs. In 2022, he founded FishTank Workshop, an exhibition and creative workspace offering year-long residencies and resources for emerging creatives. 

Stephen founded his first business at age 18 while competing as a professional boxer. Following his boxing career, he dedicated over two decades to youth development, serving as Senior Youth Worker, Director, and CEO of the Copenhagen Youth Project (CYP) in Islington. Throughout his career, he has focused on building strong partnerships with local authorities, corporate partners, and community organizations to deliver sustainable, high-impact programs. 

Abdikadir has spent over two decades working alongside young people, families, and communities, driven by a strong belief that every young person has talent, potential and something valuable to contribute. For him, youth work is about more than delivering programmes; it is about building relationships, creating opportunities, and ensuring young people feel seen, heard and supported to realise their ambitions. Abdi’s approach is rooted in the belief that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not always equally accessible. He sees the importance of investing in young people where they live, building on their strengths and creating pathways that enable them to shape their own futures. This is especially important when we consider the role that local organisations, employers, schools and community leaders can play in nurturing the next generation 

Darshna Dhokia is the Youth Futures Manager at Islington Council, with over 25 years’ experience helping young people access opportunities, develop skills and achieve positive outcomes. She leads the council’s World of Work Careers Enrichment Programme, bringing together schools, employers and partners to inspire young people and prepare them for successful futures. Her extensive experience spans youth employment, skills development and inclusive provision, including managing Youth Employment Hubs and delivering the Islington Full Potential Youth Trailblazer Programme, helping young people build confidence, gain experience and move into sustainable education, employment and training.  

Jamal Mohamed joined the Young Camden Foundation team in March 2026 as Head of Membership & Impact, leading on strengthening the Foundation’s membership offer and driving forward its impact strategy. He brings a strong track record in community engagement, stakeholder management, and programme delivery, with a focus on building meaningful partnerships that deliver tangible benefits for local communities. 

Jamal previously worked at the British Library as Community Engagement Manager, where he led a wide range of initiatives connecting local communities with the Library’s resources and spaces. He also previously worked for YCF member organisation, Somali Youth Development Resource Centre. His work has spanned creative programmes, partnerships with grassroots organisations, and the development of inclusive engagement strategies designed to reach underrepresented groups. 

With deep experience working across the voluntary and community sector, Jamal is particularly passionate about ensuring that local organisations are meaningfully supported and that communities see real, lasting impact from investment and collaboration. Having worked closely with a wide range of stakeholders, he brings both strategic insight and a practical, delivery-focused approach to his role. 

Jamal was born and raised in Camden and is committed to supporting the boroughs diverse communities. He is driven by a belief in the power of local organisations and is focused on strengthening networks, amplifying community voice, and ensuring that resources are directed where they are needed most to create long-term, equitable change. 

Professor Adam Sobey is Mission Director for Sustainability at the Alan Turing Institute and Professor of Data-Centric Engineering in the Maritime Engineering group at the University of Southampton. The Sustainability mission focuses on the safe decarbonisation of transportation networks, manufacturing processes and critical infrastructure, to create pathways to net zero. The mission uses the tools of data-centric engineering, pioneered by researchers at the Turing in partnership with Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a global safety charity with a mission to engineer a safer world. He is also a Non-Executive Director at Theyr Ltd, a MetOcean and Voyage Optimisation Software provider and at AQ, provide tools for Digital Assurance.

Carole Collet is Professor in Design for Sustainable Futures at Central Saint Martins, UAL, where she directs Maison/0, the CSM–LVMH creative platform for regenerative luxury, and co-directs the Living Systems Lab, which she founded in 2013.

A pioneer of biodesign, Carole curated the first international exhibition exploring biodesign through the lens of sustainability (‘Alive, New Design Frontiers’, 2013). Her work has been shown at the Pompidou Centre and Biotopia Museum, and her project Biolace has featured in over 30 showcases, including the 2015 Universal Expo.

At Maison/0, she prototypes regenerative luxury through research projects such as Rewilding Textiles and Lab-Grown Fur, a collaboration with Imperial College London, Fendi and LVMH.

An educator committed to ‘disobedient’ curricula, she founded MA Textile Futures (now MA Material Futures), launched the world’s first MA Biodesign, and validated the MA Regenerative Design in 2022. She is a regular keynote speaker on biodesign and regenerative design.

Alyssa Gilbert is the Director of Innovation at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London where she leads Imperial’s climate change and sustainability innovation activities, linking innovative students, staff and alumni to opportunities to make a difference. She is the Director of Undaunted, a collaborative activity between Imperial and the Royal Institution that is seeking to create a home for climate innovation in London, supporting successful creation and scale up of businesses that tackle climate change. Alyssa is also the co-chair of the UK Universities Climate Network, which brought together academic expertise on climate change ahead of the international negotiations in November 2021. Together with the Dyson School of Design engineering, Alyssa and colleagues are running a Master’s in Cleantech innovation from October 2024. Previously Alyssa was the Director of Policy and Translation at the Grantham Institute. Prior to joining the university, she worked at a specialist energy and climate consultancy for nearly 12 years on a range of climate change mitigation and adaptation topics. Alyssa has worked with the UK and many other national governments and at an international level. She has also been a member of the Natural Environment Council’s Advisory Network.

