Meet Our Team

Meet the people driving Youth Employment UK to be a force for change.

Staff Team

Laura-Jane Rawlings MBE - Founder & CEO of Youth Employment UK

Laura-Jane (LJ) left school at 16 with poor GCSE grades, she had experience of being a free school meal student and being singled out because of it. Through her early career she worked in retail and sales, using each step to build her skills, experience and confidence. Whilst working in recruitment LJ began to see that the barriers she faced were not unique to her and became a passionate advocate for young people transitioning between education and employment. Spending time to better understand the structural issues of youth unemployment and the policy around the area, LJ founded Youth Employment UK in 2012.

LJ is a passionate campaigner for youth employment and the rights for all young people to access quality employment and have their voices heard on the issues that affect them. LJ believes that it is for all of us to create a youth friendly society so that young people can fulfil their potential.

Recognised as a leading youth employment expert LJ provides support, insight and expertise to many groups on issues of social mobility, education, employment and skills. LJ has a lead role with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Youth Employment, and is a co-founder of the Youth Employment Group.  LJ was a secondary school governor for 8 years and is now supporting Tresham College, she was also a founding Board Member of Youth Futures Foundation, the what-works for youth employment. LJ was awarded an MBE in the 2024 New Years Honours for services to young people.

Lauren Mistry - Deputy CEO

Lauren has worked in HR, Recruitment and Careers Services since leaving university in 2008 where she studied Business Management.

As deputy CEO of Youth Employment UK Lauren leads our strategies on research, insight and best practice across youth and business audiences. She’s passionate about ensuring that all young people get the resources they need to understand and support their best next steps and that there are accessible, quality opportunities available wherever young people live.

Lauren leads Youth Employment UK’s annual Youth Voice Census, the largest Youth Voice survey of its kind. In addition, she is leading Youth Employment UK’s work to launch a first of its kind evidence based Good Youth Employment Benchmark this year, changing how employers understand and plan their youth employment strategies across the UK.

Susan Ryan - CEO's Executive Assistant & Office Manager

Susan is an Executive Assistant to the CEO and the Office Manager for Youth Employment UK.

She has over 20 years of experience in PA and administration roles within a variety of sectors including accounting, fashion, energy, and pest control. Susan ensures that all staff members are supported so that as a team we can provide the very best services to young people across the UK.

Susan understands the pressures that young people can face in gaining experience or employment. She is passionate about the Youth Employment UK's ethos including helping young people into employment and giving them a voice to be heard.

Eleanor Chambers - Youth Voice, Policy & Research Coordinator

Eleanor's background is in Healthcare and Research. Eleanor worked for 4 years within different healthcare settings, and moved to Research following the end of her Psychology degree.

She joined Youth Employment UK in 2023 and is passionate about supporting young people by promoting their voice to be heard, using research and policy to make a difference.

Sarah Latimer - Senior Education & Careers Lead

Sarah's background is in Education, having worked as a Teacher for over 6 years prior to moving over the Employability sector in 2021. She joined Youth Employment UK in 2023, and is passionate about using her skills and experience to create educational resources, build relationships with education providers and careers leaders, and motivate and support young people in developing their confidence about the next steps in their future.

Sarah works closely with our Youth Ambassadors, supporting them to share their voice and get involved, and is passionate about making sure young people have the best possible chances to succeed.

Laura Ridler - Business Development & Account Manager

Laura joined Youth Employment UK in 2023 as a Business Development Manager.

She has over 20 years of experience in the sales/public sector and during that time she gained significant experience on all different levels. She is looking forward to using this knowledge and experience to help the young people of today.

In her role, Laura helps employers to promote their brand and to help young people find opportunities with them.

Kat Wells-Bond - Head of Marketing

Kat Wells-Bond joined Youth Employment UK in 2023 and is our Head of Marketing. She is responsible for our marketing strategy, branding and creative output, as well as supporting our talented marketing team.

