Our board

Introducing the British Youth Council's Board of Trustees...

The British Youth Council's Board of Trustees is a group of 13 young people aged 25 and under who are elected by our members at the Annual Council Meeting each year. As the British Youth Council’s lead representatives they are responsible for guiding the strategic direction of the charity.

Zara Khan

Chair

Zara was elected as a Trustee in September 2019 and elected as Chair of the Board in September 2022. She also served as Chair of the Risk Committee from 2020-2022. She is from the West Midlands and works for the NHS as a Project Manager ensuring patient pathways are fit for purpose and working to reduce hospital admissions. This follows 5 years in Local Government working on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Social Integration and Community Cohesion. She chose the apprenticeship pathway and completed Project Management and Business Admin Qualifications and is a keen advocate for apprenticeships. She sits on the Apprentice Council for the Association of Apprentices, an apprentice-led networking community, and has been an ambassador for the West Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (WMAAN) Zara was previously Chair of the Youth of Walsall, a local Youth group in Walsall, and led the 'Real Knives, Real Lives' Campaign, which won the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner's Community Thank You Award in 2019. She was also a Senior Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Champion for Street Teams, a charity that supports children and young people abused through sexual exploitation. She is currently a Referral Order Panel Member for a Local Authority, which includes supporting young people who have committed a crime to agree a contract of work that they will complete in order to repair the damage caused. In 2021, Zara won a BAME Apprenticeship Award (now renamed the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards) in the Charity, Voluntary and Public Services category and was also Highly Commended at the MJ Local Government Awards in the Rising Star category. She is passionate about youth voice and empowerment and enjoys speaking to young people about her apprenticeship experience. In her free time, she's an avid reader and book collector.

Osaro Otobo

Trustee

Osaro Otobo joined the British Youth Council as a Trustee in October 2020.

Kieran Barry

Treasurer

Kieran is a financial regulation associate working within the Market Oversight division of the Financial Conduct Authority, where he works on projects related to corporate governance, ESG, and financial management. He is from the North East, proudly from a working-class upbringing, and developed a passion for social mobility and equality of opportunity while studying PPE at the University of Warwick. While there, he was heavily involved in the work of the 93% Club at Warwick, becoming President and overseeing the growth of the society, especially surrounding corporate fundraising and using sponsorship to support members. He also was the Widening Participation Officer at Warwick Students’ Union, supporting to create the Union’s cost-of-living response strategy, and creating campaigns on classism to raise awareness. He interned at an Asset Manager where he worked on and learned about fund strategy, has led strategy consulting projects on charity finances and fundraising, and has written papers on transitions to university and supporting social mobility through graduate recruitment processes. Kieran hopes to use the skills he has developed through these experiences to support the BYC’s financial strategy, working closely with the team to maximise the outcomes of the charity in engaging young people in political and organisational life. He is particularly passionate about the social mobility of underrepresented groups, tackling youth poverty, financial literacy, and has a fundamental vision of an equitable society for all.

Natasha Johnson

Trustee and Chair of Finance Committee

‘After facing adversity in my own childhood I made it my life’s work to become a conduit for positive social change. I started by studying Sociology at the University of Westminster, undertaking primary research for my dissertation, which looked at the challenges urban youth face in their transitions into adulthood. Post-graduation I began working in the Philanthropy team at the national children’s charity ‘The Children’s Society’, originally working as an Officer developing and running the small Trusts and Foundations programme. In January 2020 I was promoted to Relationship Manager and now specialise in building strategic partnerships with large philanthropic funders. I strongly believe that every young person deserves a fair chance in life, irrespective of the background and experiences. I work collaboratively across the charity sector to make this a reality. The causes I am particularly passionate about are mental health, women’s rights, support for young refugee and migrants and bridging the wealth gap’.

Tiegan Bingham-Roberts

Trustee

Tiegan works full time as a Civil Servant and has experience across a range of ministerial and non-ministerial departments and professions, which has developed her holistic understanding of government strategy. She brings this expertise to the BYC board as an active representative at the National Youth Sector Advisory Board and the Back Youth Alliance group. Outside of work, Tiegan has fundraised over £12,500 for causes she cares about including education and children. She is passionate about making the UK government more accessible to young people from underrepresented backgrounds in the political sphere and helping them realise their potential. Tiegan's charitable endeavours led to her receiving a Diana Award in 2023 in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. As a Trustee, Tiegan wants to utilise her skillset, network, and various work experiences to benefit the members of the British Youth Council.

Zaienab Alghofari

Trustee

Coming soon ...

Katie Burke

Deputy Chair

Katie is a child rights researcher from Scotland. She started her youth voice journey as a member of the Helensburgh and Lomond Youth Forum and was elected at the age of 14 to the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP). Katie went on to serve as Vice Chair and Chair of the SYPs Board of Trustees and represented Scotland's young people nationally and internationally. This has included giving evidence to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of the UK children's rights reporting process. Katie has also served two terms as a Member of the UK Youth Parliament and represented Scotland as as part of the European Union’s Structured Dialogue process. Through this she has been heavily involved in Scottish and UK youth voice campaigns, including the successful campaign to lower the voting age to 16 in Scotland. In recognition of her work Katie featured as one of the Young Womens’ Movements ‘30 Most Inspiring Scots Women under 30’ and has received numerous awards, including the Scottish Youth Parliament’s Lifetime Achievement Award. After leaving the Scottish Youth Parliament in 2016, Katie went on to represent young people in the recent efforts to reform the Scottish Parliament through the Commission on Parliamentary Reform. Katie currently works as a socio-legal researcher at Coram International, a UK-based children’s rights consultancy that partners with UNICEF and INGOs around the world to conduct policy-informing research on violence against children and women in developing and conflict affected areas. She received her MA in International Relations from the University of St Andrews and was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Minnesota, USA where she completed an MA in Human Rights. In her final year in the USA, Katie was awarded the Humphrey School of Public Affairs Student Leader of the Year Award for her work leading a grassroots campaign to prevent gender-based violence on campus.