Waseem Shiraz is the VP of Special Projects at Quantinuum, where he leads global efforts to drive innovation at the intersection of quantum computing and AI, accelerating breakthroughs in energy, climate, healthcare, cybersecurity, and beyond. A founding member of Cambridge Quantum and Quantinuum, he has been pivotal in shaping Quantinuum into the world’s leading and largest quantum computing company.

Bio coming soon.

Caroline is Director of Inclusive Economy, leading work to put social justice at the heart of growth and economic development. She previously drove major regeneration and peace-building projects in Belfast, and currently serves as a CLES trustee, RSA Fellow and anchor institutions leader for the Mayor of London.

Alex Ferguson is Co-CEO and Executive Director of New Diorama Theatre. A producer and dramaturg, he champions care and collaboration, specialising in artist-led creative development. He previously led creative development at Fuel, working with artists including Inua Ellams and Travis Alabanza. As Director of Homotopia, the UK’s longest-running LGBTQIA+ arts festival, he doubled turnover, secured Arts Council National Portfolio funding and delivered major Eurovision cultural commissions reaching over 500,000 people. In Liverpool, he produced the Everyman’s first post-pandemic main stage show and launched A Lovely Word poetry festival, featuring poets such as Hollie McNish and Lemn Sissay.

Phil is Associate Director at the Donmar Warehouse, where he has worked for almost a decade. He leads on the artistic and strategic development of the Donmar’s work with schools, communities, and emerging talent, spearheading key initiatives including Donmar LOCAL and CATALYST. 

Prior to joining the Donmar, Phil worked as a freelance director, delivering large-scale mainstage and community productions across the UK. Many of these projects took place during the formative years of the National Theatre of Scotland, contributing to the company’s early artistic development. 

Kaya (she/her) joined CPT as Executive Director & Joint CEO in 2018, bringing 10 years of experience as a producer of theatre and dance. Her family is deeply rooted in Camden, which drives her commitment to engaging our local residents with extraordinary cultural experiences. She started her career working for Little Angel Theatre where she toured countless productions to children and families across the UK. She then joined China Plate Theatre as a Senior Producer, where she developed and toured the work of artists including Chris Thorpe, Caroline Horton, and Urielle Klein-Mekongo nationally and internationally. In addition to her work at CPT, Kaya is a trustee for China Plate and Marlborough Productions, where she chairs the finance committees.

Charlotte Cole is a senior fundraiser, relationship manager and events producer within the arts and non-profit sector. Since 2015, she has worked with National Careers Week, Royal Court Theatre, Wilton’s Music Hall, Battersea Arts Centre and is currently the Head of Development at Kings Place Music Foundation. 

Charlotte joined the Apples & Snakes board in 2024, having previously been a trustee of Poet in the City since 2021, and was a 2024-25 Senior Fundraising Fellow with Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy. 

Natalini builds organisations and global movements from the ground up. Over more than a decade across art, diplomacy and social impact, she has worked alongside heads of state, global institutions and cultural icons to shape narratives on some of the most complex issues of our time. 

As Co-Founder and CEO of the KOKO Foundation, the non-profit arm of Camden’s iconic music venue, her focus is on pioneering the future of human creativity in this moment of unprecedented transformation. To date, the Foundation has invested more than £500,000 and reached over 250 aspiring creatives providing training and performance opportunities. With ambassadors including Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, the Foundation’s vision is to support art that is courageous, authentic and deeply personal.  

Natalini is also a strong advocate for women’s freedom from domestic violence and sexual abuse, and supports several organisations in this space. 

She believes joy, beauty and human connection are the most powerful tools for change, and that belief informs everything she does. 

Wayne Palmer is the founder and principal consultant of Open Works, a London-based technology consultancy. He has spent over two decades leading complex transformation across the UK, Europe and Australia, working at the intersection of technology, people and organisational change.

Wayne founded Open Works to help organisations turn good intentions and ambitious strategies into changes that work in practice. His approach combines strategic thinking with hands-on delivery, starting with the people doing the work to understand how organisations really operate and what it takes for new ways of working to stick.

Drawing on real-world AI adoption in complex organisations, Wayne explores an unexpected challenge: after years spent helping organisations remove friction, how do you know when to put some back? He introduces the friction cycle, a framework for deciding where AI should operate freely and where human judgement needs to slow things down, balancing value, cost and security.