Kat's previous experience includes being content manager for an industry leading ecommerce business, as well as running her own photography business, which has given her a wide range of skills and experience in marketing, sales, creative, and branding. She is now looking forward to applying these skills to engage our audiences and help young people.

Louis Fage - Digital Marketing Officer

Louis completed a Level 3 BTEC in Computing where he developed web design, digital graphics and animation skills. After leaving college he decided to pursue digital marketing and web design as a career.

Louis joined Youth Employment UK in 2021 on a Kickstart placement role and has since completed a Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship. Louis is responsible for posting job opportunities for young people onto the website, as well as supporting the marketing team with creating content such as social media images and animated videos; as well as creating a monthly analytics report.

Georgia Williamson - Digital Marketing Officer

Georgia sought to pursue a career in marketing and work for a non-profit organisation or charity after leaving secondary school.

After a work placement at Youth Employment UK in 2021, she has since completed a Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship. Specialising in content writing, Georgia supports the team with writing content across marketing channels, including website copy, blog posts, video scripts, digital and print materials.

Hayden Mitchell - Digital Marketing Officer

Hayden joined Youth Employment UK in 2021 in an administrative capacity and has since completed a Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship.

Hayden compiles analytics reports both internally and externally, supports social media activities ranging from scheduling to video editing, and has taken on additional responsibilities in terms of content support for one of our regional providers. Hayden has recently taken on a new role in which he supports both the team at Youth Employment UK and clients with analytics reports and posting opportunities as well as taking on web development tasks across our site.

Non Executive Directors Board

Stewart Segal - Chair

Stewart has worked in the funded work based learning sector for over 20 years and has supported Association of Education and Learning Providers since its formation. Stewart worked as an independent consultant within the training sector, working with a number of training providers and colleges specialising in business development and funding issues. Coming from a background in HR and general management in the private sector, Stewart joined the Hertfordshire Training and Enterprise Council in 1994 as Chief Executive. He went on to join Spring Skills as Chief Executive in 1998. Spring Skills was then the largest independent training provider in the sector and involved in the delivery of a range of programmes in service sectors including retail, customer services, hospitality and business administration.

Sharon Blyfield - Vice Chair

Youth Employment UK welcomes Executive Director, Sharon Blyfield, to the board. Sharon is head of the Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) Early Careers agenda for Great Britain. She has been in the business for 28 years in a variety of functions and roles. Sharon joined the HR team 17 years ago, covering all elements of Supply Chain.

Having spent the majority of her career developing young talent at the start of their careers, Sharon's current remit fits perfectly with her passion to create opportunities to support the next generation of young leaders. Youth Employment UK, young people, employers and careers educators will greatly benefit from Sharon’s insight and commitment to work with strategic partners who challenge an organisation’s approach to under-representation of young people across all communities. This vital focus will work to create a level playing field in the recruitment process that might unconsciously deselect from under represented groups.

Sharon’s dedication and commitment to CCEP’s apprenticeship programme has been recognised by CCEP’s leadership team, as well as her peers and apprentices alike. She has received praise for her outstanding leadership of the programme, which has continued to grow and expand in line with the business’ Early Careers agenda. As well as recognition from the leadership team, Sharon is adored by the apprentices themselves, who see her as a trusted advisor and mentor.

Patrick Cantellow

Patrick has been a champion for youth opportunities that has seen him address cross-party government working groups, sharing a stage with leading EU policymakers at a European Congress in Poland, and began his journey with Youth Employment UK in 2015 as a Young Ambassador.

In June 2022, Patrick was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List and awarded the British Empire Medal for services to youth employment in Kent.

Day to day, Patrick is a Digital Marketing Manager at Knauf, one of the largest independent building materials manufacturers in the world, with over 35,000 employees worldwide.

Amy Caton

Amy has a background in HR and international assignments. She is responsible for the design, delivery and promotion of BT’s Work Ready programme, supporting 4,500 unemployed 18-24 year olds in the past 5 years. Amy is passionate about boosting the aspirations of young people and NEETs, and focusses her efforts on developing programmes that have a demonstrable impact in this space. Most recently this has included collaborating with not for profit organisations to create highly engaging events inspiring young people into digital careers.