Conor Naughton

Trustee

Conor Naughton is an Educational Developer at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) responsible for a portfolio of educational development services, specialising in student engagement and transition. Before this Conor was President and Chair of Nottingham Trent Students’ Union and a governor of the University from 2020 - 2022 where he represented, advocated and supported the views and rights of over 40,000 students and young people on issues including accommodation, mental health, student safety and equal and fair educational access. Throughout the past twelve years, Conor has dedicated his voluntary time and professional career to the improvement of young people’s lives through education both in the UK and internationally. This includes as an international volunteer with a Fijian youth charity, volunteering at refugee summer schools and providing training to not in education, employment or training (NEET) young people. Growing up in a working-class household and as the first person in his family to attend University Conor graduated in 2020 and further developed a passion for the role social mobility plays in helping enhance the personal and professional prospects of young people. Conor continues to support these causes and passions in his role as an Educational Developer, as an external trustee at the University of Salford Students' Union and as a BYC Trustee. Conor strives to complete work that helps create a world where every young person is given a fair chance in life irrespective of background, empowering them to create positive social and political change Throughout the past twelve years, Conor has dedicated his voluntary time and professional career to the improvement of young people’s lives through education both in the UK and internationally. This includes as an international volunteer with a Fijian youth charity, volunteering at refugee summer schools and providing training to not in education, employment or training (NEET) young people. Growing up in a working-class household and as the first person in his family to attend University Conor graduated in 2020 and during this time further developed a passion for the role social mobility plays in helping enhance the personal and professional prospects of young people like himself. Conor continues to support these causes and passions in his role as an Educational Developer and as an external trustee at the University of Salford Students' Union and as a BYC Trustee. Conor strives to complete work that helps create a world where every young person is given a fair chance in life irrespective of background, empowering them to create positive social and political change.

Ali Gibson

Trustee and Chair of People Committee

Coming soon ...

Joe Seddon

Trustee

Joe Seddon is the Founder & CEO of Zero Gravity, a digital social enterprise which mentors students from low-income backgrounds into the UK’s best universities. Launched from his bedroom in West Yorkshire, Joe has grown Zero Gravity from a student bedroom startup into one of the UK’s leading social mobility organisations. He has been named as one of the Top 10 Young Digital Leaders in the UK by Lloyd’s Bank, and has been recognised with a social impact award by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Joe is passionate about social entrepreneurship and using digital technology to solve social problems. He has lectured on the topic of social entrepreneurship at the Cambridge Union, and has spoken at universities and conferences across the UK. He is a frequent commentator on social mobility and higher education issues, and has featured on BBC News, Radio One, and Times Radio, amongst others. Joe graduated from Oxford University in 2018 with First Class Honours in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), and whilst at university freelanced for The Telegraph as an Education Columnist. He was appointed as a Trustee of the British Youth Council in October 2020.

Harry Twohig

Trustee

Harry was elected to the board in September 2022. He is originally from the North East but lives and works in Oxford where he is the Outreach Officer at St Catherine’s College. In this role, he champions social mobility by delivering events, workshops and programmes to equip young people with the information that they need to make informed decisions about their futures. Before joining the board, Harry participated in a BYC programme as a member of the DCMS Youth Policy Steering Group and also served as a Trustee at NYMAZ, a place-based music education charity in North Yorkshire, for three years. Currently, he is a Regional Ambassador for the Young Trustees Movement and actively volunteers with the Nightline Association and The Mix. Outside of work and volunteering, Harry can usually be found watching football or attending live music events. He is particularly passionate about equality of opportunity and ensuring that the voices of all young people, regardless of their backgrounds, are heard and valued in society.

Sila Ugurlu

Trustee and Chair of Risk Committee

Sila is a student reading History and International Relations at King’s College London. She first got involved with the British Youth Council in 2017 as a member of her local youth council, Havering. In 2018 she was elected as Member of Youth Parliament for Havering, with a focus on campaigning for an introduction to a public-health approach to knife crime alongside the Youth Violence Commission. She subsequently joined the British Youth Council Board of Trustees in October 2020. She frequently submerges herself in youth representation on a regional and national level and has featured on BBC News, BBC London, ITV News and Channel 5. Supporting a society in which everyone can have a fair and wholesome life characterises her aspirations

Bea Thomas

Trustee

Bea, started her journey working with young people as a member of staff on the National Citizen Service (NCS), working there annually for several years. Gaining valuable insights in working with young people through effective communication, and empowering young leaders into being the best advocates of change that they can be. While studying BA (Hons) Drama and Performance at the University of Portsmouth, Bea worked with the local authority in supporting young carers. This work involved working with young children and adolescents who have caring responsibilities for a parent at home, and some of the work undertaken involved organising regular respite activities and residential trips. This work proved to be close to Bea's heart and helping support young people’s mental health has been a theme which has been concurrent in her work. Fast forward a few years, and at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bea decided to go back to the University of Portsmouth (albeit virtually), to gain her Masters degree in International Relations. From this Bea has gone on to work for a youth charity in Northamptonshire called Youth Works, where she helped to set up the 16 – 25 mental health transition support service called RE:Start. In her free time, Bea enjoys collecting Lego sets, Shotokan Karate – where she is a 1st Dan black belt, and also getting involved with local politics to help better her local community.

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