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.
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.