Outside of work Amy runs a Girl Guide company, helping 10-14 year old girls develop skills, experience new opportunities and build confidence.

Tom Hadley

Tom is an independent consultant and business coach specialising in high-impact strategic campaigns and workforce issues. Over the last twenty years, Tom has worked with global employers, international institutions, government ministers and two of the UK’s leading business organisations. He reaches into this to provide consultancy services in areas such as reputation management, developing innovative approaches to recruitment, youth employment and employee engagement, taking a lead on the future of work, and boosting voice and visibility. Tom also delivers a suite of bespoke coaching programmes covering media training, public speaking, influencing public policy and written communication.

Tom is the author of over 30 White Papers and research reports on the evolving world of work and is a regular keynote speaker and media spokesperson. During his time as Campaigns Director at REC, Tom established the Future of Jobs Observatory to pre empt future skills needs and the implications of AI adoption. His recent work with the International Labour Organization (ILO) involves delivering bespoke training and support to employer bodies from around the world in areas such as story-led campaigning, crisis management,sustainable development goals (SDGs) and championing the positive role of business in society.

Over the course of his career, Tom has been a representative on over a dozen government forums and served on the European board of the World Employment Confederation. He has a Masters in International and European Law from Assas University in Paris and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA). He is a qualified rugby coach and an unrepentant aficionado of 1980s French popular music.

Kathy Jackson

I trained as a Chartered Accountant in Australia and moved to the U.K in 1999. I have been fortunate to work in a variety of technical areas: Tax, Accounting, Corporate Finance and Asset Management.

My most recent roles have been as a Chief Operating Officer for hedge funds.

Harvey Morton

I’m Harvey, an award-winning digital consultant, writer, podcaster, and public speaker. I help businesses solve problems and inspire people to do their best work. Brands trust me to bring their ideas to life. Media outlets and event’s organisers use me to educate and motivate audiences on digital marketing, entrepreneurship, and well-being so that they can achieve great things.

I founded my Digital Marketing Consultancy, Harvey Morton Digital when I was at school as part of a school enterprise competition in 2013. During this time, I juggled both my new work commitments and my education, completing my GCSE’s and A-Levels while getting the company off the ground. I love to inspire other young future leaders as they begin on their own entrepreneurial journeys and careers. When I’m not working, I enjoy trips to the cinema and concerts, and also enjoy relaxing with friends and family, working out and getting acquainted with all the best new restaurants and cafes. I can often be found walking my beloved border collie, Nelly.

Dr Geoff Paul

Geoff has always had an interest in both the Charity Sector, Education and Restorative Justice. In 2006, Geoff was invited to become a Trustee Board Director for Victims Support (London) and advised the Board of a range of specialist areas including governance, strategy, human resource management, policy development and financial probity accountability and transparency of the charity.

Geoff was also elected to the Finance Committee and was involved in collaborations with public and private organisations, NGOs, Charities, Local Authorities, Metropolitan Police Force and other stakeholders and associations. In 2008, Geoff was appointed as the Chair of Due Diligence Committee during the merger of the charity.

In 2009, whilst working at St Mary’s University Twickenham, Geoff developed and launched a MA Charity Management programme which offered formal expertise and qualifications to over 200 small/medium-sized charities.

Natalie Rogers

Natalie has a background in learning, inclusion, and diversity, having started her HR career as a HR generalist in retail, before moving into branded FMCG where she started to specialise in talent and leadership. She has worked in the field of HR for 23 years and has been a Chartered Fellow of CIPD for the last decade. She continues to have a passion for organisational development and is currently setting the long-term strategy for talent, development and inclusion along with leading a team of HR professionals at Greencore Group, one of the UK’s largest food manufacturers.

Through her career she has been the architect of many award-winning apprenticeship, graduate and development programmes aimed at enabling young people to build a rewarding career in industry. She is known for her creativity, energy, and ability to work at pace. Her passion for inclusion and diversity has always been a feature of her work, and her move to join the board of Youth Employment UK further underpins her commitment to creating more inclusive workplaces for young people.

