Our people
Rushanara Ali
Labour Member of Parliament, Bethnal Green and Bow
Rushanara Ali is the Labour Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow who resigned from the front bench in 2014. She is a member of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. She was previously associate director of The Young Foundation.
Ruth Stables
Innovation Practitioner
Ruth has a passion for working with people to create meaningful and positive change. Having previously worked as a Youth Engagement Performance Manager with the English Football League Trust, she brings more than eight years’ experience in youth development and social action.
Ryan McKay
Community Advisory Board
A youth worker and intergenerational practitioner with a background in community education, Ryan is based at the Citadel Youth Centre in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Saffron Woodcraft
Programme Lead, Institute for Global Prosperity, UCL
Saffron is an anthropologist who leads a long-term research and innovation programme about sustainable prosperity in East London at UCL. She convenes the London Prosperity Board, a partnership between UCL, government, businesses and communities, to rethink what prosperity means for London’s neighbourhoods.
Samanthi Theminimulle
Senior Researcher
Samanthi is interested in participatory research methods, inclusion and accessibility. In addition to her role at the Institute for Community Studies, she is is a facilitator with Civic Square and Enrol Yourself, and a trustee for the community land trust, RUSS.
Sameer Bakshi
Chief Technology Officer, Group Treasury Technology, UBS
Sameer is a pioneering senior technologist with more than 20 years’ IT experience identifying, qualifying and implementing enabling technologies and enterprise systems that facilitate business processes and strategic objectives.
Sarah Faber
Head of Ventures
Sarah manages the Young Academy Investment Fund and also runs other social innovation projects. She is a chartered accountant who worked in renewables project finance before becoming a financial advisor to charities and social enterprises.