Youth Ambassador Board

Ciara - Chair

Hi everyone, I’m Ciara! My journey with Youth Employment UK started in November 2019, when I was on a gap year after finishing my A levels. I found the Youth Employment UK website whilst researching what careers/apprenticeships were out there and whilst going through the Careers Hub, I stumbled across the youth ambassador programme. I emailed off my application and the rest is history!

At the start of 2020, I applied for an engineering apprenticeship and if I’m being honest, I didn’t think I was going to get it. But low and behold, I got the phone call back in March to say that they were offering me the role and I officially started in September 2020!

Since joining Youth Employment UK, I have had the honour of becoming a Member of the Youth Ambassador Board and I’ve presented at various seminars including APPGs (All Party Parliamentary Groups). These opportunities gave me a huge confidence boost and really helped me prepare for the world of work, which is the exact feeling I hope young people have when they use the Youth Employment UK website.

I decided to become a Youth Ambassador because I don’t want any young person to feel that they can’t do something because they have been convinced by teachers, careers advisors or the entire education system that it’s not for them. If I had listened to my careers advisor and college tutors, I would be at university doing a degree that I felt like I had to do, rather than being on an award winning apprenticeship programme which I love. My aim as a youth ambassador is to help show young people what opportunities are out there and help to give them the confidence to go for them, no matter what their background is or where they’ve come from. And also, to show young people that it’s okay to make mistakes and to make a change, whether that’s in the form of embarking on a new qualification or changing career path. Every young person has the capacity to do anything that they set their mind to, I’m just here with the rest of Youth Employment UK to help young people realise that fact.

Amelia

Amelia is a third year Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Apprentice at CCEP Sidcup. She is incredibly passionate about women in STEM and promoting Apprenticeships. She joined as a Youth Employment UK Ambassador so that she can help others achieve their dream job. She feels incredibly lucky that she's found her dream job at such a young age and it is her passion to help others find theirs!

Ella

Ella has previously worked in childcare and joined the Youth Ambassador team in 2020. She is passionate about making change for people with a disability, especially those on the Autism spectrum. She wants to give people who can't speak a voice and improve the quality of work available for young people with a disability. Ella is also a poet and enjoys reading and sharing her poetry.

Euan

Euan is a Degree Apprentice with IBM and the University of Kent. He joined the Youth Employment UK Youth Ambassador team to help promote apprenticeships and to ensure young people understand all of their options on their journey to work.

Euan won Youth Ambassador of the year in 2022 and has taken part in a number of events including the APPG for Youth Employment.

Jack

I graduated with a 2:1 in Sport Business Management and now work as a customer service manager. I love sport - I play and coach both county disabled cricket and disabled football. Since 2019 I have been joining youth panels/groups which has sparked my love of policy and making changes in sport and employment. I enjoy the young persons opinion element too, which I feel is important because who is best suited to understanding what young people want.

I joined as an ambassador so that I could share my opinion and make changes in youth employment. Many of my peers have struggled to find work or apprenticeships and I want to make employers and the government aware of the benefit young people can have in the workplace and that they should be supported more as they are the future.

I joined the ambassador youth board because I want to support the programme, engage other young people and be someone ambassadors can talk to. I want to use my knowledge and experience to take the next step on my journey. Overall I am excited and feel as a youth board we can do amazing things together.

Saida

I’m currently studying my A levels and began volunteering with Youth Employment UK in October of 2020, as I’ve always wanted to help young people's voices be heard. Being a young person still in education, I've seen first hand the lack of support and resources available to the youth and really believe the work myself and the rest of the team does makes a difference. I know there’s still a lot of work to be done to give every young person the best chance of success irrespective of their background, which is why I decided to become a board member.

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As experts on youth employment and co-founders of the Youth Employment Group, we are ideally placed to understand the complex landscape facing young people, employers and policy makers.

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